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Welcome to the start of the 2013/14 academic year. This morning, I delivered my tenth Convocation
address at Cal State San Marcos. Time certainly goes by fast. It seems like only days ago
we were working together on our five strategic priorities, creating a shared vision for our
university. So today, with a little better economic news, some additional funding, new
system leadership, and our 25th anniversary on the horizon, I want to celebrate this "learning
organization" that we all care so deeply about. Let me be clear that I am not describing our
"learning organization" as such just because we are a public university but rather because
we possess the characteristics, spirit, tenacity and wisdom to know that what we do matters
even when the opinion makers may seem steeped in rhetoric to the contrary. We know that
our work is important even when some may suggest that it costs too much and takes too long.
The cost of not persisting would be devastating to this state and to our entire region. In
learning organizations, people matter, and our important work could not be done without
you. As faculty, staff and administrators, you help us realize our primary mission - to
educate the people of this region. Your work - and you - matters, and as a learning organization,
it's important that we support you and equip you with the knowledge and skills you need
to help us innovate and thrive. One of our five strategic priorities is campus climate
and, over the years, we have established several initiatives aimed at creating and then maintaining
an environment that encourages continuous employee learning, critical thinking and risk
taking. Among those initiatives are Campus Climate and the Leadership Academy, which
you can learn more about on the CSUSM web site. To assist our newest managers, we established
new on boarding procedures that pair these managers with a buddy to answer questions,
provide guidance and feedback and share our Culture of Leadership. We have also implemented
our Diversity Strategic Plan to help us remain aware and ahead of diversity issues, and build
a community of diverse people. As part of our plan and our commitment to diversity,
we are also reviewing and revising our hiring practices for faculty and MPPs. All of these
changes have been intentional and strategic. They have happened because we are a learning
organization; a place that recognizes employees' worth and that encourages collaborating and
working toward a common goal. These past six years have not made progress toward our strategic
goals easy. But learning organizations, at their core, are innovative and adaptive. And
we certainly are! CSUSM was chosen to house and incubate the CSU Institute for Palliative
Care because our system recognized our innovation and adaptability. They recognized that as
a learning organization, together we can and do respond to the needs of our region and
communities far faster and more creatively than other institutions. Our faculty consistently
work together to create cross-discipline experiences for our students, and through increased undergraduate
research, they are involved in cutting-edge studies. Students in Temecula are also involved
in essential research. And with the launch this fall of new programs on that campus,
students there will contribute greatly to Southwest Riverside County. Throughout our
region and well beyond, our reputation and our value are evident. Together, we are finding
new and different ways of providing access to a CSUSM education. Together, we are continuously
improving. We are always reviewing and refining, so outside parties see us as a wise investment.
The Pardee family recently donated 1.5 million dollars to endow student scholarships. Darlene
Shiley donated 1.2 million dollars last fall to help launch the Institute of Palliative
Care, and the Price Family Charitable Foundation donated a half million dollars to CSUSM so
that we can create a stronger, more integrated guaranteed admission program that better supports
our local school districts, teachers, and our university goals. From area schools to
our College Assistant Migrant Program, to our work with American Indian students, veterans
and former foster youth, we are reaching out and reaching back to keep the door to higher
education open to educationally at risk students. Together, we are creating a bold future for
our region and a different blueprint for public higher education. We are building new facilities,
enrolling more students, and transforming lives on every level. Through the investment
of our communities, through our collective commitment to being a learning organization,
and through our growing list of accomplishments, we are propelling our university forward.
Our life-changing, life-enriching work is gaining broad recognition, and I am grateful
to all of you for making that happen. Our momentum is strong. Our vision is clear. We
must not - we cannot - let divisiveness or the critics derail our work and the outcomes
that we produce or our deep impact on our region. Together, we are a remarkable institution.
Together, we are the exception to the higher education norm. Together, we are a learning
organization. Together, we are CSUSM. Page 4 of 8