New Academic Year Underway
By Eric Breier
Cal State San Marcos is welcoming new and returning students to the start of the fall semester, which began Monday with what is expected to be the largest first-time freshman class in university history. For the first time since the pandemic began, the vast majority of classes are in person.
With protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of the campus community, President Ellen Neufeldt expressed excitement and optimism during her annual convocation address to faculty and staff on Thursday.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve had to adapt and change – sometimes on a dime,” Neufeldt said. “And we’ve also been witness to inspiring moments of solidarity, generosity and care.
“When I look back on all that we have been through these last 2 1/2 years, a clear and compelling story emerges: a story of a university community bound by a deep sense of purpose, driven by an unyielding commitment to a shared mission of supporting and serving students and our region.”
Neufeldt also highlighted the university’s new strategic plan, The Power of CSUSM, which was launched in April.
“Together, we are doubling down on an ambitious mission to magnify opportunities even further for our amazing students,” she said. “And by doing so, we will further transform lives and communities across the region we call home.”
CSUSM is reinstating a temporary masking requirement in instructional spaces beginning with Monday’s first day of classes and continuing through Sept. 9. Instructional spaces include classrooms, lecture halls, instructional labs and library classrooms.
All students, faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with both the original series of one to two shots, plus a booster, or have an approved exemption on file. Information on submitting proof of vaccination, including updating your booster record, or applying for an exemption is available on the CSUSM as One website.
New on-campus housing, dining
North Commons, the university’s new campus-affiliated living for students, welcomed its first residents on Aug. 26. The apartment-style community, located next to the new Extended Learning building, has capacity for 332 students.
CSUSM’s first on-campus dining hall, Campus Way Cafe, is expected to open in September on the first floor of The QUAD.
New appointments
- Ronald Ramirez began his tenure as the new dean of the College of Business Administration on July 1.
- Liora Gubkin began her tenure as the new dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences on July 11.
- Jackie Trischman was named the permanent dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
- Viridiana Diaz began her appointment as the vice president of Student Affairs in January.
Weeks of Welcome
The annual Weeks of Welcome, which started Aug. 27, includes dozens of events for students to meet new people and kick off the academic year.
Visit the Weeks of Welcome calendar for a complete schedule.
Summer snippets
- Arts, media and design student Salma Rodriguez’s short film “Border Line Fears” won three student Emmy Awards.
- Diego Sustaita, a biological sciences professor, received an Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation, an honor given to “early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”
- Steve Wagner, the president and co-founder of Stone Brewing, and his wife, Laura, have given $1 million to CSUSM to establish funding to support social mobility, one of the core tenets of the university’s new strategic plan.
- Senior Ashton Lawson, who is double majoring in sociology and women, gender and sexuality studies, received the PFLAG San Diego County Mary Wagner Memorial Scholarship.
- CSUSM has received a $110,250 grant from Hologic, a Massachusetts-based global medical technology company that has a major presence in San Diego, to launch the Hologic Pathway to Success in STEM.
- CSUSM, in partnership with Old Dominion, hosted the fifth annual National Social Mobility Symposium in July.
Media Contact
Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314