NEWS BRIEFS

CSUMB Otter Athletics inducts inaugural Hall of Fame members

California State University, Monterey Bay, announced its inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class this year. The first honorees — including eight student-athletes, two coaches and one national championship team — were inducted on Feb. 16, 2019, at the University Center.

“Our Hall of Fame allows us to recognize individuals who have shaped our identity and contributed significantly to the growth of our university and athletics programs,” Director of Athletics Kirby Garry said. “(We) look forward to building on this new tradition in future years.” In alphabetical order, the inductees were: Dana Andrews – Women’s Basketball (2006-09), all–time leading scorer; Bobbi Bonace – Administrator/Coach (1996-2007), first director of intercollegiate athletics; Cicillia Chudivan – Women’s Golf (2007-10), All-American, all-time winningest golfer; Rheann Fall – Volleyball (2008-11), All-American, career kills leader; Brian Haggett – Baseball (2012-13), first Academic All-American; Bob Johnson – Community supporter, passionate backer of Otter Athletics and CSUMB; Devougn Lamont – Men’s Basketball (2005-06), first player to average 20 points per game; Chealsea (Laning) Brown – Water Polo (2005-08), career record holder for goals and points; Ashlee Trotter – Softball (2006–09), captain of first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship team; Bill Trumbo – Administrator/Coach (2000-06), led CSUMB to NCAA Division II membership; Erik Uppman – Cross Country (1998-2001), captain of first conference championship team (California Pacific Conference); Team of Distinction – 2011 Men’s Golf Team, CSUMB’s first national championship team.

College of Business launches Responsible Business MBA

The College of Business at CSUMB launched the world’s first Responsible Business Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program in fall 2019. The entirely new curriculum is designed around the theme of “Innovation, Responsibility, Impact,” with a quintuple bottom line adding “Ethics” and “Equity” to the traditional triple bottom line of “People, Planet, Profit.”

“We’re emphasizing critical systems thinking, continuous improvement, integrated communications, and creative problem solving — in an expanded quintuple bottom line context — to develop the Responsible Business mindset and toolkit,” Dean Shyam Kamath said.

Responsible Business goes beyond the triple bottom line to educate business leaders to develop and transform organizations into 21st-century business models. The quintuple bottom line enables businesses to achieve financial success while taking care of valuable human and environmental resources, Kamath said.

With busy working professionals and executives in mind, the program is 100% online to offer maximum flexibility. The curriculum consists of 38 units delivered in sequence across 14 individual courses. The online MBA degree can be earned in as few as 18 months.

“The faculty have thoughtfully created a unique education experience,” said Nicolas Dahan, program director. “It builds on the university’s tradition of concern for community, ethical leadership, social justice, and environmental stewardship.” Go online to mba.csumb.edu to learn more.

WASC grants accreditation for 10 more years

California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) achieved reaffirmation of its accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in July 2019. The reaffirmation is for 10 years, the longest achievable period of accreditation.

The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) commended CSUMB in a number of areas, particularly the increase in graduation rates since 2011. A recent Chronicle of Higher Education publication recognized CSUMB as one of three public universities in the U.S. with the greatest improvements in graduation rates. The Commission also praised the university for its commitment to the whole student, a culture of innovation and strong regional stewardship.

“I would like to thank all the many faculty, staff and administrators who made this achievement possible through their on-going and lasting commitment to reflection and improvement which was visible throughout the Institutional Report submitted to WSCUC as part of the reaccreditation effort,” President Eduardo M. Ochoa said. Accreditation aids institutions in developing and sustaining effective educational programs and assures the educational community, the general public, and other organizations that an accredited institution has met high standards of quality and effectiveness.

CSUMB professor, researchers decode white shark genome

Assistant Professor Nate Jue with the School of Natural Sciences at Cal State Monterey Bay collaborated with an international team of researchers to decode the entire genome of the white shark. The results of their study were announced in March 2019 and marked a major scientific breakthrough which could assist in cancer prevention in humans.

The findings were published in the scientific journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” Through comparisons with other species, genetic adaptations in the white sharks can help scientists better understand how important processes like the repair of damaged DNA may function in other organisms including humans.

The researchers discovered unique blood-clotting and cancer-protection genes within the white shark genome. Further studies may assist medical researchers in their efforts to prevent cancer, treat age-related ailments and heal injuries in humans.

In addition, researchers were shocked to discover the size of the white shark genome measured approximately one-and-a-half times the size of the human genetic code.

Decoding the white shark genome may also assist with the conservation of this often feared, yet vulnerable species by providing information about white shark population dynamics.