September 2, 2009 - California State University, Bakersfield prepares to begin the 2009-10 academic year with its annual University Day program on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the Dore Theatre at 9:00 a.m. Classes officially begin Monday, Sept. 14.

Similar to years past, University Day will welcome back returning members of the campus community and introduce new faculty and staff.

CSUB President Horace Mitchell's annual University Day address is one significant aspect of the program, and will highlight the beginning of CSUB's celebration of 40 years of serving students and the community, as well as the challenges of the statewide budget crisis.

"This is our 40th year and while we are seeing our largest freshman class ever, we are facing some challenging days ahead,"Mitchell said. "University Day will give us the opportunity to come together and reflect on our progress to date, identify significant challenges and opportunities ahead, and outline our priorities and plans for the next two years. It reinforces our tradition of working collaboratively toward the continued advancement of our vision for excellence."

This year's theme, "40 years at CSUB: Creating Opportunities in Challenging Times," will focus on what lies ahead for CSUB and higher education. Following the welcoming remarks and address, a variety of interactive discussions, including a town-hall style question and answer session with Mitchell and Soraya Coley, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will be featured at the afternoon breakout sessions for all CSUB employees. Sessions are primarily aimed at helping staff and faculty cope with challenges brought forth by the budget crisis and will include:

• the provost's overview of academic program scans
• building resiliency
• slowing down in a sped-up world

The end of the day will be punctuated by a campus community picnic and softball game pitting the faculty against administrators and staff at CSUB's soccer field.