CSU Bakersfield President's Monthly Campus Update Horace Mitchell, Ph.D.


NCAA Division I Transition Completed
I am pleased to announce that our five-year Division I reclassification process has been completed and that the NCAA Division I Leadership Council has approved our full Division I membership, effective September 1, 2010. This is a milestone achievement for the University and is the result of the hard work of many people cross the University and the community. We first announced our intention to reclassify in August 2005 and entered an exploratory year. The first of a four-year transition process followed with our official announcement of our intention to reclassify on June 1, 2006. As part of the reclassification process, we underwent a year-long certification self-study in 2009. The NCAA granted us certification without condition, a testament to the excellence with which the self-study was conducted.

I want to thank so many whose commitment made this reclassification possible. First and foremost is Athletics Director Rudy Carvajal who has led the athletics program from its inception in 1972. Dr. Jacquelyn Kegley, Faculty Athletics Representative, played a central role as chair of the Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Committee. Senior Associate Athletics Director, Dr. Gloria Friedman, provided strong guidance for the reclassification effort. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Soraya Coley served as chair of the NCAA Division I Certification Self-Study Steering Committee. Steering committee members included: Drs. John Hultsman, Stanley Clark, Jess Deegan, Michael Flachmann, Gloria Friedman, Michael Harville, Laura Hecht, Jacquelyn Kegley, Jacqueline Mimms, Misses Evelyn Young, Jane Evarian, Kathy Miller, and Messrs. Geoff King, Ryan Lucker, Stephen Muchinyi, John Price, and Doug Wade. In addition, numerous faculty, staff, students, and community members served on self- study subcommittees collecting data, conducting interviews, and writing reports. Thank you all. Congratulations to our athletics department and to our University for reaching this historic achievement.

Panetta Institute for Public Policy and Congressional Internship
Ahmad Rafa, Executive Vice President for CSUB's Associated Students, Inc., was selected to attend the Panetta Institute for Public Policy's Education for Leadership in Public Service Seminar in June. The program focuses on developing the leadership skills necessary for 21st century leaders by direct engagement with political leaders and policy makers. Student leaders from each campus in the CSU interacted with elected officials, journalists, military and religious leaders, and professors of leadership and politics. According to the Institute, thirty-two key leaders from every level of government and society addressed the students in 2009.

In addition, Kevin Hofferd, a Finance and Management Information Systems double-major, vice chair of the Student Union Board of Directors, and Treasurer of the Management Information Systems Club, was selected as CSUB's representative for the Panetta Congressional Internship Program. The Fall 2010 internship begins in September at the Panetta Institute with a two- week intensive orientation to the legislative process by political leaders and government staff. Immediately thereafter, Kevin will travel to Washington, D.C. for two-and-a-half month internship with a congressional member on Capitol Hill. Congratulations to Ahmad and Kevin.

Fast Track Bachelor's Degree Program
The School of Business and Public Administration will offer a 16-month, fast-track bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a Management concentration beginning Fall 2010. Students who have completed 60 units of transferable credits, including general education and business prerequisites, with a minimum 2.0 grade point average are eligible for the program. The six-quarter, year-round program is a hybrid of in-class evening and on-line courses designed to meet the needs of students who work full time. The School of Business and Public Administration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Persons interested in the fast-track program may contact the BPA Student Services Center at 654-2326.

Students Accepted to Graduate Programs
We continue to receive confirmations of the post-graduate plans of our 2010 graduates. Chemistry major Samantha C. Madziarski has been accepted to the American University of the Caribbean, School of Medicine. Samantha was a Hawk Honors student, merit award scholar, and was one of two students recognized for the outstanding undergraduate paper for the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Congratulations, Samantha.

Enterprise College
For three weeks from mid-June through the beginning of August, 138 high school students converged on campus to participate in Enterprise College: Economics for Future Leaders. Now in its 29th year, the program is a partnership between CSUB and the Kern High School District and is funded by Mid State Development Corporation. Characterized as intense but humorous by Dr. Abbas Grammy, professor of economics and the program's founder, students learn leadership principles, economic theory and application. Participating students enroll in CSUB's Young Scholars Program and receive 5 units of transferrable college credit in Economics 101 as well as credit for their senior year college preparatory economics requirement. Students who earn a B+ or higher receive credit at the honors level. Several faculty members and community leaders assisted Dr. Grammy in helping students learn essentials of economics and leadership. They were: Drs. Vincent Carter, Aaron Hegde, Chandra Commuri, Charles Wall, Steven Daniels, Michael Bedell, Lori Paris, Donna Simmons, and Messrs. David Coffey, and Keith Brice.

CSU Trustees Raise 2010-2011 Fees by Five Percent
At its June 18, 2010 meeting, the CSU Board of Trustees took the following fee actions, which will take effect in the Fall 2010 quarter:

Even with these fee increases, the CSU remains one of the most affordable university systems in the country, at more than $3,000 below the fees of comparable institutions. Please see http://www.calstate.edu/budget/student-fees/documents/comp_inst_09-10.pdf for a table of comparable institutions.

The CSU makes every effort to keep student costs to a minimum. However, fees listed in published schedules or student accounts may need to be increased when public funding is inadequate. CSU has reserved the right, even after initial fee payments are made, to increase or modify listed fees, without notice, until the date when instruction for a particular semester or quarter has begun.

With an increase in State University Grants, Cal Grants, Pell Grant awards, funding for work/study and newly expanded federal tax credits, many CSU students will be helped with these additional costs. Students should consult with campus financial aid officers to determine eligibility.

University Council
University Council meetings will resume in the fall.

I look forward to seeing you around campus or at another upcoming University or community event. Take care.