Aspire is a publication of the College of Liberal Arts at California State University, Long Beach.
PRESIDENT
Jane Close Conoley
PROVOST
Karyn Scissum Gunn
DEAN
Deborah Thien
ASSOCIATE DEANS
Donna Nicol
Seiji Steimetz
EDITOR
Robin Jones
WRITERS
Emily Cain Richie Rodriguez
DESIGN
Gabriella Gobaton
PHOTO
Em Chen
D ebbie Hildreth Pisarcik
California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840-4601
Dear reader,
Welcome to the fourth annual issue of Aspire, the magazine that celebrates all of the great work happening here in the College of Liberal Arts.
Last year was a great one for the CLA. We again hosted our signature events: CLA Day, which brought together about 50 CLA programs and student clubs to showcase what CLA offers, and Discover CLA at Day at the Beach, where we met more than 3,000 potential new students and their friends, families, and supporters.
Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, CLA departments and programs collectively hosted more than 100 intellectual events, and CLA faculty and students were recognized with dozens of awards, including Fulbright awards, National Endowment for the Humanities grants, an Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton fellowship, and an American Debate Association national championship, to name just a few. You can read about these awards, and more, in this issue.
You’ll also get to meet eight of the CLA’s new tenure-track faculty members, learn more about the undergraduate and graduate students who won the college’s top awards this spring, and recognize the faculty members who recently received tenure and promotion.
The centerpiece of this issue is a look back at the history of the CLA. As we celebrate our university’s 75th anniversary this year, it’s exciting to note that the liberal arts have been a part of the school since the beginning. A timeline of important milestones, archival photos, and an interview with former dean and provost Karl Anatol show how the liberal arts are woven into the fabric of the university and remain integral to its mission to this day.
It is my honor to lead this college, where so many people are doing creative, exciting and meaningful work. I hope you enjoy this issue. Thank you for reading, and let us know what you think!
All the best,
Dean D eborah Thien
New TENURE-TRACK faculty
Melissa K. Wrapp Anthropology
DR. MELISSA K. WRAPP joins the anthropology department this fall, where she is teaching Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, the Anthropology of Design, and Economic Anthropology. Dr. Wrapp holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Notre Dame, a master of philosophy in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from UC Irvine.
She has completed two main research projects: her dissertation, on urban design and housing in Cape Town, South Africa, in which she studied racial anxiety and the politics of efforts to transform the city; and a study focusing on the design of financial technology in the U.S. In the future, Dr. Wrapp hopes to combine these two projects and bring her research closer to home by exploring “the relationship between the design of financial technology, real estate, and urban inequality in Southern California,” she says.
In the classroom, Dr. Wrapp aims to create a sense of community. “My philosophy is that teaching is a way of engaging in collective critical thinking, and I design my courses to be accessible and student-centered,” she says. “I strive to create a learning environment that fosters inclusion and studentdriven dialogue.”
Ashley Hopkins Journalism and Public Relations
WRITTEN
BY Emily Cain
DR. ASHLEY HOPKINS joins the journalism and public relations department this fall, where she is teaching courses in news writing, design, and research methods.
Dr. Hopkins holds a B.A. in journalism from James Madison University, an M.S. in magazine journalism from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in journalism from Ohio University. Her main area of research is data mining and privacy, and she has published articles discussing the intersection of technology and journalism and its impact on consumers in Electronic News and the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media.
Dr. Hopkins obtained her doctorate after working as a reporter and copy editor covering county politics for Miami Today, a business publication in South Florida. In the classroom, she will encourage her students to apply the skills they have learned in their studies.
“Through a step-by-step approach that focuses on passion-based learning and discussion, I aim to equip my students with the skills necessary to educate and inform audiences with the news they need, as well as the news they want,” she says.
She is most excited to be involved in the growth of young journalists “I am absolutely most looking forward to getting to know and work with the journalism students on the CSULB campus,” she says. “This upcoming generation of passionate reporters and writers is going to make waves, I can feel it. They get it.”
Briac Halbout Psychology
DR. BRIAC HALBOUT, who holds a bachelor’s degree in life science, master’s degrees in neuroscience and neuropsychopharmacology and addictology, and a Ph.D. in natural sciences, joins the psychology department this fall.
His main area of research focuses on behavioral neuroscience, and he has published articles in Nature Neuroscience and the Journal of Neuroscience. Before pursuing a career in academia, Dr. Halbout worked in research and development at a pharmaceutical company, where he gained experience in drug development and pre-clinical models of psychiatric diseases.
Dr. Halbout looks forward to facilitating growth in his students both as learners and as good community members. “I strive to help students tap into the knowledge and strengths they bring to the classroom and help provide the tools they need to take hold of their education so that they can flourish on an individual level and as members of their communities,” he says.
He is most excited to teach psychobiology and hopes to create a course that addresses climate change. “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world is confronting at the moment,” he says. “I think it would be very neat to develop and teach a course on how climate change affects the brain, and how our brain contributes to, and might help mitigate, the climate crisis.”
“I strive to help students tap into the knowledge and strengths they bring to the classroom and help provide the tools they need to take hold of their education.”
Briac Halbout
Daniela Suárez Romance, German & Russian Languages & Literatures
DR. DANIELA SUÁREZ has been a lecturer at CSULB since 2014 and has taught in the comparative world literature, Chicano and Latino studies, and Romance, German and Russian languages and literature departments. This fall, she joins the tenure track in the RGRLL department.
Dr. Suárez holds two bachelor’s degrees, in Spanish and linguistics; a master’s degree in Hispanic literatures and cultures; and a Ph.D in Latin American literatures and cultures, with an emphasis in critical theory. Her research focuses on the literary representation of the United States by Latin American writers and on the construction of Mexican nationalism and identities in literature.
In addition to teaching 1492 and Beyond and a graduate seminar on Latin American narrative this fall, Dr. Suárez will be creating new courses to incorporate 20th- and 21st-century Mexican and Central American perspectives into the curriculum.
Dr. Suárez prioritizes a student-centered classroom.“This requires a pedagogical approach that de-centers dominant perspectives and that, instead, engages the viewpoints of communities historically underrepresented, like those of women, Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ+ folks, Afrolatines, immigrants, and other marginalized communities,” she says.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Suárez is an active advocate and works for ORALE (Organizing Rooted in Abolition, Liberation & Empowerment), a local NGO that fights for immigrant justice, as a volunteer and board member. She looks forward to bridging her community work with her work at the university.
Blanca-Azucena Pacheco
Chicano and Latino Studies
DR. BLANCA-AZUCENA PACHECO joined the Chicano and Latino studies department this fall, where she is teaching Introduction to Racial and Ethnic Studies and Health Status and Health Care Access. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health promotion and disease prevention, master’s degrees in public health and Latin American studies, and a Ph.D. in Latin American studies. In addition to her degrees, Dr. Pacheco completed training in medical anthropology at the Center for Research and Graduate Studies in Social Anthropology in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Shaped by her upbringing in South Central Los Angeles and rural Guatemala, Dr. Pacheco’s main area of research is in community health, an area of study where she exercises her background in ethnic studies and public health. “My research in community health centers Indigenous and local knowledge on health, illness, and medicine in order to design truly culturally relevant health interventions,” she says.
Throughout her academic and professional career, Dr. Pacheco has contributed to community research projects serving various communities, including Indigenous populations in Guatemala and im/migrant communities in California.
In the classroom, Dr. Pacheco prioritizes critical thinking and hopes to help students use their real-life experiences to make personal connections to the larger “social, historical, and political factors that create health inequities for historically marginalized communities.”
Viola Lasmana
Comparative World Literature
DR. VIOLA LASMANA joins the comparative world literature department this fall, where she will teach Digital Narrative and Culture, Representing the World: Literature and Culture in Contact and Conflict, and CWL 495, the course in which students produce Genre, a comparative world literature journal.
Dr. Lasmana holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in English with a focus on digital media and culture, and her main area of research is at the intersection of transpacific studies, transnational feminisms, critical theory, digital humanities, and global media arts.
“I have always been drawn to ways of thinking about the world that reflect the interconnectedness of cultures, histories, and communities,” she says. “I believe in multidisciplinary scholarship that brings together theory and praxis, in order to work toward better futures and to build communities in solidarity.”
Dr. Lasmana has published multiple articles in journals such as Alternative Historiographies of the Digital Humanities, Film Quarterly, Visual Anthropology, and more.
In the classroom, Dr. Lasmana values community. “I practice a pedagogy and ethics of care in my classroom in order to foster and protect what matters most: a generative learning environment for my students,” she says. “This foundation is key in building a space where learning is shared between teachers, students, and the community at large.”
Kairon Shayne Dumalag Garcia Economics
DR. KAIRON SHAYNE DUMALAG GARCIA joins the economics department this fall. Holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of the Philippines and a Ph.D. in economics from Washington State University, Dr. Garcia focuses on labor economics and the economics of education in her research.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Garcia will continue her research in applied microeconomics and econometrics, areas of study that are deeply personal to her. “Growing up, I observed firsthand how access to quality education can transform communities and open up opportunities,” she says. “By researching these topics, I aim to contribute to policies that enhance educational access and equity and foster a more efficient and fair labor market.”
This fall, Dr. Garcia is teaching Principles of Microeconomics and Advanced Microeconomics. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the diversity of her students, as she understands that each one brings unique expectations and needs to the classroom.
“I have developed my teaching approach based on three core principles: offering flexible learning opportunities, creating an open and inclusive environment, and prioritizing the development of critical thinking skills to foster a comprehensive approach to learning,” she says.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Garcia looks forward to collaborating with colleagues on innovative projects and contributing to new and interesting research.
“I value continuous learning and personal growth,” she says. “Looking ahead, I aspire to make a meaningful impact through my work and continue exploring new opportunities for personal and professional development. I am excited about the future and always on the lookout for ways to enjoy life and grow.”
Jonathan Pando Ocón Geography
DR. JONATHAN PANDO OCÓN joins the geography department this fall, where he is teaching courses in geospatial science and technology, as well as computer programming.
Dr. Ocón holds a B.S. in urban planning from USC and an M.A. and Ph.D. in geography from UCLA. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he worked as an urban planner on projects focused on gentrification abatement, community engagement, and urban design.
Through this work, Dr. Ocón discovered a passion for what is now his main area of research: the urban heat island effect and global tropical dry forest conservation. “I am currently working toward incorporating traditional and local knowledge into the more hegemonic Western approach to studying humans and the environment,” he says.
In the classroom, trust will be a driving force for Dr. Ocón and his students. “I have to trust that students want to be in my class, and the students in turn will need to trust that I will do everything in my power to ensure the course objectives are met,” he says.
As a second-generation Chicano, Dr. Ocón is eager to work at CSULB and join the university’s diverse community. “You mean to tell me I have the chance to join a minority-serving institution ranked highly in prioritizing social mobility with a focus on teaching and an opportunity to continue my research program at the same time?” he says. “Sign me up!”
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Human Development
Kimberly Kelly
TENURED & PROMOTED faculty
WRITTEN BY Robin Jones
Dr. Kimberly Kelly, whose research focuses on the intersection of language and cognitive development, has been promoted to full professor.
In her research, Dr. Kelly uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches and combines developmental psychology, education, and linguistics to examine the factors that contribute to the development of linguistic skills in children. Dr. Kelly’s work on narrative story completion methodologies received the Distinguished Research Award in Human Development from the American Educational Research Association.
Dr. Kelly teaches multiple classes in human development, including courses on approaches to childhood and personal narrative and storytelling, and mentors undergraduate students in her Child Language Interactions and Memory lab. She earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in human development and psychology from the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA.
Asian & Asian American Studies
Kyoungmi Ha
Dr. Kyoungmi Ha, the Korean language and culture program coordinator in the Asian & Asian American studies department, has received tenure and been promoted to associate professor.
Dr. Ha studies discourse/conversation analysis, prosody, second-language acquisition, and language pedagogy. Her current research explores the ways in which Korean speakers use sentence-ending suffixes in ordinary conversation and institutional talk to convey specific social actions and knowledge levels. She teaches Korean Fundamentals, as well as various courses in Asian studies.
Before arriving at CSULB, Dr. Ha taught Korean language classes at San Diego State, UC San Diego, UCLA, and Claremont McKenna College. She received her Ph.D. in Asian languages and cultures, with an emphasis in Korean linguistics, at UCLA.
Human Development
Sandra Arévalo
Dr. Sandra Arévalo, a medical sociologist who investigates the interrelationships between exposure to chronic stressors, structural inequity, and health disparities, has received tenure and been promoted to associate professor.
Dr. Arévalo teaches courses on health disparities, human development and aging, and research methods. Her current research uses epidemiological methods and molecular stress approaches to examine how stress “gets under the skin,” with a focus on the cognitive function and mental health of minoritized population groups.
Dr. Arévalo earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and her master’s and doctorate in sociology at Northeastern University. Before arriving at CSULB, she did postdoctoral research on nutritional epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and on minority aging at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging.
Communication Studies
Stephanie Hartzell
Dr. Stephanie Hartzell has received tenure and been promoted to associate professor. A product of the CSU system, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from Fresno State University and a doctorate in rhetoric and culture from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Dr. Hartzell’s research focuses on critical and cultural communication related to race, racism, and antiracism. She teaches Rhetorical Theory, Communication Criticism, and Rhetoric of Social Movements and Protest, as well as graduate courses focusing on rhetoric, power and identity.
She also serves as a mentor in the University Center for Undergraduate Advising’s GenExcel program, which helps firstgeneration, first-time/first-year students make a successful transition to university life and build a network to help support them throughout their years at CSULB.
Journalism and Public Relations
Madeleine Liseblad
Dr. Madeleine Liseblad, an expert in journalism history, received early tenure and was promoted to associate professor. The chairwoman for the academic journal Journalism History, she teaches courses in media history, media literacy, and global media.
Dr. Liseblad has won top paper awards from the American Journalism Historians Association, the Broadcast Education Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and Kappa Tau Alpha and was named a Rising Scholar in the American Journalism Historians Association’s journal, American Journalism. She also received a Fulbright Specialist Program award in 2022, through which she taught media literacy at Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania.
A member of CSULB’s Committee on Athletics and CLA’s Faculty Council, Dr. Liseblad earned a Ph.D. in journalism and mass communication from Arizona State, an M.A. in communication studies from Cal State Sacramento, and a B.A. in journalism from Point Loma Nazarene University.
Dr. Matthew Mendez Garcia, the executive director of the Long Beach Center for Urban Politics and Policy at CSULB, has received tenure and been promoted to associate professor. A native Californian and firstgeneration college student, Dr. Mendez Garcia received his A.A. from San Jose City College, his B.A. from San Jose State, and his Ph.D. from USC.
Dr. Mendez Garcia studies American politics, with a focus on representation, legislative behavior, race and ethnicity, political behavior, intersectionality, and immigration. His recent article “Doubling Down: Inequality in Responsiveness and the Policy Preferences of Elected Officials,” co-authored with Christian Grose, was featured in Legislative Studies Quarterly.
Dr. Mendez Garcia teaches courses on American government and political parties, campaigns and elections. He was an assistant professor at CSU Channel Islands for four years before coming to CSULB.
Matthew Mendez Garcia
Political Science
Political Science
Charles Mahoney
Dr. Charles Mahoney has been promoted to full professor.
An expert on international security, Dr. Mahoney’s scholarship focuses on violent extremist organizations, defense contractors and private military companies, and U.S. foreign policy. He examines the strategies extremist groups use to advance their organizational and political objectives; the markets for security services and the interaction between defense contractors, Wall Street, and private-equity firms; and the motivations for U.S. arms sales, as well as U.S. counterterrorism strategy. He has recently published articles in Business and Politics and Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.
Dr. Mahoney teaches Introduction to American Government and oversees the internship program in the political science department. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from Williams College and his master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from UCLA.
Human Development
Lauren Heidbrink
Dr. Lauren Heidbrink, a cultural anthropologist who focuses on the anthropology of childhood and migration in Central America, has received early promotion to full professor.
Dr. Heidbrink has published two books: “Migrant Youth, Transnational Families, and the State: Care and Contested Interests” and “Migranthood: Youth in a New Era of Deportation.” She has received two Fulbright fellowships, the most recent of which she used to further her study of local alternatives to migration for Central American children and youth in the western highlands of Guatemala.
Dr. Heidbrink earned her bachelor’s degree in city planning, Latin American studies, and Spanish literature from the University of Virginia, her master’s degree in international public service management from DePaul University, and an additional master’s degree and Ph.D. in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Kimberly Robertson, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, has been promoted to full professor.
Dr. Robertson, an expert in Native and women of color feminism, has published in journals such as Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education, and Society and Wicazo Sa Review. Her pieces have also been included in anthologies, including “Otherwise Worlds: Against Settler Colonialism” and “Anti-Blackness and Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters.” Dr. Robertson is also an artist who uses Native practices to create and serves as a mentor for Meztli Projects, where she leads beading circles and other art-making workshops.
Before arriving at CSULB, Dr. Robertson was an associate professor in the women’s gender and sexuality studies department at Cal State L.A. She received her master’s in American Indian studies and her doctorate in women’s studies at UCLA.
Political Science
Darin DeWitt
Dr. Darin DeWitt, whose research looks at how institutions, elites, and ideas shape American politics, has been promoted to full professor.
His recent publications focus on celebrity elites and efforts to combat misinformation. He has published articles in Political Studies Review and The Journal of Legislative Studies and is working on a book project titled “How Lincoln Won.”
Dr. DeWitt teaches Introduction to American Government and a senior seminar in law, politics, and policy. He received his Ph.D. in political science from UCLA.
Kimberly Robertson
American Indian Studies
Linguistics
Itxaso Rodriguez
Dr. Itxaso Rodriguez received early tenure and has been promoted to associate professor. Having grown up in the Basque Country, Dr. Rodriguez received her bachelor’s degree in English philology at the University of Deusto, Bilbao, and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Hispanic linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Rodriguez’s research focuses on how new speakers of minoritized languages acquire and perceive language variation in situations of language revitalization. She has also explored the ideologies and attitudes held by Spanish-English bilinguals in the U.S. toward bilingual linguistic practices like Spanglish. She is currently embarking on a new project, Perceptual Dialectology in California, in which she examines the ways in which Latinx populations evaluate linguistic variation in the English and Spanish spoken across the state.
Before arriving at CSULB, Dr. Rodriguez was an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. At CSULB, she has taught courses in bilingualism, sociolinguistics, laboratory phonetics, language acquisition, Spanish in the U.S., and the history of Spanish.
Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies
Azza Basarudin
Dr. Azza Basarudin has received early tenure and been promoted to associate professor. A scholar in gender and sexuality studies, her research focuses on transnational feminisms, Muslim cultures and societies, and justice and rights, emphasizing Southeast Asia.
Dr. Basarudin’s articles have been published in Feminist Studies; Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism; Departures in Critical Qualitative Research; Feminist Formations; Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies; and Scholar and Feminist Online. Her book, “Humanizing the Sacred: Sisters in Islam and the Struggle for Gender Justice in Malaysia,” was published by the University of Washington Press in 2016. Her current book manuscript explores the racial, sexual, and queer dimensions of Muslim sociolegal and sociopolitical life in Malaysia.
She has held visiting positions and fellowships at Harvard Divinity School, Syracuse University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and the American University in Cairo. The University of California Humanities Research Institute, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and National Science Foundation, among others, have supported her research.
Dr. Basarudin received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University Utara Malaysia, a master’s degree in women’s studies from Roosevelt University, and her Ph.D. in women’s studies from UCLA.
Shae Miller Sociology
Dr. Shae Miller, whose current research focuses on the ways that allies understand their positions within social movements, and how allies’ strategies and self-concepts relate to the specific contexts in which they act, has received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor.
Dr. Miller received their A.A. from Cabrillo Community College, their bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Santa Cruz, and their master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from UC Santa Barbara. Dr. Miller teaches courses on race, class, and gender, human rights and social justice, and social psychology.
The founder of the campus Queer and Trans Faculty and Staff Association, Dr. Miller chairs the LGBTQIA+ Campus Climate Committee and co-authored CSULB’s Gender-Inclusive Language Resolution. They also led creation of a guide for genderinclusive and gender-neutral language and led the efforts to create the Trans Advocacy Coalition, a campuswide network for trans faculty, staff, and students.
Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies
Lori Baralt
Dr. Lori Baralt, an expert in feminist theory, social movements, and women’s health, has been promoted to full professor.
Dr. Baralt has published articles in Environmental Health Perspectives, Women’s Health Issues, and the Journal of Religion and Health and has presented papers to the National Women’s Studies Association, the American Public Health Association, Sociologists for Women in Society, and the American Sociological Association. Her current research looks at reproductive justice and environmental justice, as well as the sexual and reproductive health knowledge and behaviors of CSULB students.
Dr. Baralt teaches Gender, Race, Sex, and the Body and Reproductive Justice. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from Michigan State University and has completed a specialization in gender, justice and environmental change through the Women and International Development Program.
Giulia Togato
Dr. Giulia Togato has received early tenure and been promoted to associate professor. With a bachelor’s degree in translation, interpreting, and intercultural mediation from the University of Bologna in Italy and a master’s degree in translation and interpreting from the University of Granada in Spain, she teaches multiple classes on interpreting, translation, and psycholinguistics. Dr. Togato received a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience from the University of Granada in Spain.
Dr. Togato’s research in psycholinguistics explores how untrained bilinguals, professional translators, and interpreters diverge or converge from the cognitive point of view due to their different use of the second language.
She also looks at automaticity and cognitive control in trained and untrained bilinguals, embodied cognition and emotionality in the first and second language, figurative language processing in bilinguals, and translation expertise.
Psychology
Araceli Gonzalez
Dr. Araceli Gonzalez has been promoted to full professor.
Dr. Gonzalez’s research concerns the assessment and treatment of anxiety and depression in children, teens, and young adults. Her recent projects have focused on evaluating predictors of positive response to behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression, understanding the attitudes college students have toward mental health care and the barriers to it, and improving the assessment of anxiety and related disorders in diverse groups of young adults.
Dr. Gonzalez teaches undergraduate courses in abnormal psychology and graduate seminars in clinical psychology. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stanford and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the San Diego State/ UC San Diego joint doctoral program. Before arriving at CSULB in 2014, she was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA’s Semel Institute.
RGRLL
FACULTY & STAFF news
WRITTEN BY Richie Rodriguez
WGSS professor recognized by Council for American Overseas Research Centers
Dr. Azza Basarudin, associate professor in the department of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, was selected as one of 14 professors from across the country to participate in the Overseas Faculty Development Seminar “Between Political and Climate Change in Southeast Asia,” held this past summer.
The seminar was presented by the Center for Khmer Studies in Cambodia and the Inya Institute in Myanmar. Sponsored by the Council for American Overseas Research Centers, the seminar aims to assist faculty and administrators in developing international courses and curricula at their home institutions.
“As a feminist scholar for the past 20 years, I have sustained an extensive global network of academics, activists, and civil society actors that I frequently tap into for research and programming," she says. "This
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award broadens my network and enhances my pedagogical practices. It advances my knowledge of Cambodia and Myanmar’s political and climate change implications and how civil societies, media professionals, and environmental organizations respond to these challenges.”
Dr. Basarudin is an interdisciplinary scholar who works at the intersection of gender justice and transnational feminist politics in Muslim communities in North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Dr Azza Basarudin and her colleagues at the Center for Khmer Studies in Cambodia for the Overseas Faculty Development Seminar.
English professor to teach in Bulgaria as Fulbright Visiting Scholar
Professor Clint Margrave, a lecturer in the English department and published poet, will head to Bulgaria in the spring 2025 semester as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar.
Margrave will teach creative writing and literary studies courses at Sofia University in the department of English and American Studies while also working on a personal poetry project focusing on the literal and metaphorical definition of “place.”
One of Margrave’s passions is exploring different cultures. In Bulgaria, he plans to connect with the poetry community by setting up poetry readings of his work and that of his colleagues. He also hopes to build bridges between his students at Cal State Long Beach and those in Bulgaria.
“Eventually you have to go outside of the classroom, and traveling is one of the greatest ways to find inspiration and reflect on things and learn more about other cultures,” he says.
CLA Communications Specialist Wins Staff Award
Over the past 34 years at CSULB, Debbie Hildreth Pisarcik found her niche as the communications specialist in the College of Liberal Arts, where she maintained the college’s web pages and documented all of its many events with her camera. For her efforts, she was recognized this past spring with the John and Phyllis Jung Endowed Full-Time Staff Award.
Hildreth Pisarcik says her passion for photography has allowed her to connect with faculty, staff, and students. Every photography assignment, she says, gave her a chance to focus on the details and gain a different perspective.
“I used to like to say, I’ve never worked a day in my life,” she says. “I’m blessed to be able to do what I do, and I don’t think it's work. It’s helping people move through this little section of life.”
Hildreth Pisarcik was photographing the CLA scholarship awards event when the award was announced and was completely surprised by the honor. It’s especially meaningful, she says, because this fall she will retire and decamp for her new home in Tennessee, where she looks forward to capturing new landscapes with her camera.
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TOP: Professor Clint Margrave will be a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in Bulgaria.
Debbie Hildreth Pisarcik, winner of the John and Phyllis Jung Endowed Full-Time Staff Award.
History professor receives NEH grant to research gender and family in Asia
Dr. Guotong Li recently received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to further her research on gender and family in maritime Asia during the encounters between the Muslim diaspora and Chinese merchants.
The current project grows out of her previous book about chain and family migration of the ethnic She people. Dr. Li appreciates the RSCA and sabbatical awards from CLA, which allowed her time to keep up with her research.
She plans to use the grant to complete the manuscript for a book about the Chinese Muslim community in Quanzhou during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), highlighting their significant yet often overlooked impact on local and global history.
“I will use the one year to finish the writing part, and my goal is to send a book proposal to a university publisher and have my book manuscript submitted for review,” she says.
Dr. Li credits her colleagues and mentors with inspiring her to apply for the grant.
“My advisor back at UC Davis was a very inspiring force for my research,” she says. “She gave me lots of advice on my new project, and every time I had a publication, she would share her opinion or comments on my publication and push me to go forward.”
Communications studies lecturer and Hauth Center director wins part-time lecturer award
A graduate of CSULB two times over, Jamie Wiles has dedicated her career to her alma mater as a lecturer in the communications studies department and the director of the Hauth Center. For her efforts, she received the John and Phyllis Jung Endowed PartTime Lecturer Award from the College of Liberal Arts this spring, an honor she says was deeply gratifying.
At the Hauth Center, Wiles helps students, staff, and community members hone their communication skills by providing one-on-one training in the effective delivery of presentations and speeches. She says the role allows her to establish a connection with students who are looking to move to the next step in their academic career.
“When a student comes in, I want them to leave feeling seen, feeling recognized, and feeling heard,” she says. “And so we try to empower them through helping them find their voice so that they can go out into the world and share their thoughts and feelings with others.”
Her love for Cal State Long Beach and its students and faculty is what’s kept her at the university since she finished her master’s program in 2007.
“Times have changed, so having to reinvent yourself as an instructor, your curriculum, and all of that has been challenging, but very, very rewarding all these years,” she says.
Fulbright award sends English professor to Romania
Inspired by her visit to a friend in Ireland and her deep dive into her own Romanian Jewish ancestry, Dr. Patty Seyburn, a professor in the English department, started writing a book of poems and essays weaving her own personal history with broader themes of immigration and migration.
She will work on her book this fall as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi in Romania, while also lecturing, teaching workshops, and
assisting with the literary magazine at the university.
“I think it’s going to be fascinating for me to see what levels of experience and what kind of knowledge of poetry students are bringing to the table,” she says. “I’m sure I will learn a great deal from them, as well!”
A member of the English department faculty at Long Beach State since 2006, Dr. Seyburn teaches poetry at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
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Dr. Guotong Li, recipient of a National Endowment for Humanities grant.
BOTTOM: Jamie Wiles, winner of the John and Phyllis Jung Endowed Part-Time Lecturer Award.
RIGHT:
Dr Patty Seyburn will be a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in Romania this fall.
History professor named member at Institute for Advanced Study
Assistant professor Dr. Rajbir Singh Judge’s initial reaction was surprise upon learning of his selection as a member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Soon, though, he was filled with excitement at the prospect of working with leading social scientists to develop and complete his second book.
The institute, founded in 1930, provides support for academics studying history, mathematics, and natural and social sciences so that they can focus on theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. Each year, they invite about 200 scholars of the nearly 1,500 applicants from around the world to
become members and spend a year on a research project of their choosing.
During his fellowship, Dr. Judge will be working on the manuscript for his second book, “A Critique of Contextual Reason.” It follows Sikh life in colonial Punjab in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Throughout the work, I attend to the paradoxes of contextual reasoning, including Sikh relations to time and space that remain irreducible to context,” he says.
His inspiration to pursue the fellowship came from colleagues in the history department.
“I was particularly inspired by my
ABOVE: Dr. Rajbir Singh Judge was selected as a member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
colleagues who have won multiple fellowships in the Department of History," he says. "There is a tradition of brilliance one must maintain in order to show one belongs, even though all outward signs might point otherwise.
"But, beyond tradition, my colleagues and friends in history and American Studies, Ulices Piña, Isacar Bolaños, and Preeti Sharma, have won competitive writing fellowships and wanted to, let’s say, pass the baton, which was a challenge I felt compelled to accept.”
HONORsociety
Faculty and students in the College of Liberal Arts earned campuswide recognition this spring. We caught up with them over the summer to find out what they’re doing, what drives them, and what they hope to accomplish next.
WRITTEN BY Robin Jones
LEFT:
Dr Loretta Ramirez, winner of the Early Academic Career Excellence Award.
RIGHT:
Destiny Gilliland,
Outstanding
Undergraduate Student in Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Award.
Dr. Loretta Ramirez
Early Academic Career Excellence Award
When Dr. Loretta Ramirez joined the tenure track in the Chicano and Latino studies department in 2020, she was working on turning her dissertation research into a book. That work came to fruition this year with the publication of “The Wound and the Stitch: A Genealogy of the Female Body from Medieval Iberia to SoCal Chicanx Art” (Penn State University Press, 2024). It was just one reason she received the Early Academic Career Excellence Award this spring.
The book examines rhetorics of woundedness, or “ways that speakers render reality through the perspective of those whose woundedness has been undetected, disregarded, misdiagnosed, or superficially bandaged,” a discipline Dr. Ramirez says has been shaped by Latina artists, writers, and theorists such as Frida Kahlo, Cherríe Moraga, Gloria Anzaldúa, Ana Castillo, Emma Pérez, and Alicia Gaspar de Alba.
Dr. Ramirez brings her research into the classroom in courses such as Chicano and Latino Rhetoric and Archival Quest: Reclaiming Latinx Rhetorics. The cover of her book features self-portrait photography by a former student, Ana Berrelleza.
“In my classes, many of my students are first-generation Latinas,” Dr. Ramirez says. “Within this demographic, students often express emotions of fragmented identities as they daily navigate multiple social and cultural settings but do not sense their belonging in any of those spaces. Many students have learned that voicing the hurt of unbelonging activates a rhetorical belonging within a cultural genealogy that exposes wounds to challenge biases. Realization of rhetorical belonging is profound.”
Beyond her book, Dr. Ramirez has published articles in her discipline’s leading journals, including Rhetoric Review, College Composition and Communication, and Composition Studies. She also mentors first-generation students in the GenExcel program, advises University Honors Program
thesis projects, and leads student researchers in archiving historical Chicana rhetorics.
Her next major project is a new book, “Get Back to Where You Once Belonged: A Chicana-Apache Professor’s Autoethnography on Racial and Rhetorical Belongings,” which studies woundedness in her own life. “I apply a personal lens to detect biopolitical forces that curtail Chicanx wellness by exploring my family as a fragment of a community ruptured by the Vietnam-American War,” she says.
And in the spring 2025 semester, she’ll teach a course she created, Centralizing Latinx Narratives: Seminar in Autoethnography, for the first time.
“I hope my students can join my next research phase as I employ autoethnography to reflect on my intersectionality as impetus for inquiry and social confrontation within ethnic studies discourses and decolonial frameworks,” she says.
Destiny Gilliland Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Research, Scholarly,
and Creative Activities Award
As the lab manager for Dr. Karissa Miller’s Health, Emotions, and Attention Research Technologies, or HeART, Lab, Destiny
Gilliland led and collaborated on multiple projects and scientific abstracts, presenting them at regional, national, and international conferences.
At the same time, she worked with Dr. Leilani Madrigal on a project that looked at the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility climate in higher education and resulted in the preparation and submission of a manuscript. As a result of her top-notch scholarship, the December 2023 graduate was recognized with the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Award this past spring.
A double major in English and psychology, Gilliland began her studies in the biobehavioral health Ph.D. program at Pennsylvania State University in August. There, she’s planning to focus on the mechanisms by which chronic social stressors such as socioeconomic status and various forms of discrimination influence immunological, psychological, and cognitive health across the lifespan.
She was inspired to pursue her research by her grandma, who died in 2021 from inflammatory breast cancer. Doctors said her cancer was likely due to environmental factors and stress.
“I noticed this recurring theme in marginalized groups who suffered from the same disease, as well as other chronic diseases,”
she says. “Seeing so much suffering in these groups, in addition to seeing this health disparity play out in front of me, I became profoundly interested in the effects of stress and stress resilience.”
With her research, Gilliland hopes to use concepts from the social sciences and the biomedical field to generate findings that have been overlooked. She also hopes to answer questions for underrepresented populations and contribute to the dissolving of health disparities. She believes her training in the liberal arts prepared her well for these pursuits
“I decided to study the liberal arts because it offers a unique and holistic approach to understanding the world, blending creativity, critical thinking, and a deep appreciation for human experiences,” she says. “As a double major in psychology and English, I was able to indulge my inherent passion for creativity, innovation, and expression through the study of literature and writing, while simultaneously exploring the intricate workings of the mind and body.”
Dr. Shae Miller
Faculty
Excellence in Equity, D iversity & Inclusion Award
The chair of the LGBTQIA+ Campus Climate Committee and co-founder of the Trans Advocacy Coalition at CSULB, Dr. Shae Miller has been active in outreach and community organizing with the LGBTQIA+ community since before graduate school. This spring, they received the Faculty Excellence in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award for their work promoting recruitment and retention of LGBTQIA+ students, staff, faculty, and administrators, and for their efforts to make CSULB a more inclusive and diverse place.
As LGBTQIA+ Campus Climate Committee chair, Dr. Miller co-authored CSULB’s Gender-Inclusive Language Resolution, led creation of a guide for gender-inclusive and gender-neutral language, and founded the Queer and Trans Faculty and Staff Association on campus.
Through the Trans Advocacy Coalition, created in 2020 to provide a campuswide network for trans students, faculty, and staff, Dr. Miller mentored trans and nonbinary student research assistants and interns and oversaw educational resources, while also working to create the group’s website. The
effort to start the coalition came out of a collaborative effort to provide permanent support for trans students.
“We were working with a lot of trans and nonbinary students who were coming to us in a kind of ad hoc way,” Dr. Miller says. “We decided we needed to put an infrastructure in place in case one of us isn’t available one semester.”
Dr. Miller’s scholarship looks at social movements and identity theory, and their most recent research resulted in an article that was published in Transgender Studies Quarterly. Titled “Trans Aesthetics and Similes of Oppression: Trans-Inclusive Discourse in Queer Spaces,” it examined how inclusive strategies informed by dominant perspectives can reproduce inequitable outcomes.
Dr. Miller encourages their students in the sociology department to think deeply
about the ways they talk about race, class, gender, and identity.
“I’ve had students coming to me saying they tried to get their boyfriend, or their mom, to read this academic article and were having trouble figuring out how to have the conversation, to meet someone where they’re at,” Dr. Miller says. “It’s about translating academic language to everyday language, to get people who wouldn’t otherwise have the conversation to talk about things.”
Many of their students take creative approaches to the challenge. Those who like to draw may make a comic, Dr. Miller says, and musicians can write songs or albums.
“It’s fun,” Dr. Miller says. “I get to know them better and see their understanding of the material and how they use it. That’s something I wouldn’t get to see if they were only writing papers.”
Dr. Eileen Luhr
Distinguished Faculty Advising Award
For nearly 20 years, Dr. Eileen Luhr has worked with the history/social science credential program in the history department. It’s the largest public program of its kind in the state: Since 2015, it’s issued an average of 70 credentials a year, twice the number of CSU Fullerton, the next largest program in the system. For her sustained efforts to prepare the next generation of history teachers for the classroom, she was honored with the Distinguished Faculty Advising Award this spring.
Dr. Luhr started working in history pedagogy as a graduate student at UC Irvine, where she wrote history curriculum for high school classrooms and did in-service professional development with history teachers from local school districts. When she arrived at CSULB in 2006, she worked with Dr. Tim Keirn to “develop a proactive advising culture that emphasized disciplinary preparation and encouraged students to plan simultaneously for the history major and credential pathway.”
Now, Dr. Luhr and Professor Gail Hamilton, a CSULB history graduate, interview every candidate who enters the credential program. Talking to students “about their experiences in history classrooms and their desire to become teachers” is one of Dr. Luhr’s favorite parts of the job.
“They are driven by an idealistic desire to give back to their communities—and provide a path to a better future for young people—by offering intellectually rigorous, culturally affirming, and investigation-based
LEFT:
Dr. Shae Miller, winner of the Faculty Excellence in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award.
RIGHT:
Dr. Eileen Luhr, winner of the Distinguished Faculty Advising Award.
pedagogy,” she says.
In addition to leading the credential program, Dr. Luhr also works with in-service teachers who return to the master’s program in the history department in a graduate-level history pedagogy class that serves as the first step in a “teaching track” for teachers who want to bring recent historiography, especially literature that illuminates gaps in the California History-Social Science standards, together with culturally responsive and discipline-based pedagogies.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Luhr studies the intersection of religion, politics, and consumer culture. Her latest book, “Golden States: How California Religion went from Cautionary Tale to Global Brand,” was published by the University of California Press this month. Drawing on case studies ranging from surfing and yoga practices to Dr. Bronner’s Soaps to the only designated “Blue Zone” in the United States, it provides a history of the long-term impact of alternative religions and spiritualities on Southern California’s cultural landscape.
“The project highlights ongoing tensions in Southern California as communities navigated whether the commitment to the emotional and therapeutic needs and desires of individual believers should be pursued at the expense of broader efforts to achieve collective well-being,” Dr. Luhr says. “I’m very happy with how the book worked out— particularly the chapter on Dr. Bronner’s Soaps—and am delighted with the cover design.”
AND THAT'S not all...
Congratulations to the 13 CLA faculty members who received the President’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement.
Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed Sociology
Dr. Chi-Ah Chun Clinical Science
Dr. Nancy Hall Linguistics
Dr. Jayne Howell Anthropology
Dr. Neil Hultgren English
Dr. Ali Igmen History
Dr. Kevin Johnson
Communication Studies
Dr. Amy Cabrera Rasmussen Political Science
Dr. Kristy Shih Human Development
Dr. Christopher Warren Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Dr. Nellie Wieland Philosophy
Dr. Cory Wright Philosophy
Dr. Arturo R. Zavala Behavioral Neuroscience
2.2
75 YEARS OF liberal arts
WRITTEN BY Emily Cain & Robin Jones
As CSULB celebrates a milestone anniversary this year, we take a look back at the history of the College of Liberal Arts through archival photos, a timeline, and a conversation with one of the college’s most important leaders.
The liberal arts have been a part of CSULB since the university’s inception. From its very first year in 1949, the school has offered a variety of courses in humanities, social sciences, and languages.
Now, 75 years later, the College of Liberal Arts encompasses 29 departments, houses 11 centers and institutes, and offers
more than 30 majors and 50 minors. With nearly 700 faculty members and more than 9,000 students, it is one of the largest colleges in the entire California State University system.
The route to the establishment of the CL A featured several twists and turns, mergers and additions, changes and reversions.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CSULB University Archives
Leaders in Humanities and Social Sciences
In the early 1950s, courses at CSULB—then known as Long Beach State College—focused mainly on teacher education, business education, and the liberal arts. Two divisions, as the colleges were then called, housed liberal arts classes: the Division of Social Sciences, which included economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology, and the Division of Language Arts, composed of the English, speech, French, and Spanish departments. Psychology and philosophy were included in their own division with education.
In the ensuing decade, anthropology joined the Division of Social Sciences, and philosophy moved to the Division of Language Arts, which also added journalism, German, Russian, and comparative literature and went through a few name changes before becoming the Division of Humanities in the 1960s.
The two divisions came together, along with the ethnic studies departments, in the late 1960s to create the School of Letters and Science—only to split up again in the late 1970s, becoming the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the School of Humanities. It would stay that way for more than 15 years, until the College of Liberal Arts was formed, bringing together the diverse collection of departments the college is today.
Ethnic Studies Pioneers
CSULB’s ethnic studies departments made history as some of the first programs of their kind in the CSU system. The university offered programs to study a diverse range of cultures starting in the late 1960s.
In 1968, the course catalog included an Asian studies program, and the following year, students had the option to earn a certificate in Asian American studies. In 1969, the course catalog included 20 courses under the new Black studies department, which would eventually become Africana studies.
In 1970, a full ethnic studies section first appeared in the course catalog under the School of Letters and Sciences. In addition to Asian American, Chicano and Latino, and Black studies, the section included courses in American Indian studies, and within a few years, students could earn a certificate or minor in the subject.
The Chicano and Latino studies department was officially established and offered as a major in 1972. Two years later, in 1974, bachelor’s degrees in Asian American studies and Africana studies were offered.
LEFT:
A psychology professor with students
RIGHT:
Construction of the LA-1 building, 1962
BELOW:
Latinx journalism students receive scholarships, 1973
A Legacy of Languages
Language instruction has a rich history at CSULB. French and Spanish were offered from the earliest days of the university, and students were invited to major in these languages starting in 1961. One year later, German was established as a major and the first classes in Russian were offered.
In the late 1960s, French, German and Spanish combined to become the foreign languages department. They split again a few years later into three separate departments: French-Italian; German, classics, and Eastern languages; and Spanish-Portuguese. They rejoined in the late 1990s to form the department they are today: Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literature.
And RGRLL isn't the only place students can go to find courses in languages. Classics, a part of the comparative literature department, offers classes in Greek and Latin; the linguistics department provides classes in American Sign Language; and the Asian and Asian American studies department gives students the opportunity to study Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Khmer.
September 28, 1949
The school that will become California State University, Long Beach, opens in a converted apartment building under the name Los Angeles-Orange County State College.
1950
The school is renamed Long Beach State College, and the Long Beach City Council purchases 320 acres of land as the college’s new site.
1950
The Division of Social Sciences is formed, with courses in economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology.
1950-1951
Classes in English, speech, French, and Spanish are offered in the Division of Language Arts.
1951
Construction of the permanent campus begins
1951
Sociology is offered as a major for the first time, with courses such as Principles of Sociology and Social Classes.
1952
A social anthropology curriculum is offered in the course catalog under the Division of Social Science. It includes courses in Indian Cultures of America and Indians in California.
1954-1955
The Liberal Arts buildings are designed and constructed.
1963
The Division of Language Arts becomes the Division of Humanities, and comparative literature joins the division.
1964
The university is renamed California State College at Long Beach.
1966
The English-journalism department splits into two separate departments.
1968
Asian and Latin American studies sections appear in the class catalog for the first time.
1970
The speech department in the School of Letters and Sciences becomes the speech communication department. Students can choose between general speech and speech pathology and are offered the opportunity to earn an interdisciplinary certificate in language and communication.
1970
A special program in religious studies is offered for the first time.
1970
Linguistics joins the School of Letters and Sciences.
1970
Ethnic studies courses, including classes in American Indian studies, Asian American studies, Black studies, and Mexican American studies, are all offered in the School of Letters and Sciences for the first time, marking the birth of one of the first ethnic studies programs in the CSU system.
November 1970
Construction of the psychology building is completed.
1972
The university is renamed California State University, Long Beach.
1973
A certificate in religious studies is first offered.
1973
The Center for Women’s Studies first appears under special programs in the course catalog.
1975
A minor in women’s studies is offered with courses on Black Women in America and Issues in Contemporary Feminism.
1977
The School of Letters and Sciences is split into the School of Humanities and the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
1978
The first human development courses are offered, including Prenatal Development through Adolescence and Cultural Influences on Human Development.
1980
The humanities building is renamed to honor former president Dr. Carl W. McIntosh in recognition of the exceptional enrollment increase during his service.
1992
The international studies department joins the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
1993
The College of Humanities and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences join to form the College of Liberal Arts.
1999
The Jewish studies program is founded and joins the College of Liberal Arts.
2018
A bachelor’s degree in public relations is offered under the journalism and public relations department.
CATCHING UP WITH Karl Anatol
The former provost and dean of the School of Humanities reflects on his years at Cal State Long Beach
Many know Karl Anatol as the name on one of the most popular conference centers on campus But the former communication studies professor left a legacy at CSULB that amounts to much more than those busy rooms in the Academic Services building.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Anatol served in leadership roles across the university, culminating in a 12-year run as provost that ran throughout the 1990s, a decade that saw the opening of the Pyramid and the Carpenter Center, the creation of the President’s Scholars program, and the merger that created the College of Liberal Arts.
Born in Trinidad in 1935, Dr. Anatol came to the U.S. in 1960 to study at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where he received his bachelor’s degree.
After earning a master’s degree at Purdue University, Dr. Anatol joined the faculty at CSULB at the same time he began his doctoral studies at USC, which he completed in
1974 with a doctoral dissertation titled “The Assessment of the Effects of an Interviewer’s Race, Status and Subjects’ Social Classification on Black Interviewees’ Opinionnaire Responses.”
In 1977, he became the chair of the department of speech communication, a role he held for a year before being named the associate dean of the School of Humanities. He was promoted to dean in 1983, where he served for six years. In 1989, he took on the role of acting provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, a role that was made permanent in 1990. He remained as provost until his retirement in 2002, serving one year in the middle of his tenure, from 1993 to 1994, as the university’s acting president.
We spoke with Dr. Anatol about his work at CSULB, his memories of his time on campus, and the importance of the liberal arts
"THE CONVENING OF THE LIBERAL ARTS IN THE UNIVERSITY SETTING BRINGS VITAL TONIC TO THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE INEVITABLY MUST HAVE DURING A LIFETIME."
- KARL ANATOL
What was your main area of study/research as an academic?
For quite some time, I have held onto an interest in assuring clarity in the use of the spoken word, privately and publicly and formally. Language is our currency. We need to receive it, spend it, and share it strategically. My main area of study has always been the impact of human communication and the tools that insured mission accomplishment.
How did CSULB change over the years you were there?
The Quonset Huts that marked most of the so-called lower campus administrative and teaching sites are gone. Parking opportunities were improved via a sturdy basis of strategic planning. Faculty scholarship has been recognized as a vital foundation for student achievement.
Since your retirement, what do you miss most about CSULB?
I miss the interaction with colleagues and the hustle and bustle that student involvement brings.
Why did you choose to go into leadership/administration?
Mine was not a conscious and planned assault on opportunity. It seems to me that in the university there are those who get pushed into the rooms wherein there is no exit And there you are! Titled although not always entitled. At times there is the award of the driver’s license without test or training. It is a tricky business, governed by clocks and calendars that insist on forward movement.
The Anatol Center is one of the busiest event spaces on campus. Why was it important to you to ensure that faculty and staff had a space to come together for meetings and to host their events?
The development of a university happens through conversation and discussion. The Anatol Center provides such a forum, and I regard it as the university’s “drawing room.”
What did you like most about working at CSULB?
I appreciated how the faculty at CSULB grew into its high regard for the maintenance of scholarly sharpness through research and publication. The growth toward university status has required diligent regard for small rations, but the work gets done! My favorite memory centers on my regard for the brilliant leadership of Robert “Bob” Maxson. If ever there was a university president who propelled a program through application of genuine regard for the institution’s personnel—its students, staff and faculty— Bob Maxson was superb!
What is the importance of the liberal arts in academia and society?
The convening of the liberal arts in the university setting brings vital tonic to the conversations that we inevitably must have during a lifetime. When one is alone because of choice or circumstance, it would be encouraging to anticipate that when one “knocks upon oneself,” someone inside will answer, thanks to an education in the liberal arts
STUDENT success
WRITTEN BY Emily Cain
RIGHT: Debate duo Diego Flores and Curtis Ortega put together a historic season for Beach Forensics in 2023-24.
Beach Forensics team wins national tournament and more
Diego Flores and Curtis Ortega, a policy debate duo for CSULB’s speech and debate team, also known as Beach Forensics, put together a historic season over the past year.
The duo earned first place at the American Debate Association, where Diego also won first-place speaker and Debater of the Year and Curtis earned fifth-place speaker. They also qualified as semifinalists at the Cross Examination Debate Association, where Diego again took home first-place speaker and Debater of the Year and Curtis earned third-place speaker. At the National Debate Tournament, the duo qualified as quarterfinalists.
They credit much of their success to their preparation and flexibility. While getting their arguments ready for major tournaments, Flores and Ortega would adjust their strategy based on the preferred style of the team they were facing.
“As we figured out the trends that each team decided to follow, we’d continue refining the types of arguments we wanted to do,” he says.“If they were able to create arguments against our position, they wouldn’t be able to create them again.”
As a team, Flores and Ortega maintained a critical race theory lens, prioritizing the perspectives of marginalized communities in the structure of their positions. They weren’t sure how well that approach would work in the American Debate Association national tournament—but it was one of their best showings of the year.
“It was a very traditional tournament where [typically] conservative-leaning arguments win,” Flores says. “I didn’t think it would be done.”
For Flores, the Cross Examination Debate Association national tournament was probably his most significant win of the year, as it represented a full-circle moment for him.
“That was the tournament I felt influenced by the most as a high schooler,” he says. “Every single person who won firstplace speaker, those were the people I looked up to.”
CLA Outstanding
Baccalaureate winners reflect on their time at CSULB as they look toward the future
Every year, the College of Liberal Arts names its top graduates. We caught up with the 2024 honorees before they set off on their postgrad journeys.
Raya Torres has a desire to learn that not only got her through a challenging start at CSULB, but also guided her to outstanding academic success during her four years at the university.
As a freshman in 2020, Torres began her higher education online—and on the other side of the globe. Living in the Philippines, Torres had to log on to her classes between midnight and 5 a.m. throughout her entire first year of college. Despite this undeniably
difficult experience, Torres excelled.
“I’ve always loved being challenged by difficulties,” Torres says. “I feel a lot more fulfilled and accomplished once I get through them. So, despite everything that I went through during the pandemic—trying to be awake while my little sister was asleep in the bed next to me, trying to be as quiet as possible, and all that—I think I was able to get through most of it through just wanting to persevere.”
Along with her thirst for learning, Torres attributes her ability to adapt to the support of her professors and family, who she remained close to after moving to the United States in 2021.
“One of my biggest constants was my family, so having moved 7,000 miles away from them and staying in a place longterm without them was definitely a shift,” Torres says. “I felt very supported by them regardless.” After discovering she won the Baccalaureate Award, Torres immediately
RIGHT: Raya Torres, CLA Outstanding Baccalaureate winner.
JJ Mueller-Dombois, CL A Outstanding Baccalaureate winner.
called her mom, who quickly picked up the call, even with the nearly 15-hour time difference.
At CSULB, Torres majored in journalism and minored in psychology, a combination of studies that helped her develop valuable interpersonal skills for her career path. She holds extreme gratitude for her mentor, assistant professor Jesus Ayala, who has helped her grow professionally and personally.
During her time at The Beach, Torres contributed to nearly all the student publications, and she eventually became the first executive producer of Beach TV News. In 2021, she co-founded the student chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association for CSULB and remained involved in on-campus clubs throughout her time at the university.
Post-graduation, Torres plans on pursuing a career in broadcast journalism at a major news network and hopes to one day be an international correspondent.
For JJ Mueller-Dombois, CSULB was the obvious choice. As a Long Beach local, they found the transition to university easy, thanks to the school’s proximity to home and its active community engagement.
Starting in their freshman year, Mueller-Dombois was involved with multiple on-campus clubs, especially those geared toward psychology students. They served as president of the Psychology Student
Association, vice president of Psi Chi, a board member of the Psychology Transfer Student Association, and a peer mentor for the Psychology Resource Office.
Mueller-Dombois’s fascination with psychology started in high school and grew through their studies as a psychology major and creative writing minor at CSULB. During their time at the university, MuellerDombois was closely guided by faculty.
“One of the most enriching discussions I’ve ever had in my 20 years of life was when I got to sit down with Dr. Ahrens, Dr. Illingworth, Professor Tuttle, and Dr. Miller about their careers,” Mueller-Dombois says. “Each of the people I spoke to helped in a different way. I got some advice about what to avoid and then what to look toward.”
Mueller-Dombois was overwhelmed to be recognized with the Baccalaureate Award. “It was a very surreal experience, and I never thought I would be in that position,” Mueller-Dombois says. “I think that even despite being engaged in your academic community, you never really know what other people are doing or what their academic achievements are, so it’s a very bizarre and out-of-body experience to be one of the people being recognized.”
In the fall, Mueller-Dombois will be attending Claremont Graduate University’s doctorate program in psychology. They plan to earn their master’s degree and one day become a professor at CSULB or another CSU, where they hope to create a research lab focused on narrative media.
RIGHT:
CLA’s Best Master’s Thesis Awards go to students in history and geography
Every year, the College of Liberal Arts recognizes graduate students with the Best Master’s Thesis awards. We spoke with this year’s winners about their research and plans for the future.
After her son suggested she finish her college education as a reentry student, Julie Haltom earned her bachelor’s degree from CSULB, where she double majored in geography and American studies. Following the guidance of her undergrad professors, Haltom continued at the university to earn her master’s degree in history.
Her thesis, titled “Five Acres of Freedom: Jackrabbit Homesteading in the Mojave Desert, 1938-1976,” focuses on small-tracked homesteads in California and how the motivations and attitudes of their residents evolved throughout the federal initiative to make use of the land.
“My father’s family were homesteaders,” she says. “His grandfather emigrated here, got a homestead in Nebraska, then moved to Colorado, which is why I ended up writing my thesis on frontier stuff.
“But, I’ve just always kind of loved it. I’m interested in why things happen and the people who have moved our country forward or backward.”
Haltom’s time in graduate school was no simple task, but it was made possible by the careful understanding of her thesis committee. Over the past year, Haltom juggled working on her thesis, working as a writing tutor for the history department,
and caring for her mother, who was recently diagnosed with dementia, all with a long commute to and from campus.
“All of them really took the time to work with me on various things to make sure that I was a better historian, a better teacher, and a better writer—and also just that I was thriving,” she says. “Dr. Luhr, in particular, always made sure I wasn’t overloaded and I was taking time for myself, which was wonderful.”
Currently, Haltom is working on turning the first chapter of her awardwinning thesis into an article. She is also a lecturer in the CSULB history department.
“I want to help other people find their path,” she says. “So I figured I’d do that through history, which I love.”
Mary Venegas, a first-generation college student, earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and policy from CSULB, where she also minored in geography. After two years serving in the Peace Corps post-graduation, Venegas returned to continue her education at The Beach and earned her master’s degree in geography.
As an environmentalist, Venegas was set on pursuing an education that aligned with her values, beginning in her undergrad years and extending into her career.
“I always focused on what nature meant to me, and for my mental health especially,” she says. “Something that I used to cope was being in nature, whether it was having plants in my room or something like that, and I think that was super important. Even during my downtime, I always found myself going to the river or being underneath a tree. To me, that meant so much.”
LEFT: Julie Haltom, CL A Best Master’s Thesis Award winner.
RIGHT: Mary Venegas, CL A Best Master’s Thesis Award winner.
Venegas’s stint in the Peace Corps, in Jamaica, was inspired by a high school teacher. It was this two-year experience that led to her award-winning thesis, “Vulnerabilities and Resilience to Weather Events: Woodford Saint Andrew, Jamaica.”
“I got to learn more about what climate justice was and what vulnerabilities were— who was suffering and why? It was really nice to be there and observe,” she says.
While pursuing her master’s degree, she learned how much environmental science and policy intersect with geography. “[Geography] is not just about maps and capitals,” she says. “There’s physical geography, there’s sociology, social justice, and land-use planning. I think for me, it was about understanding humans and the environment.”
Venegas remains grateful to her support system and advising team for leading her to success in graduate school.
“I want to sincerely thank Dr. Hytrek, my thesis chair, for being a consistent source of support and guidance during my graduate studies,” she says. “I am also grateful to Dr. House-Peters and Dr. Sidorov, my two committee members, for their insightful feedback and encouragement. Finally, I want to thank my husband, Heliodoro, and my son, LoLo Sigala, for their constant encouragement.”
Venegas is now working as an executive director for her local chamber of commerce, where she focuses on youth development and education, while also teaching online for a high school and community college in rural Iowa. She hopes to one day work for the Environmental Protection Agency.
DONATO CENTER CELEBRATES Grand Opening
The Clorinda Donato Center for Global Romance Languages and Translation Studies marked its grand opening with a ribboncutting ceremony and celebration in March.
largest philanthropic investment in the CLA to date. He and Dr. Donato were childhood friends who grew up together in the San Fernando Valley.
LEFT: Mario Giannini and Dr Clorinda Donato at the opening of the center.
BELOW:
Dean Deborah Thien and President Jane Close-Conoley celebrate the new center's opening.
Established through an initial donation in 2017 from businessman Mario Giannini, the center supports research and instruction in translation studies and Romance languages in global, linguistic, and cultural contexts. It houses the minor and graduate certificate programs in translation studies and also collaborates on the major option in translation offered by the linguistics department.
The specialized instruction provided through the center aims to prepare students for professional jobs in translation and interpretation in industries such as healthcare and the court system. It also teaches students how to use technologies such as close-captioning and dubbing, and it helps students understand how to respect regional nuances in languages.
Giannini’s donation, which has grown to more than $8 million since 2017, is the
“Centers of excellence should be named after the people who drive that excellence and vision so they can serve as an inspiration to students and faculty,” Giannini says. “Clorinda clearly provided that drive and vision.”
Dr. Donato, a professor of French and Italian, started on the tenure track at CSULB in 1988 after earning her Ph.D. in Romance languages, literatures, and linguistics from UCL A. She specializes in translation in historical perspective, especially in 18thcentury texts; French and Italian language pedagogy for Spanish speakers; and gender in translation.
The center is the only one of its kind housed at a public university in California. The next phase in its development will include new degree programs, courses, and collaborations.
