CELEBRATING A NEW CENTER

FROM LEFT: CSULB College of Liberal Arts alums John Molina (Economics, 1986) and Rep. Robert Garcia (Communication Studies, 2002) celebrated the opening of the Long Beach Center for Urban Politics and Policy this June with Dr. Matthew Mendez Garcia, CLA Dean Deborah Thien and CSULB President Jane Close Conoley. The center, which supports and advances interdisciplinary research focused on Long Beach, is housed within the College of Liberal Arts. Dr. Mendez Garcia, a political science assistant professor, will serve as the center’s executive director, and a substantial gift from Molina will provide funding for much of the center’s work.