Provost's Message
A Message From Provost Jersky
The news surrounding our country, our politics and even our world, I believe, has left some of us discouraged and lacking hope. I understand this sentiment. I often find myself delving into a good book rather than watching the evening news.
In order to counter this discourse, this December edition of the Provost’s Message highlights all the wonderful giving back our campus community is involved in. As you look down the list you may be as surprised as I was at the comprehensive public good and contribution our campus is involved in.
I hope to use this message as an opportunity to illuminate all the amazing volunteering, giving back, and making a difference our staff, faculty and students are involved in every day. Please let me know what you are doing at provost@csulb.edu. Also, tag #lbgives on your social media. Tell your story of 'giving back' happenings on our campus and beyond. My hope is to illuminate all we are doing that benefits our community. Send your stories, pictures or articles. Also check out csulb.edu/beachcommunity, which includes our university’s impact in the community. Once we shine our own lights in the darkness, hope for a better world can become more of a reality. Here is one example from our offices.
Did you know that during the Thomas and Woolsey fire, farmworkers were made to work with little or no protection from the toxic fumes? They were also told that if they didn’t continue working they would lose their jobs. Lupe Swartz, from Academic Affairs, didn’t know this either, but she hopes to change this. “My goal is to share with others what I have been learning about in my English class at LBCC,” adds Lupe. “My professor assigned the class to write a paper on injustices.”
As Lupe learned more about the treatment of farmworkers in the central valley, she knew that simply knowing was not enough. She is starting a letter writing campaign to organizations and elected officials to make them aware of farm workers unjust situations. She hopes not only to raise awareness, but to better conditions for ones that can’t advocate for themselves.
This passion that Lupe has for the farm workers’ interest is only one instance of one person making a difference. I know there are many more such stories on our campus, and I look forward to hearing all about what our community is involved in.
BEACH 2030 Update
As President Conoley mentioned in her letter to the campus, we had 3,665 participants who shared 24,300 ideas for imagining the future of CSULB in the year 2030. Thank you to all who shared in our journey of planning our future. For those interested in the raw data, here is a link. This spring, be on the lookout for BEACH 2030 events where we will further discuss the themes brought on during fall semester.
Diverse Faculty Retreat
Another bright spot this year was the Diverse Faculty Retreat. I am looking forward to sharing the collective ideas and wisdom from our faculty, administrators and staff. The upcoming report will no doubt help our campus achieve the goal of increasing diversity in our faculty. We hope to continue the conversations this spring to ensure the ideas become solutions for our campus.
As the calendar year draws to a close, I remember that I have a choice to make. Do I succumb to the negative and say hope is lost? Or do I refocus my mind on the good that reminds me of all the important work we share? As you surmised, I am choosing the latter.
Best holiday wishes to all,
Brian Jersky
Provost and Senior Vice President
Highlights of Each College's Community Efforts
Below are highlights of each college's community efforts.
Tag us on our social media using #lbgives.
The Veteran Portrait Project – School of Art - a collaborative undertaking with the VA Long Beach Veterans Appreciation Committee where each semester a Veteran Honoree is invited to pose for the portraiture section of Professor Stewart’s Foundation Life Drawing class.- CSULB SOARS @ LGB – School of Art - a community engagement effort with the airport where college students and recent graduates can show their work to those flying in and out of Long Beach.
- ArtsBridge - an arts education/outreach program provided within the greater Long Beach area that provides multi-visit, hands-on instruction in a variety of artforms to elementary school students and their teachers.
- Arts for Life - a comprehensive education program created and offered by the Carpenter Performing Arts Center to provide interactive, wide-ranging, hands-on arts activities for all ages.
- Bob Cole Conservatory of Music - Explorations Day - an annual explorations day welcoming area high school students to experience a day in the life of a CSULB music major. Students are exposed to ensemble rehearsals, electronic music production, vocal coaching, conducting, and lessons for instrumentalists.
- University Art Museum - Plugged In - Classroom Outreach programs for 4th grade students to align with State and National Standard in the areas of visual arts, social studies, language arts and mathematics.
- Department of Theatre Arts - EPIC - a community outreach effort to build bridges within the campus and greater Long Beach community across ethnic, generational, and social boundaries by creating and touring theatre that is made by, for, and in collaboration with, students and community partners.
- ALS Clinical Work – The Department of Theatre Arts - Professor Andrea Caban has a permanent research appointment at the UCI ALS Clinic where she is teaching ALS patients a modified accent she created to help them prolong the ability to speak for as long as possible without the use of assistive technology.
Ukleja Center For Ethical Leadership - training to enhance the integration of ethics in everything we do. Engages students, faculty, and community leaders through programs and activities that embody our core values.- Marketing Business Center (MBC) - offers Long Beach regional small- and medium-sized businesses professional marketing services managed by CBA business students and supervised by CBA faculty.
- COB Incubator - It brings together students as well as experienced professionals from different disciplines and creates a thought-provoking environment in which new business ideas are created and developed.
- Long Beach Small Business Monitor (LBSBM) - The purpose of the Long Beach Small Business Monitor is to provide the greater Long Beach region and community an understanding of the expectations and desires of small business owners.
- Innovation Challenge - an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students from across the university to use innovation and entrepreneurship to make a difference in local and global communities.
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program - the program is run by IRS-certified Accountancy student volunteers whose sole purpose is to serve the local communities and our own students by providing free basic income tax filing assistance.
- Faculty from the Department of Information Systems worked on a campaign with IT to improve the campus community’s abilities to protect sensitive data.
Holds clinical partnership agreements with approximately 100 school districts.- Maintains partnership with mental health agencies, community colleges and non-profits.
- Works with Community Clinic, Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center and LBUSD Adult Community Transition Program - Provides services to students with disabilities, including areas of access, accountability and achievement.
- Center for Evaluation & Educational Effectiveness - Supports educational programs, increases social justice, and develops to ensure equity, access and monitor learning environments.
- Better Together: California Teachers Summit - One day opportunity for teachers to unite state-wide to learn from panels, presentations, discussions and each other.
- Robots & Rockets Stem @ Beach Camp - Week long camp for fifth graders and middle school students to learn about STEM education.
Assists Southern California Gas Co. with real-world technical issues- Volunteered with the Long Beach Nutcracker performance by designing a new box to lift props
- Involved with Northrop Grumman to guide over 100 military veterans transition into engineering careers
- Society of Women Engineers will welcome about 200 students from local high schools to learn more about career opportunities in engineering and other STEM fields.
- Innovation Challenge - an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students from across the university to use innovation and entrepreneurship to make a difference in local and global communities.
- Research Workshop For Women - hosting a three-day workshop for undergraduate women from Southern California.
The After School Adapted Physical-Activity Program (ASAPP) - The program is offered to children ages 5 through 12 with disabilities and special needs. - Camp Nugget - Camp Nugget provides small group instruction by university students enrolled in the KIN Department who are studying to receive an Adapted Physical Education Teaching Credential under the supervision of Dr. Barry Lavay, CSULB Professor.
- Center for Sport Training and Research (STAR) research program utilizes an evidence-based multi-disciplinary approach to enhance sport performance and reduce athletic injury risk.
- Club Fit! - (a fitness, skill acquisition, and social emotional learning program) to 5th grade students for 5 years.
- LifeFit @ The Beach - Facility for Long Beach members aged 49+ and CSULB employees of any age. Offers group fitness classes, personal training, nutritional counseling, educational workshops and more.
- Child and Family Center - Educational program for early childhood professionals in Child Development and Family Studies. The center has toddler and preschool classrooms that abide by the Developmentally Appropriate Practices from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
- Center for Successful Aging - Research ways to promote healthy aging and offers social engagement opportunities, care-giving & palliative care and more.
- Center for Latino Community Health - Promotes health in Latino community by offering HIV/AIDS prevention, obesity prevention, youth empowerment, nutrition education, perinatal and maternal child health and Latino educational success.
- Center for Health and Equity Research - Research in public health in diverse, under-served and high risk populations.
- Center for Criminal Justice Training & Research - Offers law enforcement and criminal justice personnel training in association with the California Peace Officer Standards & Training etc.
- Army ROTC, Military Science Program - Recruits, trains and develops skills for students needed to become officers in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
- PT @ The Beach - Physical therapy faculty practice conducted by faculty-based clinicians from the department. These licensed therapists follow your treatment from start to finish while offering reduced costs. The program also helps patients adjust to LifeFit Center once dismissed.
- Parkinson’s Program - individuals with the movement disorder Parkinson’s disease, get a boost in treatment in CSULB’s LifeFit Center.
- Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) - Offer non-credit classes to adults of 50 years or older on campus, at Leisure World Seal Beach and at the Alpert Jewish Community Center.
- Concussion Program - Screening for CLUB fit! athletes
- Neurology Pro bono Clinic - Free PT services for patients have neurologic pathology
- CSULB Speech-Language Clinic - provides diagnostic and therapeutic services for both children and adults with communicative disorders.
- Health on Wheels - In partnership with CSULB School of Nursing, this school-based mobile pediatric clinic offers free health care services to those who are uninsured in the Norwalk La-Mirada school district. Students and faculty from CSULB's School of Nursing staff the clinic and visit ten school sites in a weekly rotation during the academic year.
The inaugural Long Beach Latino Economic Profile and Impact Report was presented at the 2018 Long Beach Latino Economic Summit in collaboration between Department of Economics, CSULB’s Center for Community Engagement, Centro CHA and the City of Long Beach Economic Development Department. This unprecedented, data-driven report highlights the economic contributions and challenges of Long Beach’s Latino community. - Language Training Center (LTC) - The program provides language and culture training for Department of Defense (DoD) personnel.
- Understanding Borders - CLA faculty will lead an exploration of the physical and cultural effects of physical and metaphorical borders, examining key issues relating to borders.
- 743 Undergraduate students completed internships in the academic year 2017-18.
- Over 500 different agencies hosted interns, with students completing an average of 106.8 hours (Mode = 90 hours) of work at these sites. Most (79%) internships completed were unpaid, translating to over $1,500,000 in labor contributed to the public good.
Young Scientists Camp - a two-week long program that permits middle school students the opportunity to learn from STEM students and professionals.- Marine Lab (Shark Lab) - Regularly open to the public, gives local students guided tours, including a “touch tank” and hosts a variety of groups ranging from K-12 classrooms, community college students, marine biology groups and the public at large.
- Science Learning Center – provides tours and many learning experiences for community children. Most Fridays there are between 1 and 5 classrooms that tour the science learning center.
- Geology department and the Monterey and Related Sedimentary rocks (MARS Project) created a local center of excellence in research into Monterey Formation-related problems.
- Math Day at the Beach - A one day competition for southern California high school students who want to have fun with mathematics. Over 30 schools bring teams of 6 students every year for the competition.
- Accepts children without homes into camp program
- Conducts tours for community children, the BRIDGES program for local community college students, and professional development programs for teachers
- Physical Sciences Institute for High School Girls - a two-week camp designed to address the large gender difference in the number of women who pursue degrees in the physical sciences and engineering.
Academy of Global Logistics (AGL) at Cabrillo High School - a four-year curriculum that is integrated with real-world experiences through site visits and workshops presented by industry professionals.- Youth Leadership Long Beach - Provides annual summer career workshop on campus to 30+ high school students in partnership with Leadership Long Beach.
- Ethnic Studies Initiative - Program sponsored by 3 districts (LBUSD, ERUSD, and NLMUSD) with dual-enrollment Ethnic Studies courses on their high school campuses.
- Pre-College Summer Academy - 28 LBUSD students who received dual enrollment credit in either THEA 113 or COMM 130.
- CSI Summer Enrichment Program - Outreach and enrollment activities led by Center for Criminal Justice and CPIE at local high schools and police departments.
Academic Affairs News
- CCPE Renamed as College of Professional and International Education (CPIE)
- Dr. Stephen P. Mezyk, professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry, was chosen as the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Wang Family Excellence Award in the Outstanding Faculty Innovator in Student Success category.
- Search Underway for Associate Dean for the College of Education
- The search for an Associate Dean for Credential Programs and Community Engagement for the College of Education is currently underway. See all of the administrative searches open in Academic Affairs.
- The search for an Associate Dean for Credential Programs and Community Engagement for the College of Education is currently underway. See all of the administrative searches open in Academic Affairs.
- The CSULB President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) is seeking nominations from the campus community for 'The Advancement of Women Award' and 'The Community Organization Award' by Friday, January 25, 2019.
In Memoriam
Dr. Kent Merryfield passed away on campus. He was a professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics for 30 years and was beloved by students, faculty and staff alike.
Dr. Alexandra (Misty) Jaffe passed away on November 20. She was a chair and professor in the Linguistics Department, as well as a gifted teacher, mentor and a highly-published scholar.
Ali Eshett passed away on December 6. He was a professor for the College of Engineering and Legacy Society Member.
Grants
Shailesh Chandra. Quantifying Results of Key Transit Investments. Calfornia Department of Transportation. COE. Civil Engineering & Contruction Engineering Management. Total Award: $75,328. (November 2018 - May 2019)
Julie O' Donnell. YMCA - Full Service Community Schools Program. YMCA. CHHS. Social Work. Total Award: $55,000. (October 2018 - September 2019)
Josh Chesler. Mathematical Reasoning With Connections (MRWC). Riverside County Office of Education. CNSM. Mathematics and Statistics. Total Award: $32,994. (July 2018 - June 2019)
Ron Mark. Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute (SBSLI). Commission on POST. CHHS. Center for Criminal Justice Research & Training. Total Award: $654,437. (August 2018 - June 2019)
Mara Bird. Comprando Rico y Sano Program Evaluation. Unidos US. CHHS. Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training. Total Award: $85,000. (July 2018 - June 2019)
Saba Yohannes-Reda. Artesia High School MESA Schools Program. ABC Unified School District. COE. Engineering Student Success Center. Total Award: $2,520. (September 2018 - June 2019)
Kim Vu. Human Systems Integration: Collaborative Human Factors Research to Improve the Safety, Efficiency, and Reliability of NASAs Aeronautics and Space Missions. San Jose State University. CLA. Psychology. Total Award: $20,143. (July 2017 - December 2018)
Mahdi Yoozbashizadeh. Rocket Laboratory. National College Resources Foundation. COE. Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. Total Award: $33,269. (September 2018 - December 2018)
Daniel Whisler. New Impact-Resistant Loader Design. SA Recycling Inc. COE. Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. Total Award: $10,000. (October 2018 - May 2019)
Mara Bird. Focus Group Evaluation. Good Samaritan Hospital. CHHS. Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training. Total Award: $13,862. (October 2018 - December 2018)
Fangyuan Tian. Designing surface supportive zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for purifying natural gas. American Chemical Society. CNSM. Chemistry. Total Award: $55,000. (January 2019 - August 2021)
Stephen Mezyk. Effects of Alpha and Gamma Radiation on Complex and Metal Loaded Solvents for Advanced Extraction Processes. The Regents of the University of California (Irvine). CNSM. Chemistry & Biochemistry. Total Award: $25,000. (October 2018 - September 2019)
The next Provost’s Message will be published on Wednesday, January 16th. Items for the upcoming message should be submitted by Friday, January 11th, to aa-communication@csulb.edu.
