- Alumna Illustrates Native Identity in New ExhibitHands tell a story. Wrinkles, scars, jewelry. They open a window into the collective and unique life experiences of the individual. For artist Monica Zavala, hands are an opportunity to represent her American Indian culture. Zavala has been working on a collection of paintings for the past year that depict the hands of American Indians engaging in traditional and ceremonial Native practices, including basket weaving, beadwork, burning of white sage and more. The exhibit, entitled “All Our Relatives,” pays homage to Zavala’s California Indian heritage and highlights the diverse customs of Native tribes. To reflect such diversity, Zavala connected with members of different Native communities and painted portfolios of their hands, emphasizing their distinct regalia and traditions. She pays special attention to details such as nail polish and tattoos to accentuate the personality of each subject. Her subjects are from a wide range of tribes; her own, the Gabrielino tribe, and others such as the Kumeyaay, Cahuilla, Serrano, Hoopa, the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians and more. As part of the Cal State San Marcos library’s spring Context Exhibit Series, Zavala’s collection of paintings is on display on the third floor of Kellogg Library and available for members of the community to view in person or online through May 10. “I hope visitors get a little bit of education through this exhibit,” Zavala said. “I want people to know we’re not all just the stereotypical image of war bonnets and bows and arrows. We’re very diverse when it comes to regalia. We have many traditions and instruments, and you’ll see in the exhibit that there’s not just one type that fits all kind of Native American.” Zavala’s work being featured in the library’s exhibit is especially meaningful as she graduated from CSUSM with a bachelor’s in art, media and design in 2021. Today, she continues to be a prominent member of the CSUSM community as project coordinator of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC), where she also worked as a student assistant. “I wouldn't change coming here for anything,” Zavala said. “I found a really good community with the American Indian students and the American Indian professors. It’s more than just teachers and students. It's like a community, a family. It's very close-knit.” It was through her CSUSM family that she connected with American Indian Studies professor Eric Tippeconnic, a fellow artist in the Native community. As her mentor, it was Tippeconnic who encouraged Zavala to expand her collection of paintings for the Context Exhibit Series and pursue her idea of illustrating representation through hands. “He’s been taking me under his wing and showing me the ropes on curating my own exhibit,” Zavala said. “I started my journey doing exhibits with him at Cal State Fullerton, and now I get to do my first solo exhibit here at my alma mater.” Visitors can get an inside look at Zavala’s first independent exhibit and learn more about her proud depictions of American Indian culture at Kellogg Library’s free reception on March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. An RSVP is required to attend, and it is open to all students, faculty, staff and community members. “I enjoy the aesthetic qualities of Monica’s work and emphatically applaud her analytical approach in rendering contemporary Native life,” Tippeconnic said. “By guiding the viewer's gaze to the hands, Monica underscores the value of community and reciprocity to reflect traditional Native American values.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Pianist to Perform at Spring Arts & Lectures EventThe second spring Arts & Lectures event will feature accomplished pianist Tian Ying. Ying is known for his eloquent, poetic and dramatically intense performances. Ying has enjoyed a successful career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and piano professor. Since receiving a top prize at the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he has performed at some of the most prestigious concert halls in the U.S. and abroad. To mark his 20th year at the University of Miami, Ying will present Chopin’s Nocturnes, Scherzo, Mazurkas, Fantasie, Polonaise, Impromptu and Sonata No. 3. The event is at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 in Arts 111. Reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. What: Arts & Lectures event “Tian Ying” Who: Tian Ying When: 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17 Where: Arts 111 Cost: Free for CSUSM students, faculty, staff and alumni; $5 for community members Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tian-ying-tickets-795726187447?aff=oddtdtcreator Information: Arts and Lectures website Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Alumna Illustrates Native Identity in New ExhibitHands tell a story. Wrinkles, scars, jewelry. They open a window into the collective and unique life experiences of the individual. For artist Monica Zavala, hands are an opportunity to represent her American Indian culture. Zavala has been working on a collection of paintings for the past year that depict the hands of American Indians engaging in traditional and ceremonial Native practices, including basket weaving, beadwork, burning of white sage and more. The exhibit, entitled “All Our Relatives,” pays homage to Zavala’s California Indian heritage and highlights the diverse customs of Native tribes. To reflect such diversity, Zavala connected with members of different Native communities and painted portfolios of their hands, emphasizing their distinct regalia and traditions. She pays special attention to details such as nail polish and tattoos to accentuate the personality of each subject. Her subjects are from a wide range of tribes; her own, the Gabrielino tribe, and others such as the Kumeyaay, Cahuilla, Serrano, Hoopa, the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians and more. As part of the Cal State San Marcos library’s spring Context Exhibit Series, Zavala’s collection of paintings is on display on the third floor of Kellogg Library and available for members of the community to view in person or online through May 10. “I hope visitors get a little bit of education through this exhibit,” Zavala said. “I want people to know we’re not all just the stereotypical image of war bonnets and bows and arrows. We’re very diverse when it comes to regalia. We have many traditions and instruments, and you’ll see in the exhibit that there’s not just one type that fits all kind of Native American.” Zavala’s work being featured in the library’s exhibit is especially meaningful as she graduated from CSUSM with a bachelor’s in art, media and design in 2021. Today, she continues to be a prominent member of the CSUSM community as project coordinator of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC), where she also worked as a student assistant. “I wouldn't change coming here for anything,” Zavala said. “I found a really good community with the American Indian students and the American Indian professors. It’s more than just teachers and students. It's like a community, a family. It's very close-knit.” It was through her CSUSM family that she connected with American Indian Studies professor Eric Tippeconnic, a fellow artist in the Native community. As her mentor, it was Tippeconnic who encouraged Zavala to expand her collection of paintings for the Context Exhibit Series and pursue her idea of illustrating representation through hands. “He’s been taking me under his wing and showing me the ropes on curating my own exhibit,” Zavala said. “I started my journey doing exhibits with him at Cal State Fullerton, and now I get to do my first solo exhibit here at my alma mater.” Visitors can get an inside look at Zavala’s first independent exhibit and learn more about her proud depictions of American Indian culture at Kellogg Library’s free reception on March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. An RSVP is required to attend, and it is open to all students, faculty, staff and community members. “I enjoy the aesthetic qualities of Monica’s work and emphatically applaud her analytical approach in rendering contemporary Native life,” Tippeconnic said. “By guiding the viewer's gaze to the hands, Monica underscores the value of community and reciprocity to reflect traditional Native American values.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Pianist to Perform at Spring Arts & Lectures EventThe second spring Arts & Lectures event will feature accomplished pianist Tian Ying. Ying is known for his eloquent, poetic and dramatically intense performances. Ying has enjoyed a successful career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and piano professor. Since receiving a top prize at the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he has performed at some of the most prestigious concert halls in the U.S. and abroad. To mark his 20th year at the University of Miami, Ying will present Chopin’s Nocturnes, Scherzo, Mazurkas, Fantasie, Polonaise, Impromptu and Sonata No. 3. The event is at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 in Arts 111. Reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. What: Arts & Lectures event “Tian Ying” Who: Tian Ying When: 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17 Where: Arts 111 Cost: Free for CSUSM students, faculty, staff and alumni; $5 for community members Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tian-ying-tickets-795726187447?aff=oddtdtcreator Information: Arts and Lectures website Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Graduate's Innovative Idea Helping At-Risk ChildrenOne of the last classes Alec Frank took during his undergraduate studies at Cal State San Marcos turned out to be one of the most impactful. It was “Risk and Resiliency in Childhood and Adolescence,” a requirement for his child and adolescent development major. Frank’s professor, Sharon Hamill, had one message above all others that she wanted students to take away from the class. “I told them to always remember how important it is to have an adult who cares about you,” Hamill said. “It changes everything. Just an engagement with someone where you really hear them, you know them, and they feel valued, that in and of itself helps to make young people – and all of us actually – very much more resilient.” It’s a lesson that stayed with Frank after graduating in 2019, and one he continued to keep top of mind as he earned his master’s in social work from CSUSM two years later. Today, he’s putting that advice to work in his role as a therapist at Casa de Amparo, a short-term residential therapeutic program for girls ages 12-18 who have been victims of child abuse and neglect. “We learned in that class that the biggest predictor for kids building resiliency skills is having a trusted adult in their life, just a trusted adult that they can connect with,” said Frank, recalling Hamill’s course. “We talked about this idea of buffers. If a kid is going down the wrong path, a buffer gets in the way and steers them to a different path. And that buffer is a trusted, caring adult. I remember thinking, ‘I want to be a buffer for these kids.’ That was a huge moment in my life when it came to why I want to do this work.” Frank was an intern at Casa de Amparo, which is three miles north of campus, while pursuing his master’s. His positive demeanor, energy and rapport with both clients and staff led to his being hired full time after graduation. A member of CSUSM’s basketball team while a student, Frank saw a need among the girls at Casa de Amparo for a health program that would positively impact their physical and mental well-being. The result was his creation last March of an incentive-based workout program. Children at Casa de Amparo are given a weekly allowance, and Frank worked with the organization’s administration to provide financial incentives for the biweekly workouts. “We see so many of our kids who haven't had a healthy lifestyle modeled for them,” said Erin Gospodarec, Casa de Amparo’s chief operating officer. “Being able to see them focus on their physical health and how that is improving their overall mental health has just been dramatic.” Frank’s program includes five exercises – regular pushups, modified pushups, planks, wall sits and running. He intentionally chose exercises that require no equipment and would allow the girls to easily do them outside of the formal biweekly workouts. He even created an additional incentive to help motivate the girls to continue doing the exercises on their own. Girls receive $1 extra in their allowance for each exercise they complete, meaning they can earn an additional $5 if they complete all five exercises. They can earn up to $5 more by beating their previous record ($1 for each record broken). If the girls see that they can set a goal and surpass it when it comes to pushups or wall sits, Frank said they’ll learn that they can apply that to other parts of their life, too. “The reality is lots of these kids have been abused,” he said. “So they’ve had their physical bodies taken from them in some ways. And now, because of that experience, they no longer feel in control their physical bodies. Doing these types of exercises, doing this workout program, it teaches them to regain control of their physical bodies.” And that, Hamill noted, is what separates Frank’s program apart. “It's not just an exercise class,” she said. “It's really about learning how to say, ‘I can take control over my own body, my own behavior. And I've got this person here who cares about me and is going to support my efforts.’ In many cases, it might be the first time in their life that anybody's ever done that.” The positive feedback Frank has received, both from participants and professionals, has him examining how he might expand the program. He is meeting with representatives from CSUSM’s Innovation Hub to learn more about ways in which he can grow it. But the goal isn’t about building a business, it’s about having a lasting impact on at-risk children. “I've been a teacher for 35 years, and I've never had a student that was so intuitive and so engaged – and I've had lots of really smart students,” Hamill said. “Alec is the kind of person who you meet, and he changes things for you. There's an expression that says ‘Be the person who makes other people believe in good people,’ and Alec is that person.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Alumnus Seeks Better Mental Health Through Better CutsJohn W. Edwards III hasn’t been to a barber in more than two decades. Edwards was only 12 years old when he taught himself how to cut his own hair. It was a talent born of necessity. He and his family had moved to San Ysidro, just north of the Mexican border, and there were no barber shops in the area that specialized in styling the hair of Black clients. As Edwards grew, so did his skills, and his customer base. He started by practicing on a few kids in the neighborhood. In high school, he was the unofficial barber of his football team, and he expanded the operation as a football player at Grossmont College, charging $5 per head every Thursday. By the time Edwards enrolled at Cal State San Marcos as a transfer student returning to higher education in 2021, he was close to completing barber school. Now a licensed barber and a recent CSUSM graduate, he operates a small studio in San Diego, rotating about 25 clients through his single chair. That’s half of Edwards’ career track. It’s the other half, though, that elevates his story from merely intriguing to truly unique. Edwards studied psychology at CSUSM, and it was at the university that he dreamed up the idea of melding his longtime practice of barbering with his fledgling research on mental health treatment. Before graduating last May, he became the first student in the state (according to some digging he did on the topic) and possibly the nation to conduct a preliminary study on a college campus in which barbering is used as a tool for trauma-informed advocacy. Edwards is now building on this novel project while in his first year as a Master of Social Work student at San Diego State. “I’ve always had the ability to talk to people, build rapport with them and connect with them in that moment of cutting hair,” Edwards said. “But I never thought of it as an interaction that could help someone, where a person felt that they could trust me enough to share certain information with me. It wasn’t until I came to Cal State San Marcos that I started thinking about it from the standpoint of a mental health advocate.” Starting in the fall of 2022 and under the direction of psychology professor Aleksandria Grabow, Edwards embarked on a year-long independent study course through which he constructed his research project. After forming a pool of 60 male participants (15 of whom were CSUSM students) and doing a survey about their backgrounds and experiences with barbers, he gave each of them a haircut in a lab in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building. For one group, Edwards talked to the participants as a normal barber would – chatting about sports, the weather, weekend plans, et cetera. For the other, he talked to them specifically about mental health and advocated for their mental well-being. Of the latter group, nearly 100% of those individuals who received the advocacy said they would be willing to seek professional help, whether at Student Health & Counseling Services or a mental health clinic in their area. Of the control group, they almost universally said they had no desire to go out of their way to talk to a mental health professional (meaning unless that person was there in the room). Edwards’ main takeaway from the study? “There is a direct correlation between the level of trust that a client has with their barber and their ability to share and receive new information regarding mental health, which can lead to help-seeking behaviors following an interaction with a barber who is trauma-informed,” he said. “As a psychology major, I learned how to be trauma-informed – that’s how to listen, how to answer, how to share information with people from an advocate standpoint. When you're trauma-informed and a barber, and you have someone coming to you with vulnerabilities, there's going to be a change in their behavior for the better. This is all through getting a haircut, and that's because these individuals trust you, they feel safe and they don't feel like they're being pressured to do anything other than just exist in that moment and engage in a conversation.” Grabow was inspired by Edwards’ fusing of his twin passions when she met him at career panel for CSUSM psychology students. She agreed to be the faculty adviser for his independent study course, and though she assisted him with the logistical aspects of the research, she says the bulk of the project was “all John – the idea, the drive, the execution.” “What John is doing is bringing healing to the individual,” Grabow said. “This preliminary study shows that, whether it's mood improvement or an increase in openness to mental health services, a barber visit can go beyond providing a haircut. John worked diligently to apply as controlled a research environment as possible, from cutting hair in the same space to the same music and ambience for all the participants in his study. The project is certainly novel, and has the potential to contribute to how we research and apply mental health healing and advocacy.” At San Diego State, Edwards is furthering his research from CSUSM, exposing it to additional academic rigor that can aid in the eventual publication of what he believes is a first-of-its-kind study. He also has started a nonprofit called Better CUTS (which stands for “Connected, Uplifted, Transcended and Saved”), his spinoff of the mental health platform BetterHelp. The goal is to create a space where men in distress – maybe they’re experiencing a mental health crisis or just need someone to talk to – can get their hair cut by a trauma-informed barber, whether that’s Edwards himself or someone he trains. “My vision is to partner with as many people as I can who want to be a part of this project and come up with a curriculum where I can teach barbers how to be trauma-informed, how to listen, how to look for clues, how to identify certain behaviors,” Edwards said. “Not to approach clients as a mental health professional, but as a person who is able to lead them to individuals who can help, and they will be a part of my coalition of professionals. “There are barbers all over San Diego County who have men and women who come in and talk about mental health in some capacity, and I believe barbers should be educated and encouraged to welcome those conversations.” Like his love of barbering, Edwards’ fascination with mental health comes from his formative experiences. He grew up in a household with his mother, three sisters and no male role models (his father was out of the picture). For much of his adolescence, he struggled to relate to other males or express his emotions, though learning to cut his friends’ hair helped ameliorate that deficiency. After graduating from Chula Vista High School, he attended Grossmont College mostly to play football, and when that path didn’t pan out, he dropped out of school, presumably for good. In 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hired him as a contractor to work in the Otay Mesa Detention Center. His mother has worked in the same facility for more than 25 years, and Edwards valued the position because he was able to interact with detainees (mostly men) and help them begin to make better decisions while serving time. But then came a double whammy: Edwards lost his job and the COVID-19 pandemic struck in rapid succession. He found himself briefly unhoused due to the inability to afford high rental costs in San Diego and so immersed in negative thoughts that he could barely function. For a man who had never tried therapy and was highly skeptical of its value, this was a good time to start. The mental health professional whom he visited improved Edwards’ head space, and Edwards was moved to act on an idea that already was marinating in his mind: Why not help men find their way through cutting their hair? Soon after, he enrolled in both barber school and CSUSM, beginning to put his plan into action. Better mental health through better cuts. “This is everything that I should have been doing all along,” Edwards said. “I believe that God tells us to use our gifts to serve other people. My gift is talking and my gift is barbering, and I'm using those gifts to serve my community.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- Artist Spotlights Domestic Workers in Spring Arts & LecturesThe spring Arts & Lectures series will open with a presentation from performance artist Andreína Maldonado. Maldonado (aka Nina Limon) is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural worker and educator whose work is rooted in her experiences as a Venezuelan immigrant, performing artist and domestic worker. For six years, she has worked with Latinx women and men in the San Francisco Mission District to provide art spaces for healing and building relationships through dance, social activism and performances. This piece will feature 13 domestic workers and day laborers from the Mission District performing live music, poetry, worker testimonies and audio-visual projections. During the event, Maldonado will present a lecture demonstrating her process of creating this work and a short documentary. In conjunction with the Latinx Center, she also is teaching a wellness workshop that is open to the public. The event is at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Arts 111. Reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. What: Arts & Lectures event “Our Work, Our Dignity: Socially Engaged Performance Practice for Community Organizing With Andreína Maldonado” Who: Andreína Maldonado, an interdisciplinary artist and educator When: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 8 Where: Arts 111 Cost: Free for CSUSM students, faculty, staff and alumni; $5 for community members Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/our-workour-dignity-tickets-795717441287?aff=oddtdtcreator Information: Arts and Lectures website Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Black Excellence Month Will Celebrate, Foster EmpowermentIn honor of Black Excellence Month, Cal State San Marcos’ Black Student Center has selected the theme “Empowerment to the People” to celebrate and foster empowerment among the CSUSM Black community through the arts, education, student engagement and community initiatives. Shanelle Watkins, assistant director of the Black Student Center, plans to highlight achievements of Black students at CSUSM and recognize historical figures throughout February. A range of exciting events and activities are planned for the month to showcase and honor Black excellence. The festivities will conclude with the inaugural Black Excellence Awards Gala on Feb. 23. Black Excellence Month events are open to all students and the campus community. Black Excellence Month Flag Raising Ceremony and Brunch Feb. 1, noon, Chavez Circle flagpole/USU Ballroom Start the month of celebration with words of welcome, encouragement and reflections from members of the campus community followed by a celebratory brunch. This event serves as a powerful reminder of the rich cultural heritage and the ongoing pursuit of equity and justice. All are welcome to attend and engage with the BSC community, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of Black excellence. Divine Nine Panel With Student Leadership and Involvement Center Feb. 8, noon, Black Student Center Learn about the historical significance, cultural wealth and inspiring influence of Black Greek letter organizations. Black Art Expo II Feb. 13, noon, Arts Building Showroom Discover the captivating artworks of Black students at CSUSM, encompassing a range of expressions from music to poetry to visual arts. The exhibition will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to talk and engage with the artists from noon to 1 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves in the creativity on display and support the vibrant community of Black student artists. Black Student Center Birthday Hour Feb. 15, noon, Black Student Center Come celebrate the Black Student Center’s seventh birthday! There will be music and sweet treats available to enjoy. Carnaval With Latinx Center Feb. 16, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Join this annual collaboration with the Latinx Center to celebrate with cultural games, food and entertainment. Black Excellence Awards Gala Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m., USU Ballroom The BSC is hosting this inaugural event in collaboration with Tukwut Life to celebrate and highlight the Black community. The evening will be a showcase of achievements and inspiring stories from our vibrant community. Guests are encouraged to dress in their finest attire to honor the occasion and the remarkable accomplishments being celebrated. SistaFest With Women Gender Equity Center Feb. 29, 11:30 a.m., WGEC USU 3200 Join the WGEC and BSC for the inaugural SistaFest to celebrate Black womanhood. There will be an amazing lineup of speakers, activities and performances that honor the experiences and contributions of Black women. Spread the word, bring your friends and let's uplift each other in solidarity and joy! Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Scenes From CSUSM's First Fall CommencementCal State San Marcos became the first public university in San Diego County to hold a fall commencement this past December. Fall commencement offered mid-year graduates the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments with families and friends without having to wait until spring. A total of 533 students graduated across three ceremonies, and more than 4,000 guests registered to attend. Check out more fall 2023 commencement photos below. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Author Sharing the Value of Diverse Stories Highlights Spring Arts & LecturesA presentation by an author who champions for black and queer voices highlights the spring lineup of the longstanding Arts & Lectures series at Cal State San Marcos. This season boasts a diverse selection of seven events as the university hosts renowned guest speakers and performances. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website beginning Jan. 22. Our Work, Our Dignity: Socially Engaged Performance Practice for Community Organizing With Andreína Maldonado Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m., Arts 111 The work of interdisciplinary artist, cultural worker and educator Andreína Maldonado (aka Nina Limon) is rooted in her experiences as a Venezuelan immigrant, performing artist and domestic worker. For six years, she has worked with Latinx women and men in the San Francisco Mission District to provide art spaces for healing and building relationships through dance, social activism and performances. This piece will feature 13 domestic workers and day laborers from the Mission District performing live music, poetry, worker testimonies and audio-visual projections. During the event, Maldonado will present a lecture demonstrating her process of creating this work and a short documentary. In conjunction with the Latinx Center, she also is teaching a wellness workshop that is open to the public. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Tian Ying Feb. 17, 7 p.m., Arts 111 Pianist Tian Ying is known for his eloquent, poetic and dramatically intense performances. Ying has enjoyed a successful career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and piano professor. Since receiving a top prize at the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he has performed at some of the most prestigious concert halls in the U.S. and abroad. To mark his 20th year at the University of Miami, Ying will present Chopin’s Nocturnes, Scherzo, Mazurkas, Fantasie, Polonaise, Impromptu and Sonata No. 3. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Ed Kornhauser Quartet March 4, 7:30 p.m., Arts 111 Immerse yourself in an evening of jazz as pianist Ed Kornhauser showcases the brilliance that earned him the honors of Best Jazz Artist and Best Jazz Album at the 2021 and 2022 San Diego Music Awards. Kornhauser’s artistry has been praised by the San Diego Troubadour website, which called him "one of San Diego’s top pianist/keyboardists." He’s not only a solo sensation but also an integral part of the Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio, and his collaborations with Grammy Award-winning producer Kamau Kenyatta have produced acclaimed albums like "RETROgrade" and "I.Am.Calm." Before the concert, at 5:30, the CSUSM jazz ensemble will perform for our guest artist and receive feedback; all are welcome to attend. Join us for an evening filled with exceptional music, community spirit and the magic that only live performances can offer. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Nature-Driven Design: How to Survive Plastics March 6, noon, Innovation Hub Dr. Pinar Yoldas will discuss her award-winning nature-based design, including her creation “Hollow Ocean,” which was selected for the 2021 Venice Biennale. Integrating drawing and sculpture with bioengineering centered around the climate crisis, Yoldas works in the mixed realm of architecture, design and speculative biology. She’s an associate professor at UC San Diego, the author of “An Ecosystem of Excess” and the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship as well as a Creative Capital grant. Before the talk, from 10:30-11:30 a.m., students will have a chance to interact with Yoldas. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Landa Lakes March 7, 7:30 p.m., Arts 111 Chickasaw writer, musician, activist and artist Landa Lakes (J Miko Thomas) will perform a traditional Chickasaw story and dance that explores the current issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Through the art of drag, traditional stories and memories of her upbringing, Landa will show what it means to be a Chickasaw and Two-Spirit, a term for Native American people who identify as having masculine and feminine spirits. Through original music, lip sync and drag performance, Landa brings to light the importance of the intimate and vulnerable Two-Spirit stories. The event will be followed by a Q&A session about Two-Spirit performance and the future of Indigenous people. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 An Evening With George M. Johnson, author of “All Boys Aren’t Blue” April 3, 6 p.m., University Student Union Ballroom As Johnson’s memoir achieved massive success as a New York Times bestseller, it also became the American Library Association’s third-most-challenged book of 2021. But with each shove, Johnson continues to persevere and advocate for Black and queer voices. “Black storytelling has often been banned,” he says. “My book is a tool so that Black queer kids and LGBTQ teens can see themselves and read about themselves and learn about themselves.” Johnson will speak about the importance of sharing diverse stories – why we should remain resilient, how representation in media can support young adults’ mental and physical health, and what we can do to support these voices. By listening to one another and understanding the history, language and actions necessary to change the world, we can form a community where we are all free to be our true, authentic selves. Johnson will be signing copies of “All Boys Aren’t Blue” after the event. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: $5 Community: $10 Jason Perez April 15, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Through poetry, performance and video, San Diego poet laureate Jason Magabo Perez explores the poetics of memory as an act of anticolonial future-making. Perez is also an essayist, performer and author of a book of poetry and prose titled “This is for the mostless” (2017) and the forthcoming book-length poem "I ask about what falls away." He is an associate professor and director of ethnic studies at CSUSM. He will be joined by DJ, music producer, performer and longtime collaborator Shammy Dee. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- CSUSM Breaks Ground on New Housing and Dining ProjectCal State San Marcos broke ground Friday on a new housing and dining project that is the university’s latest effort to alleviate the burden of the region’s housing crisis on students. The groundbreaking ceremony for the University Village Student Success Housing and Dining Project took place in the parking lot of University Village Apartments, one of three existing housing facilities at CSUSM. Over the next 2½ years, the site will be transformed into a complex that features space for 550 additional student residents and a 10,000-square-foot dining hall that will provide affordable meal plans for students. “We all try every day to remove obstacles our students face in their pursuit of higher education, because worrying about rising rent costs or not knowing where your next meal may come from has an impact on a student’s academic and personal success,” President Ellen Neufeldt said during the event. “Here at CSUSM, we are dedicated to meeting those basic needs for all our students, and this project is a testament to that commitment. “Given the rising costs of living across our region, the University Village Student Success Housing and Dining Project is vital to ensuring the success of our first-year students as they get acclimated to college life and living on their own. Research has shown that students are more likely to succeed if they are living on campus, but we must make sure cost-effective opportunities are available to students who need it most.” Neufeldt was joined at the event Friday by other CSUSM administrators; Moy Valdez, president of Associated Students, Inc.; and numerous public officials and their representatives. The ceremony began with a traditional tribal blessing by Chris Devers of the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians. The groundbreaking comes a little over a year after CSUSM opened North Commons, its third housing facility, and Campus Way Cafe, its first dining hall. The new University Village project, scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2026, will increase the student housing capacity on campus to more than 2,500. The project is being funded in part by $91 million that CSUSM received from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature in their 2022-23 budget. Of the $497 million allocated for student housing projects on nine California State University campuses, CSUSM was given the second-highest amount. Valdez said he was inspired to join ASI because of CSUSM’s commitment to the on-campus experience for students, which he believes will be amplified by the new housing and dining project. “Everyone at ASI has put so much time and effort into new housing projects, such as this one, as we see it as a new avenue for students to come onto campus, get connected with the established student life, and hopefully one day find the passion to represent future students as we did,” Valdez said. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- New Program Opens Doors for Students With Intellectual DisabilitiesRebecca Brooks arrived at Cal State San Marcos with 16 years of experience as a special education teacher – and with a dream. Almost since the day she was hired as a professor in the School of Education in 2015, Brooks has aspired to establish a program that would give students with intellectual disabilities as close to a normal college experience as possible. A couple of years into her tenure, she began talking to CSUSM colleagues about it. In 2020, during a sabbatical, she started working on it. And now, nearly a decade later, that dream is a reality. Last fall, Brooks officially established the Aspiring Scholars program, a four-year initiative for students with intellectual disabilities who aren’t pursuing a degree but are seeking an inclusive college experience that will prepare them for competitive integrated employment. Four students are part of the first cohort of this program in which they learn and grow alongside the CSUSM community while earning a certificate in higher education career studies and skill development. “I'm thrilled that we are able to offer this program at CSUSM,” Brooks said. “It's something that I've wanted even prior to working at CSUSM. So being able to create a pathway for students when they finish high school to attend a four-year university is very exciting and much needed.” Aspiring Scholars falls into the category of a nationwide trend called Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE), which is designed for students with intellectual disabilities (and of college age) to continue academic, career and technical, and independent living instruction to prepare themselves for employment. CSUSM has joined more than 300 degree-granting institutions in the United States that offer IPSE programs, which might sound impressive until you consider that the country contains more than 4,300 such institutions. In California, the ratio is even more dire, as only five four-year universities in the state offered IPSE programs in 2022. Brooks is trying to help change that, and the state grant that’s funding her program involves a partnership with five other California State University campuses: East Bay, Long Beach, Northridge, San Francisco and San Jose. Brooks pointed to data showing that only 3% of adults with intellectual disabilities make a living wage in California, whereas a survey by Think College – a national research center based at UMass Boston for students with intellectual disabilities – found that 73% of respondents had a paid job one year after completing an IPSE. “It is critical that more programs like this be developed and offered to students,” Brooks said. The four students in the inaugural cohort – Joshua Corder, Roman Martens, Tammy Tang and Alex Vaghefi – are participants in a program that has been tailored to their individual needs. Students are required to take at least two classes per semester, but they can choose any discipline they want based on their interests and career goals. In Year 2, an internship component will be introduced to offer the students an opportunity to gain skills and experiences. And Aspiring Scholars provides plenty of chances for students to get involved in campus life, whether it’s clubs, university events or sports competitions. Tang, for example, is a 22-year-old from Carmel Valley who always has wanted an authentic college experience. After graduating from the Winston School, a Del Mar institution for students in grades 6-12 who learn in nontraditional ways, Tang (with the guidance of her parents) had been trying to cobble together online classes here and there for the past couple of years. Aspiring Scholars, by contrast, offers her an in-person and holistic approach to university life. The two classes she’s taking are general education 101 (required) and theater arts (elective), and she also joined the theater club and auditioned for a part in a play. “I want to be an artist one day,” Tang said. “I like drawing and painting.” In sending Tammy to CSUSM, her parents were reassured by a particularly important aspect of the program. Aspiring Scholars incorporates about a dozen peer mentors who assist the four students as they go about their days. Some signed up to fulfill service learning hours; others chose to volunteer. Some are assigned to a particular student; others work with multiple students during a specific time of day. All, however, derive something valuable from the experience. Gabriella Nunez is a junior psychology major who needed service learning hours and heard about the program from one of her professors. She contacted Brooks last fall and was introduced to Tang. The two hit it off immediately, bonding over their shared love of pizza and Katy Perry. “It's a really good program,” said Nunez, who plans to pursue a master’s degree and specialize in school psychology. “In my field, you have to take a course that helps those who have intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities. So this is a good head start if you want to go in that direction.” Tang’s parents, meanwhile, have received the gift of peace of mind. “From our point of view, this program is very helpful because of the peer mentor support,” said Steven Tang, Tammy’s father. “We had been looking for programs for Tammy, but we also had to plan to go with her because we still weren’t sure whether she could be independent just cruising around campus. With someone who can work with her closely and guide her and also help her with homework, that really gives us a break so we can go to work without worrying about what's going on.” Brooks said the first year of Aspiring Scholars has exceeded her expectations, in large part because of the support she has received from faculty and staff across campus. She anticipates that the number of students will remain at roughly the same level for Year 2, but she plans to apply for additional funding that will allow the program to build on itself and become more sustainable. “I'm excited to see it grow,” Brooks said. “I'm eager to have larger cohorts of students, have more peer mentors, and be able to work with more professors across campus as students enroll in their courses.” If you'd like more information about the Aspiring Scholars program, or to apply, contact director Rebecca Brooks at scholars@csusm.edu. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- At the Intersection of Art, Compassion and CybersecurityWhen Merryl Goldberg met Jen Easterly a few years ago at the RSA Conference – a cybersecurity convention – of all places, it signified a simple coming together of two professionals who have spent a portion of their adult lives protecting nations of people. The right place at the right time. But perhaps it was serendipitous for another reason. For how do you explain a random meeting between an American national security expert and a music professor that would eventually become a lifelong connection? The most unlikely but accurate answer is art and compassion – two areas that both Goldberg and Easterly said are essential to showing a human side to cybersecurity. Easterly, the Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Lisa Einstein, the Executive Director of CISA’s Advisory Committee, came to Cal State San Marcos earlier this month for a day-long series of events with students and faculty to discuss the role of art and compassion in the highly classified and technical world of cybersecurity. “The opportunity to have our students engage with Jen Easterly and Lisa Einstein on the human side of cybersecurity, including how the arts, empathy and imagination matter, was absolutely wonderful,” said Goldberg, who in addition to her role as music professor is executive director of Center ARTES on campus. “Even more so, having our computer science majors, music majors, future teachers, STEM and STEAM ambassadors and cybersecurity club members all gather and decide to work together on future projects is exactly what we hope for in a learning environment.” The event, which was tabbed as the intersection of art and cybersecurity, began with an interactive class session with CSUSM students led by Einstein that included music and dance. The topic of the class was integrating art in cybersecurity, and it actively kicked off the visit with a positive tone of what can sometimes be a dry and serious subject. Next up was a panel discussion on arts, empathy and cybersecurity that was bookended by creative and inspirational musical performances. Liora Gubkin, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences, introduced the panel and discussed the importance of working together across disciplines. “What most impresses me about the learning opportunity before us is the recognition that complex, technical challenges aren't just tech challenges,” Gubkin told the crowd. “We have to work across the disciplines that often separate our knowledge spaces to successfully confront the challenges we face. And that regardless of the particularity of the problem, a mindset that accesses our creativity and foregrounds our empathy is essential.” Einstein is the picture of this integration. She attended performing arts school from grades 4-9 in Canada. She studied physics at Princeton and then danced professionally. She was also Stanford’s first recipient of a dual master’s degree in computer science and international policy. Einstein introduced the original song “Just a Girl Risin’ ” that she wrote while serving in the Peace Corps following a situation where a young boy explained to her that his sister couldn’t do math and science because girls weren’t good at those subjects. “It's genuinely how I learned since I was a kid,” she said. “I've written songs to learn stuff. When I moved from Canada to the U.S., I wrote a song about the amendments to learn all of them. I've always engaged creatively with learning. And so if I want to remember something, I tried to write a song about it. And if that resonates, that’s even better.” The panel also included CSUSM art, media and design associate professor Lucy HG Solomon and Ranjeeta Basu, a professor of economics and faculty director of the Center for Contemplative Practices on campus. It concluded with a three-song set – “The Bugs, They Are A-Changin’ ” written by Einstein to the tune of Bob Dylan’s “The Times, They Are A-Changin’ ” about the need to perform regular updates to our mobile phones; a number with Goldberg playing the soprano saxophone and music department chair Ching-Ming Cheng on piano; and a rendition of the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine”. Music assistant professor Aaron Humble lent his vocal talents to all three songs. The link throughout the songs was Goldberg, first playing a drum then a saxophone. Easterly was quick to credit her close friend with keeping empathy and mindfulness at the forefront in whatever one does. She was impressed but not shocked at Goldberg’s overwhelming popularity at RSA. “Meryl is such a force for positive energy,” said Easterly, who was confirmed as Director by the U.S. Senate on July 21, 2021. “You know, she immediately has a way of just connecting and was so kind and really explained her story there. And then I read about her because they did a story afterwards. It was actually the most popular talk at RSA.” As the newest agency in the federal government, CISA is continuing to build its culture through core principles focused on four themes – imagination, empathy, honest feedback and communication. The most important thing to Easterly is to create a culture and continue to build that culture around these core principles. “I'm just a big believer that empathy is a human skill that all of us need to embrace,” said Easterly, who lost her younger brother to suicide. “Because fundamentally, being able to create trust and high-performing teams, and being an effective leader, is about imagining yourself in the shoes of others so that you can feel their experiences and create compassion for who they are.” In 2019, the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security designated CSUSM as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education for the M.S. Cybersecurity program. A bachelor of science and a master of science in cybersecurity are both offered online through Extended Learning. Easterly was impressed in her first visit to campus with the culture of care that exists. “From my short experience here, I've been totally energized by everything about this campus,” said Easterly, whose dad was a speech writer while her mom was an English teacher who focused on poetry. “The physical beauty of it, the diversity of it. But really, mostly because of the people. From the minute I arrived and met with some of the representatives to meeting the faculty, a lot of the deans and heads of departments and then getting a chance to spend time with the students – both students of arts and music and students of computer science and cybersecurity – it's been a totally electrifying experience.” The President Biden nominee said she’s always grateful when she’s able to get out of Washington, D.C., particularly when she has the opportunity to spend time talking about the things she’s most passionate about. At the top of that list is ensuring everybody has a deep appreciation for what they need to do to stay safe online. “A lot of getting that across effectively is being able to communicate,” she said. “And so I love this morning's discussion about the value of communication, feedback, imagination and empathy because empathy is just a way to connect with people. If you're able to connect with people, then you're able to create that trust. If you're able to create that trust, then communication around the things that you need to do to stay safe online becomes more natural.” The day continued with a fireside chat at the Innovation Hub and a student engagement event with STEM and STEAM ambassadors through the Center for Research and Engagement in STEM Education (CRESE). It concluded with a BBQ and jam session at Goldberg’s nearby home. An event that took years to put together and more than six months to plan logistically ended like it should have – with Goldberg, Easterly, Einstein and others making impromptu music. “Embracing different backgrounds and ways of thinking to solve challenges and problems will no doubt move us forward in many arenas,” Goldberg said. “I could not have been more honored to have the CISA team here with our students and faculty, and I could not be more honored to watch our students shine with them.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Nothing Can Stop Grandfather From Seeing Granddaughter GraduateRalph Adkins didn’t care how poorly he felt or how difficult the trek from Wildomar to San Marcos might be. There was no chance he was going to miss the graduation of his granddaughter, Alyson Adkins, from Cal State San Marcos on Dec. 17. “It didn’t matter if I was on my deathbed,” said Ralph, who has been battling two types of cancer and congestive heart failure. “He was going to crawl here if he had to,” said Robin Adkins, Ralph’s wife. The commencement ceremony was one of three held by CSUSM, which became the first public university in San Diego County to host a fall graduation. Alyson Adkins was one of more than 500 graduates who participated in the festivities. A human development major, Alyson is the first of Ralph and Robin’s three grandchildren to graduate from college, making the day even more special. Alyson is planning to continue her education in an 18-month accelerated nursing program at Grand Canyon University. Robin commended CSUSM’s commencement team for helping to ensure Ralph made it safely inside the Sports Center for the noon ceremony. She said Ralph and Alyson share a special connection, one forged from the moment Alyson was born and Ralph cut her umbilical cord. “They have a bond that none of us can touch, you know?” Robin said. “His prized possession is a 1970 Corvette that we got him when he came out of chemo. And he restored it. And we all know that car is going to ‘Redhead.’ It’s in the will – she gets it.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Looking Back on Successes of 2023As the end of the year approaches, many are already looking ahead to 2024. But before putting the finishing touches on your list of New Year’s resolutions, let’s take a look back at some of the most-talked-about stories of 2023. President’s Outstanding Graduate Drawn to Special Path When Aidelen Montoya transferred to CSUSM as a business major, her parents were fully behind this path because it offered her stability. But her passion for art history kept nagging at her. She considered a double major, but her gut told her something else. Montoya chose to create her own special major in museum studies, studio art and art history. “I wasn't that happy, to be honest,” said Montoya, the recipient of the 2023 Cal State San Marcos President’s Outstanding Graduate Award. “So when I found this special major, I shifted it to what I really wanted to focus on, which was museums and art history. I felt so much happier.” Alumna Paves Way as Palomar's First Latina President Star Rivera-Lacey has grown from poverty in childhood to earning a Ph.D. and today serving as the first Latina superintendent/president of Palomar College. Rivera-Lacey’s ability to remain optimistic during challenging times helped her become the first in her family to graduate from college when she received a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies at CSUSM. Poet Laureate Blends Personal Experience With Observations Jason Magabo Perez, an associate professor and program director of ethnic studies at CSUSM, was named poet laureate of the city of San Diego. His two-year appointment will include holding workshops, representing the city in civic cultural events and writing poetry. Biochemistry Student Receives Prestigious Pfizer Fellowship Biochemistry student Diana Llamas received the Pfizer La Jolla Academic Industrial Relations Diversity Research Fellowship in Chemistry. She is one of just four people in the western region selected, joining awardees from Arizona State, UC Davis and UC Riverside. Llamas is using the $20,000 award to research synthesizing novel benzotriazole compounds as potential antifungal agents using gold catalysis. Cochlear Implants Help Transform Track Standout’s Life Born with mild to profound hearing loss, cochlear implants have changed track student-athlete Ripley Brant’s life. “It doesn't sound completely normal right away,” Brant said. “I just remember everyone sounding like Mickey Mouse for probably that first day. But it was still really cool to have that set up. I remember just smiling a whole bunch.” Black Student Center is Home Away From Court for Basketball Star There are two places where Dynnah Buckner has found the most sanctuary during her decorated career at CSUSM. The first is the basketball court and the second is the Black Student Center. “I am extremely grateful for the Black Student Center,” Buckner said. “It has been life-changing for me, honestly.” Former ASI President Now Working on Music's Biggest Stage Kenny Tran, Associated Students, Inc. president during the 2019-20 school year, is now partnerships coordinator for the Recording Academy, the Los Angeles-based company that stages the Grammy Awards.“Being in ASI, going from a volunteer to president, really transformed my college experience,” Tran said. “The way I lead now is directly attributable to my experience as a leader at CSUSM.” Student Pursues Dream on 'American Idol' Tori Green always made time to watch “American Idol” with her mother when she was a child, and she always had the dream of one day auditioning. The biological sciences student made that dream become a reality and traveled to Las Vegas to sing before celebrity judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie for a chance to compete on “American Idol.” University Ties Run Deep For Trustees' Award Recipient When Yesenia Mora was about to graduate from high school, there was no question that she would attend Cal State San Marcos. Mora has been visiting campus from before she could even remember. In September, she was honored with the California State University’s highest recognition of student accomplishment as the university’s 2023 Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement recipient. The Indomitable Will to Live There is a plethora of stories written all over the country every spring about resiliency and overcoming massive barriers to success, particularly around the subject of graduation. And then there’s the story of Juan Alva. And the simple but powerful motto he has lived by – you don’t know how tough you are until being tough is the only option you have. CSUSM Wins National Diversity Award for 10th Straight Year CSUSM received the 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. This marks the 10th consecutive year that CSUSM has been named a HEED Award recipient. The university is one of only 21 schools that have won the award, which was instituted in 2012, at least 10 years in a row. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Qualcomm Partners With CSUSM to Build Diverse Workforce PipelineQualcomm, an innovative powerhouse in technology and a long-standing partner of Cal State San Marcos, has made it its mission to create diversity within the workforce. How is the company doing this? By investing in extraordinary CSUSM students and advocating for creative rights for STEM inventors. Qualcomm is supporting CSUSM – specifically the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) – through The Inventor’s Patent Academy (TIPA), an engineering capstone program, an intro to coding technical interview workshop and engineering scholarships. In 2022, Qualcomm partnered with Invent Together, a coalition of universities, nonprofits, companies and other stakeholders dedicated to understanding the diversity gaps that exist in invention and patenting. The company launched TIPA to close these gaps, through public policy and private initiatives. The free course guides inventors through the process of obtaining a patent, particularly targeting potential inventors who are underrepresented in the patent-heavy science and engineering fields, including women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, people from lower-income communities, people with disabilities, or those with backgrounds that did not allow exposure. “Currently in the United States, only 13% of inventors listed on patents are women, while Black, Latinx and Indigenous people account for less than 8% of all U.S. inventors, and children of families in the top 1% of income are 10 times more likely to patent in their lifetimes than children in the bottom half of family income,” said Emma Lacey, senior program manager at Qualcomm. “It’s so important for us to give back to students and invest in making the current workforce more diverse because we are of the firm belief that everyone should have the opportunity to invent and seek out opportunities for upward mobility in their personal and professional lives. We want to foster a larger pool of innovators because diverse minds solve diverse problems, and that benefits the whole of society.” According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, intellectual property supports more than 45 million jobs and contributes over $6.6 trillion to the nation’s economy. Invent Together has found that including more Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) and women inventors in the early stages of innovation would boost the U.S. economy by up to $1 trillion every year and would fuel U.S. economic growth, social mobility and intergenerational wealth. In developing TIPA, Qualcomm was motivated by the belief that anyone can invent, that every inventor can learn to patent and that strong patent rights empower individual inventors to transform the world in ways that benefit all. “Qualcomm gave CSUSM a gift to do some activities to try to figure out what is the best way to implement TIPA in higher education,” said Scott Gross, CSUSM's associate vice president of industry partnerships. “So we are doing three things: facilitating a faculty learning community, appointing a faculty to pilot the program in classes and introducing TIPA modules during a conference in January. “I firmly believe that faculty at CSUSM are discovering new intellectual property daily, and aside from sharing it with students, they might be uncertain about what to do with these findings. Based on the Bayh-Dole Act, when a faculty member discovers intellectual property, it is the university's responsibility to make sure it gets into the hands of the public so that society can benefit from it. And at CSUSM, we take that responsibility very seriously.” Aside from TIPA, Qualcomm is impacting the STEM community at large by investing in CSUSM students through mentorship and scholarships. Since founding its engineering program in 2018, CSUSM has focused on creating a pipeline of diverse graduates who are career-ready. These opportunities are not only life-changing for many students, but also transformative for the industry. At CSUSM, 53% of engineering students are first-generation, there has been a 50% year-over-year increase in female students, and 47% identify as Latinx, a striking number since the national percentage of Latinx engineering graduates is only 9% and the percentage of graduates within the California State University system is only 26%. CSUSM and Qualcomm aim to increase representation and success in engineering. This is accomplished by teaching students skills through the engineering capstone program, teaching them how to obtain a job through coding technical interview workshops, and supporting their degree completion through engineering scholarships. When an opportunity to go to college presented itself, Daniel Beltran, an electrical engineering student and Qualcomm scholarship recipient, paired his life experience as a farm laborer with his savviness in mathematics. With so many possibilities in these careers, Beltran felt the weight of too many crossroads. That was until a field trip to Qualcomm headquarters in San Diego showed him a path in engineering that he was confident in. “Qualcomm's commitment to empower and support the new generation of engineers is inspiring,” Beltran said. “Receiving an award from them has allowed me to plan out my educational career in a secure way.” For students, seeing active industry projects is motivating. During their final academic year, students discover innovative solutions to real-world problems of their choice while connecting with these industry partners as part of the engineering capstone project. For the 2023-24 academic year, Qualcomm is funding three of these projects, and a professional from its team is providing industry access and mentorship. Ten students in need of support also will receive $2,500 scholarships from Qualcomm. “Being awarded this scholarship has made it easier to continue pursuing my educational goals, and I will be able to breathe easy knowing that the Qualcomm engineering scholarship made it easier to remain focused on my studies,” said Deavan Contreras, an electrical engineering student who received the scholarship this academic year. “Serving in the Navy, I was fortunate to have provided medical support to the Marines as we completed two tours of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. The memories I have of those times bring a sense of pride as well as self-reflection on the hardships that are faced in military operations. Having firsthand knowledge of the technology that allowed us to complete our missions inspired me to continue my education, and every semester that I complete is a step closer to becoming a contributing member of society as an engineer.” Finally, Qualcomm and CSTEM are piloting an “Intro to Technical Coding Interview” workshop that will teach third-year students majoring in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science and information systems how to ace their technical coding interview. This skill is imperative for them to earn a summer internship and career opportunity. Through each of these robust exercises, CSUSM scholars steward the future of STEM in the region. In fact, eight out of 10 students stay in the region after graduation, a significant win for the advancement of Southern California. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Snapping Space Through the Lens of an AlumnusLighting, textures, patterns and vivid colors on even the smallest sheet of glossy paper have the power to make stories come to life and reimagine history, even from 140 million miles away. As a young boy, Yuri Rodea loved the freedom that a camera provided. His 1970 lens gave him a reason to explore the world. That thin strip of film laid the foundation for a strong bond with his father. And through that rudimentary camera body, with the only customizable feature being the speed of a shutter, he was able to make life his own. Grinning jovially, Rodea explains some of the many layers of being a photographer: Being an equipment nerd, knowing intricate details of lenses and camera bodies. Living in the moment, always ready to snap experiences as they arise. Having an artistic eye that’s always searching for imaginative shots and angles. Rodea grew up knowing these layers well, as photography was a pastime he shared with his father. They were not professionals, but they found joy and connection in documenting the family's outings. In his adult life, Rodea found himself spending a large amount of his time in a niche field of photography – designing cameras to be used in space. On a daily basis, Rodea reimagines what a camera is. As one would assume, this is no easy task. The composition of every camera, satellite or product he works on is elaborately tested to ensure that it can survive the conditions in space because, in space, everything changes. A Cal State San Marcos alumnus, Rodea spent the last six years working for Malin Space Science Systems as an engineer, and he will soon start a new position with Rocket Lab, a company that launches rockets and does satellite integration. In these roles, he has been responsible for the setup, testing and calibration of cameras used in flight programs, and the list of impactful projects that he has been a part of is extensive. To name a few, Rodea worked on the WATSON camera used in the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission as part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach; NASA’s ShadowCam, which offers views into shadowed areas near the lunar poles; Mastcam-Z, a mast-mounted camera system with a zoom function on the Mars 2020 rover; and the Psyche multispectral imager, which provides high-resolution images with filters to discriminate between the Psyche spacecraft’s metallic and silicate constituents, etc. All equipment used in such projects must be failproof, robust and long-lasting – essentially perfect. This is because, in harsh and hazardous environmental conditions with unpredictable circumstances, there are no second chances or backups. Once it’s in space, the product can't be physically changed. “When you think of a challenge of space, imagine taking a camera out of the oven and then putting it immediately into the freezer," Rodea said. “The atmosphere in space heats up, then goes to negative temperatures, and as soon as you’re out of the sun, it’s a dead zone.” Even small, minor details must be tested to ensure functionality, such as the type of paint on the exterior or the softness of a brush bristle. Perfection is crucial, as cameras are used to photograph galaxies for public consumption or groundbreaking scientific research. “These cameras introduce a new generation of people into photography, which is cool because people have wanted to explore planets since the dawn of man,” Rodea said. This work is quite complex in its composition, and the deadlines can be rigorous. But Rodea’s family, especially his father, is immensely proud. “When I talk about the different focal lengths or different types of cameras such as infrared or ultraviolet, my dad loves it,” Rodea said. “It’s a nice connection to have with him because in space fields, whether it's rockets or spacecrafts or satellites, the details are hard to understand. But for the big ideas, everyone can connect more easily and understand concepts, because I work with what they’re seeing on television." In addition to familial support, Rodea credits his professional advancements to the ability to learn engineering during his CSUSM undergraduate years on the same equipment he uses in the workforce. Specifically, using vacuum equipment and high-end electronics for control data analysis in the lab of CSUSM physics professor Gerardo Dominguez cut out a year-and-a-half of on-the-job training and allowed him to get hired immediately. “I was impressed by Yuri since the very first day that I met him," said Dominguez, who's also chair of the physics department. “He was always a standout student in my lab and is someone I’m very proud to call an alumnus.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- New Program to Pave Path for More Arts Teachers in SchoolsGrace Davis could sing almost before she could talk. She grew up in Vista in a household where music was the background noise of life. Her father’s side of the family is populated with music teachers and choir directors, and during the holidays especially, the whole clan would congregate to play instruments or sing hymns. Davis attended an elementary school where music education was strongly emphasized, and she began to come out of her shell through musical theater. “Music is something that brings my family together and gives me joy,” Davis said. “It’s something I’ve been surrounded with my whole life.” When Davis enrolled as a student at Cal State San Marcos in 2018, however, she did so with the intention of pursuing a major in literature and writing studies. She wanted to become a teacher like those who had inspired her as a child, but English struck her as a far more plausible discipline than music, or the arts in general. Such jobs, she reasoned, don’t exactly grow on trees. In California, though, suddenly they might. In November 2022, the state’s voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 28, which will provide about $1 billion in funding each year to support arts education in public schools. Schools must spend 80% of that money on teachers and aides, which means that California has an overnight need for about 15,000 teachers in the arts, and San Diego County for about 500 such teachers. This marks a sea change in the field of arts education, and CSUSM now is well-positioned to be a leader in the space. The university has received grants of $308,260 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and $50,000 from the Clarence E. Heller Foundation to launch a program that will streamline the process for CSUSM students to become arts teachers. Under the new CSUSM Art Credential Pathway, the university will be the first in the CSU system to create a pathway specifically for undergraduate arts majors who aspire to teach. Center ARTES, an organization dedicated to arts education and integration in K-12 schools that was founded by CSUSM music professor Merryl Goldberg in 2003, will partner with the university’s School of Arts and School of Education to develop and implement the pathway to prepare CSUSM arts students to reimagine high-quality arts education for the San Diego region and serve as a model for the state. The future arts teachers will be recruited from CSUSM’s undergraduate arts and liberal studies students, as well as teaching artists and existing teachers in the San Diego community. “We’re setting the course on this,” Goldberg said. “We’re not the only CSU that’s doing any work in this area, but we’re way ahead of the curve in terms of the partnering of the School of Arts and School of Education. That makes us a standout.” To be able to teach in the arts, students typically need to earn a single-subject teaching credential in the arts, which CSUSM does not yet offer. What the new pathway will do is allow undergraduate arts and liberal studies students to complete a one-year multiple-subject credential program as long as they have accumulated 20 credits of arts classes, which could be dance, music, theater or visual arts. “In the past, we haven’t really looked at that as a viable option for our students because there haven’t been jobs in the arts,” Goldberg said. “But now that there are probably 500 jobs alone in San Diego, this is such a no-brainer way to get our students into this career path.” Working with Goldberg to institute the program is a team of faculty that includes education professor Christiane Wood, dance professor Cherie Hill, theater professor Judy Bauerlein and media arts professors Lucy HG Solomon, Kristin Moss and Julie Goldstein. “This program is a game-changer for students looking to impact children’s lives through the arts,” Hill said. “I am excited that this pathway will cultivate future dance and arts educators.” “Our on-the-ground efforts should translate to increasing the arts in schools and helping CSUSM students and area artists get jobs in the arts,” Solomon said. “In the not-so-distant future, we will be admitting new undergraduate students who have had classes in the arts throughout their education in the public schools. And it is likely that CSUSM alumni will have taught them. That’s exciting!” “This initiative provides an opportunity to transform the arts education landscape by nurturing talent, igniting creativity and equipping future educators with the skills and knowledge to inspire the next generation of artists, serving as a blueprint for the state of California in support of Prop 28,” Wood said. Planning and development of the pathway program started this semester and will continue in the spring. CSUSM also will seek to solidify connections with local arts organizations and teaching artists that will serve as partners in the program, including the Museum of Making Music, New Village Arts, The Old Globe, A Step Beyond and the Oceanside Museum of Art. The first cohort of students pursuing a credential to teach the arts will launch next fall. Goldberg says the goal is to recruit 24 students for the yearlong program. The foundation funding will last for three years, meaning that there will be at least two cohorts. Many of those two dozen future teachers were on campus Saturday, Nov. 4 when CSUSM hosted a workshop in the Arts Building that drew more than 75 people. The event introduced attendees to the road to becoming an elementary arts teacher in the areas of dance, theater, music, visual and media art. It featured activities, a panel with current arts teachers and an information session about the different ways to pursue a career in arts education. “There was definitely a buzz of excitement there; it was just a really bright energy,” said Davis, one of the attendees. “A lot of the people on hand had no intention of being art teachers before Prop 28 passed. They just wanted to teach elementary education or maybe high school history or something. But now you can do both in the same program. I think that that's so wonderful, opening up these opportunities for people who might have never considered arts education.” While she studied literature at CSUSM, Davis decided to take a couple of music classes just for fun, and she enjoyed them so much that she added music as a second major in 2020. She will graduate as a double major this month (though she’s walking in the spring) and take three pre-credential program classes next semester before joining the first arts pathway cohort in fall 2024. When she’s not taking classes, Davis gives private voice lessons (she has sung at several CSUSM commencement ceremonies over the years) and teaches in after-school music theater programs at a couple of elementary schools in Escondido. Her goal is to teach both music and English at a school in San Diego County, preferably one where arts resources aren’t as bountiful and her skills are more needed. “I've always been a huge advocate for arts teaching, especially in primary education,” she said. “I think it's so important to introduce kids to art at a young age. It inspires you to be a better person and motivates you; it's a great way to express yourself and to have a voice in the classroom. So I was really excited to hear that the state was pushing arts education a little bit more heavily.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- ACE Scholars Graduate Transforms Lows Into HighsKia-shaan Cleveland was in second grade when she returned home from school to find her belongings being packed in boxes and placed into her grandmother’s car with her siblings and dog in the backseat. A typical day quickly turned into one that would change the trajectory of her life. Her mother had been incarcerated, and Cleveland and her siblings were going to be living with their grandmother indefinitely. As the youngest of three children, Cleveland has mentally blocked out a good portion of this time, but her family’s trip to the courthouse remains etched in her memory. “I was the one who asked the office, 'If my grandmother adopts us, will there be a chance for my mom to get us back?’ The answer was no,” Cleveland said. “So she didn’t adopt us, but she became our legal guardian.” Cleveland’s new normal was cemented. She threw herself into activities during secondary school. From building in robotics to playing numerous instruments such as the cello, harp, saxophone and doing the drumline in marching band, Cleveland explored her different interests. When it came time to think about college, she would leave class to navigate the application process. It was while considering Cal State San Marcos that Cleveland discovered ACE Scholars Services, a program dedicated to supporting former foster youth as they pursue higher education. ACE counselor Laurie Orr advised Cleveland as she was applying for college, and with Orr’s help, Cleveland kickstarted her CSUSM journey as an ACE scholar. Through her connections at ACE, Cleveland found herself faced with a plethora of opportunities, and she eagerly used them to her advantage. Cleveland got her first job working at the front desk of the ACE office, where she developed close relationships with counselors Orr and Leigh Quijada, referencing them as her mentors. It was Orr and Quijada who introduced Cleveland to CalFresh, a program that provided her with funds for groceries and promotes nutritional food. A computer science and information systems major, Cleveland was awarded a scholarship and received help preparing for interviews, building her résumé and gaining experience with certifications. Through her hard work and her mentors’ and program’s guidance, she landed a competitive internship with Sony last year. “Leigh and Laurie being there practically every day the past four years was a major comfort to me, as they know and understand my personal struggle,” Cleveland said. “It’s nice having a physical space and someone on campus you can turn to for help, especially since it can be so difficult to find role models.” Cleveland did not just find mentors through ACE. She also found one of her best friends. They met freshman year during her time in Summer Bridge, a part of Educational Opportunity Program that permits students to get a head start on graduation requirements and connects them to the campus community through activities, field trips and workshops. Four years later, their close-knit friendship is standing strong. “We’re both graduating, and I’m so excited. We’ve been through the trenches together, and it’s been nice to make a really solid friend in college,” Cleveland said. As the semester comes to an end, Cleveland is gearing up for fall graduation and preparing to say goodbye to her ACE family. “They’re the biggest support system I’ve had in college,” she said said. “If I didn’t have a group like this or someone to consistently check in with me the way they have, I probably wouldn’t still be in college.” The long-standing connections that Cleveland made in ACE help define her university experience. Thanks to the guidance of her mentors, friends and valuable programs offered to her at CSUSM, she persevered through hardship and a vigorous course load, and she is just getting started. “It has been such a pleasure to work with Kia and witness her amazing growth,” Quijada said. “I have admired her self-motivation, perseverance, openness and, through it all, her humor. We will definitely miss her presence, but I’m excited for Kia and what’s next in her journey. I know she will continue to break down barriers and do great things.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Statewide Program Puts Doctoral Degrees Within ReachA belief can go a long way. There was a time when Cal State San Marcos sociology professor Xuan Santos didn’t believe – or even know – that earning a Ph.D. was possible. As a first-generation, system-impacted, undocumented student, Santos was already defying the odds by pursuing a bachelor’s degree. One day, he saw an A-frame near the Cal State Los Angeles administration building promoting the California Pre-Doctoral Program, which changed everything. “It gave me wings so I could one day envision being a CSU faculty member,” Santos said of the program. “I was able to immerse myself in that academic culture.” The program gives historically underrepresented CSU students the tools to succeed in doctoral studies and supports a pipeline for diverse future CSU faculty. Students selected for the program are named Sally Casanova scholars. They receive faculty mentoring and a $5,000 scholarship to help fund university visits, research experiences, graduate school applications and more. The program connected Santos with valuable faculty mentors who believed in him. He has since mentored seven program scholars and has made it his mission to pay it forward to the next generation. Santos has watched formerly incarcerated students, foster care students and undocumented students all rise above their circumstances and succeed in the program. “It’s gratifying for a student to finally meet their advocate,” he said. “For someone who grew up in a humble space, in a place where people are planning their funerals and not their futures, it’s beautiful to see that we have roses that grew up.” Earlier this year, Santos was named faculty director for the California Pre-Doctoral Program after the previous director’s retirement. He was emotional about the full-circle opportunity to serve in the role and sees an even greater opportunity to broaden the scope of applicants and open more doors for students. “It’s a dream come true,” Santos said of becoming the program’s faculty director. “The CSU is about creating social mobility, and that’s the mantra of our institution (at CSUSM). I am a product of the CSU.” The 2024-25 program application is open, and Santos hopes to see more CSUSM students step forward and take advantage of the program. Santos said there is no pressure to get into a Ph.D. program right away, but scholars gain access and insight into doctoral studies to prepare them. Interested program applicants are encouraged to identify a faculty mentor who can support them for the next year. Application requirements include preparing a budget proposal for the scholarship funds and submitting essay answers to a few core questions. “Whatever dreams they have, we’re here to assist them,” Santos said of the scholars. “The framework I use as a scholar is that all of us need to become OGs. Not original gangsters, but opportunity givers. It’s about promoting empowerment, social change and mobilization of resources.” Media Contact Giselle Luevanos, Senior Director of Communications and Marketing gluevanos@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-4010
- Giving Day Raises Nearly $460KCal State San Marcos raised $459,638 in just 24 hours as part of Giving Day on Nov. 28. “We are deeply grateful for everyone who helped make Giving Day such a resounding success, one that will have an immediate and lasting impact on our campus community,” said Jessica Berger, vice president for University Advancement. Now in its ninth year at CSUSM, Giving Day is part of Giving Tuesday, an international day focused on philanthropy. Giving Day contributions were made by 2,410 donors and came from a wide swath of supporters, including alumni, employees, students, parents, friends and sponsors. Berger noted that this support is “a true testament to the strength of a dedicated community that collectively showed up together in such a big way.” The Giving Day highlights include: Meeting a variety of impressive matches, including a $15,000 employee match from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and a $25,000 power hour made possible by North City; 52 ambassadors helped spread the word, bringing in a collective 339 gifts; 377 students donated; and One in five gifts were made by alumni. Did you miss your chance to donate on Giving Day? You can still make a meaningful impact on the program you love. Give today! Know a CSUSM project that needs funding? Connect with the Office of Annual Giving to launch a Cougar Crowdfunding project. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Campus Community Creates New Art for Innovation HubCal State San Marcos’ Innovation Hub has welcomed a creative addition to its space with the unveiling of a new mural and interactive art installation. The mural portrays a coastal live oak, a tree that is representative of the San Marcos region. By incorporating industrial features and a striking array of bold color, the art piece emulates the cycle of the seasons. Elements of innovation and nature come together to create an illuminating showpiece that connects all academic disciplines and produces an inclusive environment open to every major. “When we compare nature’s cycle with the world of innovation and entrepreneurship, it becomes clear that both of these processes are very iterative and there's a lot of parallels between them,” said Scott Gross, associate vice president of industry partnerships and head of the Innovation Hub. “The Innovation Hub is pretty industrial with hard lines, and we wanted something to kind of soften it and bring in more colors, making it gentler. Plus, I just love how the tree branches off into the circuitry and connects nature and technology.” Adjacent to the mural is the interactive art installation, where students can place a ball into a winding suction tube and watch as it is transported throughout the five stages of the innovation process: problem defining, ideation, design and prototyping, testing, and implementing. Illustrating the journey of turning an idea into reality can help generate a sense of motivation throughout the dynamic space and spark student imagination. Members of the campus community collaborated to bring these works to fruition. Lucy HG Solomon, professor of art, media and design, worked alongside muralist Tim Topalov and Kodie Gerritsen, an alumnus who leads the makerspace in Kellogg Library. Topalov initially was connected to CSUSM through his mother, Rosalina Christova, a longtime university fellow who directed the California Primary Algae Laboratory. To further highlight student voices and creativity, the trio invited students onto their team. Aidelen Montoya, Evie Reese, Emma Reheis and Melissa Lugtu contributed to the mural development. Getting involved in a campus project gives students the opportunity to express their artistry, gain hands-on experience and make connections with fellow members of the campus community. It is this type of inventiveness and enthusiasm that can be found throughout the Innovation Hub, as students now have space to ideate their inspirations. “If people interact with the vacuum-powered idea pipeline and consider the majesty of the colorful oak tree, hopefully they will think this place is not just for traditional innovations; it’s about stretching the brain and imagination to consider new ways to engage with the world,” HG Solomon said. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
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