At CSULB, we are guided by Beach 2030, our strategic roadmap piloting us through the decade. Anchored in five strategic priorities, this university-wide plan aims to unite all corners of our campus with a shared vision for the future. In 2023-2024, remarkable achievements defined our collective progress toward our strategic goals. This annual report aims to provide a glimpse of projects and initiatives from across the university that represent momentum in our pursuit of the mission, vision, and values of Cal State Long Beach.
A Message from Beach 2030
Welcome!
This annual report is a snapshot of the remarkable progress we are making in our pursuit of Beach 2030: CSULB’s strategic plan and university-wide goals.
Explore the initiatives featured throughout this report — organized by our five strategic priorities — and see how every college, division, and Beach 2030 Action Plan team is contributing to our campus’ future vision.
ENGAGE ALL STUDENTS. Prepare students for their journeys to success in a fast-changing world with a rapidly shifting economy and labor market.
Expanding Student Engagement in NSM
The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM) is expanding student engagement through a handful of transformative initiatives aimed at increasing access to new learning experiences. Through its Keck Undergraduate Research Experiences (KURE) programs, authentic research experiences are offered to students who may not typically have access to them. The KURE programs are directed toward students in lower-division courses, expanded recently to also include eligible high schoolers during the summer and transfer students in the fall.
Similarly, CNSM’s ASCENDxTHRIVE programs offer new learning opportunities for both students and instructors. The ASCEND initiative provides data-driven professional learning to help college instructors and administrators understand how their students experience courses and how to make those experiences more equitable, engaging, and supportive of student success. In the THRIVE event series, students are offered opportunities for skill building in academic, career, professional, and personal development.
With its new virtual tour capabilities, CNSM is also expanding access to its physical spaces on campus. Through the tour, prospective students — and/or their parents and families — can virtually walk the halls of HSCI and hear from different students, professors, and alumni.
An Immersive Experience: Day at The Beach
Day at The Beach, a single-day immersive experience for newly admitted CSULB students, provided an exclusive first look at our sprawling campus. To engage students-to-be in all our campus has to offer, dozens of educational and informational experiences offered exciting glimpses into the possibilities of an education at CSULB. This unique day-long experience, which drew an estimated 14,700 admitted students and their families, is a testament to our spirit of collaboration at CSULB, leveraging resources from each division on campus — Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Administration and Finance, Information Technology, and University Relations and Development — to showcase all The Beach has to offer for incoming students.
Read more about Day at The Beach.
Engineering and Health Related Degree Pathways
In conjunction with the College of Health & Human Services (CHHS), Long Beach Community College, and Long Beach Unified School District, the College of Engineering (COE) will strengthen outreach, dual enrollment, Beach XP enrollment, and paid-internship infrastructure through a new $2.5 million, k-16 collaborative grant. The primary focus areas are the fields of Computer Engineering Technology and a new meta-major in health-related pathways. With Deans Jinny Rhee in COE and Monica Lounsbery in CHHS as co-leads, this impactful endeavor will engage CSULB students in meaningful educational experiences, and will fuel California’s workforce for years to come.
Digital Badge Now Available for Linguistic and Cultural Proficiency
Digital badging is one way The Beach is engaging students in alternative curricula to prepare them for the modern workforce. For students in the language programs in Asian and Asian American Studies and in Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literatures, a new Linguistic and Cultural Proficiency Digital Badge can now be obtained thanks to a new project in the College of Liberal Arts. Through Avant, an online, standards-based assessment of language proficiency, students in these programs who score at least a Novice High rating are eligible to receive a score-verified digital badge through American Council on Education’s badging partner, Credly. Students can use this digital badge — representation of their competency — to display proudly on social media sites, in digital signatures, and in resumés. The goal of this project is to promote linguistic and cultural proficiency as important skills for career readiness and for building empathy in our students.
Learn more about digital badges at CSULB.
New Dance Education Credential Partners Teachers with K-12 Schools
A new credential program at Cal State Long Beach promises to enrich dance education in local schools and expand career opportunities for dancers interested in teaching. The CSULB College of Education is now offering, for the first time, a dance education credential that teaches dance curriculum development, lesson design, teaching methods and classroom management in K-12 schools. It also includes clinical fieldwork and student teaching supervised by veteran dance teachers. The nine-course, 45-unit program is designed for students with a dance undergraduate degree or who can demonstrate subject-matter competency in dance.
Read more about the dance education credential.
Library Certificate Program to Offer Online Courses for Instruction, Teaching
In Spring 2024, University Library leadership engaged in an exploratory exercise that uncovered there was a gap in training and professional development that library faculty might help to address. With support from theCollege of Professional and Continuing Education (CPaCE), the University Library is currently designing a certificate in Library Instruction and Teaching that developed out the exploratory research led by library faculty and senior leadership. The certificate is designed for those who want to expand their information literacy and pedagogical skills, and anyone holding a master’s degree in any discipline is eligible to enroll in the Post-Master’s Certificate program. The certificate will be offered entirely online and asynchronously, which will expand CSULB’s ability to meet learners where they are. CPaCE continues to support the library in the development of this program, and the collaboration should realize a certificate launch in fall 2025.
Building a Growth Strategy
Growing our capacity to offer a diverse array of learning experiences that increase enrollment and bring new programs in new modalities to students is a key piece of our Beach 2030 strategy. With this growth mindset, CSULB is pioneering a number of programs that open new opportunities for students to gain knowledge in non-traditional ways, while helping embed our university in the broader community. Among them:
- A fully online B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice, developed by The School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Emergency Management, in collaboration with the College of Professional and Continuing Education. (Expected to launch in fall 2025.)
- A leadership development training program that builds leadership capacity for all sectors of the regional economy, developed by CPaCE.
- The Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) program. This program has seen a remarkable increase in enrollment, tripling from fall 2022 to fall 2024. Active student numbers grew from 59 in fall 2022 to 132 in fall 2023, and 180 in fall 2024, placing the program in a stable position for continued success.
- Creative Immersive Technology Experiences (CITE), a program of the Immersive Design Research Lab, that brings the campus and Long Beach community together to engage with creative immersive technologies
Supporting Annual Growth in Health and Human Services
This past year, the leadership teams of both the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) and the College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPaCE)have been working closely to build a new model for growth. Aligned with the CHHS strategic plan and Beach 2030 goals, this new model for collaboration will support the annual growth of professional and continuing education program enrollment in CHHS across four programmatic divisions within the college: Lifelong Learning, Professional Education, Degree Access, and Global Enterprise. As part of this plan, CHHS will collaborate with CPaCE to accomplish two major goals: Conceptualize an embedded annual growth model in the college, and develop college infrastructure and procedures to support and actualize the annual growth of these new and existing programs. This innovative approach to collaboration integrates growth within an academic college to better support faculty and staff, and through this integration invites professional and continuing education students into the robust CHHS learning community.
Guiding the new CHHS/CPaCELifelong Learning courses, which are launching this academic year, is the vision to be a leading provider of lifelong learning opportunities that advance and enrich quality of life. The mission is to offer programming that fosters personal growth, health and wellness, professional development, and civic engagement across the lifespan, offering short courses aligned with capacity/expertise within each college. For example, classes in fashion, culinary arts, sports, gardening, handywork, taxes, and financial literacy could be featured. This year-round, short-term educational program expands opportunities for learning and career support for traditional and non-traditional student audiences, engaging learners through alternative curriculum that makes gaining knowledge and new skills more accessible.
EXPAND ACCESS. Commit to students’ socioeconomic mobility by removing barriers to higher education.
Early Childhood Education Gets Boost
The Ballmer Scholar Program for Early Childhood Educators will provide scholarships and services to early childhood educators in the College of Education seeking California teaching credentials to meet the demand for Pre-Kindergarten teachers. This helps fulfill a state promise to expand early childhood education and professionalize the ranks of PK educators. At the same time, the program aligns with our goals to adapt teaching and learning at CSULB to address the unique needs and strengths of our community.
Read more about the Ballmer Scholar Program.
Expanding English as a Second Language Courses for Adult Learners
A transformational addition to our growing graduate and undergraduate programs in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), a new initiative in the College of Liberal Arts creates a free online community of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. With classes fully taught by TESOL graduate students, this project will enable learners to gain real-world practice with instruction, curriculum development, and assessment of adult learners in the community. Meanwhile, TESOL students earning their bachelor's degree will be assigned to observe and serve as teaching assistants. This new service-learning program expands our range of educational experiences at CSULB that prepare students to be successful in their post-college endeavors.
Digital Textbooks Delivered Right to Students
The Day 1 Textbook Access program (D1TA), launched in fall 2024, is a new initiative from Student Affairs that offers students online access to all their course texts each semester for one flat rate. A digital-first approach to improving one of college’s most cumbersome practices, D1TA is designed to make the textbook buying process more equitable, affordable, and convenient. The program aims to take the guesswork out of book sourcing and pricing, promising students from any major all their required course texts for a single set price, delivered to their Canvas portal by the first day of class. As current work norms trend more and more toward a digital landscape, the D1TA program is an opportunity to ready students for the future of work by expanding access to relevant and familiar technologies.
Learn more about the Day 1 Textbook Access program.
Expanding Access in Digital Spaces
The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is pioneering new ways to expand access for students on our campus to receive support and resources through modern digital systems. New virtual assistant kiosks, for example, are available for the Beach community to engage in video calls with Technology Help Desk staff in the Horn Center. This new feature is also available on the Technology Help Desk webpage, and enables students, staff, and faculty to initiate a video call with visual ID validation and share a screen while receiving support on an issue.
To expand access to our university website, DoIT engaged an expert organization to conduct live-user website accessibility auditing, including testing by individuals with disabilities using assistive technology and digital testing tools. This audit yielded an impressive letter of conformance for our main campus website, which, coupled with a recent major software update, positions DoIT to further enhance content accessibility and usability. These initiatives support the division’s continued focus on serving diverse communities and expanding access to meet each student’s unique needs and strengths.
College of Business Expands Advising and Tutoring Space
Focusing on advising, outreach and learning support, the College of Business (COB) Center for Student Success (CSS) will open its renovated and expanded space in November 2024. The physical expansion of its advising and tutoring facility was necessary to provide increased and equitable access, increased visibility, and more privacy for students seeking support. Besides providing proactive advising for all COB students, CSS offers a wide variety of tutoring options and is also heavily committed to outreach to local community colleges, high schools and middle schools. The new space will accommodate a growing number of advisors, peer advisors and tutors.
PROMOTE INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENT. Rigor, relevance, and data-informed decision making are hallmarks of our campus community and enrich our development of knowledge and skills for California and beyond.
Partnering with Experts: Beach 2030 Launches Faculty Appointment Guide
In 2024, Beach 2030’s Reimagine Faculty team proudly published a practical Faculty Appointment Guide, introducing three new, highly desired faculty titles: Professor of Practice, Artist in Residence, and Clinical Professor. Developed to broaden the range of academic programs offered at CSULB, enhance students' learning, and attract diverse faculty with significant academic and professional experiences, these titles aim to open new pathways for instructors with various industry experiences to be formally recognized in the academy for their service. The guide includes position definitions and a comprehensive set of instructions to aid college partners in developing and appointing these pivotal positions. This initiative represents a remarkable collaboration among our faculty, staff, and administrators across campus, as well as our faculty union partners and the chancellor's office’s labor relations team.
Read more about these new faculty titles.
Beach EDGE to Streamlines Pathways to Graduate Degrees
A new host of degree programs designed to help students complete their bachelor's and master's with fewer total units, Beach EDGE creates one seamless pathway to a graduate degree, merging related undergraduate and graduate programs to give master’s hopefuls a focused roadmap for their educational journey. Short for Expedited Degrees in Graduate Education, the EDGE programs allow for double-counting of some course units to apply to both degrees – the bachelor’s and master’s. As CSULB looks to build a growth strategy, the EDGE programs are key to offering more creative learning opportunities to more students.
Learn more about Beach EDGE programs.
College of Business Students Get Credit for Tax Help
Leveraging student learning experiences to engage with the broader community is a pillar of our efforts to promote intellectual achievement. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program does just that. Through this IRS program, College of Business accountancy students offer free income tax return preparation for low and moderate-income individuals, the handicapped, elderly, veterans and limited English proficient individuals. CSULB gives students academic credit for participating in the program, and the experience they gain helps prepare them for the workforce. Since 2023, CSULB has started offering VITA services face-to-face, online via Zoom, and drop-offs. In spring 2024, 76 students volunteered, aiding 1,589 clients (a 76% increase from spring 2023), resulting in total refunds of $1,271,188.
Database Projects Aims to Advance Partnerships Across CSULB
In 2024, the Beach 2030 team continued making strides to develop a centralized database of existing partnerships across campus, an initiative led by the Advance Partnerships for the Public GoodAction Plan. With a director of university partnerships and civic engagement hired to lead this effort, the team conducted a beta test partnership survey with the College of Education, the College of Professional and Continuing Education, Division of Student Affairs and University Relations. The survey aimed to understand the kinds of relationships and partnerships that currently exist in these areas —student learning, internships, contracts, student teaching, philanthropy, etc — and gather information on where these partnership details are stored, i.e. S4, Excel, Sales Force, etc. The team also asked participants if they encountered barriers in forming and creating partnerships, and sought their recommendations for improving that process. With the feedback we received, the survey will be adjusted specifically related to defining the types and descriptions for partnerships from an academic to non-academic perspective. Through this project, we aim to track and advance internal and external partnerships currently benefiting the university, while streamlining entry for new collaborators to promote research and forge connections to The Beach.
DEI Projects Promoted by 8 CSULB Librarians During Conference
Eight CSULB library faculty members set a university record this year for the most librarians to present at a conference when they showcased a trio of presentations at this year’s American Library Association (ALA) conference and exhibition in San Diego. During the symposium, the librarians highlighted important Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives and data, demonstrating CSULB’s commitment to these values and to collaborative and interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative activities. These librarians exemplify the scholarly activity that the University Library prides itself in.
The exhibits showcased the following:
In the first exhibit, titled “The Art of Engagement: Using Interactive Graffiti Spaces to Spark Student Engagement," librarian Michelle M. DeMars demonstrated how the library’s interactive graffiti pillars contributed to a sense of community among The Beach’s diverse student body and enhanced student engagement.
“How Far Have We Come? Tracing Critical Librarianship Praxis in the Academy" was the title of the second — presented by Sarah Corona, Nicollette Brant, Tracy Gilmore, Tiffini Travis. The exhibit examined trends in racial discourse, leadership responses and DEI programs in academic libraries.
And the third, titled “Access Granted: Asynchronous Approaches to Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Library Instruction," showcased the development of a comprehensive, free information and digital literacy course for all students in Canvas that promotes equitable education, among other topics. The exhibit was presented by Brant, DeMars, Norah DeBellis, Cathy Outten and Alexis L. Pavenick.
BUILD COMMUNITY. Support a compassionate community that is characterized by a strong sense of belonging, shared governance, and shared responsibility.
Enhancing Community College Pathways
Dr. Joe Kalman’s prestigious CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation will not only help create more sustainable rocket fuels, but it will give community college students hands-on research experience. Laboratory and research experience are vital tools in a young engineer’s career, and by involving community college students, Kalman — an associate professor in the College of Engineering — is opening pathways for students from historically underrepresented communities. This collaborative partnership creates value for our campus and our broader community.
Read more about Kalman’s CAREER grant.
Beach XP Learning Communities Promote Belonging
From the moment a student receives their acceptance letter to The Beach, we aim to imbue a shared sense of support, inclusion, and connectedness. That’s why, in fall 2023, the campus launched Beach XP, a first-of-its-kind, sweeping learning community program at The Beach designed to support learners in their transition to university life, helping them achieve academic success early and forge lasting connections with peers. The program embodies our efforts to create a student-ready university at CSULB. Having served over 700 students in year one, Beach XP is nearly doubling its impact with around 1,375 students enrolled in fall 2024 across 56 cohorts.
Beach 2030 Rubric to Support CSULB Initiatives with Equity-Minded Planning Tool
To support future Beach 2030 goals, initiatives, and programs, the team focused on Building an Equitable and Empowering Cultureat CSULB has developed a rubric and planning tool designed to help incorporate an equity minded approach in these initiatives — from ideation to completion. This rubric aims to remove barriers to success for all constituent groups and build a compassionate and purposeful campus community, where everyone’s voice and well-being are valued. By incorporating this equity planning tool into the proposal process for Beach 2030 projects and initiatives, we aim to ensure these values are embedded into the fabric of our campus-wide strategic efforts.
Supporting Professional Development for Staff
The Staff Professional Development Fund was launched in 2023 to support staff in developing professional skills that advance their careers and enrich our university. Created by Beach 2030’s Reimagine Staff Action Plan Team, this initiative offers up to $1,500 per person from a centralized pot of funds to pay for opportunities like conferences, specialized training, and participation in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Anti-Bias experiences and trainings. Now, more than a year since its rollout, it’s clear the program has served as a valuable resource: 87 applications for funds were approved between March 2023 and Sep 4, 2024, totaling about $98,332 awarded to staff members. The program will continue via Beach 2030, supporting staff seeking new career advancement opportunities.
To further these efforts, a Beach Staff Development Center is in the works, too, aimed at supporting employees’ skills growth and career advancement. This center will provide dedicated space and opportunities for professional and skills development, as well as community building.
Learn more about the fund.
DEIA Trainings Promote Equitable Culture
In the Department of Administration and Finance, the integration of a Staff Equity and Inclusion Advisor into the Human Resources Management team has significantly enhanced our DEIA initiatives. This strategic addition underscores our commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and respectful community for staff on campus. A key component of this initiative is the implementation of a comprehensive training for all CSULB employees serving on hiring committees. This training, which has been successfully delivered to over 700 members of our campus community, focuses on equitable practices in recruitment. The training covers critical areas such as unbiased candidate evaluation, inclusive interview techniques, methods to avoid bias during the hiring processes. By equipping our staff with these essential skills, we aim to ensure that our recruitment practices are fair and inclusive, thereby promoting a diverse and talented workforce.
'Beach Journey' Supports Students’ Lifelong Connection to CSULB Community
At the forefront of a nationwide trend that shows a growing appetite among young people for mentoring, networking and upskilling, CSULB is redefining what it means to be a student here — and an alum. Coined “The Beach Journey,” this new model casts CSULB not as a steppingstone, but as the path itself. The Beach Journey represents one way CSULB fosters a community of belonging among all students, even after they’ve graduated, by building and strengthening our alumni base and offering continued educational opportunities beyond graduation. Read more about The Beach Journey roadmap, designed by University Relations and Development.
CULTIVATE RESILIENCE. Implement innovative, entrepreneurial, and forward-looking actions to strengthen the institution and support the aspirations of community members.
Teams Voice Modernizes Workplace Tech
A campus-wide phased rollout of Microsoft Teams Voice Calling began in the 2023-2024 academic year, allowing users to seamlessly make and receive telephone calls on their computers and mobile devices using the familiar Teams platform. This project, led by the Division of Information Technology (DoIT), retires the University’s 40-year-old telephone system, replacing it with a modern, feature-rich, reliable infrastructure. In doing so, the university is enhancing the campus’ voice communication service, reducing support costs, and cultivating a more resilient and agile technological environment.
Developing a Foresight Mindset
As we work to institutionalize futures-thinking at CSULB, the Future-Ready Beach 2030 team is developing a toolkit with foresight tools from the Institute for the Future that are tailored specifically for CSULB. Embedding an equity-minded framework into these tools is key to aligning them with our values and mission at The Beach, and fundamental to their use across campus. In strategic planning or simple decision-making, this toolkit can be drawn upon as our centralized planning method for initiatives big or small at The Beach. A handful of foresight practitioners equipped to teach others on campus the futures-thinking skills using practices from the toolkit will be central to this project’s rollout. This central CSULB foresight practitioner team will help energize the campus community to be nimble in future planning.
Landmark ‘No Barriers’ Campaign Exceeds Fundraising Goal
In 2024, CSULB closed its landmark No Barriers campaign, the $275 million fundraising endeavor meant to support The Beach’s promise of a transformative education. No Barriers is a critical piece of our Beach 2030 strategic planning efforts, amplifying our university mission to a broad swath of generous partners. President Jane Close Conoley announced this summer the campaign’s conclusion, noting the funds raised — more than $313 million — exceeded its original target.
Read more about the No Barriers campaign.
Future of the Office: Best Practices & Space Standards
Our overall decrease in office occupancy levels, coupled with the shift to hybrid work, presents an opportunity to reinvent our workspaces to better align with our future-focused needs. By embracing hybrid work, we can grow as a university without increasing our physical footprint, moving out of older, less functional spaces and optimizing better-suited areas. This change allows us to create environments that foster innovation, collaboration, and socialization, while enhancing employee and student experiences and supporting the university's long-term goals.
That’s why the Division of Administration and Finance's Beach Building Services team collaborated with Beach 2030 leaders to assess space utilization on our campus and the industries hybrid work best practices. The Future of the Office: Best Practices and Space Standards is an easy, step-by-step guide for campus leaders to assess and arrange their physical workspaces for the future. In this guide, a new process is unveiled to incorporate all the considerations of our modern work practices as we evaluate our physical space. Tools like an automated database of occupied and unoccupied workspaces and easy-to-use manuals for assessing a team’s remote-to-in-person work ratio have been created to support the practical use of this guide as it is rolled out to campus leaders. This guide represents one piece of our mission to cultivate resilience at The Beach by preparing our campus for the future of work.
CSULB is Readying for the Future of Work
In 2023, our campus began the “Future of Work” initiative, a vital part of the Beach 2030 strategic plan. Its aim is to align work practices with student, customer, and workforce needs, while also factoring in social, technological, environmental, economic, and political influences on the workplace. The team behind Beach 2030’s Reimagine StaffAction Plan, in collaboration with Deloitte Inc., spearheaded the effort to analyze our current operations and create a comprehensive roadmap for the Future of Work at CSULB. This project examined key workplace factors, including workforce dynamics, technology, services, collaboration methods, and physical space. Over the next five years, high-impact pilot subprojects will be developed across campus in alignment with our roadmap as we chart a bold new path to the future.
Read more about the Future of Work.
Building Resilience in Filmmaking at CSULB
The Cinematic Arts program in CSULB's College of the Arts is a founding member of the Green Film School Alliance (GFSA), a visionary consortium of academic leaders and programs who have pledged to seamlessly integrate sustainability into their creative ethos, teaching student filmmakers to reduce the environmental impact of their productions. In a world where filmmaking often leaves a significant environmental footprint, students are demonstrating that creative storytelling and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. Their commitment to sustainable production doesn’t merely prepare them for a greener professional career in the film industry, but also reinforces a valuable lesson: Filmmaking, as an art, can inspire change and contribute to a healthier planet. Read more about the GFSA.
