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Welcome to the new academic year!
The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus started the new academic year with a very exciting and well attended PDC Student Convocation on Sept. 1. Through the planning process, we learned that, for many of our students, it was the first time they ever attended a convocation. At the event, we had two great student speakers, Sarah and Jason, who shared their personal stories of being a college student, and gave advice to our incoming students on how to successfully navigate college. I am glad that many of our new and returning students had the opportunity to have that first-hand experience and meet with their college deans and other university leaders, faculty, staff and fellow students. I’m sure that many of them were inspired by all of the speakers.
Going through the pandemic as college students was a challenge for many of our students. I am glad that they did not let this challenge become a hurdle to their college education. They came back to campus well prepared and more eager to attend classes in-person and meet their professors and peers in a physical space in real-time, which was not possible due to the pandemic and remote learning during the past few years.
At PDC we strive to help our students achieve success. We want to ensure that they receive a quality education with a meaningful degree; they have an unforgettable college experience; and be provided with the resources they need to achieve success. We want to make sure that they graduate in four years with minimal debt and that they learn the necessary skills for success in their career and in life.
For example, soon we will have a redesigned Student Success Studio (S3) that will provide enhanced student tutoring services to our undergraduate students. This year, the university provided funding and hired three College Possible coaches to specifically help community college transfer students navigate successfully in a new four-year college environment. All of these things are happening thanks to our colleagues from Academic Success and Undergraduate Advising (ASUA) who oversee these programs at PDC.
I would like to thank the California Student Opportunity and Access Program at Cal State San Bernardino for securing an Educational Opportunity Centers grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which will serve 850 students annually for five years in the Coachella Valley, providing information and assistance to those who desire a college education. Services include academic coaching, individual advising, group workshops and providing referrals.
Also, Cal State San Bernardino has been awarded a five-year $2.3 million federal grant that focuses on helping students, who are migrant/seasonal farm workers (MSFW) or the children of migrant/seasonal farm workers, stay in school during their first year of college and continue into their second year of higher education. The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education was awarded to CSUSB and OneFuture Coachella Valley, a Palm Desert-based organization that seeks to assure students succeed in college, career and life – expanding and enhancing the local workforce so that our youth and economy thrive.
Our campus is growing. PDC enrollment is up more than 30% since 2019 compared with national statistics, which declined 8% since 2019. We continue to add faculty for various programs, and this year, we added two additional tenure-track faculty members at PDC. In 2013, we only had 86 faculty members teaching at PDC, but this year, we have more than 120 instructors teaching at PDC. This is a 40% increase.
This year we added social work to our list of programs at PDC, and welcomed our first cohort of social work students.
As we grow, we want to thank our generous community - the cities, nonprofit organizations, businesses and industry leaders. Particularly, I want to thank the members of the PDC Advancement Board, who over the years, have contributed to the success of the campus tremendously. We need their continuous support as the community helps PDC become a pillar of cultural richness and economic prosperity in the Coachella Valley.
I want to thank PDC staff and faculty for their contributions to a very successful 2021-2022 academic year. I look forward to continue working with our staff, faculty and community members to grow our campus, and to a great new year of continuous achievement and excellence.
At CSUSB, we Define the Future!
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