Academics

Centers and Institutes

At CSUMB, we dedicate ourselves to our students and our community. Our centers and institutes complement our academic programs, enhancing our community and the central coast. Each center or institute at CSUMB serves specific needs in the tri-county region. This includes boosting the economy, supporting English language learners, improving literacy rates, promoting physical and mental health care, and advocating for sustainability.

Center for Reading Diagnosis and Instruction

The Reading Center is a vital part of the College of Education. The center provides literacy instruction, assessment, and professional development related to reading and literacy. The Reading Center serves as both a training site for future educators and a link to local schools and community organizations to support ongoing literacy efforts.

Institute for Community Collaborative Studies — ICCS

ICCS supports CSUMB’s Department of Health, Human Services and Public Policy’s mission of training the health and human services workforce and improving the well-being of our communities. The Institute provides consultation, technical assistance, applied research, evaluation and professional training for public health and human services agencies and nonprofit organizations. It also connects faculty with community-based research opportunities, extends student learning into the community with applied research experiences, and builds community capacity throughout the state.

Institute for Innovation and Economic Development — iiED

Through the College of Business, the institute offers programs to develop entrepreneurs and support innovative ideas that lead to new business opportunities, creating job growth for students and community members.

The Startup Challenge, hosted by iiED is the Monterey Bay region’s business competition and accelerator program. This event assists participants with business plan development and pitches, competing for cash prizes and business support. With over 800 companies participating and more than $400,000 in prizes, the Startup Challenge helped numerous winners launch their businesses over the program’s 11-year history.

Clinic for Educational Supports — CES

The Clinic for Educational Supports (CES) provides comprehensive educational and psychological services for CSUMB students and members of the community (at a low cost). All evaluations are performed by graduate students in the school psychology program under the supervision of credentialed school psychologists. This clinic serves the community as a setting for affordable counseling, academic intervention, and psycho-educational assessment services. Providers assess learning disabilities, attention problems like ADHD, behavioral issues, social or emotional difficulties, and difficulties in academic performance.

Monterey Institute for English Learners — MIEL

The Monterey Institute for English Learners (MIEL) in the supports multilingual children through collaboration with local districts. It was established in 2018, with support from the Taylor Farms Foundation, for the purpose of promoting equitable and effective practices for educators serving multilingual students in the greater Monterey County area. Through establishing transformative collaborations with schools and districts, MIEL seeks to develop research on best practices for working with multilingual students, provide professional development for working with multilingual students in the field, and continue to support the preparation of preservice educational professionals at CSUMB.

Institute for the Computing Talent Initiative - CTI

The Computing Talent Initiative (CTI) constructs comprehensive pathways for early college students interested in computer science to reach careers in the tech industry.  The main goal of the CTI is to increase the size and diversity of the computer science talent pool, as well as ensure more students - particularly low-income, first generation, and URM - have viable opportunities.  CTI brings together tech companies, nonprofits, and institutions to prepare computer science students to be competitive for opportunities in, and to make significant contributions to, the tech industry.