Dear CSUMB Campus Community, 

We are writing this open love letter because we care deeply for CSUMB, our collective health and wellness, and our promising future together. 

Last year, we welcomed a new President to campus. Before she arrived, we collectively envisioned a campus community capable of loving itself more deeply. And we yearned for a campus leader who could lead us in that direction. Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones, MD, refers to  ‘Phila’ as a brotherly and sisterly love that is good for our health because of positive consequences, like lowering our blood pressure. And she also says, “…it makes us more resilient when hard times come.” Which of us does not need more care, understanding, or kindness added to our workdays? And because we are generous people at CSUMB, when we experience that feeling of care and concern, we know precisely how to share it with others who require care, like our striving students, hardworking staff, and behind-the-scenes workers in the cafeterias, facilities, and on the campus grounds. 

So we gently remind ourselves that we asked for change, and it is here now. We know that uncertainty and change can be scary. We experienced a wide range of emotions over the past three COVID-19 years. We survived, emerged stronger, more resilient, and with the willingness and readiness to begin again. Remember that we are managers of change, and our goal is to produce results and outcomes that take us to the next level of excellence. So when we are asked to do more to support our students, please know that we are contributing to a community that belongs to us, honors us, and values each of us. 

As TLA’s BCTD teaching cooperative, we are excited about the future and remain committed to learning, growing, and thriving alongside each of you.  The following are a few reflections from our colleagues who shared to the following three questions: 

• What brings you joy at CSUMB?

• What are your impressions about our new President?

• What excites you about the changes you are seeing? 

#1: What brings me joy and renews my spirit are the opportunities I get to work with colleagues who are passionate about the work they do, intelligent in the ways they go about it, and mindful for the ever-present obstacles, challenges, and limitations we all face. And because we are in this together, I never doubt that we can and will be successful. We simply cannot and should not allow others to diminish our hope, joy, and willingness to change for the better because they are fearful of change. Change is what is needed to arrive at the next level of excellence. 

#2: I am delighted by the experiences I have had to advance the cause of racial justice in the broader community. I believe our work is laying the foundation for students in our community to have a positive, uplifting educational experience. I truly appreciate the energy our new President is bringing to our campus. She is a strategic thinker who is taking the time to develop positive working relationships. I have heard many positive comments about the role she is playing in transforming the campus. I am excited about the positive changes that are happening because I believe they are what is needed to truly transform the campus into a thriving campus community. We have so many students with vast untapped potential. I am excited to how we can transform the campus into a community that supports and nurtures the souls of ALL of our students. 

#3: Any time I encounter a student on campus at CSUMB or in the community, I experience joy.

I also experience joy when collaborating with colleagues to support students. I think the gift of working and learning together is one I highly value. My impressions of President Vanya Quiñones is that she was attentive as a listener during the first 100 days. I appreciate her proactive efforts to make decisions to improve systems/processes at CSUMB. I find her to be warm/welcoming/engaging when I have encountered her in person. I appreciate that she is strategic and intentional. I am excited about the opportunities ahead of our campus and for our students. Specifically, I think we can prepare the emerging workforce and invest locally in our communities to build resilience and improve the quality of living. Adverse impacts are not felt equitably in our society. Differing social, economic, public health, and other adverse impacts vary across our communities. I am excited that we can plan, take action, and create solutions. I want to transform the experience at CSUMB so that all students feel a sense of belonging and thrive!

#4: What brings me joy at Monterey Bay is the ability to connect and work with colleagues and friends. I have been at institutions where the ability to collaborate and partner with colleagues is difficult. That is not so much the case here. The ability to live at East Campus also enhances this ability to establish and maintain friendships while also building community in tangible ways. The reason that I have stayed in higher education was the ability to support students and see them accomplish their goals and to go out into the community and world and change it. That still motivates me. The fact that CSUMB is so young we are able to create opportunities and structures that allow us - in collaboration and partnership - to support the success and growth of students at this university. That process is enhanced with this ability to work with colleagues and friends for that cause.

#5: Something that brings me joy at CSUMB is seeing students achieve their goals. Sometimes these are big goals, like earning a major scholarship, being the first in the family to earn a college degree, or gaining admission to graduate school. But often times, it’s the smaller,  things, like finding a major in which they can thrive, successfully completing a tough assignment, or finding their “people” to study with and grow with. Since coming back from our virtual semesters during the early part of COVID, I get to see so much more of the little things firsthand, and I get to see students getting to take advantage of all that CSUMB has to offer in supporting them reaching their goals. One of my impressions of our new president is that she values transparency and bringing people together. I’m excited about the renewed focus on first-year students and their success in foundational courses (like math/stat and writing). This work has been a constant focus for those of us in certain pockets of the campus, but the work has been siloed (and often stymied due to issues navigating between silos). I’m optimistic that a comprehensive, collaborative effort in this area will make a huge impact on our first-year students. I’m also optimistic about changes that are serving to smooth the pathways for transfer students toward graduation (even though some of these changes are painful).

#6 What brings me joy are the accomplishments of our faculty and staff under the seemingly daunting challenges.  When we are at our best, we live under the banner of care with a "can-do" spirit to get things done collaboratively.  The success of our students drives our collective heart's engine.  Dialogue knits our community together so that we feed on hope, not fear.  It's hope that drives the monsters of darkness away so we can better see ourselves together.  

Justice is What Love Looks Like in Public