California State University, Northridge will expand its campus this fall with the opening of a new building — the Extended University Commons (EUC). Starting full operations in early August, the EUC, on the west side of campus, will provide students, faculty and staff with extended support, space and technical resources.

“The [EUC] name is a reflection of the college’s purpose within CSUN’s overall mission — to extend the current and emerging educational and research strength of the entire university beyond the campus, to help CSUN better serve communities, employers and working adults in the greater Los Angeles region, and to enhance CSUN’s national and international education reach, influence and collaborative relationships,” said Robert Gunsalus, vice president for University Advancement.

The new building is located at the southeast corner of Darby Avenue and Vincennes Street. The EUC primarily will house the Tseng College, which previously had been located in the campus bookstore complex but had outgrown the space due to the rapid growth of programs and services for working adults, their employers, CSUN’s regional partners and international students over the past decade.

CSUN’s renowned graduate programs — designed to serve mid-career professionals and offered by the university’s colleges in collaboration with the Tseng College — have received multiple honors and awards, such as a first-place ranking for the Master of Social Work online program and a top 50 ranking for the health administration program. CSUN’s expansion of fully online programs is also attracting more and more students from across the nation.

International students also have been increasingly interested in CSUN’s graduate and undergraduate programs, which is why the EUC will house offices for academic advising for new international students along with the Intensive English Program (IEP) and the Tseng College’s International Programs and Partnerships department. In recognition of CSUN’s international reach and achievement, the university received the World Trade Week Export Achievement Award this spring from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.

“The thing I’m most excited about with the opening of the Extended University Commons is the opportunity for international students to transition seamlessly from [CSUN’s] Intensive Learning Program to matriculated students,” said Elizabeth Adams, associate vice president of undergraduate studies. “The international advising team and the IEP folks are going to be a dynamic presence for our international student population and will help them with all the academic issues they may face.”

“My hope is that students who enter the IEP will want to continue their education at CSUN and earn their bachelor’s degree here,” added Geraldine Sare, director of academic advisement for first-year international students. “One of the key strategies for success for our international students is integration. But before that can happen, they need to feel welcomed and part of the CSUN community. With a combined partnership from undergraduate studies, international admissions, the International and Exchange Student Center and IEP, students will have the tools to thrive in their new environment.”

Especially in times of globalization, developing and fostering international partnerships is one of the areas of CSUN’s outreach emphasis that will be supported by the facilities and services housed in the EUC, which also supports the growth of global learning for all CSUN students.

“The Valley is very diverse and very interconnected with greater Los Angeles and the global economy,” said Joyce Feucht-Haviar, dean of the Tseng College. “There are few companies in greater Los Angeles that do not have international connections. In that light, it is important for CSUN graduates to be prepared to work across cultural lines and the context of diverse urban communities. CSUN’s students are going to be heading out into a complex world, and we want them to succeed and to lead in that world.”

In addition to connecting students across cultures, the EUC will provide them with advanced technology and connect them to technology-enhanced, active-learning experiences. An entire classroom will be dedicated to these resources and will feature the latest technology, such as the new we-inspire system, to improve student learning. Additionally, video production studios will enhance faculty and student experiences with CSUN’s distance learning, instructional design and technology supported by the Tseng College.

“The building is great in terms of its technology, because it provides us with a lot of opportunities to expand what we’re doing and extend our reach so we can provide every CSUN student with a CSUN experience — whether it’s a distance or on-campus student,” said John Binkley, associate dean of the Tseng College. “We’ve created a collaborative environment for the faculty when they come together to work on the curriculum that allows them to be remote and to be able to participate in their online lectures.”

Other spaces will be used for meeting areas and strategic partner developments. Specific initiatives and programs will be targeted to promote the development of professional relationships between students, faculty and industry leaders. These growing links between CSUN and organizations and industries are essential to the region and the university, Feucht-Haviar noted. The creation of the EUC recognizes the shared future between the university and the greater Los Angeles region it serves, she said.

“In the past, we’ve gone out to the community but haven’t had as many opportunities to bring the community to campus,” Binkley said. “The EUC is designed so that we can actually host conferences. We’re really involved with the economic development in Los Angeles and we participate in a lot of events. Now, we have an opportunity to host some of those events.”

Located at the north end of campus parking lot B4, the new building is 68,470 square feet and offers 10,000 square feet of new classroom space that can be used on weekdays by any of CSUN’s colleges.

“This is an exciting moment for the university,” said Julia Potter, director for strategic partnerships and special initiatives. “It’s really an exemplar of the university turning a page and having a bigger self-vision. Students, faculty, alumni and global economic leaders will benefit from that. It’s an exciting time at CSUN, and the new EUC is just one big example of it.”

The California State University, Northridge Department of Information Technology hosted its sixth annual Technology Fair on July 27 in the University Student Union Grand Salon, to inform faculty and staff about the latest trends in higher education technology.

“The CSUN Technology Fair has been held annually since 2011,” said Hilary Baker, chief information officer and vice president of information technology (IT). “It provides a forum for all IT staff, college technical staff and other interested employees to gather for two speaker presentations about topical IT subjects, and to interface with our key CSUN technology vendors.”

Representatives from HP, Lynda, Apple, Microsoft, Box, Shi, Dell and OnBase showcased the newest products on the market, while discussing their uses in higher education. Two speakers talked about current, relevant technology issues.

Morley Winograd, executive director of the Institute for Communication Technology Management at the USC Marshall School of Business, was the event’s morning speaker. He spoke about different generations and how each generation has engaged with technology through the decades.

Campuses will adapt to the increased technology use of the current generation and will become more interactive and connected to the web, Winograd said. He called data sharing the “new way of life,” adding that encyclopedias have been replaced by Wikipedia and open-access sources.

“Many grow up learning that wisdom is in the cloud,” he said.

“Morley Winograd’s presentation about millennial students and the new plurals (post-millennial) generation helps us better comprehend our current and future students, to determine how we can best help them succeed,” Baker said.

In the afternoon, Lisa Feldman, assistant U.S. attorney for the cybersecurity unit at the Department of Justice, spoke about online crime and how to guard against it.

She talked about the dangers of cyberbullying for younger generations and explained how users can identify and prevent malicious internet traps such as geotracking (identifying someone’s location through a picture), catfishing (faking someone’s social media profile) and phishing (fraud through malware).

“Information security awareness to protect our campus data is a shared campus responsibility, so listening to Lisa Feldman talk about cybersecurity was compelling,” Baker said.

“People have commented on how relevant the topics were to their professional and personal lives,” added Ben Quillian, associate vice president of information technology. “CSUN has been directly affected by the information security issues presented, and many attendees have been personally affected by identity theft and cyber crime as well. Being well informed helps people protect themselves.”

More than 200 people attended this year’s Technology Fair, including CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison.

“We are very happy with the turnout for this year, as we had a number of people from around campus join the event — as evidenced by another full room,” Quillian said. “Our goal is to provide information that is engaging, relevant and helpful in supporting student and employee success on campus.”

This fall, Ryan Davis ’15 (Biology) will begin a doctoral program in chemistry at Yale University as a recipient of a 2016 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind and one of the most prestigious. Fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, along with a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education.

The 32-year-old Davis said the fellowship was made possible because of the support and guidance of California State University, Northridge faculty and the research he has done.

“CSUN had everything to do with my success,” Davis said. “All the faculty I’ve worked with want to see students succeed.”

Davis transferred to CSUN in 2013 from Pierce College, but his journey was full of obstacles and curves along the way.

Music always had been a significant part of Davis’ life, so when he graduated from high school, the self-taught guitarist thought music was his best option. He poured himself into music and ended up signing with a record label, touring the world and obtaining a “moderate” level of success in the music industry. But Davis was not happy and decided to enroll in a San Diego community college. He enrolled in an introductory chemistry class and fell in love with the subject.

“I fell in love with problem solving, the periodic trends and the predictive power this information provided,” Davis said. “More importantly, I fell in love with the enrichment provided by learning, and it was in this community college classroom that my life began the process of being forever changed.”

He initially thought he would go to medical school. Davis obtained his emergency medical technician license to support himself and get some experience. In 2011, his older sister was diagnosed with cancer, and he decided to move back to the San Fernando Valley. He enrolled at Pierce College and took a job working in the college’s chemistry stockroom.

Davis visited CSUN to find out more about its programs, and an adviser recommended he contact Department of Chemistry professor Gagik Melikyan. The two met, Melikyan invited Davis to join his research group and today, the CSUN chemistry professor is the former musician’s No. 1 cheerleader.

“Ryan is one of the best students I have ever had,” Melikyan said. “I’m absolutely positive he will be successful in any doctoral program in this country.

“He is one of the CSUN students who will definitely make us proud,” Melikyan added.

Davis has worked in Melikyan’s research group since 2013, where he has done research at the interface of organic, organometallic, computational and medicinal chemistry. He has co-authored several papers due to be published with Melikyan and presented at numerous conferences. He also has won several other awards, including the 2015 ACS Southern California Undergraduate Research Conference (SCURC) Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, 2015 Sigma Xi CSUN Student Research Symposium Second Place Award and the 2015 Leslie and Terry Cutler Scholarship for Outstanding Promise in Science.

“The faculty here cares,” Davis said. “CSUN is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Mehrangiz Kar

The Iranian government has made it clear that it doesn’t like what Mehrangiz Kar has to say about what is happening in Iran or how Islamic law impacts women. The prominent Iranian lawyer, writer and activist doesn’t care.

Kar — who has been harassed, imprisoned, exiled and suffered personal tragedy as the result of her and her family’s efforts to advocate for those without a voice in Iran — will teach a seminar this fall at California State University, Northridge that will explore how Islamic law, known as Sharia, adversely shapes the lives of women in Muslim-majority countries, as well as in Muslim communities in the West.

“I look forward to giving the students an understanding of Islamic law and an appreciation for how Islam can be used or misused to justify any political system, even one that abuses its citizens,” said Kar, who has fought for human rights and democracy in Iran for more than four decades. “Some political leaders say that they are doing something under the name of Islam in order to give legitimacy to the system. Under the name of Islam, then, people are discriminated against — not just women, but all minorities.”

Kar, a visiting scholar in CSUN’s Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, will share her knowledge of Sharia and how it impacts all aspects of a woman’s life — from marriage, divorce and polygamy to child custody, inheritance, sexuality and reproductive rights — during the course the seminar, “Gender and Women’s Studies 495: Gender and Islamic Law.” She said the class also allows her to spend time with her friend and fellow activist Nayereh Tohidi, a CSUN gender and women’s studies professor and director of the university’s Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program.

Tohidi, also a respected scholar and activist for human and women’s rights in Iran, said Kar’s experiences as a lawyer and activist in Iran will provide valuable lessons to her students.

“Just by listening to what she has gone through, what her whole family has gone through, can provide a glimpse of what life is like for those people who are advocating on behalf of women and other minorities in Iran,” Tohidi said. “Her students also will get a better understanding of how Sharia has been historically constructed by the male jurists and how it influences Islamic judicial systems.”

Born in 1944, Kar was a well-established writer and analyst before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Kar’s articles about Iranian society and foreign affairs were often accompanied by photographs of her with short, uncovered hair. Following the revolution, these images were used against her as evidence of her “moral corruption.”

Kar received her law license just months before the revolution. Keeping a low profile, she defended clients in the new Islamic court system. Her cases included adultery, divorce and human rights violations. She worked within the codes of the new system — in her manner of dress and her arguments — to protect herself and her clients. Hoping she could influence the regime to be more humane, she continued to write about legal issues.

Kar championed human rights cases in the Islamic courts until 2000, when an election led to reformists gaining a majority in the Iranian parliament. That year, Kar and 16 other journalists, activists and intellectuals attended a conference in Berlin on “Iran After the Elections.” At the conference, Kar talked about the need for constitutional reform in Iran. Her remarks earned her censure back in Iran and, along with  other intellectuals who attended the conference in Berlin, she was arrested upon return to her homeland and taken to Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. She was charged with, among other things, “acting against national security,” “spreading propaganda against the regime of the Islamic Republic,” as well as “violating the Islamic dress code” at the Berlin conference, “denying the commands of Sharia” and abusing sacred principles. In January 2001, she was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.

Two months after her conviction, doctors discovered Kar had cancer. Under pressure from human rights organizations and the European Union, in particular the government of Holland, she was released for temporary treatment in the United States. Two months later, her husband, respected journalist and activist Siamak Pourzand, was arrested and held incommunicado. Kar and their two daughters did not learn his whereabouts until he appeared on Iranian TV, clearly bearing the signs of torture, and “confessed” to espionage and having connections to the Shah’s son, who was living in exile. Pourzand, who suffered from diabetes and a heart ailment, was sentenced to 11 years in prison and 74 lashes. Given the situation, Kar’s friends advised her not to return to Iran.

Giving in to pressure from the European Union, the Iranian government released Pourzand in 2011 for much-needed medical treatment. However, he was under house arrest and banned from traveling abroad.  Later, his family learned he had committed suicide.

“[Kar] has paid a very dear price for standing up for what’s right,” Tohidi said. “She’s a very brave woman, and the students can really learn a lot from her professional life as well as her own personal life experiences.”

Over the years, Kar has been honored for her work on behalf of human rights and the promotion of democracy. In 2002, she received the National Endowment for Democracy’s Democracy Award from former First Lady Laura Bush. She also received the 2002 Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize from France, the 2002 Hellman-Hammett Grant from Human Rights Watch, the 2001 Vasyl Stus Freedom to Write Award from PEN New England, and the 2000 Oxfam/Novib PEN Award of PEN Award for Freedom of Expression from Clube in the Netherlands. Among many other books, she has written a memoir, “Crossing the Red Line: The Struggle for Human Rights in Iran,” available in English, as well as Persian.

Threats against her life for her advocacy for human rights and democracy in Iran have continued since Kar, now a grandmother, and her daughters relocated to the U.S.

“They don’t bother me,” she said. “In Iran, I had to be very careful. I’m not in Iran anymore. I can say what needs to be said, and I can share what I know with others.

As the issues of sexual misconduct and sexual violence attract increased attention on college campuses across the nation, California State University, Northridge continues to ramp up its efforts to tackle those issues, with increased support resources for survivors.

Katie LaRue is preparing to start her second full academic year as the university’s first “campus care advocate,” a supportive resource for CSUN students, faculty and staff — whether their incident occurred on campus or off (which is the case for most). LaRue’s private office is located in the Klotz Student Health Center on the east side of campus, where she already has assisted dozens of survivors of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

“I’m there to emotionally support the survivor and help them navigate the process afterward,” said LaRue, a CSUN alumna (M.S., Marriage and Family Therapy). “In addition to supporting students, I’m also a resource for faculty and staff — anyone who has a CSUN I.D. card or any sort of CSUN affiliation.”

LaRue explains to survivors their rights, as well as their options for reporting sexual misconduct to the university’s Title IX coordinator (or choosing not to report). She also explains their options for reporting the incident to CSUN’s Department of Police Services and other law enforcement agencies.

As campus care advocate, LaRue works for Strength United, which is operated through CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education. The organization was founded 27 years ago by Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling faculty. Ninety percent of its staff are CSUN alumni.

Strength United serves thousands of children and adults annually. It provides 24/7 support and crisis intervention, along with long-term counseling, victim advocacy and prevention-education programs to individuals and families affected by child maltreatment, domestic abuse and sexual assault.

In the past, survivors often were referred off campus to Strength United. LaRue’s presence on campus has made such support more accessible and immediate. With a survivor in her campus office, LaRue can pick up the phone and make calls on the person’s behalf — to a detective, for example — if they don’t feel comfortable making those calls on their own. She also offers to accompany survivors as they make reports and provide statements, obtain restraining orders or undergo a forensic medical exam at Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Center for Assault Treatment Services (at Strength United’s Family Justice Center).

“It is not uncommon for individuals to feel confused and overwhelmed 24 to 48 hours after an assault,” LaRue said. “Reaching out to a trusted family member, friend or campus care advocate can help make sense of the range of emotions such as fear, anxiety and sadness.

“Physical effects such as insomnia and nausea are also common, which can make [keeping up with] the academic schedule difficult,” she said. “In my first year, I was so impressed with the resilience of students after going through a violent crime and still being able to stay in school and stay on track.”

From July 2015 through July 2016, LaRue said, she assisted 66 students — 60 females and six males. At their request, LaRue accompanied 12 of them to help make a formal report to the university under CSU policy, which adheres to Title IX. The landmark 1972 federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in all education programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX, and more specifically the federal Violence Against Women Act, requires campuses to address sexual misconduct allegations.

LaRue accompanied six survivors to a police station, and three to Strength United partner Neighborhood Legal Services, to help the survivors obtain restraining orders.

She also has made dozens of presentations at events, classes and workshops around campus, educating students, faculty and staff about sexual violence prevention and the resources available.

“It’s important to note that it doesn’t have to be an incident between two CSUN students,” LaRue said. “It’s still a campus issue because [the survivor] is a CSUN student. The resources are all still available to them.”

Often, students find her after they’ve confided in a professor, who may escort that survivor to her office, LaRue said. Many students have contacted her after hearing presentations on campus. She also tries to greet every University 100 freshman class, all of which tour the Klotz Student Health Center in the fall.

The addition of the campus care advocate to the CSUN community strengthens the university’s network of support services, according to Susan Hua, CSUN’s Title IX coordinator and director for the Office of Equity and Diversity. That network includes Hua as Title IX coordinator and three other university staff members as Title IX deputy coordinators, with two specifically trained to investigate Title IX-related allegations. The Sexual Violence Prevention Committee, a group of staff, faculty, students and community responders, also meets regularly to assess the university’s programming and initiatives around eliminating sexual violence.

In the upcoming academic year, LaRue said, she hopes to do more presentations to fraternities, sororities and student-athlete groups at CSUN. She also wants to continue increasing awareness across campus about resources for survivor support.

“The most rewarding part of this job is connecting with the students and providing this safe environment for them and instilling empowerment,” LaRue said. “To see them go from that fragile state to more confidence — to see that healing is possible. I feel so honored to be part of that journey.”

LaRue’s door is open to any CSUN student, faculty or staff member, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Her office is located in the Klotz Student Health Center, room 140G, and she can be reached at (818) 677-7492 or katelin.larue@csun.edu.

After hours and on weekends, or to learn more about helping someone affected by child maltreatment, domestic violence or sexual violence, call Strength United at (818) 886-0453 or (661) 253-0258.

On Aug. 11, the Los Angeles Unified School District honored 22 teachers at its Teacher of the Year Luncheon on the campus of the University of Southern California. It was an afternoon where Matadors stole the show.

Seven of the 22 Teacher of the Year honorees are California State University, Northridge alumni — Marcella Deboer ’97 (English) M.A. ’00 (English) , Tracy Johnson Elchyshyn ’91 (Liberal Studies), Patricia Kalma ’05 (Teaching Credential), Isela Jacome ’00 (Teaching Credential), Diana Rivera ’03 (Teaching Credential), Amber Willis ’02 (Teaching Credential) and Brenda Young ’02 (Teaching Credential).

“It shows that our long-term commitment to excellence is paying off,” said Michael Spagna, dean of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education. “We’re trying to produce the most effective teachers we can who will stay in the community, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“We’re very excited about this,” he added. “Anything that can bring cultural appreciation to teachers, we’re all about, because they have the most noble profession and don’t always get the kind of pats on the back they need.”

The honored teachers were genuinely touched by the accolade.

“At first I was shocked. It’s great to be recognized because I know that teachers don’t get a whole lot of recognition in the classroom,” said Willis, a science teacher at Downtown Magnets High School who has been teaching for 15 years.

Deboer, an English teacher at Cesar Chavez Learning Academies who has been teaching for 17 years, said, “This is confirmation that I’m doing a good job on what I worked so hard for.”

Many of the teachers credited CSUN for giving them a boost and setting the stage for their future success in education.

“The special education program at CSUN is very exceptional, very fantastic,” Rivera said. “I had great professors — especially for behavior and classroom management, and working with kids with autism and literacy. It gave me a really good basis for what I do in class [today].”

For Rivera, teaching was a second career. She was a lawyer who worked for Disney, but decided to shift gears and specifically looked to CSUN’s special education program to lift her to the next part of her professional life. Today, Rivera is a transitional kindergarten to third-grade teacher at Granada Elementary Community Charter School, and she has been teaching 13 years.

Young, an English teacher at John R. Wooden High School who has been teaching 15 years, also switched careers. She worked in public relations prior to teaching.

“CSUN was great for me,” Young said. “I entered teaching as a mid-career profession, one of the older ones in my [CSUN] classes. … CSUN helped me plug in all the necessary things to learn how to be an educator. I felt CSUN treated me as a professional already.”

Jacome was born in Ecuador and came to the U.S. at 17 years old. She was the first in her family to go to college and now is helping others achieve. Jacome is an English teacher at James Monroe High School and has been teaching for 10 years.

“It was a student who nominated me [for Teacher of the Year], so I was very touched that I touched this student in a way that she thought, ‘Oh wow, my teacher is amazing,’” Jacome said. “It inspires me to work harder because you always want to make sure you’re doing the right thing for the students.”

Jacome said she would one day like to come full circle and teach at CSUN. She shared the same experience that some of her fellow Teachers of the Year found at the university.

“I had some amazing professors who supported me and encouraged me and were there for me, even long after the credential program,” Elchyshyn said. “They encouraged me to come back and talk to them and ask questions. Their lesson-plan drawers were open.”

Kalma said, “I did the [Accelerated Collaborative Teacher Preparation Program] at CSUN. It was an amazing program because the teachers really knew up-to-date and current research and what was really needed in the classroom, and they showed us by doing hands-on activities, how to teach with hands-on activities for the students. So I feel like it really prepared me well for my first year.”

California State University, Northridge President Dianne F. Harrison last week greeted new faculty members and staff — and welcomed back thousands of those returning to campus — at her annual fall welcome address, the university’s own version of the State of the Union, which took place Aug. 25 at CSUN’s Valley Performing Arts Center.

Harrison struck a proud and determined tone for the 2016-17 academic year that began Aug. 27, sharing a wide variety of the hundreds of CSUN accomplishments and milestones that occurred during the past academic year, linking these initiatives and programs to student success.

“Universities like CSUN are the key to giving students and the greater community the educational and the intellectual resources needed to shape a society that is educated, that is tolerant and well-equipped to thrive in a world that seems increasingly fast-paced and changing,” Harrison told the faculty, staff and leadership. “So I thank you in advance for working with me to raise the bar for the university, so that we can give our students the high-quality education they need to succeed.”

With the start of fall classes, the university welcomed approximately 40,100 students for the new academic year, one of the nation’s largest student bodies. This follows a May 2016 graduating class of 11,120, the biggest in CSUN’s history.

Harrison’s speech, titled Raising the Bar Higher to Lift Our Students, outlined the university’s seven priorities — from student success to using athletics as a tool for student, community and regional engagement — with particular focus throughout on student success and boosting graduation rates.

In one of many campus highlights and examples of academic success, Harrison praised CSUN’s accelerated embrace of diversity and inclusion to provide students with a 21st-century education. This includes cultivating the first two cohorts of students in the university’s BUILD PODER undergraduate research training program, supported by a $22-million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health — the largest grant in CSUN history. The program aims to increase diversity in biomedical research fields.

The president noted that diversity and inclusion will be added as a university planning priority, and she welcomed the campus’ first chief diversity officer, Raji Rhys, who started her post in April.

“While other campuses may be, unintentionally, willing to overlook the catalytic power of their student diversity, at CSUN, we will intentionally and systematically put it to use as a positive force for change in every aspect of what we do,” Harrison said. “In fact, there are colleagues all over campus already doing so.

“The will to live our values of collaboration, inclusion and diversity is widespread,” she said. “What other campuses may lack, we have in abundance — leaders for change, who are intrinsically motivated to leverage our collective diversity as a tool to achieve what we all care about most: empowering students to thrive in an interconnected, rapidly changing, culturally complex landscape.”

The president shared graduation goals for the year 2025, set forth by the California State University (CSU) chancellor’s office and the CSU board of trustees. For example, CSUN aims to increase the four-year graduation rate for students who start as freshmen to 30 percent and the two-year graduation rate for transfer students to 43 percent by 2025.

“We know that many of our students of opportunity are challenged to complete their education in what is considered the ‘traditional’ amount of time it takes to graduate,” Harrison said. “Two-thirds of our students need to work to support themselves and, in many cases, their families. But we should not assume that at least a third and more of our students cannot rise to achieve these goals.

“Until and unless the state reinvests in the CSU, the burden will fall on students and we need to do all we can to help students graduate, graduate sooner and in larger numbers,” she said. “And not by lessening quality or lowering standards.”

Of the many challenges facing today’s students, the president also called attention to hunger and homelessness, which afflict approximately one in 10 CSU students system-wide, according to recent studies.

“CSUN is not standing still on this issue,” Harrison said. “This fall, we’re opening an expanded food pantry on campus,” and the university will work with Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s office and other city and county resources to refer homeless students for temporary housing, she noted.

Throughout her remarks and in conclusion, Harrison highlighted and acknowledged the dedication of faculty and staff to CSUN’s students.

“Thank you for the work that you have done, and the important work that you will do for our students,” Harrison said. “The time is now to test our assumptions through data based on outcomes, to challenge ourselves, to innovate and to raise the bar. Our students are counting on us, and I know that together — we can do this.”

Philosophy professor Adam Swenson, president of the Faculty Senate, opened and concluded the program by welcoming new faculty members, staff and leadership, including Farrell Webb, the new dean of the College of Health and Human Development. Sevag Alexanian, president of Associated Students, also gave greetings on behalf of CSUN’s students.

“Serving all of us students is no easy task,” Alexanian said. “The faculty and staff serve as the oil to the machine, making sure that we as students are succeeding. It always makes me feel proud to know that CSUN is not like other CSU campuses. Here at CSUN, we have a unique system where students’ voices are truly heard and taken into account.”

For the full text or to watch a video of President Harrison’s address, go to http://www.csun.edu/president/2016-fifth-annual-welcome-address

CSUN freshmen congregate at the Oviatt Lawn for last year’s Freshman Convocation. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

Thousands of freshmen will walk in unison to the Oviatt Library Lawn for the first time as a class of California State University, Northridge to attend Freshman Convocation on Thursday, Sept. 15.

The 6 p.m. event, which marks the start of the students’ collegial journey, will include the presentation of the Dianne F. Harrison Award, named for CSUN’s current president, to an outstanding member of last year’s freshman class, and speech by internationally renowned journalist Jon Ronson, author of the freshman common reading book, “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed.”

University 100 faculty will get to meet with Ronson at a reception before convocation, and the students will have an opportunity to meet with and talk with Ronson at the reception and book signing afterwards, said Patrick Bailey, Director of Student Involvement and Development.

California State University, Northridge President Dianne F. Harrison addresses the freshman class of 2015 at convocation. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

“I really like how the common reading is introduced here,” he said. “I am excited about Jon’s keynote. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve seen him do and write. I think he will deliver a fun and engaging message. It will provide some added perspective [on the common reading].”

Bailey said Freshman Convocation is one of his favorite events to coordinate because it shows the beginning of the new class’s journey at CSUN.

“I think it’s that symbolic coming together of the class,” he said. “For us, we work on orientation programs almost every day [in the summer]. We see small slices of the [freshman] class, but we never see them all together until this convocation. It is the start of the race in a way. It starts their trajectory towards commencement, which is also held [on the Oviatt Lawn].”

Mark and Terri LIsagor

California State University, Northridge nutrition professor Terri Lisagor and her husband, Mark, will celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary this year. Their marriage is filled with respect and admiration for each other and is marked by a mutual commitment, forged while they were college sweethearts five decades ago, to leave the world a better place than they found it.

To that end, the pair has arranged a planned gift to CSUN that will ultimately leave $1 million to establish an endowed scholarship for students in the Resilient Scholars Program, which serves students who were formerly in the foster youth system, and another endowment that will support faculty research, travel, and professional development in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.  The endowments will provide future students and faculty members opportunities the Lisagors only dreamed of during their undergraduate days.

“Back when we were undergraduates, tuition was only $80 per quarter. The costs students have to bear are so much more today,” Terri Lisagor said. “Mark and I believe that cost shouldn’t be an insurmountable barrier to higher education for students, and we hope that this will help a few resilient scholars who have overcome extraordinary circumstances.”

As a long-time member of the faculty, Lisagor has seen the lasting ripple effects of her colleagues, and also understands the importance of research, service and preparation. “Scholarship takes time,” Lisagor said. “I feel that I was born to teach, and service is just a natural extension of what we do. But finding time to do serious scholarship, particularly with everything else we do as faculty, can be challenging. It would be great if this helps make it easier for future colleagues.”

Lisagor grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She graduated from high school in 1966, determined to go to college despite her family’s lack of support for her higher education aspirations. She enrolled at UCLA with dreams of becoming a teacher. Terri worked full time to pay for her education, taking a full load of courses each quarter to ensure that she graduated in the prescribed four years.

She met Mark Lisagor in a freshman math class. He too was working full time to pay for his education.

“We went out for a few dates whenever we both could get time off from work,” she said. “It had only been a couple months when Mark said, ‘I think we should get married.’ I said ‘Okay. So, how do you pronounce your last name?’ Fortunately for us, it worked out.”

Lisagor is pronounced “Liss’-uh-Gor.”

Terri Lisagor giving a demonstration on dental hygiene in Guatemala in 2013. Photo courtesy of Terri Lisagor.

Among the things that drew the couple together was their shared passion for making the world a better place. While in college, they were actively involved in the anti-war movement, as well as other social causes. They lived on an American Indian reservation in the Southwest for two years, while Mark served as a dentist in the Indian Health Service. Their daughter, Kimberly, now an environmental activist and journalist, was born on the Navajo reservation. Their son, Adam, is a filmmaker in Los Angeles. Mark and Terri have two grandsons, and a granddaughter on the way.

Mark established a pediatric dental practice in Camarillo and Oxnard. Terri, using her background in elementary education, established an innovative preventative dental health education program for the families in his practice.

Motivated by an increased curiosity about nutrition, she enrolled at CSUN, eventually earning a master’s in food science and nutrition in 1990, and a doctorate in education from Pepperdine University in 2004.

While completing her master’s, Lisagor was invited to join the faculty in CSUN’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences as a lecturer in food science and nutrition. Once she earned her doctorate, she was hired as a tenure-track faculty member. Now a full professor and past chair of the department, she said she is delighted to continue to work with students, faculty, administration and staff throughout CSUN.

Despite their professional obligations, the Lisagors continue to carve out time to volunteer. For the past several decades, Mark has worked with Global Dental Relief, leading teams of volunteers to provide free dental care for impoverished children around the world, including in Nepal, India and Guatemala. Lisagor often joins him on these trips, and frequently has included CSUN nutrition students on their teams to Guatemala to teach about nutrition and oral hygiene.

“We love giving back,” she said. “That’s part of why we decided to make this planned gift — it just seems natural. CSUN has been so important in my life, and this gift is a good fit for us. It matches our philosophy of giving back.”

Below is a video of one of a trip Lisagor took with CSUN students in 2013 to teach rural Guatemala families about oral hygiene:

California State University, Northridge academic and administrative leaders gathered Aug. 22 to prepare for the 2016-17 academic year — focused clearly on student success and boosting graduation rates. More than 100 leaders, including department chairs, deans of CSUN’s nine colleges and library, and administrators, met in Cypress Hall for their annual retreat.

“We are the pipeline for the future,” said CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison, kicking off the retreat. “We want to make sure our graduates are prepared for success. And you are the keys to making that happen.”

In her address, the president shared graduation goals for the year 2025, set forth by the California State University (CSU) chancellor’s office and the CSU board of trustees. For example, CSUN aims to increase the four-year graduation rate for students who start as freshmen from its current 13 percent (a number Harrison called “dismal”) to 30 percent by 2025.

“We know that two-thirds of our students must work at least one job to afford their education and support their families,” Harrison said. “We have said that our students are not the traditional four-year students, but we should not assume that one-third or more of our students cannot rise to meet these goals and complete their studies in four years, or two years for transfer students. We need to reset our mindsets about what is possible for our students.”

As they prepare schedules, faculty staffing and classes for the fall semester (which began Aug. 27), department chairs were urged by the president to consider redesigning courses in the future, as well as working with faculty to close achievement gaps for underrepresented minority students. In the 2025 graduation goals, CSUN aims to cut the achievement gap for those underrepresented students from the current 11 percent to zero.

The retreat’s sessions included breakout groups focusing on undergraduate and graduate policies, accessing data, and faculty and staff rights. Faculty members from across the university also had the opportunity to meet new Dean of the College of Health and Human Development Farrell J. Webb, as well as a number of new department chairs.

Keynote speaker Marcela Cuellar, an assistant professor of education at UC Davis, spoke to the group about the rapid growth and potential of minority-serving institutions — particularly Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) like CSUN and those that serve students of Asian-American, Native American and Pacific Islander heritage — in California and across the nation. “HSIs have doubled from 1994 until now, and they represent 13 percent of all higher education institutions in the U.S.,” Cuellar said.

Chief Anne Glavin of CSUN’s Department of Police Services (DPS) spoke to the leaders about the importance of preparing themselves and their students for an “active shooter” emergency on campus. She showed a short video simulating such an event at CSUN, recently filmed on campus and produced by students and staff in the Department of Cinema and Television Arts and DPS. She urged all faculty to show the video in their classes and discuss it with students. The video and discussion guide are available on the DPS web page.

“We need to help students understand the survival mindset that we’re trying to get across,” Glavin said. “This video is going to give our students a greater sense of confidence that they can survive if, God forbid, something like this should happen at CSUN.”

In the afternoon, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Yi Li wrapped up the all-day retreat with a discussion with the faculty members and leadership. He also emphasized student success and increasing graduation rates, as well as the campus priorities of supporting research and diversity.

“CSUN is important because our students reflect the demographics of our community and the future demographics of our nation,” Li said. “This is going to be another busy year, but this is a great opportunity for us, with the focus on student success, research and diversity.”

California State University, Northridge celebrated a decade of new beginnings at the 10th annual Freshman Convocation on Sept. 15.

Thousands of freshmen in bright green or red Matador T-shirts strode onto Oviatt Lawn to cheers from student leaders and the strains of March of the Matadors by student musicians. They were greeted at the foot of the Oviatt Library stairs by CSUN administrators, student award recipients and keynote speaker Jon Ronson, author of So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, the 2016 Freshman Common Reading.

The evening’s speakers imparted messages of self-empowerment and resilience, encouraging the new students to honor their individuality while maintaining togetherness.

“As young adults, you will find yourselves facing new choices, as well as new opportunities — personal choices that will affect your future,” CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison told the freshman class. “By choosing to attend CSUN, you have made an important first step in this world of responsibility and choice — by deciding to invest in your future and getting a college education.”

Joshua Khabushani ’16 (Philosophy), recipient of the 2016 Outstanding Graduating Senior Award, shared his experience struggling with personal hardships during his college career, and he advised the new students that hardship might be necessary to develop a better self.

“The really fortunate amongst you will not just experience this as one independent event, but as a recurring theme woven throughout your education,” Khabushani said. “Attending CSUN presents you with a chance to completely reconstruct your personhood — refining, refining, refining, until you encounter the self you were meant to be. And truly, what a gem of a being will emerge from your depths.”

Keynote speaker Ronson, a journalist and New York Times-best-selling author of books such as The Psychopath Test and The Men Who Stare at Goats, shared about his positive college experience, his curiosity and his love of learning.

“I loved college,” Ronson said. “It’s a place of adventure and freedom. It’s where I found my confidence and my voice and my people.”

He talked about his most recent book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, which dives into public shaming in the digital age and social isolation.

“On social media, we are like drone strike operators — we don’t need to think about the village that we have just blown up,” Ronson said. “We are like snowflakes who don’t need to feel responsible for the avalanche.”

Ronson said what remedies this phenomenon is simply talking to one another and being together as humans. He said the college experience is a place to nurture kindness and empathy.

“College is a place to be empathetic and to be curious,” Ronson said. “Find your people, find other people who aren’t your people, but you might learn something from them anyway. Find your voice, and have an amazing time.”

Harrison echoed his message with a call to action for students — to listen to one another, especially if it’s a matter of disagreement.

Celebrating Academic Learning

The Freshman Convocation launched in 2007 with a keynote speech by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as an out-of-classroom extension of the Freshman Common Reading. “The common reading serves to unify academic dialog,” said Christopher Aston, assistant director of the Office of Student Involvement and Development.

“There is a hyper-saturation of information today, with a lot of people talking about a lot of different things,” Aston said. “What if we were able to have an intellectually stimulating conversation about the same subject, at the same time, beyond one classroom, throughout the semester?”

This year’s convocation ceremony also recognized sophomore Roselva “Rose” Merida, the 2016 recipient of the Dianne F. Harrison Leadership Award, for her dedicated involvement on campus. Merida became a producer for Associated Students productions, a Camp Matador counselor and a student club leader by the end of her freshman year, all while keeping up her studies as a pre-med student studying cellular and molecular biology.

Merida said she was inspired at her own convocation by that year’s student leadership award recipient, Kenya Lopez.

“I remember how President Harrison was speaking so highly of [Kenya], and I thought to myself, I want that to be me next year, because I wanted to be someone who is involved and help make CSUN that much more of a better school,” she said.

Freshman Melissa Ibarra, an undecided major, said the 2016 convocation made her feel more welcome in her new environment and instilled a sense of belonging.

“The convocation inspired me to want to get more involved in my school,” Ibarra said. “I realized just how many opportunities and experiences you can have through the university.”

Ibarra said Ronson, who is one of her favorite authors, shared something she won’t forget:

“If you are an aspiring writer,” Ronson said, “but you find [it] unbearably hard and it’s tearing you apart and you feel you have no talent, congratulations — you’re a writer.”

Ibarra took that to heart.

“That made me feel I could be more confident,” Ibarra said. “I’m going to have more confidence when I do my poetry and get involved in poetry slams.”

The College of Health and Human Development hosted a celebration for potential future doctors of physical therapy, as the newest class received its official white coats, representing the start of the students’ three-year journey through the Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at California State University, Northridge.

CSUN Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program members stand and read the doctor’s oath at their White Coat ceremony in August 2016. Photo by Luis Garcia.

CSUN’s DPT program graduates more than 90 percent of its students, and 100 percent gain employment in the field upon completion — a rewarding statistic, since physical therapy is a nationally competitive field, according to Program Director and Department Chair Janna Beling.

“The ritual of the white coat started in medicine in the early 1990s [and] oftentimes, it is offered after the first didactic year,” she said. “It’s supposed to signify the transition from classroom learning to the clinic. We do such a good job here at CSUN of weaving experiential learning, clinical learning and service learning into the curriculum that we offer [the ceremony] in the beginning.”

The students will have three internship opportunities in the program, with options such as serving in a hospital in Malawi in June, working with the Los Angeles Dodgers through spring training, and assisting in local trauma, outpatient, pediatric and rehabilitation facilities. Out of 850 applicants, 32 were accepted into the DPT program.

Tara O’Rourke, a first-year student in the DPT program, explained that her passion for physical therapy had been strong since she was young, but suffering through a severe accident in 2014 and building a relationship with her physical therapists while she recovered increased her drive to work with others who have experienced similar injuries.

“I got hit by a car,” O’Rourke said. “I broke my tibia, fibula, tore my ACL and meniscus, dislocated my elbow. I was interested in physical therapy and athletic training, but being in the accident made me want to work with more severe cases. It was just so rewarding seeing what’s possible through physical therapy. I want to be an example of that.”

A new DPT student receives her white coat, symbolizing the beginning of her doctoral path, August 2016. Photo by Luis Garcia.

Doctoral students selected for the program met a high threshold of criteria, including experiential hours of work in the field, which Beling said are vital to the students’ success.

“Physical therapy is a very hands-on profession,” she said. “It’s the type of job in medicine where you’re working one on one with patients, you’re working with them for a long period of time and you’re able to build a relationship with them.”

For more information on CSUN’s DPT program, visit http://www.csun.edu/health-human-development/physical-therapy.

Author and Professor Michael Shermer
Photo Provided by Jeremy Danger

War, terrorism, racial oppression — is there any hope for humanity? Author and educator Michael Shermer will attempt to answer that question and others at the next Richard W. Smith Lecture in Cultural Studies on Oct. 5 at California State University, Northridge.

The lecture, hosted by CSUN’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will include a discussion of Shermer’s latest book, “The Moral Arc,” which explores why he believes there is indeed hope for humanity. The event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Whitsett Room, Sierra Hall 451, located on the west side of campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“As a result of Richard Smith’s generosity, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is able to bring to campus speakers of the quality of Michael Shermer,” said Stella Theodoulou, dean of the college.” [Shermer] provokes discussion around topics such as morality and justice that are far more than philosophical concepts, but are applicable to our everyday real life.”

Shermer has taught courses such as psychology and the history of science for more than 30 years at multiple universities. He is currently an adjunct professor at Chapman University, host of the Skeptics Distinguished Lecture Series at California Institute of Technology and teaches a transdisciplinary course for Ph.D. students at Claremont Graduate University. He is known for creating Skeptic ​magazine, and he serves as executive director of the Skeptics Society. Skeptic magazine seeks to give a sound and scientific viewpoint about revolutionary ideas and extraordinary claims. Shermer has appeared on TV shows such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” The Colbert Report and “20/20.” He was a co-host and producer for the series “Exploring the Unknown.”

The Moral Arc, which was published in 2015, reveals how science and rational thinking helped eliminate myths that societies once embraced. For example, a few centuries ago, humans were sacrificed to help calm weather gods. Today, meteorology explains different weather patterns, such as hurricanes and tornados.

Fifty years ago, students of different ethnic groups did not have access to the same level of education and were not allowed to learn in the same classrooms as whites. Today, there are classrooms full of diversity.

Shermer admits that society has a long way to go, but reflecting on the progress that has been made, he thinks it is heading in the right direction.

There will be a book signing and a small reception following the lecture.

For more information, ​call 818-677-7169 or email csbsevents@csun.edu.

For 47 years, the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) at CSUN have changed thousands of students’ lives, the majority of whom are from historically underrepresented, disadvantaged and low-income backgrounds and often the first in their families to go to college.

CSUN community members celebrated National EOP Month with speeches, music, food and games Sept. 28 on the campus’ Bayramian Lawn. They also honored the legacy of the late José Luis Vargas ’74 (Sociology), M.A. ’75 (Educational Psychology and Counseling), who had directed the program from 1994 until he passed away March 19, after decades of involvement with the program.

“EOP has changed the lives of thousands of students who might not have thought college was for them,” said Shiva Parsa, interim director of EOP. “We are so proud of our students and the program. We will not only continue the legacy of José Luis Vargas, but we will evolve and build on the strong foundation he laid for us.”

EOP was officially founded in 1969 as a result of student activism, fighting against inequality and discrimination in higher education. CSUN, which has one of the oldest and most respected Educational Opportunity Programs in the CSU system, reached new heights during Vargas’ administration. He served as chair of the CSU EOP Statewide Directors, and worked closely with the CSU Chancellor’s office on policies to help historically low-income students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He often was called upon as a consultant on various issues, not only at CSUN but by EOP officials across the nation.

As a student, Vargas was part of the very first Summer Bridge Program, one of numerous transitional programs at CSUN. During his tenure as director, EOP’s transitional programs — which provide special orientation workshops, classes and tools that help students navigate the university — expanded to include more students and segments, including Transfer Bridge, Commuter Bridge and Fresh Start. The Resilient Scholars Program, which provides support to former foster youth, was launched, and Vargas was involved in the foundational work for CSUN’s new Dream Center.

EOP Academic Liaison Glenn Omatsu, who is also a professor of Asian-American studies, said Vargas created a culture of innovation that allowed for academic experimentation and growth. Omatsu, who started teaching Bridge classes in 1995, was the first to introduce student peer mentoring in his classes — now a core practice of EOP.

“[Vargas] always talked about how every moment is a mentoring moment,” Omatsu said. “Now we have a community of mentors who serve the students and each other.”

Junior Brittney Washington, a communication studies major who is an EOP Bridge mentor, said EOP created a place of belonging and helped solidify her place in college.

“EOP provided a family away from home,” Washington said. “I’m surrounded by people with similar experiences, and we can rely on each other for that support. A lot of us commute, so when we go back and forth from home, it can be hard to reach out for that support. It’s nice to have that community on campus.”

She said mentoring students is a way to give back to the program, but also enriches her experience as a student.

“I feel like I get more from the students I mentor than what I could possibly give them,” Washington said. “I learn so much from them, it’s a reciprocal process.”

Sophomore sociology major Ashley Moran, who is a first-generation college student, came to the university through the Summer Bridge Program in 2015. Moran said EOP expanded what she thought was possible in her life.

“None of my family went to college, so I didn’t have people to guide me through the college experience,” Moran said. “With EOP, I have role models and mentors all around me, people who have overcome [challenges] and are successful in college. In high school, they would tell me that I would just go to community college or start working, but here they tell me I can do whatever I want — that I could not only get my bachelor’s degree, but go on to get a master’s degree and even a Ph.D if I wanted. It gives me hope.”

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Yi Li spoke highly of Vargas, congratulated EOP on its long history and said he looked forward to a strong future for the program.

“The great support and the achievements of our students, staff and faculty at EOP are demonstrations of all the wonders that can happen when higher education can impact individuals one at a time,” Li said. “We are so proud of what you have done and very confident of what you will be doing in the years ahead.”

CSUN has launched a series of town hall meetings to explore what is student success. Photo by Lee Choo.

Just what defines student success? Graduation rates? Test scores? Retention? Time to graduation? Alumni earnings?

California State University, Northridge faculty, students and staff will grapple with that and other questions about academic life on the CSUN campus, during a series of monthly town hall meetings designed to break down barriers and start conversations about the meaning of higher education at the university.

Kristy Michaud, director of CSUN’s Office of Student Success Innovations and an associate professor of political science, said the recent launch by the CSU Chancellor’s Office of an initiative to improve student graduation rates by the year 2025 provides the catalyst for a thoughtful discussion about what defines student success.

“As we, as a campus, look at the new targets — increasing the number of students who graduate in four years and improving the graduation rates of traditionally underserved and low-income students — we need to have a discussion about what this shift to a performance-based approach to higher education means,” Michaud said. “This shift is happening not just in California, but across the United States. It doesn’t matter how many students you have or what kind of students you are enrolling. Now, what matters is how you serve those students.”

That, she said, leads to the need to explore the best ways to serve students.

“There are so many people who work with students, it’s not just faculty in the classroom,” she said. “There are staff members and administrators all over the campus, not just in academic affairs, who are all working on student success. But we don’t realize it, because we don’t speak the same language.

“It’s time we brought everyone, including students, together to start talking about what we’re doing, how we can work together better and to take a close look at where we can improve,” she continued.

The first meeting took place Friday, Sept. 30, and the next is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 28. The town halls feature representatives from across the campus and are facilitated by campus leaders, including Yi Li, CSUN’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“We are hoping to provide an environment where we can ask ourselves hard questions about what we are doing as educators, and how we can improve our impact on our students,” Michaud said.

For more information about the town halls, visit www.csun.edu/ossi.

The Youth-Driven Information Privacy Education Campaign (YDIPEC) launched in August to help young people and their parents learn to safeguard their privacy online. The campaign is the culmination of a year-long grant awarded to California State University, Northridge marketing professors Kristen Walker and Tina Kiesler.

A $193,000 grant from the Digital Trust Foundation supported an effort by Walker, Kiesler and about a dozen CSUN students as they worked with Los Angeles-area middle school-aged youth to help them understand their sharing behaviors and attitudes while online.

“It’s been a cool experience to see the project come to life,” said research project manager Summer Malone, a spring 2016 CSUN marketing graduate.

During their research, they found that regulations under the Child Online Protection Act say social media websites cannot advertise to children under 13 but, in reality they aren’t doing much to stop it. Children can still access the sites even if it involves misstating their age online.

“Youth do not always understand the risk associated with exchanging information online.”When youth are online, everything they post, click, search and do is gathered, packaged and sold. Every day is permanent,” Walker said.

A portion of the grant was used to help CSUN undergraduates and middle school students research and develop the educational campaign. Their efforts included youth focus groups, surveys of students, parents and teachers, and one-on-one parent interviews.

Walker tapped into the talent in her fall 2015 social media marketing course, giving her students the opportunity to create integrated marketing plans around educating middle school youth — and indirectly, their parents and teachers — about how the information they exchange online is packaged and sold.

“Not only did this opportunity help [the CSUN] students strategize marketing plans, but also informed these future business professionals about the risks of collecting and storing consumer information,” Walker said.

Marketing student Daniel Lawson said the work taught him that most people are unaware of what happens when they share information online, “including myself.”

Three campaigns from the class’s efforts — “Be A Smart Cookie,” “The Privacy Game” and “Click, Click … Know Who’s There” — aim to be developed into educational videos for young people. The three campaigns each target a specific segment of 10 to 12-year-old age groups and are designed to engage and educate viewers about the risks associated with exchanging information online — from data brokers to third-party affiliates of a website or app who gather, package and sell the information.

Student Nicole Munn worked as an animator on the campaigns.

“I learned not only about the issue arising from sharing information via the internet, but I also learned the effort that goes into creating an educational video that illustrates the issues,” she said.

As part of the grant, the team created a website to showcase the campaigns and educational material — http://www.youthprivacyprotection.org. The website also highlights the project’s mission and vision: to create awareness that what people post, search for and do online is permanent. The website contains helpful links and brochures for children, parents and teachers to enhance their understanding of online information exchanges.

YDIPEC will provide access to the campaigns for middle schools throughout Los Angeles. This will allow the researchers to test the effectiveness of the campaigns and educate students, parents and teachers about the importance of youth privacy and digital literacy, Walker said.

She noted that young people are accessing smart devices and the internet at younger and younger ages, often with their parents’ help. Teachers are even using the internet for homework, she said.

“It’s not just our youth who need to learn how to protect themselves online; it’s everyone,” Walker said.

An innovation movement is burgeoning in the City of Los Angeles — and California State University, Northridge is at the vanguard.

A major partner of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), and the only university-based LACI satellite, CSUN is the largest single contributor of events for InnovateLA — a countywide celebration of innovation and creativity in the region hosted by a plethora of organizations. These events include: coding challenges, “mini-hackathons,” a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, a faculty-focused Virtual and Augmented Reality Exploration (VARx) event, a networking and presentation event by Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), the fourth annual Art of Innovation conference, Sustainability Day and the Phenomenal Woman Awards. CSUN is also a stakeholder in the grand opening event on Oct. 7 for the La Kretz Innovation Campus in Downtown Los Angeles.

As the city works to bring visibility and resources to the numerous innovative and entrepreneurial enterprises in the region, CSUN is doing the same for the campus community. CSUN Innovates!, is a university initiative currently being developed by a group of CSUN faculty, staff, alumni and administrators. It aims to stimulate increased innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship among students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community.

Doing so requires identifying and empowering individuals who may not call themselves “innovators” or “entrepreneurs,” although they do innovative work in their respective fields. And according to Julia Potter, Director for Strategic Partnerships and Special Initiatives, there’s no lack of innovation going on at CSUN.

“Innovation and entrepreneurship is embedded into the mission and vision of CSUN,” Potter said. “It’s found everywhere on campus, in all fields, and doesn’t only apply to those in business. It’s essential to a liberal arts education that teaches critical thinking and problem solving.”

Kevin Randolph, Executive Director of LACI@CSUN, said the university’s openness to new ideas has led to tangible results in innovation and entrepreneurship. Since the LACI satellite was established at CSUN in 2014, the campus has hosted a variety of collaborative and interdisciplinary innovation activities: The Bull Ring new venture competition; mobile app competition AppJam; new venture pitch competition FastPitch; and the Breakthrough Breakfast Series, as well as meetings taking place all over campus focused on spurring innovation.

“When I came here I was extraordinarily impressed by the energy and enthusiasm on campus, particular from the leadership that President Dianne F. Harrison has provided in pushing the university to evolve so students can be successful,” Randolph said. “What we are promoting is experiential learning in the student environment. We want students to be ready for the real world and immediately productive turning ideas into commercial applications.”

Potter said the demographic and characteristics of CSUN students in particular go hand in hand with innovation in applied learning and research.

“Innovation is in our DNA,” Potter said. “We are a highly diverse campus with a lot of low-income, historically underrepresented and first-generation students who have to innovate in order to succeed. However, a lot of folks don’t realize that the dream of becoming entrepreneurs is not limited to people with means.”

Potter hopes that adding innovation language into university discourse will help all community members feel comfortable taking on an entrepreneurial identity and to take ownership of their work as innovative.

They are four women who have gone out into the world and made it better with their scholarship, activism and commitment to excellence.

California State University, Northridge will honor actor, producer and political activist Amy Brenneman; writer, attorney and human rights activist Mehrangiz Kar; muralist Kristy Sandoval and food justice activist Neelam Sharma with a Phenomenal Woman Award, which honors women from various disciplines who have made an impact and/or significant contribution to the community, during a special celebration at the university later this month.

“Every year, the gender and women’s studies department engages in a careful and thoughtful process of selecting four or five women who have fought for gender justice in our state of California and the world, and deserve our recognition and gratitude as women,” said Breny Mendoza, chair of CSUN’s Department of Gender and Women’s Studies. “This year’s Phenomenal Woman Awards will go to four extraordinary women who have worked tenaciously all their lives for women’s rights in very different ways.

“From Amy Brenneman, who changed the media landscape by putting women in the center of all the various films she’s worked in and her political activism around reproductive rights, Mehrangiz Kar, an attorney and activist who put her own life on the line to fight for what she thought was right for women in her native Iran and who has continued her struggle in the U.S., Kristy Sandoval, a Chicana muralist who beautifully captures minority women’s endurance in her paintings on the walls of several cities around the nation and the world to Neelam Sharma, executive director of the non-profit Community Service Unlimited who grew up in London and moved to Los Angeles to dedicate her life to provide food justice for out city’s communities,” Mendoza continued. “We are honored that they have accepted our recognition as a department and a university who share their mission.”

Beverly White

The Phenomenal Woman Awards celebration will take place on Oct. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Grand Lobby of the Valley Performing Arts Center, located on the south side of the CSUN campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. The evening’s mistress of ceremonies will be award-winning journalist Beverly White, of NBC4 Los Angeles.

An accomplished journalist for more than 30 years, White has covered a variety of stories for NBC4, from the Boston Marathon bombings and the Texas fertilizer plant explosion to the Seal Beach hair salon shooting. In 2012, White received the Distinguished Journalist Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her good news judgment, strong sense of ethics and passion for getting the story right. She also was named one of THE 50 Fabulous Women of 2013 by THE Magazine. In 2008, she was honored with the Leadership Award from the California Legislative Black Caucus.

Amy Brenneman

Brenneman divides her time between acting, producing and political activism. She was raised in Connecticut and earned a bachelor’s degree in comparative religion at Harvard University. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s to star in the television show “NYPD Blue.” She created, executive produced and starred in “Judging Amy,” which was based on the work of her mother, the Honorable Justice Frederica Brenneman. Other television credits include “Private Practice” and “The Leftovers,” which she currently stars in. Her film credits include “Fear,” “Heat,” “Friends and Neighbors,” “The Jane Austin Book Club” and “Words and Pictures” opposite Clive Owen. She produced and directed the documentary “The Way the World Should Be,” about the trailblazing work of the CHIME Institute, a national model for inclusive education housed at CSUN. Most recently, she and her husband, Brad Silberling, executive produced “Heartbeat” for ABC.

Brenneman has been honored for her activist work by Women in Film, The Brady Center, the League of Women Voters, the California State Assembly and the National Children’s Alliance, among others. She recently received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from The Feminist Majority Foundation for her ongoing commitment to reproductive rights. She has traveled to Peru as an ambassador for CARE and has been the keynote speaker for NARAL, Cal-Tash, the Council for Exceptional Children and on the steps of the Supreme Court during oral arguments.

Mehrangiz Kar

Kar is an internationally recognized writer, attorney and activist specializing in women’s rights and family law. She is currently a visiting scholar in CSUN’s Department of Gender and Women’s Studies. Prior to her time at CSUN, she worked as a senior expert at Family Health International, a Washington D.C.-based international development organization that focuses on Islamic law and gender in the Middle East. Kar practiced law in the Islamic Republic of Iran for 22 years before fleeing political persecution. She has published numerous books and articles on issues related to law, general equality and democracy in Iran and abroad. She was formerly a visiting scholar at Harvard University, Brown University, University of Cape Town, Wellesley College and Brookings Institution. Kar has received several international awards for her human rights work, including the Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy, Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize and the Human Rights First Award.

Kristy Sandoval

Sandoval was raised in Pacoima and has family in Baja California, Mexico. She grew up straddling two cultures. She attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and returned to Los Angeles to advocate for arts education, a path that led her to public art murals. While proposing a mural design program to a local nonprofit organization, she became familiar with the mural process and history in Los Angeles. She discovered loop holes to the city’s ban on public art murals and started creating work with student participants and members of the community.

Sandoval has painted murals in Los Angeles, New Orleans and Miami, and inspired the formation of an all-woman mural crew in Pacoima known as the H.O.O.D sisters. Last year, she became the first woman invited to participate in the Mural Istanbul Festival. While in Turkey, the American Consulate asked her to work with Syrian refugee children. Her personal work focuses on Womyn empowerment, social and environmental justice and tackles questions of identity. Sandoval is currently an artist for Amnesty International’s new sector, Art for Amnesty, continuing mural design workshops, raising a 4-year-old daughter, and exploring new forms of public art that include 2D installations to promote sustainability through functional public art.

Neelam Sharma

Sharma is the executive director of Community Services Unlimited (CSU), a nonprofit headquartered in South Los Angeles with a mission to foster the creation of communities actively working to address the inequalities and systemic barriers that make sustainable communities and self-reliant lifestyles unattainable. Sharma’s food justice work with CSU was inspired by her specific need to feed her family healthy food when she moved to South Los Angeles, and driven by her broader understanding of the basic human right to high-quality, culturally appropriate food as a critical element of social justice. She first became a community activist as a pre-teen in response to an attempt by fascists to organize in Southall, London, England, where she grew up.

The biennial Phenomenal Woman Awards ceremony includes a reception and silent auction, with proceeds going to CSUN’s Department of Gender and Women’s Studies to sponsor special programming and support student and faculty research as well as finance scholarships. Funds also support CSUN’s Women’s Research and Resource Center.

Tickets are $100. Reservations are due by Oct. 17 For more information, contact the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at (818) 677-3110 or visit the website http://www.csun.edu/humanities/gender-womens-studies/events/phenomenal-woman-awards-2016.

Asad Mandi

California State University, Northridge’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and David Nazarian College of Business and Economics are co-hosting the Art of Innovation Conference (AOI), which takes place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 pm. on Friday, Oct. 14, in the Grand Salon of the University Student Union.

          “The conference is a great way for attendees to build their networks while also learning from various leaders in their respective industries,” said Ryan Holbrook, entrepreneurship program director in the Nazarian College. “Our keynote and subsequent panels will highlight opportunities that lie ahead for current and aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs.”

           This year’s keynote speaker is Asad Madni, former president, chief operating officer and chief technology officer of BEI Technologies Inc. Madni is currently an independent consultant and an adjunct professor of engineering at UCLA. He also worked for Systron Donner Corporation, where he played a critical role in the development of radio frequency and microwave systems and instrumentation. Madni has published and received credit for more than 100 research reports.

          The conference will be divided into three focus areas: “Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship,” “The Future of Technology” and “Social Entrepreneurship.”  

          “In 2015, we introduced a panel on social entrepreneurship, which was very well-received by the students — they saw it as something truly unique, even for innovation conferences,” said Jimmy Gandhi, director of the Ernie Schaeffer Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Hence, we decided to keep it as a focus of AOI 2016 to create a paradigm shift around social entrepreneurship.”

         The event’s panels will feature professionals from industries including manufacturing, virtual reality, sustainability, health care, education, aerospace and new media.

         CSUN students, faculty and staff can attend the conference for free and the cost for alumni and community members is $40 if they by Oct. 7. Space is limited; register online at www.csunaoi.com. Breakfast and lunch is included with registration. For more information, call Ryan Holbrook at (818) 677-4510 or ryan.holbrook@csun.edu.