By Jane Close Conoley, CSULB president
As our 2022-23 academic year draws to a close, I ponder lots of highs and a few lows. Of course, we’re back in session now with summer courses, but the pulse of the university has certainly slowed allowing for some reflection on just a few happenings over the past 12 months.
We began the year launching our ambitious No Barriers philanthropic campaign with a goal of raising $275 million to support student achievement, workforce development, and programs for the public good. About the same time, we opened the Anna W. Ngai Alumni Center as the first real home for our 355,000 alums and we debuted our newly expanded Carolyn Compagna Kleefeld Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Beach was again named among elite public universities in the west, ranked third nationally in promoting social mobility, and was listed in top 3% in Money’s 2022 Best Colleges list. CSULB was also ranked first in student outcomes by U.S. News and World Report.
We were pleased to be recognized as among the top universities for Hispanic students, according to Hispanic Outlook on Education’s Top 100 listing. CSULB was also delighted to host the university Pow Wow for its 50th anniversary.
We also moved up from being classified as a masters’ comprehensive university to a high research, doctoral university by the Carnegie Classification System.
Of course, everything we achieve is due to our distinguished faculty and staff and stellar students.
Their honors are far too numerous to list — but we had a faculty member among the finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Fulbright Program award winners, successful grant writers garnering about $66 million in external awards, and mental health promotion and mathematics award winners.
A staff member was a finalist in the CSU Photo of the Year contest and four of our administrators were chosen to participate in the Harvard University’s Women in Power program.
Our students were recognized with national honors in Moot Court and a group of business students won the Sunstone Innovation Challenge earning a hefty check for their innovative ideas.
A masters’ student in biological sciences received the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, while an engineering student landed an 8th place finish at U.S. Figure Skating championships. Two CSULB teams finished in top 4 in a global animation contest.
Our student athletes have had a strong year with several Big West Championships and four programs with perfect academic records.
Team members in men’s golf, women’s tennis, beach volleyball, women’s water polo, and softball were recognized with Big West honors. Men’s volleyball players also earned Big West and national honors.
Competition continues in post season for our award-winning track and field Teams. Our coaches were also recognized with at least two of them named as Big West Coaches of the Year.
Our alums continue to amaze with their significant accomplishment at local, state, and national levels. Examples include a new diplomat for the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, a freshman congressman, many regional leaders in education, city management, city councils, and health, fire, police, and sheriff departments. They have won Pulitzer Prizes and broken gender and ethnic barriers in many industries including entertainment and fashion.
We have welcomed new leadership at The Beach including Dr. Anna Ortiz as dean of education, and Dan Montoya as vice president for university relations and development. We are expecting additional new leadership for our library and College of the Arts as the new academic year begins.
During all this good news, vestiges of the pandemic and new challenges from climate change and old buildings have caused disappointments among faculty, staff, and students related to classroom comfort, childcare, and commencement. We persist in our problem solving in all these areas.
Even after nine years as President, I marvel at the compassionate, scholarly, creative, and innovative climate that characterizes Cal State Long Beach. We look forward to nurturing that climate and to strengthening partnerships with our many stakeholders in our city, state, nation, and world.
