As we start looking ahead towards the new year, I am very excited
about the opportunities I see and the direction that higher education is
heading.
I have spent a fair amount of time this past year meeting
with and surveying key stakeholders in our region and internationally including
current and prospective students at different stages of their career life cycle
--- as well as business and civic
leaders and the deans and presidents of neighboring colleges and universities. The
one message that has been clear is that we need to “think outside of the box”
and create partnerships and alliances that serve a greater good.
To that end we have worked together with the City of
Temecula and Mt San Jacinto College to create a “2+2” program that enables
students in southwest Riverside county to start and finish a Bachelor’s degree
in four years with low student-to-faculty ratios and locked tuition and fees.
We have worked with local hoteliers in San Diego county to create a Hospitality
and Tourism Management certificate as well a specialization within our MBA
program. We have worked with local cyber security firms to develop a
Professional Science Master’s in Cyber security..,, and the list goes on and
on.
To support continued growth we have brought on Dr. Al Kern
as interim Associate Dean and Lori Covington as Manager of Academic Programs.
Dr. Kern founded the biotechnology programs here at CSUSM and has had an
extremely successful career in biotech both regionally and internationally.
Lori was previously at Mesa College where she was responsible for
accreditation; grant writing, management and creation of successful Continuing
Ed programs and Allied Health.
I am focused on staying attuned to the work force needs of
our Southern California region, both from the perspective of prospective
students who are looking to advance or change careers and from the perspective
of area businesses who are looking to hire a well trained workforce. Do you have thoughts or ideas about programs
or partnerships we ought to consider? Please feel free to email me at eldean@csusm.edu. I look forward to hearing
from you.
