A message straight from Dean Alicia Rodriquez's desk to your computer letting you know about her thoughts, plans for Arts and Humanities, and more!

Interim Dean's Message, Spring 2025

We end the season of celebration on a high note, recognizing the College of Arts and Humanities graduates who now begin the next chapter of their lives, and congratulating all CSUB graduates who are going on to new experiences.

The honor of being the college’s overall outstanding Bachelor of Arts undergraduate went to Music major, Samual Carrasco, who will now enter the teacher credential program at CSUB with plans to become a music educator. The college’s outstanding Master of Arts student is Biviana Ruiz Lopez, who currently works for the Kern County Superintendent’s Migrant Education Program, and hopes to continue her studies to earn a doctorate in education. 

This spring, every department sponsored events to enrich the experience of our students, and to welcome to campus and engage our community. One of the highlights was The Runner’s 50th Anniversary Gala, which welcomed back to campus the faculty member who helped students establish the student newspaper, Dr. Marla Iyasere, who served as the Founding Dean of School of Humanities and Social Sciences (2001-2008), before retiring in 2014. The Department of Music and Theatre staged multiple outstanding productions, including a performance that welcomed Reedley College student musicians to join CSUB’s Concert Band in a rousing year-end concert, and The Last Stop on Market Street, a Theatre for Young Audiences, a production that toured local schools. These are among the many events the Arts and Humanities departments hosted, which the help of students, faculty, and staff, in the Spring 2025 semester.

This semester, the College of Arts and Humanities was excited to launch “Beyond the Classroom,” the first-ever Arts and Humanities college field trip. On February 1, a charter bus transported nearly forty-eight students, four faculty members, one of our Arts and Humanities Student Center advisors, to the Getty Center in Los Angeles. This field trip was an investment in our students’ education and provided them with the opportunity to appreciate the arts and humanities in a real-world setting, outside of the classroom. To learn more about this trip, please take a few minutes to watch this video on our Beyond the Classroom page. If you would help provide this opportunity to students in the future, we welcome your donations to support this program.

Despite painful budget cuts that we are experiencing, the college’s faculty and staff will continue our work providing our talented students with high quality educational experiences in and outside of the classroom. I thank our faculty, staff, and supporters for all you do to serve our students and the community in which we live. Your donations, which in this budget climate are needed now more than ever, help our students engage in research, participate in out-of-town competitions and other experiential-learning activities, workshops, and conferences, all of which greatly enrich their education and help them feel as though they are truly part of the ‘Runner family.

2025 Honors Convocation Program