Community Vol. IV · No. 1 September 2004 Cal State Northridge—The Intellectual, Economic and Cultural Heart of the San Fernando Valley and Beyond Northridge Among Nation’s Top Institutions for Minorities National Magazines Give CSUN High Marks in Serving Students of Color al State Northridge is 11th in the to Hispanics across all disciplines, 25th nation among institutions award- in bachelor’s degrees awarded to C ing bachelor’s degrees to minority Asian Americans and 53rd in bachelor’s students in 2002–03, according to the degrees awarded to American Indians. June 3 issue of the “Black Issues in CSUN ranked second in the Higher Education” magazine, which nation in bachelor’s degrees awarded rated colleges and universities on how Hispanics in social sciences; fifth in well they serve students of color. degrees to Asian Americans in Northridge President Jolene Koester education; fifth in bachelor’s degrees said university officials were honored awarded Hispanics in psychology; to be recognized for their efforts in sixth in degrees awarded to Hispanics serving all of CSUN’s students. in area, ethnic, culture and gender “Cal State Northridge is located in studies; eighth in degrees to a vibrant and diverse community, and y Hispanics in business, management, e l l a we are proud to be able to provide T marketing and related support l u a a quality education to all who are in P services; ninth in degrees to y it,” Koester said. b Hispanics in English, language and o t o h In May, “Hispanic Outlook in Higher P literature/letters; 12th in degrees to Education” ranked Northridge eighth President Jolene Koester (seated, second from right) chats with students in informal session Hispanics in education; 13th in in a national list of colleges and at Northridge, listed among the nation’s top institutions for minority students. degrees to Hispanics in mathematics universities that conferred the most and statistics, and 16th in degrees to bachelor’s degrees upon Hispanics. mation supplied by the U.S. Department According to the rankings in “Black African Americans in area, ethnic, In determining a university’s of Education’s National Center for Issues,” Northridge was seventh in the culture and gender studies. ᭿ standing, both magazines use infor- Education Statistics. nation in bachelor’s degrees awarded Keck Foundation Funds New Northridge Teachers Project Teachers-in-Residence Program Joins Teachers for New Era Initiative on Campus he W. M. Keck Foundation has sciences faculty. education and reinforces teacher reviewing and informing the content awarded Cal State Northridge The teachers-in-residence project preparation as a university-wide of exit exams to team teaching and T $300,000 for an innovative new will become part of the campus’ work responsibility at CSUN. admissions. program that brings K–12 master on Teachers for a New Era (TNE), a “More importantly,” Rusche said, As the project develops, Cal State teachers into the university’s arts and landmark initiative designed to “the gift enhances both the university Northridge officials plan to share what sciences classrooms as teachers-in- strengthen K–12 teaching by develop- and local schools by having school they learn with the more than 1,200 residence, actively participating in ing state-of-the-art programs at schools faculty share their knowledge with teacher preparation colleges and the preparation of future educators. of education. Cal State Northridge our faculty, and take what they have universities across the country. Believed to be the first university- was one of only four universities learned back to their home schools.” The W. M. Keck Foundation is one wide program of its kind in the United nationwide tapped by the Carnegie The teachers-in-residence will have of the nation’s largest philanthropic States, the two-year W. M. Keck Corporation of New York to launch an opportunity to teach, research, organizations. Established in 1954 by Teachers-in-Residence Project’s the initiative. Eleven institutions now supervise student teachers and engage the late W. M. Keck, founder of The overall goals are to bridge the gap are involved in the TNE consortium. in ongoing discussions with the Superior Oil Company, the foundation’s between theory and practice in teacher Philip Rusche, dean of the Michael university’s faculty about the realities grant making is focused primarily on education programs, and to strengthen D. Eisner College of Education, said of teaching in today’s urban classroom. pioneering efforts in the areas of active collaborations between K–12 the Keck gift keeps Cal State Northridge They will have the flexibility to explore medical research, science, and teachers and university arts and at the forefront of innovation in teacher further opportunities on campus, from engineering. ᭿ spaces, providing a major gain of The new trams are accessible to nearly 1,350 campus parking spaces, disabled passengers and feature roll compared to the original surface lot. down curtains for inclement weather This new addition will bring the and monitors that display campus total number of parking spaces on information. campus to 12,250. The Matador Tram service will By Judy Nutter, Director of Community Relations The other solution is the intro- make four stops on a route that duction of two 55-passenger trams averages 15 to 20 minutes of travel arking and transportation are Many of you have seen the large that should begin serving students, time per round trip, providing shorter P major issues for most university construction project underway at faculty and staff by October 1. wait times and more trips per hour campuses and Cal State Northridge West University Drive (Etiwanda) These new open air trams will than the old bus shuttle system. The is no exception. The following and Prairie Street. This $17.9 million replace the old bus shuttle system. route will start on Lindley Avenue information is good news describing project is the university’s second new The trams are quieter and more between Kinzie and Lassen Streets two solutions to parking and trans- parking structure and will be known environmentally friendly than the adjacent to the University Park portation problems on the CSUN as Parking Structure B3. It is scheduled buses, and won’t add to the traffic Apartments, skirt Parking Lot F8 campus. to open in August 2005 with 2,063 on the campus perimeter streets. Community Connection continued on page 2. University Launches ‘Envision 2035’ Planning Process Campus/Community Open Forums Help Envision Future of the University al State Northridge campus and During the forums on Monday, which has been in business for nearly Typically, such plans are reviewed community members participated September 13, university and 100 years, has developed campus and updated periodically as campus C in the first two open forums in community members had a hands-on plans for other Cal State universities conditions and needs change. Each mid-September to publicly launch opportunity through small discussion and private universities. update adds some new elements and Envision 2035, the university planning groups to discuss and explore future A campus plan looks at many deletes others that have become initiative that will help shape the ideas and challenges for the 353-acre future aspects of the CSUN campus, obsolete with time. future of the campus for the next campus. The university hosted one including student enrollment, the For example, the university’s several decades. forum in the morning and another in needs for academic and other current plan still includes an item During the coming year, the the evening to provide the greatest facilities, the layout of the campus, adopted more than 30 years ago that university and its broader community opportunities for participation. the future use of North Campus states the campus could serve up to will be working collaboratively to The campus and community property north of Lassen Street, and 25,000 full-time equivalent students envision the future of the campus feedback will help the university’s support elements such as employee (FTES). With the university’s current spanning up to 30 years, hence planning consultants develop an and student housing, parking, enrollment already nearing that level, Envision 2035. The result will be an updated draft campus master plan athletic facilities and food services, the updated plan will look at how updated campus master plan that that is slated to be presented later in and other elements. CSUN can serve the region’s student will guide the future layout and the fall semester, likely in November. After a comprehensive environ- enrollment demands during the design of the campus. At that time, the university and its mental review process during spring coming decades. The goal is to prepare Cal State planning consultants will hold another 2005 that will include additional public As part of its studies, AC Martin Northridge to meet the changing and pair of open forums to share the initial hearings, the final campus plan and will look at whether the campus growing higher education needs of results of the consultants’ work. an accompanying Environmental could accommodate a larger student this region. That means envisioning After a nationwide search, the Impact Report (EIR) will be submitted enrollment capacity, including what a Cal State Northridge campus that university selected the prominent, to the California State University’s facilities and support services would be can offer the educational programs award-winning consulting firm of AC Board of Trustees for final approval. needed to serve a student population of the future, serve students of the Martin Partners, Inc. in Los Angeles to The last time the CSU Board of that might reach 35,000 FTES in future, and meet the community’s help guide the Envision 2035 campus Trustees approved an updated CSUN future decades.