Following a highly competitive process, CSUSM selected Barnes & Noble College to help elevate its campus retail, enhance customer experience and improve access and affordability.

“As a leader in social mobility and as one of the top universities for students in our region, it’s important for our community to have a store that reflects campus goals,” said Leon Wyden Jr., CSUSM's vice president of Finance and Administrative Services. “The campus bookstore is a hub of activity, and we want all of our customers there to have the best experience possible.”

The partnership will begin this summer, ahead of the 2026-27 academic year.

“At CSUSM, we are deeply committed to student success” said Carl Kemnitz, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Through this new partnership, we hope to address barriers of access and affordability for students while making course materials adoptions easier for faculty.”

Some notable highlights of the newly formed partnership include:

• a transformed retail experience with a modern layout, improved flow and a more customer-friendly environment that reflects the university’s culture and values;
• an elevated merchandising assortment featuring brands such as Nike, Under Armour, Champion and '47, and curated collections from Fanatics and Lids;
• an enhanced technology assortment, including computers, tablets, accessories and support services.

In spring 2027, the bookstore will relocate from its current location on campus to CSUSM's Extended Learning Building located at the corner of Barham Drive and Campus Way to provide premium access for students and the campus community with free, short-term parking.

Barnes & Noble College brings decades of higher education expertise, operating more than 11,000 physical and virtual stores nationwide.

For more information about Barnes & Noble College, visit bncollege.com.

About Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE: BNED) is a leading solutions provider for the education industry, driving affordability, access and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide and ensuring that millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Through its family of brands, BNED offers campus retail services, academic solutions, wholesale capabilities and more. BNED is a company serving all who work to elevate their lives through education, supporting student success, affordability and engagement across the campus community.

The first cohort is set to start in fall 2026 with 25-30 students, said Aleksandria Perez Grabow, an assistant professor of psychological science.

The clinical counseling psychology program becomes the sixth master’s degree offered by the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences, though it will be housed in Extended Learning.

The program was approved by the Chancellor’s Office and CSUSM’s Academic Senate this summer based on curriculum developed by a steering committee composed of Grabow and fellow assistant psychology professors Allison Jobin and Lisa Graves. The initial work toward establishing the program began more than a decade ago under the guidance of psychology professor Gerardo Gonzalez.

The clinical counseling degree is designed to address a significant shortage of qualified and diverse workers in the behavioral and mental health fields in San Diego and the surrounding regions. According to the San Diego Behavioral Health Workforce Report, the region needs almost 20,000 more professionals in the field over the next five years.

“This program will address critical needs in several areas, including for our students interested in becoming therapists and counselors, for our campus in offering a program that directly leads to a specific career, and for our community in supporting the shortage of mental health practitioners and training therapists in areas specific to our unique population here in San Diego and bordering counties.” Grabow said. “CSUSM has a wonderful social work program, and I think our students will welcome the option of attending another local, affordable graduate program and working in an applied field related to psychology.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Originally designed as a teaching space, the university pivoted because of the pandemic and reimagined the Infinity Lab as part of its innovation ecosystem under the direction of Scott Gross, associate vice president of industry partnerships, and Betsy Read, the founder of the university’s biotechnology program, and with the added assistance of Debora Galasso. Galasso is a 25-year veteran of the biotech industry who became a lecturer in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s program in 2019 and last year was enlisted by Gross and Read to manage the expansion of the Infinity Lab. 

The modern, light-filled laboratory has quickly attracted four exciting bioscience entrepreneurs: Grann Pharmaceuticals, Alcheme Bio, Indaptus Therapeutics and GSD Bio. The Infinity Lab’s convenient location in CSUSM’s Extended Learning building, ready availability of standard research equipment and instrumentation, and collaborative environment are key elements of the laboratory’s success. 

"Aligned with CSUSM’s mission, the Infinity Lab is an environment where students are encouraged to pursue and embrace opportunities, explore new ideas, take intellectual risks and begin the process of becoming the researchers and innovators of tomorrow,” Read said. “The Infinity Lab is fostering innovation and collaboration between CSUSM faculty and students and industry partners. Six students are currently gaining real-world experience working alongside entrepreneurs from Alcheme BioSciences, Grann Pharmaceuticals, and the San Diego Zoo Global." 

Bioscience research can be an expensive venture, but the Infinity Lab helps reduce the burden by offering affordable bench space in a laboratory with most standard molecular and protein biology instrumentation. 

“For many small companies, the administrative requirements of running a lab can be a significant burden,” Gross said. “When companies join the Infinity Lab, they fall under CSUSM Safety Health and Sustainability, Facilities and Operations, and Distribution Services. This relieves the company from managing these tasks so they can spend more time focused on their research.”  

The Infinity Lab also provides waste disposal, shipping and receiving, postal, telephone and data support, all of which free up time and resources to allow companies to focus on scientific endeavors. 

The open floor plan and location on campus make the laboratory a naturally collaborative environment. In addition to interactions between the entrepreneurs within the lab, they are also working with faculty and providing valuable opportunities for students to see and interact with bioscience industry partners, supporting the university’s student-centered mission. 

Visit the Infinity Lab website to learn more about joining the lab.  

The Institute strives to educate municipal clerks, engage them with one another and their communities, and elevate the profession as a continuum of public service. Municipal clerks stand on the front lines of democracy in their communities, administering free and fair elections, among other functions. The Institute strives to support municipal clerks in these efforts to keep communities strong.

"We are excited about the partnership between California State University San Marcos and the City Clerks Association of California to launch the Municipal Clerks Institute," said Dr. Godfrey Gibbison, dean of Extended Learning at CSUSM. "This program represents our shared commitment to advancing the professional development of municipal clerks and supporting their vital contributions to local governance."

Through the partnership, CSUSM becomes the first and only California State University education partner authorized by the International Institute of  Municipal Clerks to offer its Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) and Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) training program. CSUSM Extended Learning will be offering these training sessions online and in person.

“The Municipal Clerks Institute is a testament to our dedication to empower municipal clerks with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate their complex roles,” said Marc Donahue, president of the CCAC. “We believe that this partnership will have a lasting impact on the profession and contribute to the overall effectiveness of local government in California.”

The CCAC is a professional organization that promotes the education and professional development of municipal clerks and other local government officials. With a commitment to excellence, integrity and service, the CCAC supports the effective functioning of local government in California.

Temple toured private facilities in the region that failed to meet his expectations in myriad ways – whether the culprit was age, accumulated dust or debris. And for the privilege of occupying such a space, the going rate was a shocking $10,000 a month, or more.

What a pleasant change it was for Temple, then, when his nascent company’s head of business development told him about a new opportunity to rent room in Cal State San Marcos’ Extended Learning building. The bright and modern lab on the fourth floor marked such a sharp contrast to what he had been seeing that he accepted on the spot.

“It’s been wonderful,” Temple said. “This lab space is incredibly nice.”

Temple is the president and CEO of Grann Pharmaceuticals, a biotech that he formed with several classmates while they were still students at Whittier College. This spring, before they even had graduated, Grann moved into the Infinity Lab, a state-of-the-art research facility in the Extended Learning building. Just last week, Grann was joined in the lab by a second client: Alcheme Bio, a small startup founded by Vanessa Small, a member of the advisory council for CSUSM’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

The Infinity Lab was designed as a teaching space, but partly because of the pandemic, it hasn’t been used for that purpose since the building opened four years ago. In 2020, CSUSM initiated an experiment to reimagine the lab by leasing space to cancer diagnostics company Volition, which stayed for about a year before moving on.

Now, CSUSM is doubling down on the growth of its innovation ecosystem under the direction of Scott Gross, associate vice president of industry partnerships, and Betsy Read, the founder of the university’s biotechnology program, and with the added assistance of Debora Galasso. Galasso is a 25-year veteran of the biotech industry who became a lecturer in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s program in 2019 and this year was enlisted by Gross and Read to manage the expansion of the Infinity Lab.

Galasso said CSUSM is the only university in San Diego County that is dipping its toe into a venture that is typically the province of for-profit companies.

“Our goal is to demonstrate proof of concept,” Galasso said. “The space was sitting idle, so we wanted to see if we could create an environment that could benefit students. As education is our primary focus, we are not intending to make money, but to cover our costs while we develop an environment where students, faculty and staff can interact directly with entrepreneurs.”

The Infinity Lab is a molecular and cellular biology lab that features four benches (three are available to lease, one is reserved for CSUSM students and faculty), a tissue culture room for culturing cells and an impressive collection of the type of equipment any biotech startup would require. Space can be rented by the linear foot, with Grann taking up a whole bench (34 feet) and Alcheme only 7 feet. The lab can accommodate three to five companies at a time, and renewable leases are for six-month terms, as befits a place that considers itself a biotech incubator.

“The idea would be to not have companies in for over two years,” Galasso said. “By that time, they should have secured angel or venture capital funding, been purchased or their intellectual property been purchased. Within two years, you should be growing enough that you need to go somewhere else.”

Because of its university affiliation, a requirement of the Infinity Lab is that students benefit from any industry partnership. That can take multiple forms, from students being hired as interns, to companies hosting classes in the lab to tell their story, to biotech entrepreneurs speaking on campus in a casual, roundtable style.

Grann, for example, has brought aboard two CSUSM master’s students as interns for the upcoming school year, and the students will learn Grann’s process of re-expressing proteins using mRNA lipid nanoparticle technology.

Temple, a San Diego native who graduated from Cathedral Catholic High School, said the directive that Grann involve students in its operations is nothing but a win-win proposition. His company has added interns who might end up being future employees, while CSUSM students can not only tap into Grann’s collective brainpower, but also borrow expensive scientific instruments that not even the Infinity Lab possesses.

“Cal State San Marcos has been great,” Temple said. “This place couldn’t be any better.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The trip featured students in the class BIOT675: Bioscience Beyond the Borders, within the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in Biotechnology program. It was led by Betsy Read, program director and a biological sciences professor; Debora Galasso, a biotechnology lecturer; and two professors from Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences (TUPLS): Kiriko Komura and Kazuya Watanabe.  

The connection between CSUSM and TUPLS was forged by Al Kern, an education consultant for Extended Learning who has a longstanding relationship with Komura, a visiting associate professor of life sciences for TUPLS Global Initiatives and the former director of the National Professional Science Master’s Association and PSM affiliation offices. Watanabe is a world-renowned microbiologist and professor at TUPLS. 

BIOT675 is an established course in the PSM, but Read suggested revamping it this year by making it an optional immersion experience for students. After working out the logistics, Read and Galasso finally saw their goal come to fruition. 

“I have learned and grown through the study-abroad course,” said Gilda Castellanos, an undergraduate biotechnology major. “The opportunity to make new friends, appreciate a new culture, tour multibillion-dollar businesses and gain insight into the biotechnology industries have made me even more excited about graduating and starting a career in the biotech field.” 

Galasso, Read and the 14 students were in Tokyo from Jan. 8-18. Students attended labs and lectures, visited various STEM industries, and were immersed in the Japanese culture.  

Highlights of the trip included visits to Takeda Global and Shonan Health Innovation Park southwest of Tokyo, where students learned the value of a patient-first mindset grounded in integrity and respect, in addition to the complexities of working in an international environment; Meiji Innovation Center, where they discussed the importance of food sciences in supporting the health of consumers; the TUPLS campus, where they toured several labs and learned to write their names in Kanji; and Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, where they first explored Tokyo culture.  

“The trip was an eye-opening experience both professionally and personally. It was an incredible opportunity to visit multiple companies and innovation parks where we learned from the employees firsthand," said Bridget Hofsteadter, a PSM in Biotechnology major. 

Galasso and Read were overjoyed to finally give their students such an enlightening experience. The two had been working with TUPLS since 2019 to develop similar opportunities for both campuses to interact more, but because of COVID-19, many of their original intentions were stalled. 

Last fall, the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) hosted two students from TUPLS. After this experience, it was clear to Galasso and Read that their ongoing relationship with TUPLS and the uniqueness of Japanese culture made going to Japan a good choice for the program. 

In addition to the instructors, 11 students in the PSM in Biotechnology program, two senior undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's in biotechnology and one student pursuing a master's in biological sciences attended. 

Since the course is within the PSM in Biotechnology program, anyone in the existing cohort was eligible to attend. The three other attendees were selected as a way for Galasso and Read to pilot future attendance and to see if it would be worthwhile to expand the program. 

CSTEM hopes to expand such programs in the future, given financial feasibility, so that more students can experience different cultures while also learning more about their academic and professional goals.  

For more about the day-to-day activities and values of the trip, follow Galasso on LinkedIn, where she details many of the presenters, explorations and discussions.  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of public affairs and operations
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

“We are committed to supporting the success of our students as well as others in the community who are pursuing academic goals,” said Godfrey Gibbison, dean of Extended Learning and Global Programs. “With our wide range of courses, students throughout the region can use the summer months to maintain or accelerate their path to graduation.”

Registration for CSUSM students opens on March 28 and for the public on April 4. The summer schedule includes courses from mathematics to biology and from philosophy to art, media and design. Offered on a compressed timeline, the courses can be completed in five-week or 10-week sessions.

A popular summer payment plan is being offered again, allowing students to pay for courses in three installments if they desire. In addition, limited summer school grants are available. For more information on the grants, please contact el@csusm.edu.

During summer, students from other universities, qualified high school seniors and community members can register for courses without being formally admitted to the university. Credits from CSUSM courses are fully transferable to other academic institutions, and up to 24 units taken as a nonmatriculated student can be counted toward a CSUSM degree.

The CSU requires the COVID vaccine and booster for all students, both matriculated and nonmatriculated, to participate in summer courses. 

The first block of classes will be held June 6 – July 9, and the second block of classes is scheduled for July 11 – Aug. 13. A small selection of classes runs the full 10-week summer session, June 6 – Aug. 13.

For more information on summer session or for the current schedule, please visit csusm.edu/summer.

About Extended Learning at CSUSM

As the academic outreach arm of Cal State San Marcos, Extended Learning is a premier resource of professional and continuing education in North San Diego and Southwest Riverside counties. Our education experience is tailored to the unique needs of our students and includes undergraduate and graduate degree programs, global education, professional certificates, customized training for businesses, online courses and lifelong learning programs. Please visit CSUSM Extended Learning to learn more.

Course topics feature such disciplines as astronomy; history; literature and writing studies; sociology; computer science; women’s, gender and sexuality studies; human development; philosophy; political science; and art, media and design.

During Winter Intersession, students from other universities, qualified high school seniors and community members can register for courses without being formally admitted to the university. Credits from CSUSM courses are fully transferable to other institutions. In addition, up to 24 undergraduate and nine graduate units taken as a nonmatriculated student may be counted toward a CSUSM degree.

By taking advantage of accelerated classes during Winter Intersession, students can speed time to graduation, lighten the course load required during fall and spring terms, or get a head start on education goals.

The class schedule is available beginning Oct. 12. Enrollment for CSUSM students opens on Oct. 19 and for the public on Oct. 26. For more information on Winter Intersession, please visit csusm.edu/winter.

About Extended Learning at CSUSM

As the academic outreach arm of Cal State San Marcos, Extended Learning is a leading provider of professional and continuing education in North San Diego and Southwest Riverside counties. Offering degree programs, professional certificates and personal enrichment courses, Extended Learning helps individuals and organizations achieve their educational and training goals. Please visit CSUSM Extended Learning to learn more.