President Morales calls for 2024-25 to be the ‘Year of Engagement’

Weaving together diversity, equity and inclusion, civic engagement, enrollment management and student success, Cal State San Bernardino President Tomás D. Morales called for the 2024-25 academic year to be the “Year of Engagement.”

“They are all deeply woven together and their success, our success, our students’ success, needs to take all these areas into consideration,” said Morales in his annual Convocation address on Aug. 22, which formally launched the new academic year.

In declaring the university’s Year of Engagement, he said, “Let 2024-25 be the year of re-engagement with our students so that we can build student success. This must be the focus of all who work on this campus, regardless of what position you hold or what area of responsibility you cover.

“Let’s build one-on-one relationships with our students. Let’s celebrate the way our faculty engage with our students outside the classroom through research projects or through mentoring, student clubs or organizations.”

The start of the 2024-25 academic year also marks the start of Morales’ 49th year in higher education, and he took a moment to acknowledge his wife, Evy, who was in attendance. “She's much more than my wife. She's my life partner. She has traveled with me on this journey every step of the way.”

He also reminded the faculty and staff attending Convocation in Coussoulis Arena, and joining via livestream at the Palm Desert Campus, of CSUSB’s role as an anchor institution in the region.

“Every academic department, student club, musical theater performance, and athletic team contributes in some way to the well-being of the region we serve,” Morales said. “This is the very definition of an anchor institution. We are all together here in a very, very special place. You have a vital mission here, and we punch well above our weight. Each one of you is making a real difference.”

Morales briefly reflected on the successes of the previous academic year through the lens of the university’s Strategic Plan. They include:

• Under the student success goal: The university’s Academic Success and Undergraduate Advising (ASUA) secured $1.5 million in external funding to bolster strategic plan funds that had already been dedicated to carry out student success initiatives, and that it was able to re-enroll 1,553 students who had stopped taking classes and re-engaged them at CSUSB.
• Under the goal of faculty and staff success: CSUSB addressed delays in sponsored program administration by forming a committee that recommended dedicated human resources and financial services to support principal investigators, and a new college-based grant coordinator was hired to work with principal investigators to refine processes and goals.
• Under the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goal: The university’s Staff Development Center enhanced DEI knowledge through training and workshops; the Division of Student Affairs hosted more than 25 DEI events; and the university added all-gender restrooms and a lactation room, and implemented ongoing analysis to improve student support and retention, collectively contributing to a more inclusive campus environment.
• Under the internationalization goal: The university engaged in a range of international and domestic initiatives to promote global engagement, diversity and support for underrepresented student populations, and centralized study abroad programs, enhanced scholarship opportunities and supported international students through targeted initiatives, workshops and collaborations with Enrollment Management and student services.

Looking ahead to the new academic year, Morales expounded on the role of DEI, civic engagement, enrollment management and student success.

Despite some of the sentiment in some quarters nationwide that consider efforts for diversity as being divisive or a distraction, CSUSB is “continuing to double down on our DEI focus,” Morales said. As part of that, he said that in the past year, the university has created the Office of Tribal Relations and the Office of Black Student Success, ensuring that students of each group “feel at home and included on our campus.”

The university’s tradition of community and civic engagement was also highlighted. As an anchor institution, CSUSB continues to be involved in the community it serves, which also includes its students, faculty and staff volunteering and staying abreast of issues of concern in their local communities – and voting in local elections.

“Because not only does each vote count – we can see this in local races, which can literally be decided by votes that can be counted on the fingers of both hands – but our votes are our voices in a democracy,” Morales said. “We cannot take anything for granted. We are the ones who build our futures through this valuable tool.”

Enrollment also is a key focus in the coming year. As with other universities, CSUSB has faced challenges to regain enrollment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Morales also said the university will face increased competition for students from other institutions in the state.

“Everybody has a role – a leadership role – to play in ensuring that students leave here with a degree,” he said. “That includes encouraging students to attend and then supporting students throughout their academic path so that they persist. So, this is an all-hands-on-deck moment for the entire campus. And I would argue that our alumni also have a role to play, as well. And I know that our alumni are committed to supporting their alma mater by supporting its current students.”

As he introduced David Dufault-Hunter as the university’s inaugural vice president for the newly created Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Marketing, Morales said the university will be aggressive in tackling the enrollment challenge by getting the word out to potential students in the Inland Empire of what CSUSB has to offer and how the university can help them reach their goals.

And DEI, civic engagement and enrollment are all tied to student success, Morales said.

“We need to look at student success through the lens of an engaged campus,” he said. “If we want engaged students – we know that engagement promotes persistence and eventual graduation – then we need an engaged campus. And an engaged campus means engaged faculty, staff and administrators.

“And that is what we are doing at CSUSB. Being physically present, with our students, is key to serving them, and face-to-face interaction is also important for staff interaction,” Morales said. “So, effective fall 2024, CSUSB will be moving to a one-day-per-week telecommuting opportunity, maximum, for those whose roles allow remote work.”

Concluding his remarks, Morales reminded the university community of its inclusive values.

“The singling out of any community or group for scapegoating is completely unacceptable. These are all acts of ignorance grounded in fear,” he said. “This university rejects such behavior and remains committed to denouncing such actions, now and always, regardless of the source. We declare zero tolerance of any such acts or incidents no matter where or when they occur.”

Furthermore, Morales declared, “We reject any consideration, including judicial, of women as second-class citizens in our nation. This goes against our basic values and has no place in a democratic republic in the 21st century. And we confirm that there is no road to a better future that does not follow the path of social justice, and it will suffer neither color barriers nor cultural, spiritual, gender or sexual restrictions. 

“We truly are all in this together.”

The full 2024 Convocation can be viewed on the OnlineCSUSB channel on YouTube.