Office of the Provost Newsletter May/June 2025
Dear Faculty and Staff,
As we conclude a particularly challenging Spring 2025 semester, I extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for helping us reach this point in the semester, with finals week and commencement around the corner. Reflecting upon the past few months, it is encouraging that even with everything going on, we have several remarkable highlights and achievements:
The CSUNposium hosted by Graduate Studies, was a resounding success. More than 600 undergraduate and graduate students shared their research and creative activity through posters and oral presentations. This incredible turnout was made possible by the unwavering support and mentorship of our dedicated faculty, who champion hands-on experiential learning and who also served as judges. Additionally, we hosted students and counselors from two local high schools who found CSUN to be a hidden gem.
Admitted Matadors Day was a significant event that exuded energy and enthusiasm, where we welcomed more than 7,000 attendees, including 2,459 admitted students and their families. We owe our gratitude to everyone (faculty, staff, administrators, graduate and undergraduate students) who gave up a Saturday to make the day a memorable experience for our prospective students. We aimed to convince our attendees that CSUN was a destination campus, and that we look forward to receiving them this Fall!
GI2025 event: This year we partnered with the Division of Information Technology, and our Office of Student Success hosted a successful event where we showcased retention efforts designed to support our instructors and students. The Graduation and Retention Specialists discussed their outreach efforts, and Academy Technology demonstrated how instructors using Academic Technology, including Canvas Insights and ERA, can help connect with students in a timely manner and provide needed support to enhance student outcomes.
Faculty Retreat: I had the privilege of attending the annual faculty retreat, where faculty members presented their invaluable work on a range of topics related to the theme, Future in View: Charting our Course. This was my third faculty retreat since joining CSUN and all the sessions highlighted the dedication and passion of our faculty in advancing knowledge and fostering a culture of excellence.
7-minute Sabbatical Symposium: Every year, about 50 tenure-track faculty are awarded the opportunity to go on sabbatical leave. This year we invited faculty who had previously received a sabbatical leave to share the research/creative activity they accomplished. It was rewarding to showcase 16 faculty from varied disciplines who shared their passion and expertise in seven minutes and simultaneously built community amongst themselves! The plan is to host a similar showcase regularly, each Spring semester. We hope that future attendees will include faculty who are planning a sabbatical so they can learn about the range of possibilities that a sabbatical can offer.
UPBG: Budget constraints remain a priority in our planning as we face a potential 3% cut in state appropriations for 2025-2026. This is in addition to absorbing, on a permanent basis, the increased cost from the 5% plus 5% increase in compensation over the past two years. It is encouraging to see strong attendance at the University Planning and Budget Group meetings. Thank you for your engagement, participation, and input/suggestions about how we can best respond to our budgetary constraints.
As I reflect on my almost two and half years at CSUN, I remain filled with gratitude for the opportunity to serve this vibrant campus community. The warm welcome I have received and the incredible potential I see in CSUN inspire me every day and every morning I look forward to coming to work!
As we reflect on our recent commencement ceremonies, we celebrate the achievements of our graduates as they embark on new and exciting phases of their lives. We extend our heartfelt best wishes to our graduating students and their families.
Wishing everyone a relaxing and enjoyable summer.
Best regards,
Meera Komarraju
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs