Neufeldt Touts Growth as Report to Community Returns

Neufeldt Touts Growth as Report to Community Returns

By Brian Hiro

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Cal State San Marcos' signature Report to the Community event returned Thursday after a one-year hiatus.

As President Ellen Neufeldt explained, however, there was a good reason for the break. She effectively took Report to the Community off campus for a road show last year.

Neufeldt and other university officials traveled to Chula Vista for a leadership listening session. They drove north to Temecula for a community breakfast to talk about CSUSM's growth in Southwest Riverside County.

Perhaps most significantly, they ventured to nearby Carlsbad for the official launch of the university's second comprehensive fundraising campaign, the $200 million "Blueprint for the Future."

On Thursday, though, Report to the Community was back on familiar ground - at the Sports Center, where more than 350 business, education, government and nonprofit leaders from North County and beyond gathered to hear Neufeldt's annual address, her seventh since being hired as CSUSM's president in 2019.

There was much to discuss. Last month, CSUSM kicked off the academic year with about 17,600 students, the most in its 36-year history. Those students were greeted by the new sight of the university's fourth housing facility, Black Oak Hall, and its second dining facility, Kwiila Dining.

Even more physical transformation is on the horizon. Looming at the top of campus is the construction of Hunter Hall of Science and Engineering, which will open next fall. And across Barham Drive in North City, work continues on Discovery Hall and Wellness Center, which will add 900 beds to CSUSM's rapidly growing housing inventory while giving the university its first dedicated space for recreation and wellness.

"As I begin my eighth year as president, I've spent a lot of time reflecting," Neufeldt said, adding that she recently stayed up one night with her dog, Bailey, to watch past editions of Report to the Community.

"As I looked back, something became clear: The Power of Us is a powerful thing. It was amazing to see all that we've planned together come to life."

Neufeldt proceeded to spotlight some of the ways that the Power of CSUSM, the name of CSUSM's strategic plan (launched in 2022), is manifesting itself four years later.

As part of its extensive support of military-supported students, CSUSM has launched a Veteran to BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) pathway that allows military expertise and training to translate into transferable credits. The university next plans to bring programs onto bases at Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

When Hunter Hall opens next year, CSUSM will become the only public university in the region to offer majors in industrial and systems engineering, supported by a $3 million federal grant that Neufeldt announced during her speech.

Meanwhile, the Scholars in Wellness and Innovation Fast Track (SWIFT) Health Programs, born of a $10 million gift from Price Philanthropies, began its second year with a 97% retention rate in its initial cohort. The accelerated degree program was designed to help students earn bachelor's degrees in three years and address surging regional demand for mental health services.

All of this fits into a larger narrative of CSUSM striving to be a national leader in social mobility under Neufeldt. Toward that end, last fall the university ranked No. 1 in the Social Mobility Index from CollegeNET (out of more than 1,400 schools) for the second time in three years. And CSUSM recently launched the CSU National Center for Social Mobility on campus.

"These examples all come together in what we've been working toward as a community: serving our students and meeting the needs of our region," Neufeldt said. "The focus has always been on the social mobility of our students. We've never lost sight of that."

In other highlights from Neufeldt's speech:

• Just one year after its kickoff, the "Blueprint for the Future" campaign already has raised $178 million, putting CSUSM 89% of the way toward its goal.
• Neufeldt presented a special challenge coin display (a nod to the coins that are given to parents of new students at the start of the school year) to San Marcos' outgoing mayor, Rebecca Jones, who received the first CSUSM Community Partner of the Year Award on behalf of the city during Neufeldt's first Report to the Community in 2020.
• In the last few years, CSUSM has more than doubled its number of memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreements with school districts for guaranteed admission to 27. Those MOUs also extend to tribal nations, including one signed last week with the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians.
• Associated Students, Inc., has secured a $1 million state grant with the help of Assemblymember Darshana Patel to expand the ASI Cougar Pantry, which assists students struggling with food insecurity.
• CSUSM has started three other new academic programs: a master's in clinical counseling, a doctorate in nursing practice (its first stand-alone doctorate) and a bachelor's in clinical laboratory science. Neufeldt said two other doctorate programs are in the works.

Before Neufeldt's speech, Patricia Prado-Olmos, CSUSM's chief community engagement officer, presented the Community Partner of the Year Award to Mark Sanchez, superintendent and president of Southwestern College. Sanchez was honored for his role in forging a partnership through which CSUSM brings bachelor's degree programs directly to students in the Chula Vista area, while Southwestern provides classroom and office space at no cost and collaborates with CSUSM on student recruitment.

After handing out the award, Prado-Olmos got a surprise with the announcement that the honor will now be called the Dr. Patricia Prado-Olmos Community Partner of the Year Award. Prado-Olmos revealed in May that she will be retiring at the end of the current academic year.

Another award annually bestowed at Report to the Community is the Fran Aleshire Leadership Award, which goes to an outstanding alumnus of the Leadership North County program founded by Aleshire in the 1980s. Cathy Baur, CSUSM's former vice president of University Advancement and the 2024 recipient of the award, gave the honor to Rosemary Eshelman, who has served North County students, families and communities for more than two decades through the Carlsbad Unified School District and Carlsbad Youth Enrichment Services.

The emcee of the event was Brett Ringler, assistant vice president of clinic operations and medicine specialties for Scripps Health, vice chair of the CSUSM University Council and an executive in residence in the College of Business Administration.

Report to the Community is hosted each year by University Council, a citizen advisory board consisting of community leaders interested in the development and welfare of the university.

North City served as the presidential sponsor of Report to the Community. The signature sponsors were the Burnham Center for Community Advancement, Lifeline Community Services, Pechanga Resort Casino and TrueCare.

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Brian Hiro, communications specialist

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