Dean's Message, Fall 2026
Welcome to the College of Arts and Humanities!
As dean, I provide leadership for the College, working with the provost and partners across Academic Affairs and the broader campus community. I serve as an advocate for our students, faculty, and staff, on campus and throughout the communities we serve.
Working with the associate dean, I prioritize initiatives that promote student success, support faculty as teachers and researchers, and encourage professional development for faculty and staff. I also work closely with faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of our College, to raise the profile of the Arts and Humanities throughout our region. Through these partnerships, we help our community and prospective students recognize what makes the College of Arts and Humanities such a dynamic place: our talented students, dedicated faculty, and committed staff contribute meaningfully to the educational, civic, and cultural life of our community.
I am honored to lead a college whose faculty prepare students in their chosen majors while helping students develop lifetime skills in writing, critical thinking, and in many forms of communication. While many of our graduates pursue careers as teachers of English, history and social science, art, music, theatre, and Spanish, the skills they develop prepare them for a wide range of professions. Our graduates enjoy fulfilling careers in education, journalism, public relations, business, law and law enforcement, library science, museum curation, ministry, public service, and many other fields. Wherever their careers take them, they carry with them the creativity, curiosity, communication skills, and critical perspective that are hallmarks of an arts and humanities education.
I invite you to learn more about the College and to join us in celebrating the many ways our students, faculty, staff, and alumni enrich our campus and our community.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Alicia E. Rodriquez, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Arts and Humanities
Meet the Dean of Arts and Humanities at CSUB
DR. ALICIA RODRIQUEZ
Dean of Arts and Humanities
Prior to her appointment as Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, Dr. Alicia E. Rodriquez taught in the Department of History, where began her tenure-track career in 1998, after teaching for CSU Northridge the previous academic year. She also served as the coordinator for the Social Science Program, as the faculty director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, and was a member of the Academic Senate. Dr. Rodriquez, a Bakersfield native, is an alumna of CSU Bakersfield, and is a first-generation college graduate. She earned her M.A. and her Ph.D. in History, at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Rodriquez looks forward to serving students, faculty, and staff in the College of Arts and Humanities, to advancing the mission of the College of Arts and Humanities and its programs, and to helping foster greater connections between AH and the broader community.