Provost's Newsletter March 2023 cont...
Africana Studies Plaque Dedicated
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ Department of Africana Studies recently dedicated a memorial plaque recognizing a pivotal moment in CSUN’s rich and diverse history and in doing so, honored its founders. The plaque, situated between Sierra Hall and Jerome Richfield Hall, celebrates the anniversary of the formation of Africana Studies at CSUN.
The dedication honored the efforts of students, faculty and staff whose activism in 1968 led to the creation of what is now known as the Department of Africana Studies. The event was led by Africana Studies Associate Professor, Dr. Cedric Hackett, who is also Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Fannie Lou Hamer Institute for Academic Achievement, under the umbrella of the office of the Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The mission of the DuBois-Hamer Institute for Academic Achievement (DHIAA) is to promote student success through community and campus partnerships. The Institute cultivates active and collaborative partnerships with faculty, staff and students across the CSUN campus community; works with local groups and organizations in Los Angeles County; and provides service to cultural and educational institutions in the community.
“Cementing the legacy of Black student activism, coalition building and the advocacy of the founding faculty of the Afro-American Studies Department (now Africana Studies), we at California State University, Northridge honor and celebrate the Black Student Movement for equitable, inclusive and culturally literate education at colleges and universities across the nation,” said Dr. Marquita Gammage, chair of the Department of Africana Studies.
“In the 1960s,” she said, “Black student leadership, the Black Student Union and ally student groups challenged the university to diversify its faculty, increase Black student enrollment, and invest in Africana Studies and Ethnic Studies to ensure that students gained an inclusive education grounded in intellectual understandings of diverse human experiences and cultures. Their sacrifices transformed higher education.”
Dr. Cedric Hackett agreed, extending appreciation to the donors who made this happen, including the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, the Educational Opportunity program, Glenn Omatsu and various community members. Dr. Hackett said, “I am equally excited to have Barbara Rhodes and Rehema Gray, two of our founding faculty, at this event.” Fittingly, the plaque dedication took place during Black History Month, created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. It honors all Black people from all periods of U.S. history, from the Africans presence in the 1500s to African Americans living in the United Stated today.
Meet the Dean: Dr. Dan Hosken, Dean, Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication
What brought you to CSUN and how long have you been Dean?
I joined CSUN in 1999 as an Assistant Professor in the Music Department specializing in Music Technology and also Composition (a mix of acoustic and electronic). The position at CSUN was attractive because of the reputation of the music department and that music technology had been integrated in the curriculum. Before that I was teaching part-time near Chicago and completing my doctorate at the University of Wisconsin, so moving to California was a big change! I taught in CSUN’s Music Department for 13 years as Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor and then became Associate Dean. I was named Interim Dean of the Mike Curb College in 2015 and Dean in 2017.
What do you like most about your position?
I see it as an opportunity to positively impact students and faculty in a more substantive way than I could as a faculty member (though I do miss working with students directly in the classroom!). I also like finding ways to support the Departments in the Mike Curb College to continue adapting and changing to better serve students and prepare them for fields that are transforming at a remarkable rate. There are many day-to-day tasks in this position, but a good day includes advancing the college in a positive way.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
That I pay people to lock me in a room for fun? My family and I are Escape Room fanatics! We’ve done about 60 so far and it’s one of the things that all four of us really enjoy doing together—we all have different strengths and weaknesses, so we work well as a team together. We particularly enjoy rooms with interesting tech, good themes, and surprises so that it’s a new experience every time. We try to avoid rooms that are just a series of puzzles and locks, and we also seldom go to rooms that feature live actors—we did one a few months ago and my heart is still racing…
Is there anything else you would like to share?
The Mike Curb College recently launched an interdisciplinary pilot projects grant program to foster deeper engagement between faculty and students across our six amazing departments. There was a great response to the call for applications and we were able to support a dozen projects for the this first round. The requirement for the projects is that they have to involve faculty and students from at least two different departments and could include departments outside of the college. Project topics ranged from a joint exploration of freedom of expression, to a collaboration between printmaking and poetry, to a media project in conjunction with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA. Ultimately, we hope to see some of these collaborations persist and become a permanent part of the curriculum. I can’t wait to see the outcomes of these projects!
Students Enjoy Transformative Experience at Clinton Global Initiative University Meeting
Pictured Above: Victor Ulloa-Reyes, Alia Kahn,Nichole Hinesley, Brandon Coprich,Katie Velasquez. Not pictured: Leo Pikor
On March 3, six CSUN students joined hundreds of student leaders at Vanderbilt University in Nashville for the CGI U 2023 Annual Meeting - the first in-person meeting since before the pandemic. The CSUN students selected to the 2023 CGI U Cohort are: Brandon Coprich, Nichole Hinesley, Alia Khan, Leon Pikor, Victor Ulloa-Reyes and Katie Velasquez.
One CSUN student, Alia Khan, was chosen for a very special honor; she was selected from among roughly 900 students to participate in a small-group round table discussion with President Clinton. Alia explained, "I was selected to have my Commitment to Action exhibited at the CGI U Exchange at Vanderbilt, which in itself was a privilege. When I received the email that I was invited to meet a special guest in a private session, I found out that it was a morning roundtable discussion with President Clinton. I was surprised, especially since there were global elite colleges attending the meeting. As a Public Administration student, I was humbled and proud to represent CSUN to President Clinton. I am a huge advocate for the CSU system and selected my graduate program at CSUN because this university embodies the true essence of a diverse community. I am grateful to CSUN for allowing this wonderful opportunity for me to attend the annual CGI U meeting at Vanderbilt. It was inspiring!"
Housed within the Office of Graduate Studies, the CGI program at CSUN has had 34 students selected into this highly esteemed leadership group since 2017. Under the direction of biology faculty member Dr. Jeanne Robertson, CSUN students are well prepared for the challenges that they help to solve alongside students from UC Berkeley, Washington University in Saint Louis, University of Chicago, Tulane University, Cornell University, Howard University and other top schools across the country.
The CGI U 2023 Annual Meeting kicked off a year of learning, leadership, and action by supporting emerging student innovators as they develop solutions to challenges in their community. During the three-day convening, students explored how to build a more inclusive community at work, how to advocate for communities impacted by climate change, and how challenges can serve as a catalyst for transformation.
CGI U’s 15th Annual Meeting brought together student leaders and global experts in business, public service, and social impact to develop innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Through their individual Commitments to Action, these six CSUN students will tackle issues including climate change, reproductive rights for girls and women, protecting human rights, and health equity.
Between working sessions with the Clinton Foundation’s wide network of leaders, topic experts, and CGI U alumni, this year’s cohort announced new Commitments to Action™ – specific, measurable programs that address a pressing global challenge. Since 2007, more than 11,800 university students from more than 160 countries and 1,800 institutions of higher education have turned their ideas into action through the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) model, launching over 8,000 Commitments to Action through CGI U. This is CSUN’s 8th year of sending students to participate in this leadership group.
During their time in Nashville, CSUN students had the opportunity to hear from leaders that included Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation; Melissa Diamond, Founder, A Global Voice for Autism; Pashtana Dorani, Executive Director, LEARN Afghanistan; Allyson Felix, 5-Time Olympian and Co-Founder of Saysh; Ai-jen Poo, President, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Belinda ‘Otukolo Saltiban, Associate Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Vanderbilt University; Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO, Moms First; and more.
In addition to the program, CGI U brought together students, alumni, and other volunteers for a Day of Action - a time to mobilize and provide meaningful community service on and off the Vanderbilt campus. Through partnership with Hands On Nashville, the CGI U community provided food to families with Second Harvest Food Bank, prepared flashcards and school supplies for students with PENCIL, and cleared land for an upcoming cultural center with the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee.
**CGI U remains a continuation of President Clinton’s legacy of inspiring public service in the next generation of leaders. Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2007, the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) is a community of students who are taking action together on pressing challenges facing their campuses, communities, and the world. Now in its 15th year, CGI U’s robust year-round program engages students, alumni, colleges and universities, and influential voices in creating new ways to effect change on the topics that matter most to the next generation of leaders.