CSULB Showcases Innovation
California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White visited CSULB on Thursday, Jan. 21, as part of his system-wide tour to gain insight about the innovations and people that are creating change in our communities.
As part of his welcome, CSULB’s KKJZ all-jazz radio station performed “Bill E. Bowie” arranged by the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music’s Director of Jazz Studies Jeff Jarvis and featuring CSULB Jazz Studies students Drew Ninmer on trumpet and Josh Andree on tenor sax.
White has established long-term goals for increasing student achievement through the CSU’s system-wide “Graduation Initiative 2025” and providing support to students and dedication from faculty and staff are critical to reaching those goals.
“It is vitally important to establish a campus learning environment that supports the students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend a university,” said White. “We must be ready to answer their questions, to support them and to challenge them to reach past what they thought were their intellectual limits and to develop into a new person. To do that demands a passionate commitment to student success by faculty and staff alike.”
White sat in on several presentations on innovative approaches to student research and applications of technology in teaching and learning. Faculty members are using active learning spaces and new teaching modalities including hybrid and flipped classes to increase student success while maintaining academic rigor. Over the winter break, 31 CSULB faculty members transformed their traditional, face-to-face course to a hybrid or flipped learning format.
Innovation is driving student achievement at CSULB and bringing the Chancellor’s goals closer to fruition. Through its Highly Valued Degree Initiative, the university’s graduation rates have reached all-time highs.
Written by Rick Manly
