Tag: CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)

CSUCI Learning Resource Center receives certification from prestigious international tutor training organization

by Community Contributor • May 31, 2023 • Comments Off

When CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Sociology alumnus Vanessa Gonzalez was invited to apply to become tutor in the Learning Resource Center, she hesitated.

“I took a statistics course in Sociology and afterward, my professor nominated me to be a tutor and at first I felt like, am I smart enough to be a tutor?” Gonzalez said. “When I applied to become a tutor, it was different for me than for people who were born in the U.S. and would get a social security number.”

Not only is Gonzalez thriving as a tutor, but for an undocumented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) student like Gonzalez, the LRC has been a community, a confidence-builder, and has helped shape her career plans.

“This job makes me see I want to go into a career where I help people,” said Gonzalez, a 2022 graduate.

And now the LRC has received International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC) from the College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA).

Community college and Class of 2023 high school students can take the Transfer Success Pathway to a guaranteed CSUCI admission

by Community Contributor • May 18, 2023 • Comments Off

Students who are planning to enroll in an area community college in Fall of 2023, but who would eventually like to earn a four-year degree at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) might qualify for a new dual admissions program that will guarantee them admittance to the University.

The Transfer Success Pathway program is for 2023 high school graduates enrolling in community college who may have faced academic, financial or personal hardships that prevented them from entering any CSU, including CSUCI, in Fall of 2023.

CSUCI Computer Science team wins first place in national supercomputer competition

by Community Contributor • May 18, 2023 • Comments Off

They won! A team of CSU Channel Islands(CSUCI) Computer Science students won first place against 11 other colleges across the nation in a supercomputer competition involving some of the most prestigious laboratories in the U.S.

The team, called the High Performance Dolphins, competed with teams from other universities like Texas Tech, Cal Poly, Morehouse and UC Santa Cruz in the “2023 Winter Classic Invitational Student Cluster Competition.”

CSUCI Political Science major is one of 20 chosen across the nation for prestigious fellowship at Duke University

by Community Contributor • May 15, 2023 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Political Science major Shayonna Huley is among 20 college students across the United States to be awarded the 2023 APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) fellowship.

At the end of May, Huley will travel to Duke University in North Carolina to participate in the five-week intensive summer program, which is co-sponsored by Duke University and the American Political Science Association (APSA).

“This is a competitive, highly thought of program for students likely to pursue graduate studies in Political Science,” said Dana Baker, who is Chair of Political Science and Global Studies.

CSUCI Commencement 2023 will be four ceremonies over two days

by Community Contributor • May 2, 2023 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — Students in CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s Class of 2023 will graduate in one of four in-person ceremonies being held on May 20 and 21 at the South Quad of the campus. Each academic program is assigned to either the…

First generation CSUCI Physics major Trent Ruiz wins two scholarships and helps write an $80K grant from NASA

by Community Contributor • April 27, 2023 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Applied Physics major Trent Ruiz failed to get into college more than once, often felt discouraged, and struggled with anxiety and depression.

But thanks to mentors, good therapists and sheer perseverance, Ruiz, 29, became the first in his family to attend college, is the recipient of two major scholarships, and served as the lead student for a recently awarded grant from NASA for $80K.

$1.5 million grant will enable CSUCI to expand its pool of teacher candidates

by Community Contributor • April 14, 2023 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) can now accept 15 additional students each year for its School of Education Teacher Residency program, thanks to a $1.5 million School of Education Residency Expansion Grant from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

The grant is for five years with $375,000 going to the program each year. The funding will enable CSUCI to host five Special Education Credential candidates and 10 teaching candidates seeking bilingual authorized/dual language multiple subject teaching credentials. A multiple subject credential qualifies them to teach bilingual/dual language elementary school classes.

Each of the 15 students will receive $24,000 a year to help with the expense of attending school while simultaneously student teaching.

CSUCI students to appear before Oxnard City Council on April 18 with research about the future of the Oxnard Performing Arts Center

by Community Contributor • April 12, 2023 • Comments Off

A group of CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) psychology students will appear before Oxnard City Council on Tuesday, April 18, to present their research on the potential public impact of razing the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC).

“OPAC was built in 1965 and recently the City of Oxnard proposed the removal of OPAC in favor of building more housing,” said Associate Professor of Psychology HyeSun Lee, who mentored the students’ community-based research project. “We see some historical value to the site, so we wanted to get opinions about the city’s proposal to remove the site and provide recommendations for OPAC to increase their revenues.”

CSUCI Climate Action Plan calls for carbon neutrality by 2040

by Community Contributor • March 30, 2023 • Comments Off

The first CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Climate Action Plan sets an ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040, five years before the target for the state of California.

The just-adopted plan also surpasses the California State University system goal, which is to achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

“This is a monumental moment in CSUCI’s history,” said Sustainability and Energy Director Roxane Beigel-Coryell. “We are honoring our founding as the Green Campus 20 years ago by deepening our commitment to being responsible stewards and leaders in sustainability and social justice.”

CSUCI Assistant Professor of Computer Science receives $146,605 grant for computer games project

by Community Contributor • March 28, 2023 • Comments Off

If you need to locate a book – even if it was a written a decade or a century ago – there are library archives and organized shelves to help you. But similar systems for continually evolving computer games and interactive software have been slow to develop.

It’s a problem CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Assistant Professor of Computer Science and video game enthusiast Eric Kaltman came across while attending graduate school at UC Santa Cruz, where he was doing computer game research.

“I was working at Stanford University archiving their video game collections—they had all of these games donated to them—and I thought, even Stanford is still figuring out what to do with all of this,” Kaltman said. “There was clearly a lot of work to do in figuring out how can we restore and recover historical video games for libraries and archives.”

CSU Board of Trustees approves CSUCI’s proposal for 18 new academic programs

by Community Contributor • March 23, 2023 • Comments Off

The CSU Board of Trustees this week gave CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) a unanimous green light for a proposal to add 18 new academic programs.

CSUCI President Richard Yao was invited by the Board of Trustees to present the campus’s new Academic Master Plan (AMP) on March 21 in Long Beach. Yao pointed out that the proposal—presented as the University celebrates its 20th anniversary—represents the first significant revision to CSUCI’s AMP in 10 years.

“The degree proposals presented today represent over 15 months of intensive work,” Yao said. “Beginning in December 2021, over 50 faculty members worked in various teams facilitated by our Provost, Dr. Mitch Avila.”

CSUCI receives $550,800 to launch a new Cybersecurity major

by Community Contributor • March 22, 2023 • Comments Off

Plans can get underway for CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) to offer a new Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, thanks to a $550,800 check presented to the University from U.S. Representative Julia Brownley.

Brownley made the formal presentation to CSUCI President Richard Yao on Tuesday, March 14 on campus in the John Spoor Broome Library.

“I’m thrilled that CSUCI is thinking strategically about how we can build a pipeline for young people in our community to enter well-paid careers in cybersecurity, which is critical to our overall national security,” Brownley said.

The funds are part of a federal FY 2023 Omnibus appropriations bill that included earmark funding for eight CSU campuses, totaling more than $8.75 million. Yao wrote a letter to the Congresswoman last April, underscoring how well-positioned CSUCI is to offer a degree in cybersecurity—a field with a tremendous need for trained professionals.

Filmmakers at two different CSUCI events on March 16 show the power of human stories, from war-torn Ukraine to our own communities

by Community Contributor • March 15, 2023 • Comments Off

A Ventura filmmaker outraged by the Russian war campaign traveled to Ukraine to film the gritty and heartbreaking human toll of the war, as well as the power of hope. Filmmaker Rick Ray will share “Our Stories Matter: Challenges and Visions of Hope from the People of Ukraine” Thursday, March 16 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Petit Salon on the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) campus.

Later that day, Emmy award-winning Los Angeles filmmaker Matthew Crotty will be the keynote speaker at a presentation called “Broadcasting the Local: Producing and Preserving Community-Based Histories” from 4 to 6 p.m. in Room 3550 in Del Norte Hall.

The two presentations from filmmakers are completely separate. The Ukrainian film and panel discussion afterward is presented by the Center for Multicultural Engagement and the mission-based centers. The presentation on the importance of collecting stories from our communities is part of a series created by Assistant Professors of History Jacqueline Reynoso and Hanni Jalil.

Both presentations are open to the public.

OLLI classes include examination of local agricultural history through the lens of farm labor

by Community Contributor • March 3, 2023 • Comments Off

A new course offered by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) during its Spring II 2023 session will examine the history of Ventura County agriculture through the lens of farm labor.

Registration for all courses opens March 6, and classes will take place between March 20 and May 5. OLLI at CSUCI allows adults aged 50 and up to take university-level courses without concern about grades, career preparation or degree requirements.

Theresa Avila, an Assistant Professor at CSUCI who teaches non-Western Art History, will present “Ventura County Agrarian Labor History,” which will include agricultural practices and worker strikes. Students will tour the traveling Smithsonian exhibition “Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos,” a contemporary art exhibit called “Stories of Labor From the Fields of Ventura County” and a display on local Bracero history at CSUCI.

“I’m interested in looking broadly at agrarian history and labor movements that happened and what motivated them because they speak to the industries being developed here and help us understand our ties us to national history, issues and labor movements,” said Avila, whose grandfather was a farmer in the Imperial Valley. “My hope is that the participants will develop a better understanding of and appreciation for the community that surrounds the campus.”

`Well-regarded’ CSUCI counseling services accredited

by Community Contributor • March 2, 2023 • Comments Off

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) has received accreditation that has been earned by only nine of the 23 California State University campuses.

The designation from the International Accreditation of Counseling Services (IACS) ensures that the mental health care provided to students meets the gold standard. Through a comprehensive peer review process, IACS confirms the highest standards are being met, validates professional excellence and distinguishes standout counseling centers with its accreditation seal of approval. It assesses counseling and clinical services, ethical standards, personnel, resources and relationships within the university community.

“It is clear that CAPS offers a well-regarded and comprehensive program,” said IACS Executive Director Ann Patterson in the letter announcing the eight-year accreditation.

Dolores Huerta to attend Smithsonian exhibition events on March 8

by Community Contributor • February 24, 2023 • Comments Off

The only Southern California display of a traveling Smithsonian exhibition on Dolores Huerta will open Wednesday, March 8, at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) with a daylong series of events featuring the 92-year-old civil rights activist reading to children and discussing activism with local leaders.

“Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos” will run through May 7 in the John Spoor Broome Library Exhibition Hall.

The exhibition shares the compelling story of Huerta and the farmworkers movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Featuring text in English and Spanish, it explores Huerta’s public life as a co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union and what led her to become a Latina civil rights icon. She tirelessly led the fight for racial and labor justice along Cesar Chavez and continues to this day.

“As a Hispanic Serving Institution, it is important that the campus create culturally relevant programming that contributes to all students’ success. The Center for Community Engagement, in partnership with the Broome Library, saw an opportunity to do just that with the hosting of this traveling exhibition that introduces Dolores Huerta’s work as a civil rights icon to the next generation of young leaders and keeps her legacy of activism alive,” said Pilar Pacheco, Director of the Center for Community Engagement. “This is especially important at a time when so much of history is being silenced and erased. Hers is a voice and story that is to be celebrated today and always.”

CSUCI Professor of English wins statewide award for excellence in the classroom

by Community Contributor • February 22, 2023 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Professor of English Mary Adler will accept the California Association of Teachers of English (CATE) Award for Classroom Excellence on Friday, March 3 during the CATE annual convention in Monterey.

“Mary is a longtime board member of both local and state English teaching associations,” said Southland Council of Teachers of English President Jennifer Silver, who nominated Adler.

“Her conscientiousness and dedication to her students and to the profession is unparalleled. It is an honor to know her and extend our gratitude.”

Adler, who has nominated and selected award recipients as a Southland CATE board member, was delighted to be nominated and selected herself. In the past, she has nominated one of her CSUCI colleagues, Associate Professor of English Georgina Guzmán, who won the award in 2018.

Feb. 26 — CSUCI administrators to speak at Black churches

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2023 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) President Richard Yao and Vice President for Student Affairs Eboni Ford Turnbow will speak at two Oxnard churches as part of the 18th Annual CSU Super Sunday on Feb. 26.

Yao will speak at St. Paul Baptist Church at 1777 Statham Blvd. and Ford Turnbow will speak at Bethel AME Church at 855 South F St. Services begin at 10 a.m. and are open to all.

Super Sunday is a day when California State University system leaders and presidents, administrators and students from all 23 campuses visit predominantly African American places of worship to share personal stories and experiences, advice, and college-related information to advance access, opportunity and success for Black students. The CSU system has partnered with more than 100 churches throughout the state to present this year’s event.

March 10, 11 — CSUCI students show off their comedic skills in ‘Puffs’

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2023 • Comments Off

The parody “Puffs or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” was chosen for the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) spring production because the Performing Arts program currently includes several students with a gift for making people laugh.

“We have some student actors with amazing comedy chops and wanted to give them a play where they would get a chance to shine,” said Performing Arts Lecturer Laura Covault, who teaches theater. “This play is fast-paced and hilarious.”

Performances start at 8 p.m. on March 10 and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on March 11 in Malibu Hall Room 140.

April 13 — CSUCI, Oxnard College present free dance concert by Ballet Nepantla

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2023 • Comments Off

Dancers conveying the stories and identities of Mexican Americans through a combination of ballet and folklorico will present a free public performance in Oxnard and a master class for CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) and Oxnard College students.

Ballet Nepantla will perform “Valentina” on Thursday, April 13, at 6 p.m. in the Oxnard College Performing Arts Building (PAB). The master class for Dance Studies majors at CSUCI and Oxnard College students will be held the morning of April 13 at the University in Camarillo.

“Too often, art produced and performed by people of color is invisible, and the opportunity to offer this folklorico ballet performance to the community pushes back against that trend,” said CSUCI Vice Provost Jessica Lavariega Monforti.

From Santa Paula to the halls of the nation’s capital, CSUCI senior learns to be a voice for the vulnerable

by Community Contributor • December 16, 2022 • Comments Off

When she arrived in Washington D.C. to spend the Fall semester as a Panetta Institute Congressional Intern, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Chicana/o Studies major Lyzette Cornejo felt like she didn’t quite belong.

“I had ‘trespassing syndrome,’” she said. “It’s like the imposter syndrome. You feel like you’re trespassing into the spaces of power. I felt like a trespasser because I’m a woman of color.”

But it wasn’t long until Cornejo realized she was exactly where she needed to be, and that her voice indeed mattered.

“I helped in drafting a bill!” Cornejo said. “They weren’t afraid of having an intern involved in the first draft of a bill. They wanted to put my opinion in this bill to make sure every voice was heard. I was so surprised when the senior legislative officer said: ‘What do you think about this?’ My opinion mattered.”

CSUCI ASSET Scholars Program marks another successful semester after being named a ‘Program to Watch’ by Excelencia in Education

by Community Contributor • December 1, 2022 • Comments Off

After being named one of 10 nationwide “Programs to Watch” by Excelencia in Education, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s Academic Student Success Excellence Team (ASSET) Scholars Program just served another 150 students during the Fall semester with plans to add more in Spring of 2023.

The ASSET Scholars program has so far served 722 students since it was launched in Spring of 2020 and was named a “Program to Watch” during the Fall 2022 semester.

“I personally feel proud of the work we’ve done,” said Channel Your Success Project Director Mónica Ocampo, Ed.D. “It was a program intentionally designed on a very personal level for the students at CSUCI to improve retention rates and close equity gaps.

CSUCI’s ‘De Colores’ Winter Concert (Dec. 2, 4, ) celebrates the sounds of cultures around the world

by Community Contributor • November 21, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s winter concert— “De Colores, A Cultural Celebration of Choral Music”— will sweep the audience around the world with musical selections from Mexico to South Korea to East Africa to Great Britain and more.?

?“I have had so much fun programming musical selections that reflect a wide range of cultures and their languages,” said the director of the Channel Islands University Chorus, KuanFen Liu, who holds a doctorate in Musical Arts (DMA). “We have had native speakers come in to teach us diction and pronunciation to make sure we are honoring the languages as best we can.”?

CSUCI earns Military Friendly School Award for the 12th year in a row

by Community Contributor • November 17, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands’ (CSUCI) Veterans Resource Center (VRC) received a 2022-23 Military Friendly® Schools Awards designation recently for the 12th year in a row, having earned the award every year since the center opened in 2011.

This year, MilitaryFriendly.com began a tiered reward system with Gold, Silver and Bronze levels of distinction, awarding CSUCI a Silver designation, which means the University ranked in the top 20% of the 665 schools that earned awards. More than 1,800 schools across the nation competed in the survey.

Richard LeRoy appointed CSUCI’s Vice President for University Advancement

by Community Contributor • November 16, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) President Richard Yao, Ph.D., has named Richard LeRoy as the next Vice President for University Advancement (VPUA), effective immediately.

LeRoy has served as Interim VPUA since January of 2022, having joined the campus in August of 2017 as Senior Director of Development. In November of 2021, he accepted the role of Associate Vice President for University Development.

“I am humbled to serve as the next Vice President for University Advancement and to continue to build upon our success in philanthropic support for CSUCI,” LeRoy said. “I love this University and our mission, and I am excited about the opportunities ahead of us where we will connect with donors and our 25,000 alumni in more profound ways.”

CSUCI receives more than $200,000 for two programs promoting equity for underserved student populations

by Community Contributor • November 11, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is one of 17 CSU campuses tapped to receive California State University HSI Community Grants, part of a CSU-wide initiative of the Global HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institution) Equity Innovation Hub (EIH).

CSUCI’s “Channel Your Potential” initiative received $136,989 and a new program called “Serving Black Students” was awarded $64,460.

The CSUCI grants were a portion of the more than $2 million awarded to the 17 CSU campuses. The grants will support CSU programs that inspire the next generation of creators and innovators to pursue high-demand careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and the creative and tech industries.

Statistics show dramatic increase in CSUCI student voting

by Community Contributor • November 3, 2022 • Comments Off

If statistics from the 2020 election are any indication, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students are very likely to show up at the polls for the critical 2022 midterm elections.

According to The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) out of Tufts University, CSUCI voting rates increased from 55% showing up at the polls in 2016 to 77% in 2020, a 22% point increase.

“Voting rates across the state increased during this period, also, from 59% in 2016 to 71% in 2020, but this was only a 12% point increase, compared with CSUCI’s 22% increase,” said CSUCI Director of Institutional Research & Chief Data Officer Matt Zivot, Ph.D. “This is an indication that the gains we saw at CSUCI reflected the hard work done by the Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) team, over and above a general change in voter interest and universal voting by mail.”

CSUCI Biology faculty member will join a NSF-funded project studying organisms that can survive extreme water loss

by Community Contributor • October 26, 2022 • Comments Off

Meet the tardigrade. Resembling a nearly microscopic balloon animal with eight clawed feet, this aquatic organism can lose almost all of the water in its body and survive, once it is rehydrated.

Often called one of the toughest animals on earth, the tardigrade has been around for 600 million years, preceding the dinosaur by about 400 million years. It can survive the most extreme heat, cold, desiccation — even the vacuum of outer space.

This resilient creature, as well as plants and other organisms that can survive extreme conditions — especially the lack of water — are at the center of a $12.5 million research institute known as WALII, which is short for the Water and Life Interface Institute. WALII includes scientists from eight different institutions, including CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Assistant Professor of Biology Hugo Tapia, Ph.D.

Cherie Nedderman Collection of California Art goes on display for the first time at CSUCI

by Community Contributor • October 24, 2022 • Comments Off

The California art collection of beloved Camarillo nurse Cherie Nedderman will be on display for the first time beginning with a reception on Oct. 27 from 1 to 5 p.m. in the John Spoor Broome Library Art Gallery at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI).

“The Cherie Nedderman Collection of California Art at CSUCI: Impressions and Dialogues” consists of 20 paintings from a 58-piece collection of “en plein air” or “outdoor” paintings of Southern California done between 1890 and the late 1960s. The paintings, which covered the walls of Nedderman’s hillside Camarillo home, featured frame after frame of sycamore trees, tumbling waves and rolling green hills.

CSUCI receives $572,750 grant to help teachers address the pandemic’s impact on students’ physical and emotional health

by Community Contributor • October 11, 2022 • Comments Off

The pandemic disrupted California students’ lives at home and at school, including their physical and mental health.

To help California teachers address the physical education and emotional support many students were unable to access during the pandemic, the University of California Office of the President has awarded CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Associate Professor of Education Kara Naidoo, Ph.D., with a $572,750 grant to support a project entitled “CSMP One-Time Learning Acceleration Funds.”

“The grant allows an increase in services to students and teachers throughout the state,” Naidoo said. “The project will allow for more mental health instruction and there will be more work done with physical education. We’re going to look into many areas of health education and physical education and see how to best support students and teachers. This is really to compensate for the interruption of learning that happened due to the pandemic.”

A $471,862 National Science Foundation grant will enable CSUCI students to research mysterious evolutionary phenomenon in frogs

by Community Contributor • October 10, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students will learn molecular genetic techniques on campus, use sophisticated research equipment at Utah State University, and later travel to Peru on a quest to find out why frogs living at high elevations lose their ears and their “croak.”

“Probably because there are fewer species in the highlands, so there is not a lot of competition in terms of sound,” said Assistant Professor of Biology Rudolf von May, Ph.D., who wrote the grant with Associate Professor of Biology Allison Alvarado, Ph.D. “But we want to know how they communicate. Maybe it’s chemical.”

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has granted $471,862 to von May and Alvarado for the project, entitled “Phenotypic convergence and trait loss in high-elevation Andean frogs.” The ideas were based on previous research von May has published about the unique characteristics of this group of animals.

CSUCI application window for Fall 2023 now open

by Community Contributor • October 4, 2022 • Comments Off

The application for admission to CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) for the Fall 2023 semester opened Saturday, Oct. 1, with a new streamlined transfer process available for community college students.

CSUCI admission counselors will be offering on-site admission decisions at several local community colleges. In addition, CSUCI will begin accepting lower-division transfer students in Spring 2023. Previously recognized as a barrier, in-progress coursework will now be considered to help transfer students meet admission requirements.

The priority application period for all applicants closes on Nov. 30, but Hung Dang, CSUCI’s Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, recommends that prospective students apply early and then check their email regularly for additional information, deadlines and reminders from the Admission and Financial Aid offices to keep them on track.

This is particularly important for those applying to CSUCI’s impacted programs, Nursing and Mechatronics Engineering. Applicants for these programs should make sure they submit the additional documentation required. The newest of CSUCI’s 27 undergraduate majors is Dance Studies, which launched this semester.

The Golden Age of Horror Films, Russian History, and the Abolitionists part of CSUCI’s Osher for Lifelong Learning Fall II classes. Enrollment begins Oct. 10

by Community Contributor • October 3, 2022 • Comments Off

As a kid growing up in New York in the 1960s, Broadway veteran Nicholas Santa Maria remembers sitting on the floor with his siblings in front of a 12-inch black-and-white TV screen watching a wild-eyed Bela Lugosi sink his fangs into his latest victim’s neck.

“I’ve seen every movie a thousand times, and I could watch them again and again and again,” Santa Maria said. “I’d watch them between my fingers!”

Santa Maria was one of the “monster kids” on the block who never missed “Creature Features” or “Chiller Theater” on Saturday nights and clustered together at the candy store every third Thursday of the month to wait for the latest issue of “Famous Monsters of Filmland.”

Excelencia award recognizes CSUCI’s service to Latino students

by Community Contributor • September 30, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is the first college in California to earn Seal of Excelencia recertification, which is awarded for a high level of commitment and effort to serve Latino students.

CSUCI President Richard Yao this morning attended the Washington, D.C., ceremony where Excelencia in Education recognized the first nine institutions of higher education in the nation to earn recertification along with six others that earned the Seal ofExcelencia for the first time.

There are now 30 U.S. colleges that hold the Seal of Excelencia certification. Combined, they enrolled 13% and graduated 14% of all college-going Latinos in the U.S. in 2020, and they plan to continue increasing their efforts to lead the nation.

“Excelencia in Education created the Seal of Excelencia to differentiate institutions that became Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) because of demography and geography from those that are Hispanic-Serving because of intentionality and impact,” said Deborah Santiago, CEO of the 18-year-old Latina-led organization dedicated to accelerating Latino success in higher education.

John Spoor Broome Library 20th Anniversary exhibit chronicles the history of CSUCI from dream to reality

by Community Contributor • September 29, 2022 • Comments Off

It was August of 2001 and CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) was still a year away from opening when Technical and Public Services Librarian Laura Worden worked as a student assistant in the old Library, which is now part of a study lounge of the Student Union building.

“It was very small, very quiet because there were still not a lot of people around,” Worden said. “They didn’t have a cafeteria, they had a food truck that also served the farmworkers. And we had a Java Hut coffee shop in a corner inside the Bell Tower.”

More than 20 years later, Worden was among the Library staff and faculty who sorted through thousands of photos, documents, and artifacts to develop a special exhibit of CSUCI’s history in honor of the University’s 20th anniversary. The exhibit, which was created in partnership with CSUCI’s Communication & Marketing area, is on display now in the John Spoor Broome Library.

Called “Honoring our Past—Building the Future,” the exhibit features a historical timeline spread across the north wing of the Library with an accompanying photo gallery to highlight the milestones since the University started, including inaugural groundbreaking ceremonies.

CSUCI vice provost receives multiple national honors

by Community Contributor • September 26, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Vice Provost Jessica Lavariega Monforti recently received multiple national honors for her academic leadership and her work examining Latino political issues, including a new book on military recruitment.

Inspired by conversations with her Latino students, the book, “Proving Patriotismo: Latino Military Recruitment, Service and Belonging in the U.S,” was written with East Stroudsburg University Political Science professor, Adam McGlynn, Ph.D., and demonstrates why the Latino population is a growing target for U.S. military recruitment and why Latinos seeking to improve their economic station and their acceptance as Americans are open to these overtures.

Hispanics make up a disproportional share of the armed forces and are the fastest growing segment. The Pew Research Center found that the share of active-duty military who are Hispanic rose from 25% in 2004 to 36% in 2017. In 2020, Hispanics accounted for 19% of all Americans.

CSUCI Health Science major is named a CSU Trustee Scholar

by Community Contributor • September 16, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Health Science major Daisy Morado Navarrete is taking a full load -16 units- this semester, maintaining a 3.92 grade point average (GPA) and spending four hours a week at St. John’s Regional Medical Center helping to translate for Spanish-speaking patients.

Her talent, determination, academic excellence and generosity of spirit are among the reasons she has received the 2022 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. Navarette is among the 23 students—one from each CSU campus—chosen by the CSU Board of Trustees as a 2022-2023 scholar.

The CSU Trustees’ Award is the university’s highest recognition of students who demonstrate superior academic performance. Each donor-funded scholarship bears the name of a donor; Navarette is the recipient of the TELACU scholarship.

All the scholars will be honored on Tuesday, Sept. 13 as part of the CSU Board of Trustees meeting.

Richard Yao to be formally recognized as CSUCI President at Sept. 23 Investiture Ceremony

by Community Contributor • September 14, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) President Richard Yao, Ph.D. will be formally recognized as the fourth president of the University during an investiture ceremony scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Friday Sept. 23, at the John Spoor Broome Library Plaza.

The investiture ceremony is traditionally held within the president’s first year, giving the campus and the larger community the opportunity to celebrate a new era as the formal title and authority of the CSU are conferred on the new president. This investiture ceremony occurs at the beginning of another era: it is being held the same year CSUCI celebrates its 20thanniversary and embarks on its third decade as Ventura County’s first and only four-year public University.

Provost Mitch Avila, Ph.D., describes Yao as the right leader at the right time for CSUCI.

“We rarely see a leader with these qualities: visionary, data-informed, and hard-working,” Avila said. “His inspirational leadership for CSUCI is grounded in an unwavering and genuine commitment to our students and the region, built on the promise of higher education as a social escalator for our students. President Yao understands that “servingness” is at the heart of our institutional mission as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and works hard to make certain our University meets the needs of each and every one of our students. On a personal note, I am continually impressed by Rich’s energy, drive, and focus — it’s hard to keep up! Good things ahead!”

CSUCI gets high rankings from US News & World Report

by Community Contributor • September 12, 2022 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) rose in three major categories in the recently released U.S. News & World Report 2022 college and university rankings.

CSUCI falls into the Regional Universities West category where this year the University ranked No. 28, up 13 spots from its previous rank of No. 41. CSUCI was ranked No. 12, up eight rungs from No. 20 in the Top Public Schools category. And for Social Mobility, CSUCI ranked No. 11, climbing from No. 17 last year.

“The credit for these rankings goes to the campus students, faculty and staff, but also to the members of the community who have supported us through the years,” said President Richard Yao, Ph.D. “As we celebrate our 20th anniversary and look toward our third decade as the county’s only public university, we take pride in the national recognition and in the quality of graduates who join the work force to keep our economy thriving.”

CSUCI students will travel to Spain, Mexico, South Korea and the United Kingdom on Gilman Scholarships

by Community Contributor • August 26, 2022 • Comments Off

Four CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students are traveling to different corners of the world to study during the 2022-23 academic year, thanks to the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.

This Fall, Art major Alejandra Torres, 20, is studying photography and traditional dance in Monterrey, Mexico while Performing Arts/Theater History double major Rae McQueen, 25, is off to the United Kingdom to study film.

In Spring of 2023, Biology major Joanna Carmelita Patagan, 19, will travel to South Korea to study biology and the Korean language and Business major/Spanish minor Itzel Tena Ortiz, 19, is off to immerse herself in the culture of Granada, Spain while studying business.

The Gilman Scholarship is targeted at students who might not otherwise get the opportunity to study in another country.

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