Cal State LA president welcomes campus community at 2026 University Convocation

Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes welcomed the campus community to University Convocation on Friday, Aug. 21, at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex, marking the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

In her presidential address, Eanes introduced Cal State LA's strategic plan through 2030, One LA, One Path Forward: Career. Community. Connection. The plan provides a shared framework for advancing three university priorities: career readiness, community impact, and connection and belonging.

Eanes called on the university community to turn the plan's vision into action, emphasizing that its success will depend on the collective contributions of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners.

The Convocation also featured remarks from Provost Heather Lattimer and Associated Students, Inc. President Ashley Bellorin and a panel discussion examining the strategic plan's four interconnected pillars: An Integrated Student Experience, Bridging Access to Achievement, A Culture of Empowered Growth, and Resources Aligned to Mission.

Panelists included Bellorin; Academic Senate Chair Jessica DeShazo; Karin Elliott Brown, professor of social work in the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services; and Stephen Trzaskoma, dean of the College of Arts and Letters and interim dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences. Luisa Acosta, associate vice president for University Advancement, moderated the discussion.

Following are President Eanes' remarks at Convocation:

"Welcome to the faculty, staff, students, alumni, foundation members, emeriti, and community partners.

One year ago, I stood before some of you and shared the personal foundation that was instilled in me by my grandmother, my mother, and my father. I also shared our mission, vision, and values while affirming a promise to this campus and the community: to empower dreams and transform lives. One year later, that promise remains at the heart of our work. And today, we gather at a time of beginnings with a renewed commitment to turn that promise into action.

A new chapter invites us to reflect on where we have been, to consider what we have learned, and to ask: What are we prepared to do next? As we begin this fall semester, let us reflect not only on where we're going, but on the moment which we are called to move forward-the moment we are in.

Higher education is changing. Student expectations are changing. Workforce needs are changing. Communities are changing. Across our country, questions are being asked about access, affordability, public trust, academic freedom, research, and the role of universities in strengthening our communities and our democracy. These are important questions. And in moments like this, we must remember who we are, why we are here, and why the work we do matters.

I asked my team to bring my vase that I keep in my office with my cotton stalk. You all know my story. I stand before you as the granddaughter of a woman with a second-grade education who picked cotton. My two sisters and I keep a vase with cotton in our offices because when I was little and I was upset about something that was purely dramatic and made no sense, I would go see my grandmother. I had to do two things: braid her hair and help her do whatever she needed around the house. And I would be complaining about some drama. She would just look at me and say, 'Nisa, you didn't pick cotton today. You're going to be all right. You're going to be all right.'

At Cal State LA, we exist to expand opportunity. As a public university rooted in Los Angeles, we understand that education transforms lives, strengthens families, builds communities, and creates economic mobility. Our responsibility extends beyond our campus. We prepare graduates who will lead, serve, innovate, and contribute throughout Los Angeles, California, and beyond. That kind of leadership requires courage, engagement, and willingness to step forward.

In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt stood before the Sorbonne in Paris and delivered a speech entitled 'Citizenship in a Republic.' In that speech, he offered these words: 'It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how strong man stumbles or woman stumbles, or where the doer of deeds have done them better. The credit belongs to the person who actually is in the arena, whose face is marred and dusty with sweat and willing to work.'

Those words reminded me, as I reflect on that arena, of where we show up, where we do the work, where we learn, where we grow, and where we win. When I think of Cal State LA, I think about the entire university community that shows up daily to do the wonderful work. Our students are in the arena. Our faculty are in the arena. Our staff are in the arena. Our administrators and leaders are in the arena. We are not standing outside watching the challenges facing higher education unfold. We are inside doing the work.

To our new and returning students, I want to speak directly to you. You are not simply watching the future unfold. You too are shaping the future. Your ideas matter. Your questions matter. Your expectations matter. And the work you have done to get here matters. There will be moments that challenges come and you need to stretch to meet them. And there will be moments that you discover that you did it. Stay in the work. Stay curious, Stay engaged. And always remember: you belong to Cal State LA.

Action in the arena-we imagine what is possible. We innovate. We engage. We shape each moment. We must be willing to ask difficult questions, have courageous conversations, and make meaningful progress. It will take more than individual effort. We need a path that allows all of us to move in the same direction: One LA, One Path Forward.

I want to thank each of you for the work that we are going to see come to fruition in our future strategic plan-One Path: Career, Community, and Connection. It is more than a plan. It is a vision. It is a commitment to action and a promise to be fulfilled. It is a vision of where we want to go. It is a reflection of all of your feedback and participation. Every decision we make should be guided by our new upcoming plan: career readiness, community impact, and connection and belonging.

One LA, One Path Forward aligns directly with the vision of CSU Forward. Together we are advancing student success, access, upward mobility, innovation, and regional impact. Cal State LA brings its own distinctive voice to this systemwide vision by focusing on extraordinary communities we serve here in Los Angeles.

Our plan was not written by one office or one individual. Please recognize that we have a wonderful Strategic Planning Council. Many faculty, staff, and administrators who worked on all the work. Because it was built together, it can only succeed together. A plan is not meant to sit in a binder on a shelf. Our plan is going to put us in a place where we can teach, advise, conduct research, support operations, mentor students, keep our campus beautiful, and serve in so many countless ways. This is what being in the arena is about. It means each of us has a role.

The measure of this plan will only be quantified by data that is included in our focus. The measure will be what our students experience every day.

Through 2030, One LA, One Path Forward provides a framework and a vision. The plan focuses our energy, aligns our resources, strengthens our partnerships, helps us decide-with greater clarity and purpose-where we are going. Framed within One LA, One Path Forward, there will be four pillars. Each pillar represents an important part of who we are and who we aspire to become.

Let me say that in January I will be celebrating three years as your president. And I can't help but be moved by that. I didn't pick any cotton, so we're going to stay in it together. I am honored and humbled with the privilege. And, I thank you.

Welcome to your new academic year."

California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 260,000 distinguished alumni.