A significant increase in the university’s six-year graduation rate and achieving 97 percent of its $50 million fundraising goal two years after the public phase was launched were among the many highlights shared by Cal State San Bernardino President Tomás D. Morales during his annual Convocation address Sept. 17. The university’s effort involving the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 is having a positive impact, Morales said to the assembled faculty and staff in Coussoulis Arena, as well as those watching the online livestream. “At the finish of the 2018 Summer Session, our four-year graduation rate was up 2 percent from the previous year,” he said. “Our two-year graduation rate, up 10 percent in the past four years, is on track to meet our 2025 target of 45 percent. Statistically, the achievement gap for our two-year grad rate is almost insignificant between underrepresented students and non-underrepresented student communities.“So, it comes as no surprise that, over the past five years, our six-year rate has jumped by 13 percent,” said Morales, who is entering his seventh year in leading the university. The university is also experiencing an unprecedented level of success in advancement and philanthropy, he said.  “The university’s $50 million comprehensive campaign is already the largest single fundraising initiative in our history. As I stand here today, just two years after entering the public phase, we have surpassed $48.5 million, or 97 percent of our goal.” And, he added, “We have also acquired a record $36.1 million in external funding to support research and sponsored programs. This is a testament to the outstanding work of our faculty and staff, who bring in new and recurring grant opportunities.” Convocation marked the start of CSUSB’s 53rd year, and the event included acknowledgement of faculty and staff who were honored with accolades for their work in advancing the university. CSUSB also formally welcomed new faculty and staff, along with administrators serving interim posts: Harry Le Grande (vice president, Division of Student Affairs), Bruce Shepard (dean, Palm Desert Campus), Rueyling Chuang (dean, College of Arts & Letters), and Jake Zhu (dean, College of Education). Also recognized were those who earned degrees in the past year, as well as those whose work contributed to university. “This convocation is the starting point, a traditional gathering where we renew acquaintances, refresh our passion for education and reinforce the proud legacy of this great university,” Morales said. As he looked toward the new academic year, the president, using the university’s Strategic Plan, reflected the foundation on which it will be built. Some of the highlights: Student Success “Our students are getting excellent instruction from our exceptional faculty,” Morales said. “Many are expanding on that by taking part in study abroad programs and a wide range of internships. These opportunities give them a better understanding of our world and provide valuable experience while also building confidence. “In an effort to encourage our students to advance academically by attending summer session, $1 million was allocated for Graduation Initiative Grants. We saw an immediate impact when all but one of the 415 students awarded grants for summer 2017 qualified to graduate at the end of summer session or that fall. “Under its new name, the Undocumented Student Success Center celebrated its second anniversary with the creation of the Optima Family Services Scholarship, established by two sisters who graduated from CSUSB. Available to graduating high school seniors with a declared major within either the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences or the College of Natural Sciences, Optima scholarships are open to all, with qualifying undocumented students receiving preference.” The university has also launched two independent task forces to address trends relating to the college-going rates of its two most under-served communities: African-Americans and Native Americans, and work continues on both. Faculty and Staff Success “We received a $125,000 grant from the Chancellor’s Office to assist in diversity advocate training and implement strategies to increase faculty diversity,” the president said. “The decision to administer summer session on a self-support basis has allowed us to serve many more students, offer more courses, provide nearly $2 million in additional faculty pay, offer an extra $2 million in student financial aid, and distribute more than $650,000 to academic colleges and departments. “Last year saw the creation of Staff Council, a significant addition to shared governance. Dedicated to serving CSUSB, Staff Council is advancing professional development opportunities for those who serve as the backbone of our university. “We also dedicated two central resources for faculty and staff success at CSUSB. The Staff Development Center and the Faculty Center for Excellence are celebrating one-year anniversaries.” Resource Sustainability and Expansion “The university’s master plans for both campuses received approval from the CSU Board of Trustees,” Morales said. “We also released a draft of our Resilient Sustainability Plan, which provides a guideline for both campuses in an effort to reduce the university’s carbon footprint. “ITS, in collaboration with the CSU Chancellor’s Office, oversaw an upgrade of our university’s internet connectivity speed. A 100-gigabyte link to the California Research & Education Network will greatly develop capacity and allow for academic research previously unavailable to our faculty and their students.” Community Engagement and Partnerships “The Office of Community Engagement was again amazingly active throughout the year,” the president said. “From another successful Coyote Cares Day to coordinating service and volunteer hours, it worked closely with student clubs and organizations, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, supporters and numerous community groups and foundations. OCE also launched its Community Engagement Faculty Associate Program, assisting faculty with community engagement in the classroom, in research applications and additional service activities. The results can be assessed in hours logged and estimated value. But the true worth of this engagement is the positive influence it has on our students as they see for themselves the effect they have on lives and communities, and how we as an institution of higher education are helping improve the quality of living throughout the Inland Empire. “As a university, we also remain committed to our own. The Obershaw DEN food pantry distributed more than 1,500 bags of groceries, 1,250 individual meals and 250 hygiene kits to students seeking help obtaining basic needs.” Identity “Launching our new identity campaign around ‘We Define the Future,’ has helped create tremendous synergy within our extended campus community as well as throughout the region,” Morales said. “Efforts to target key audiences are already showing results in name recognition, recruitment, positive public perception and strengthened reputation. Credit is due to the many constituencies that took part in the creative and confirmation process. “The Office of Strategic Communication has succeeded in enhancing our identity and public perception by focusing on all aspects of the campus community: 15 different issues of the Inside CSUSB video series celebrated faculty and staff success, promoted the strengths and accomplishments of colleges and departments, and showcased our students and alumni. Their planning and implementation of the university’s ‘We Define the Future’ brand recently earned a Council for Advancement & Support of Education Circle of Excellence Grand Gold Award.” Also, the university formally dedicated the new Coyote Village on-campus housing and Coyote Commons on Sept. 17, which Morales said was CSUSB’s single-largest construction project in its history. Work continues on the Center for Global Innovation, which will be the new home for the College of Extended and Global Education, and expansion plans for the Santos Manuel Student Union are in the works. Next up will be drawing up plans for a new home for the College of Arts & Letters, and a new Performing Arts Center, Morales said. Taken all together, “Such significant improvement is more than just worthy of applause; it is transformative!” Morales said. “It means an increase in learning, more opportunities for jobs that will enhance lives and strengthen the economic outlook for the Inland Empire. “While there is still more to be done, it is both encouraging and inspiring to think of how we continue to Define the Future!” he said. “These are exciting times at CSUSB, with plenty of amazing stories still to be written and incredible history still to be made. As long as we believe in each other and work together, we can achieve great things.”