CSUSM Highlights Deepening Ties With Southwest Riverside County

By Debby Clark

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When Alyssa Clerihan moved to Temecula during her junior year at Cal State San Marcos, the commute nearly derailed her degree. Instead, she found an unexpected solution just minutes from home: CSUSM's Temecula campus at Mt. San Jacinto College.

This spring, Clerihan graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and she's planning to launch her own construction billing business in the community she now calls home. She credits her professors at CSUSM at Temecula for encouraging her to pursue her educational and entrepreneurial dreams.

"I was never that student who enjoyed school, but at CSUSM at Temecula, I found myself on the dean's list and looking forward to going to class," Clerihan said. "My parents were amazed by the change in me."

Her story was highlighted by CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt at "The Power of Us" Southwest Riverside County Community Breakfast on June 30. The event brought together local business, government, education and community leaders to explore how partnerships are shaping the region's educational and economic future.

Sponsored by the Pechanga Band of Indians, the event was emceed by CSUSM Foundation Board directors Alisha Wilkins and Esther Phahla, both Temecula residents and local business owners with deep ties to the region.

Before Neufeldt took the stage, Riverside County Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington reflected on the partnership that has shaped CSUSM's presence in Southwest Riverside County.

"It started with a simple but ambitious idea: bringing expanded higher education opportunities closer to the families of Southwest Riverside County," Washington said. "Cal State San Marcos has listened to our communities, understood our workforce needs and invested in programs that reflect our local priorities."

Meeting Students Where They Are

CSUSM established its Temecula campus in 2008 and has expanded to include two locations, with programs in nursing, software engineering, teacher credentialing and business administration. That commitment received a major boost in 2024 when Riverside County invested $5.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to enhance technology, equipment and academic programs.

Today, more than 20% of CSUSM's nearly 17,000 students come from Riverside County. Students attend classes on the university's main campus in San Marcos, at CSUSM's Temecula locations, online or through a combination of locations.

Expanding access to higher education is central to CSUSM's mission of advancing social mobility. Last fall, the university again was recognized as the nation's top university for social mobility by CollegeNET, reflecting its success in helping students improve their economic opportunities through earning a degree.

"Beyond the ranking, social mobility is a student like Alyssa, who thought she would have to drop out and instead earned her business degree," Neufeldt said. "It's a first-generation student becoming an engineer. A working parent becoming a nurse. A transfer student becoming a teacher. That's what social mobility looks like."

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Collaborating Across the Region

In her remarks, Neufeldt emphasized that expanding access to higher education requires collaboration among schools, colleges, employers and community partners.

She highlighted the university's participation in Riverside County's Direct Admission initiative, the first countywide partnership of its kind with the California State University system, as well as CSUSM's Alliance partnerships with more than two dozen school districts and tribal nations.

"The message to students is simple," Neufeldt said. "You belong here. You can do this. College is not something that happens to other people. It is for you."

Aligning Education with Workforce Needs

Neufeldt also showcased several programs developed in response to workforce needs identified by employers throughout Southwest Riverside County.

Among them is an accelerated software engineering pathway created in partnership with MSJC, Temecula Valley Unified School District and Murrieta Valley Unified School District. The innovative model allows students to begin coursework in high school, earn college credit through MSJC and complete a CSUSM bachelor's degree on an accelerated timeline. The program is now expanding to include Lake Elsinore Unified School District.

The university is also strengthening healthcare pathways. CSUSM produces more nurses than any other campus in the California State University system and has graduated nearly 4,000 nurses over the past decade. The university is developing a concurrent nursing agreement with MSJC that would allow students to earn their RN and BSN degrees simultaneously.

"A skilled workforce is essential to the economic vitality of this region, and we are working conscientiously with our education partners and community leaders to create and deliver the right mix of programs that meet the needs of these communities," said Godfrey Gibbison, CSUSM's dean of Extended Learning and associate vice president for international programs.

Additional programs under development include integrated studies, early childhood education and clinical laboratory science, a high-demand healthcare profession identified by regional employers as one of their most difficult positions to fill.

"Every one of these programs starts with the same question," Neufeldt said. "What does this region need? And how can we help meet that need?"

Looking Ahead

Neufeldt noted that CSUSM's work in Southwest Riverside County continues to evolve, with plans to further expand into MSJC University Center.

"This gathering represents something that is a hallmark of Southwest Riverside County: the belief that progress happens through partnership," she said. "Real change happens when we work together."

For students like Clerihan, those opportunities can be life-changing: a degree, a business and a future in the community she loves.

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