A message from the Dean

As the ninth-largest business school in the country, CSUN’s Nazarian College of Business and Economics is a catalyst for change. The world-class education we provide transforms students into business leaders who shape our economic future.

As the ninth-largest business school in the country, CSUN’s Nazarian College of Business and Economics is a catalyst for change. The world-class education we provide transforms students into business leaders who shape our economic future.

As the proud dean of Nazarian College, I look for ways to give our students an edge, preparing them for career advancement and success at the onset of their professional lives. One way we give our students an advantage at hiring time is by allowing them to take what they learn in the classroom and apply this to real-life work scenarios. One of the best examples of this phenomenon in action is our CSUN VITA Clinic, which allows our undergraduate- and graduate-level accounting, taxation and financial planning students to apply what they’ve learned while helping members of our local community.

Hands-on experience at the CSUN VITA Clinic prepares our business students to enter the workforce with relevant credentials and face-to-face client skills. By preparing tax returns, providing financial planning services, helping taxpayers resolve disputes in tax court and more, our students aren’t just learning, they are doing. In turn, they are helping the low-income taxpayers who use our clinic to get the critical services they might not otherwise afford. Our students also help them build financial literacy and financial security for the future.

I extend my gratitude to our generous donors and sponsors for their support of the CSUN VITA Clinic in 2024, including Harriet and Harvey Bookstein, Wells Fargo Bank, First Citizens Bank, Premier

America Credit Union, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Department of Treasury, and the California Department of Community Services and Development.

Thanks to their generosity, the CSUN VITA Clinic served 9,722 taxpayers at 15 locations this year. An impressive 282 students volunteered more than 31,000 hours at the clinic, under the supervision of expert CSUN Nazarian faculty. Perhaps most importantly, these students helped local taxpayers claim more than $10.9 million in federal and state tax refunds and more than $3.6 million in federal and state earned income tax credits while saving the taxpayers more than $2 million in preparation fees.

Today, the CSUN VITA Clinic is a valuable resource in our community, enriching the lives of student volunteers and empowering clients. Recognized by the IRS as the largest provider of VITA services in the country due to its volume of service, CSUN VITA Clinic leaders continue to mentor leaders from newer and emerging VITA Clinics on university and community college campuses across Southern California. So, it is easy to see how CSUN’s leadership expands and multiplies the transformative power of the VITA Clinic experience for students and taxpayers throughout the region, fueling economic growth and future prosperity.

As you read about CSUN’s successful VITA Clinic programs and initiatives, I want to congratulate Dr. Rafi Efrat, Professor Lucy Nalbandian and the entire VITA team for another outstanding year. The exemplary effort you put forth at CSUN VITA continues to fuel its growth.

Chandra Subramaniam, Ph.D.
Dean, David Nazarian College of Business and Economics