CSUN Magazine Fall 2025

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FA L L 2025 Awareness, Aspiration, Access

14 Teaching All Minds

20 Brewed With Matador Spirit

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Proud Gathering ancers in traditional regalia perform at the 2024 CSUN Powwow, a beloved annual event that celebrates the American Indian communities living in Los Angeles County and throughout Southern California. This year's powwow — CSUN's 40th! — is scheduled to take place Nov. 29 in the Sierra Quad. To learn more, visit csun.edu/humanities/ american-indian-studies. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

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2 Hashtag

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#cantwait What class are you most excited for, Matadors? Tell us what's got you pumped for the fall semester.

Learn more about CSUN and join the conversation on social media: @csun_edu on TikTok.

I can't wait for...

FROM THE VIDEO

“Forensic Anthropology!”

“Chemistry” “Sports Management” “Computer Technology!”

BACK TO SCHOOL A Matador engineering major heads to his first classes of the semester.

“Genetics”

FROM THE COMMENTS

✈🌎✨

@lou_portella Emergency Health Procedures! It’s an amazing class. @Roufhaus O-Chem

👏👏👏

F E AT U R E S

Fall 2025

Contents

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Awareness Aspiration Access

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Andrew Anagnost ’87 makes an indelible mark on his alma mater.

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Teaching All Minds CSUN brings inclusive education to neurodiverse students through the CHIME Institute, Explorers program and more.

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Brewed With Matador Pride Derrick Olson ’10 and his cousin keep it real as they celebrate a decade of building community at 8one8 Brewing.

D E PA R T M E N T S

COVER: ILLUSTRATION BY GLENN HARVEY; PHOTO © GETTY IMAGES/ EMMA MCINTYRE

5 This is CSUN News from Northridge 8 New Digs ATEC: Make, Break, Discover

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11 In My Bag Dive deep with marine bio prof Alexandra Davis 32 Athletics Inside CSUN Athletics 34 Matador Moments Alumni news 42 Class Notes & In Memoriam

4 President’s Letter NUMBER 81, FALL 2025

Building Success and Opportunity Andrew Anagnost ’87 Makes an Indelible Mark on CSUN, Opening Doors for Boundless Possibility.

PUBLISHER Nichole Ipach Vice President for University Relations and Advancement, and President of the CSUN Foundation

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Wendy Shattuck interim Associate Vice President, Strategic

elcome to the new academic year! The CSUN campus is buzzing with more than 37,000 Matadors enrolled for the fall semester, and I’m filled with profound gratitude for the extraordinary generosity and vision that continue to propel CSUN forward.

Over the summer, we celebrated the grand opening of our new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center (ATEC), born from a shared vision with Autodesk, Inc. — a shared vision of equitable opportunity and infinite possibility for students to explore careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Autodesk’s CEO (and CSUN alumnus), Dr. Andrew Anagnost, has helped shape a tech giant that empowers innovators and changemakers around the globe to design and make a better world. With Andrew’s encouragement as a proud Matador, Autodesk’s gift has brought this center of possibility to reality for our students, faculty and community.

A longtime supporter of CSUN, Andrew himself has made an indelible mark on our university with a personal gift to support the Andrew J. Anagnost College of Engineering and Computer Science, which we renamed in his honor. Having gifted more than $22.1. million to CSUN, Andrew’s is the largest alumni contribution in CSUN’s history. What makes Andrew’s generosity particularly meaningful is why he has chosen to make such a significant investment in CSUN’s future. To learn much more about Andrew and his CSUN journey, about ATEC and about CSUN’s exciting plans for equity-focused STEAM programming, read on!

This issue also features a look at how CSUN brings inclusive education to neurodiverse students through the CHIME Institute, Explorers program, campus support and much more. And finally, we share an inspiring example of the entrepreneurial spirit that distinguishes Matadors, as we catch up with engineering alumnus Derrick Olson ’10, co-founder of local favorite 8one8 Brewery.

As we embark on this new academic year together, I’m excited about the limitless possibilities ahead for our Matador community. The stories you’ll read in these pages reflect the innovation, inclusivity and entrepreneurial spirit that define CSUN — values that will continue to guide us as we shape the future.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Go Matadors!

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With gratitude,

Erika D. Beck, Ph.D. President

Communication and Brand Management

ADVISOR Diane Wai Director of Strategic Communication

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Olivia Herstein

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Page 33 Studio Art Direction/Design

CONTRIBUTORS Jacob Bennett Development Communications Officer

Nick Bocanegra Assistant Director, Sports Communications

Carmen Ramos Chandler Director of Media Relations

Ringo Chiu ’01 Photographer David J. Hawkins ’16 Photographer Naz Keynejad ‘95, M.A. ‘16 Alumni/Annual Giving Communications Associate

Kevin Lizarraga ’01, M.A. ’04 Director of University Marketing

Matt Monroe Associate Athletics Director, Sports Communications

Marco Ortiz ’21 Web Producer Josselyn Partida ’16 Social Media Editor/Writer Kimon Rethis Senior Web Producer Carissa Rhoads Administrative Analyst Javier Rojas Media Relations Specialist Jesse Spero Lead Web Content Writer Jenny O’Mara Steinbeck ’90, B.A. ’91 Writer/Editor

Student Writers Ruby Durant, Alondra Ponce, Student Photographers Blake Fagan, Sonia Gurrola

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News from Northridge

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In this edition 1 Donna Z. Sheng , professor of physics and astronomy, elected to prestigious Academy. | page 7 2 Lisa Jackson , environmental and equity leader, receives honorary doctorate | page 37 3 Art students contribute murals to new Trader Joe’s | page 12 4 Alumnus Jae C. Hong ’06 captures World Press Photo Award | page 12 5 Kalli Arte Collective serves as first Artist-in-Residence | page 6 ILLUSTRATION BY MAX-O-MATIC

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Who We Heard We heard from the former Second Gentleman, celebrated a beloved K-9 and learned about the business of soccer with Stacy.

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Doug Emhoff ’87 Former U.S. Second Gentleman and proud alum Doug Emhoff ’87 (Communication Studies) offered encouragement and wisdom to Matador entertainment alumni, at a July 1 program at the Penske Media Corporation Los Angeles headquarters atop the LUMEN West L.A. building.

ARTS

Art Meets World Artist-in-Residence Shows Students How to Leap from Classroom to Art World.

In spring 2025, Kalli Arte Collective worked as CSUN’s first Virginia A. Orndorff Artist-in-Residence, a program that brings critically acclaimed artists to the Department of Art and Design for a 15-week residency. The residency is the culmination of efforts and conversation among faculty, staff and longtime donors Virginia ’00 and Chris Orndorff to develop career pathways for student artists in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.

The residency was tied into the curriculum of professor Mario Ontiveros’ Exhibition Design course. Students in the class worked with Kalli Arte to mount an exhibition — including planning and promotion. The students also photographed and created video documentation of the residency. The collective reached students throughout the department. They conducted a project with an introductory printmaking class. They led workshops for various classes and took students on a field trip to their studio in Boyle Heights, among many other opportunities.

To create a variety of experiences that can reach all CSUN art and design students, the first three years of the program are mapped out to feature artists working in different mediums. In 2026, the selected artist will work in the animation, design, video and/or digital spaces, and in 2027 the chosen artist will specialize in sculpture and ceramics.

“One of the biggest key factors for Chris and me is that we wanted to make sure the students were able to learn from someone who’s already out there professionally, to have somebody to ask questions and to really be able to get that guidance,” said Virginia Orndorff, who served more than 15 years in the marketing department of a bank before launching a career as a photographic artist.

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Students in the class worked with Kalli Arte to mount an exhibition (above) titled "Our Sun Will Rise." Students' roles included planning and promotion, photography and video documentation of the exhibit.

Daisy CSUN’s beloved K-9 officer celebrated her retirement along with her human partner, Sgt. Virgil Messmore, and colleague Sgt. Randell Abney, on July 17. True to her training, she checked several times on the “security” of the table displaying a large, frosted cake for the humans — and a peanut butter-and-pumpkin treat made especially for her.

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CSUN

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nationally among Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax Dollars), per Washington Monthly.

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top public school among regional universities in the West, per U.S. News & World Report.

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on the AASHE 2024 Sustainable Campus Index among master’s institutions.

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globally among the 20 Best Music Schools in the World, per The Hollywood Reporter.

CAMPUS LIFE

New Year, New Dorms Campus Welcomes Students to Brand-New Housing.

Just in time for the start of the new academic year, CSUN President Erika D. Beck and other campus leaders unveiled two state-of-the-art student residences — Joshua Tree Hall and Hibiscus Hall — in early August. The new buildings, located in University Park at the corner of Lassen and Zelzah, have been under construction for the past two years. They are the first new dorms in a decade — a $72.9 million project, funded in part by a $37.5 million affordable housing grant from the state.

“There is something very special about residential Matador life, and we’ve intentionally designed these spaces to support our students holistically — academically, personally and professionally.” Beck noted.

Freshmen and sophomores moved in Aug. 23, getting settled (with lots of help from friends and family!) before weekday classes began on Monday, Aug. 25. Nearly 200 lucky Matadors got to call the brand-new halls home — each new building has 99 beds. In total, CSUN’s University Park now has more than 3,000 beds.

Each floor of the new four-story dorm buildings includes its own laundry facilities, a separate study room and living room. The common areas include multipurpose rooms for larger gatherings, and there’s a fully equipped community kitchen.

The residential floors offer double accommodations (two students per room). The courtyard connecting the buildings includes seating areas under pergolas, complete with fans and lights — photovoltaic panels on top create shade and provide power to the new buildings.

Richard Quiroga, 20, a senior Deaf Studies major, is the vice president of the Residence Halls Association. The group represents community members and plans activities throughout the year, from movie and game nights to larger events, like a Halloween celebration. Quiroga said he’s looking forward to creating programs in the new areas.

“The new buildings actually give us a lot more space to plan more, bigger events,” he said.

F A C U LT Y

Physics Prof Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Donna Z. Sheng, professor of physics and astronomy, has been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. CSUN officials said they believe Sheng is among the first CSU faculty members to be recognized for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research in a scientific discipline, specifically in physics, by the academy.

“I was excited and very happy for the recognition from my peers,” Sheng said. “The fact that other people can see my work in the research field is an encouragement.”

Debi Prasad Choudhary, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said he and his colleagues are doing all they can to support Sheng and her research. “Dr. Sheng’s historic election by the academy affirms CSUN’s growing research excellence and inspires our students to aim high in STEM,” he said.

Sheng is a theoretical physicist who specializes in condensed matter physics. Her work has led to groundbreaking discoveries on fractional quantum hall effects, topological insulators and strongly correlated electron systems, which has helped advance understanding of quantum materials.

Sheng’s current research involves two-dimensional quantum systems and applied material research. “It is a process of learning and creating something new and to discover new knowledge,” she said.

8 This is CSUN

New Digs

Make, Break, Discover Autodesk Technology Engagement Center Ushers in New Era for STEAM Education and Access at CSUN.

LINDLEY AVE.

JACARANDA HALL

N. UNIVERSITY DR.

PREMIER AMERICA CREDIT UNION ARENA

S P EC S 34,940 building square footage Aug. 22 opened to students and

he brand-new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center marks a massive leap forward for academic programs in CSUN’s Andrew J. Anagnost College of Engineering and Computer Science. The center is a nexus of innovation and exploration for K-12 and university students, focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) learning.

Under the leadership of Anagnost ’87 (Mechanical Engineering), Hon.D. ’24, Autodesk’s president and CEO, the design-and-make software leader has donated more than $7 million to CSUN for the center, which opened to the campus and wider community Aug. 22.

“By leveraging their vast resources, expertise and belief in the power of technology as a force for positive social change, Autodesk is addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” said CSUN President Erika

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D. Beck. “CSUN is incredibly fortunate to have Andrew Anagnost’s unwavering leadership, and Autodesk’s investment in the future of our academic community.”

Designed by architecture firm AC Martin, the facility features fabrication labs — including Anagnost’s favorite, a High Bay Structural Test Lab complete with an indoor, hydraulic “bridge crane” — as well as state-ofthe-art research, design and digital capture labs, and a makerspace for the campus and wider community.

A $25 million state budget allocation under California Gov. Gavin Newsom was made possible with support from U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, then-Congressman Tony Cárdenas and Congresswoman Luz Rivas (then Assemblymember), who succeeded Cárdenas in California’s 29th District. Padilla also helped secure $1 million in federal funding for equipment.

And, with significant support from Apple Inc. as

part of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative — as well as from TOLD Foundation, the 1994 Blommendahl Family Trust and alumnus Varoujan Chakarian and family — the ATEC will house and be equipped to support programming for the Anagnost College, as well as the Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub program, which has launched initiatives in the region, statewide through the CSU system, and nationally.

To current and future Matadors, Anagnost had a message: Take advantage of what we’ve built here. “[The ATEC] is meant for the entire community of the university. It’s not meant to just be the place where the engineers figure something out,” he said. “There’s a makerspace, there are creative spaces. Come and use the place, and experiment with making something. You don’t have to be an engineering major or STEM major. You’ll be surprised what you find.”

—Olivia Herstein

the wider community Located on Lindley Avenue next to Jacaranda Hall, just across the street from Premier America Credit Union Arena S PAC E S I N C LU D E Rm. 103 Autodesk Makerspace Rm. 117 Dale and Sheila

Blommendahl High Bay Work Yard Rm. 209 Dr. Varoujan

Chakarian B.S. ’86, M.S. ’88 Innovators & Visionaries Room Rm. 222 TOLD Foundation

Collaboration Room

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Who We Heard (continued)

09.09

Stacy Johns Stacy Johns, chief business officer for the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), spoke on campus Sept. 9 on the “Business of Soccer” to students, faculty, alumni and guests of CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics. Johns, a first-generation college student, talked about professional sports and how she secured the largest naming rights deal in Major League Soccer history.

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José James & Lisa Fischer The Pacific Jazz Orchestra with special guests José James and Lisa Fischer paid tribute to the late, great musical genius Quincy Jones with “Fly Me to the Moon,” a spectacular program at the Soraya, Oct. 18. Jones, a musician, arranger and producer, made an indelible mark on our popular culture.

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Building Bridges to Careers in Health – and Regenerative Medicine California is a pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine — harnessing stem cells to usher in breakthrough scientific discoveries. Through the CIRM Bridges CSUN Stem Cell Research and Therapy Training Program, CSUN students are helping to lead the way.

Funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and directed

by CSUN biology professor Cindy Malone, Bridges is a program that engages CSUN undergraduates in cutting-edge stem cell research and puts them on a path to successful careers in the sciences.

“Bridges gives our undergraduates access to incredible research opportunities that enable them to build critical knowledge and skills while also contributing to work that can have a real impact on people’s lives,” Malone said.

Stem cells are the building blocks of living organisms, with the ability to make infinite copies of themselves and change to become specialized cells. These abilities bring promise to research to heal spinal cord injuries, cancer, heart attack scars and other serious health challenges.

COMMUNITY

Strength United Opens San Fernando Office After nearly four decades of service, Strength United has expanded its reach while deepening its roots in the San Fernando Valley, with the Sept. 19 opening of a new office in the city of San Fernando.

Strength United is a nonprofit that works to aid individuals affected by violence and trauma, with a focus on sexual assault, domestic abuse and child maltreatment. The organization brings comprehensive therapy services and prevention programming directly into the neighborhoods where many clients live and work.

The new location houses the organization's Community Public Health Team operations, mental health services and Close to Home prevention initiative.

“This grand opening demonstrates Strength United’s commitment to creating a comprehensive support system in San Fernando — from prevention visits in your living room to therapy sessions in your neighborhood, we’re meeting families wherever they are in their healing journey,” said Executive Director Merilla Scott.

Located in a community where 93% of residents identify as Latino and 73% speak a language other than English, the San Fernando office ensures culturally responsive care is more convenient and accessible than ever before. The office lease and renovation were made possible by a $150,000 grant from The Ahmanson Foundation, Founded in 1986 as the Valley Trauma Center, Strength United is a chartered center operated through CSUN's Michael D. Eisner College of Education. Its mission is to end all forms of interpersonal violence and abuse through healing, empowerment and community-based prevention strategies. The organization provides confidential support and response to more than 5,000 children, adults and families every year.

Strength United also provides mental health training to more than 160 CSUN graduate and undergraduate students each year, as well as prevention and education workshops throughout the community to address violence and abuse at the root.

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ENVIRONMENT

Replanting Hope Urban Forestry Project Will Help Restore Altadena's Devastated Trees.

Everything is different in Crist Khachikian’s community after the Eaton fire. Thousands of homes in Altadena are gone. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed. More than half of the area’s 28,000 trees burned up or were cleared away. “Before the fires, we had massive trees everywhere,” said Khachikian, a CSUN civil engineering professor, who was able to return to his damaged home in August.

“Now we can see clear through to Long Beach, to the ocean, like it’s been completely devastated and cleared. We had so many mature oak and other California-native trees that are completely gone.”

Help has arrived through CSUN’s Urban Forestry Project — which is led by Khachikian, the co-principal investigator (PI); Daisy Lemus, co-PI and communication studies professor; and project manager Shelly Bedig. Funds raised earlier this fall toward a $50,000 goal are supporting planting or giving away 300 trees in Altadena, as well as education for students and community members interested in pursuing urban forestry — and workshops on defensible space and fire resilience for homeowners. The new trees include coast live oak, California sycamore and willows.

“Altadena was a very green and welcoming place, and it’s not anymore. So what can we do to bring that back?” Khachikian said.

“We are bringing the community together and providing them with hands-on, tangible ways to do something meaningful. It’s part of the healing process.”

CSUN students from various majors, including the sustainability master’s program, are expected to participate. About half of the funds raised will support tuition and fees for learning opportunities, such as certificate programs, for students who want to continue this urban forestry work.

If the program in Altadena is successful, Urban Forestry Project leaders plan to continue the partnership with organizations like AltadenaWILD to scale it up, with more plantings in Altadena next year. The project is funded by a five-year, $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Through academic workshops and workforce development programs, CSUN students and community members gain hands-on experience in sustainable land management, tree care,and environmental restoration. They partner with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and the Tataviam Land Conservancy. To contribute to the Altadena tree planting project, visit csunfunder.csun.edu.

“Altadena was a very green and welcoming place, and it’s not anymore. So what can we do to bring that back?”

In My Bag

Alexandra Davis Assistant Professor, Marine Biology College of Science and Mathematics

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Alex Davis grew up nowhere near an ocean, but ocean life and ocean research were her destiny. At Cal State Monterey Bay, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native earned a bachelor’s in English literature, but not before she fell in love with marine biology and research, thanks to a unique course that aimed to make research and diving (with all its expensive equipment and training) accessible to students. Armed with a B.A. and lifeguarding and water polo experience, Davis quickly signed on for a bachelor’s in marine science at Monterey Bay — and her career as a marine ecologist and conservation scientist took off. She earned her Ph.D. in zoology at Oregon State and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta and UCLA. In fall 2024, she joined the faculty at CSUN and set up her lab in Magnolia Hall.

Davis is a true believer in the mission of the CSU, because she lived it. That’s what attracted her to teach at CSUN, where, like many of her colleagues in the College of Science and Mathematics, she hopes to pay it forward. She aims to push open even wider the doors of research, lab work and publishing opportunities for students from underrepresented groups.

Davis studies fish habitats and communities, and she spent six weeks in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, this past summer conducting research — along with her grad student, Camille Jones — and training undergraduates on open-water and scientific diving. — Olivia Herstein

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Scan here for a behind-the-scenes look at this photo shoot! #BTS

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1 WATERPROOF WATCH: “Watches are important because you always need some kind of timekeeper when you’re diving. You need to know how long you’re down there.”

2 BRIMMED, WATERPROOF HAT AND SUNSCREEN: Sunscreen, the most important item in her bag! “I tell my students, ‘wherever you go, you’d better keep putting sunscreen on.’ We spend a lot of time in the sun, and any time you’re on the water it’s worse because of the reflection.” She recommends SPF 50 and one that’s “reef-safe” such as a zinc-based lotion, which is less detrimental to corals and other marine organisms.

Davis appreciates this hat’s design because it includes a hole in the back for her ponytail, and a cinch to keep it secured under her chin.

3 DIVE SLATE: This low-tech tool wowed our creative team. Who knew there was such a thing as underwater paper?! (Marine biologists and other divers did, of course!) Davis’ dive slate clipboard carries waterproof, no-tear paper (which feels like it’s made out of plastic), as well as a woodless pencil attached to the slate by a small, rubber hose. After she returns to the surface, Davis takes pictures of everything she’s written underwater, as backup copies. “How do you remember everything you see underwater? You have to write yourself notes,” Davis said.

4 TRANSECT TAPE: “It’s basically just a heavy-duty tape measure. It’s very common in terrestrial (land) ecology.

They’re made really well, so they do well underwater, as long as you give them freshwater rinses after. It’s a good survey tool. To count organisms or do surveys, we use a transect tape to rope off sections. I do a lot of “belt transects,” where I’ll count everything on either side of the transect tape, such as fish, corals, algae, little invertebrates — like clams, sea cucumbers.”

5 DIVE FINS, MASK, WEIGHT BELT: “Pink is really easy to see underwater. When I started diving, these were the only pink fins on the market, so I was really recognizable. Depending on how much neoprene you’re wearing, you’ll put on enough weight to counteract how floaty you are. For Mo'orea, I wear a 4 mm wetsuit, because I get cold really easily, so I’ll have about 5 to10 pounds on my weight belt to counteract the floatyness of my wetsuit.”

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ALUMNI

Alumnus Captures World Press Award Jae C. Hong ’06 (Photojournalism), staff photojournalist for the Associated Press, in April won the 2025 World Press Photo Award in the Singles (single-frame photograph) category for the Asia-Pacific and Oceania region, for a photo that captured the emotional reunion between a woman and her Korean birth father after a 40-year separation.

In the image, entitled “Korea Adoption Fraud,” published in May 2024, Nicole Motta wipes away tears as her birth father, Jang Dae-chang, weeps as he faces the opposite way.

“The photo was inspired by seeing adoptees returning to Korea to find their biological families,” said Hong. “Nicole’s story was very personal and emotional, showing the challenges faced by adoptees due to adoption fraud.

Covering a story like this requires sensitivity and patience because portraying people respectfully is important.”

Hong credited CSUN with laying the foundation for his photojournalism career, particularly the supportive faculty and creative environment he found here. The university’s strong Department of Journalism within the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication — especially the writing courses and work on The Daily Sundial staff — helped Hong build essential storytelling and collaboration skills and offered valuable real-world experience, he said.

C U LT U R E

Now Open!

The new store is located at 9224 Reseda Blvd., between Prairie and Dearborn streets.

Northridge’s New Trader Joe’s Features Murals by CSUN Students.

From the Orange Grove to The Soraya, from the University Library to the squirrels that love to roam the campus, famous CSUN landmarks are featured in murals painted by students for the new Trader Joe’s grocery store that recently opened near campus. On opening day, July 21, Department of Art and Design Chair Samantha Fields and some of the art students arrived early to see the framed works that grace the walls above the cold cases and the wine section.

Fields, who worked with the students and Trader Joe’s as an advisor on the mural project, was in a celebratory mood as she snapped photos of the displayed artwork.

“I’m super happy, but also a little relieved …

The project is done!” she said.

The mural project was a competitive process, where students had to submit drawings and take part in meetings with the client.

“They are learning a professional practice,” Fields said. “For some of them,

this is their first time they are working with a client, making an invoice, getting paid for their time. One of my favorite things about this project is that the students are getting a real-world professional development experience with Trader Joe’s.”

The store chose six students to work on the murals. Taylor Caliz, Kayla Cruzada, Jenivit Marrero-Solis, Antonio Martinez, Mailahguiya Sourgose and Ligia Vilches built on the initial ideas for their mural sections with input from store officials.

They worked on the murals on campus and in their homes, painting on boards that have now been installed in the new store.

“It’s been pretty exciting! I didn’t think I would get chosen, but I did and I already added it to my portfolio,” said Cruzada, a senior majoring in animation art. “It is a little different than my major in animation because it’s painting, but it is a good step towards the art direction.”

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STORY BY OLIVIA HERSTEIN

AWARENESS A S P I R AT I O N ACCESS ANDREW ANAGNOST ’87 Makes an Indelible Mark on His Alma Mater, Opening Doors for Boundless Possibility.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY GLENN HARVEY

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ndrew anagnost is standing in the middle of a

pack of mechanical engineering students, staring intently at a 3.5-lb. lightwing aircraft. The students, dressed in black-and-red “CSUN Aero” team polo shirts, fidget nervously, clustered around their creation and several posterboards. This is the moment, the culmination of an entire academic year’s teamwork fueled by late nights, false starts, dead ends, restarts, too many cups of coffee or energy drinks to count. Sweat, tears, no blood (hopefully).

This is the moment Anagnost and several of his fellow alumni will inspect and judge each team’s Senior Design Project, and then they’ll name the winners of the 16th annual capstone competition for CSUN’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. Anagnost’s eyes twinkle, and he grins as he listens to the Matador students’ new take on an old challenge: How to deliver packages without carbon emissions or adding to traffic congestion?

This never gets old for Anagnost. The president and CEO of tech giant Autodesk, a leader in design and make software, returns each year without fail to volunteer and judge the Senior Design Showcase, because he knows what it means to these aspiring engineers, makers, dreamers. He knows that they know he once stood where they stood, because he’s refreshingly candid about his own CSUN path — which was anything but smooth or linear.

If I can do it, you can do it, he tells them.

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“When I was here at CSUN, the teachers were so dedicated, and they wanted to help. I just can’t imagine where I’d be without that kind of support,” Anagnost ’87 (Mechanical Engineering), Hon.D. ’24 reflected after the May 2 design showcase on campus. “[I think] about what more could be done to help other kids who had even less support than I did. Just saying, ‘You can do it. It was hard for me, too.’ Remind them of their goals. These are simple things that help people along, people who weren’t told they were going to do great things from the moment they were born.”

Anagnost, 61, has made an indelible mark on his alma mater with one of the largest personal gifts in university history, a $20 million gift to the college. In recognition of his vision and generosity, on Aug. 22, CSUN renamed the college in his honor. Earlier in the summer, the California State University Board of Trustees approved the university naming the college the Andrew J. Anagnost College of Engineering and Computer Science. Under his leadership, Autodesk has donated more than $7 million to CSUN for the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center (ATEC), a nexus of innovation and exploration for K-12 and university students — whose grand opening also was celebrated Aug. 22.

“This represents a profound investment in our university’s future and the students we are so very proud to serve,” said CSUN President Erika D. Beck.

“Andrew’s extraordinarily generous gift will reshape our college of Engineering and Computer Science for generations to come, creating boundless opportunities for students to discover their potential and thrive beyond our doors. It’s a gift that reflects his unwavering commitment to ensuring that future generations have access to world-class engineering and computer science education.”

The Autodesk Technology Engagement Center, located on Lindley Avenue next to Jacaranda Hall, is a massive leap forward for academic programs in the college, and it hosts equity-focused STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programming — as well as programming for the new Global Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Equity Innovation Hub. The facility features fabrication labs — including Anagnost’s favorite, a High Bay Structural Test Lab complete with an indoor, hydraulic “bridge crane” (more on that later) — as well as state-of-the-art research, design and digital capture labs, and a makerspace for the campus and wider community.

The Product of Immigrants For more than 25 years, Anagnost has played a key role in Autodesk’s success — helping develop new products and even a new business model for the company known for design and modeling software, such as AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor and Revit. The company’s AI-powered software is used by architects, civil engineers, mechanical engineers, filmmakers and video game designers, among other design professionals. As the company puts it, Autodesk makes software for people who make things.

CENTER OF POSSIBILITY Andrew Anagnost ’87 (below) takes a sneak-peek tour of CSUN’s new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center, in May 2025.

Anagnost took the reins as president and CEO in 2017, and he’s been focused on the company’s evolution in using artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to sustainably serve the infrastructure and product needs of a rapidly growing global population.

As the married father of two has shared with audiences large and small, CSUN was the catalyst in his meteoric rise from struggling San Fernando Valley high school student to Ph.D. from Stanford and NASA research fellow.

Growing up in Van Nuys, he dropped out of high school, a consequence of boredom and frustration. As a boy, he had dreamed of working for NASA, but as a teen, things seem to unravel.

After a series of run-ins with school authorities and juvenile detention officers, Anagnost searched his soul and changed his life. With the help of his father, an immigrant from Greece who worked as a social worker, and his mother, a nurse, he started fresh at a new high school and went from failing to straight A’s. Then, he set his sights on college. He enrolled at CSUN as an English major for “half a semester” before rediscovering his love of science, Anagnost said.

His lived experience as a student who took a long and winding road to engineering and computer science drives his passion for the student support the ATEC and new Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub programs will offer — not just to undergraduates, but to middle and high school students exploring STEAM careers.

“My dad was a social worker. He was never going to be able to support me through some of these things, but if I’d had the support that they’re [planning to] provide in the early parts of the [Hub] program — I would have had a different course,” Anagnost said. “This support piece at every step

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“It is taking a broadbrush approach to a wa r e n e s s of w h at ’s p o s s i b l e . Yo u ’ r e r e a c h i n g k i d s e a r l i e r, before they’ve decided what is and i s n o t p o s s i b l e .”

Scan below to learn more about Andrew Anagnost and the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center.

of the way, so students don’t fall off the rails and slip away, I know it’s expensive and hard to maintain. You can’t reach everyone, but you can reach somebody. And you can reach more people. That’s a really important part of this — you’ve got to help [students] along the journey, especially when they get discouraged.”

Anagnost’s family connection to CSUN runs deep, as his mother, sister and brother also earned degrees from the university.

Awareness Students and families need to be introduced to what’s available to them, in terms of majors and career paths, Anagnost said. “That’s why I like so much what we’re doing with ATEC. It is taking a broad-brush approach to awareness of what’s possible. You’re reaching kids earlier, before they’ve decided what is and is not possible.”

At CSUN, 56% of the student body identify as Latinx/

Hispanic, and 72% are the first in their families to graduate from university. L.A. is a global city of immigrants, and Matadors long have reflected this diversity.

“I’m a product of immigrants, like most Americans are,” Anagnost said. “My father did things that his parents couldn’t even imagine, and his children went on to do things that they couldn’t imagine. If you miss those first-generation people, you’re missing a massive, highly motivated talent pool. Philosophically, this is a problem that must be solved.

“In the U.S., we graduate a lot of lawyers, accountants, finance people,” he said. “We need more people going into STEM-based careers. The country’s diversifying, the talent pool is broader and you have to bring that talent pool into the STEM world. It’s not just a moral imperative — it’s an innovation imperative.”

Immigrant families like his often don’t know what to tell their kids about STEM fields, or how to help their children get there, he noted.

“Do we only want our brightest technical thinkers to come from a pool of people where the parents knew what to tell their kids? That’s not a selection mechanism that gets us the best and brightest ideas,” Anagnost said. “You want people from diverse backgrounds to be aware of what is out there, and understand that they can do these careers, too.”

Aspiration Once educators and organizations raise awareness, aspiration is imperative. Like many Gen Xers (as well as baby boomers before them), Anagnost’s aspirations were fueled

by America’s space program and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon in 1969.

CSUN reignited that interest, putting him on the path to achieving his childhood dream of working at NASA, Anagnost explained. He worked at Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Company straight out of CSUN, where he had participated in an honors co-op program before graduating. After a year and a half — and with CSUN’s support — he earned a master’s and doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics (known in the field as “aero/astro”) at Stanford University. Following his postdoc, he joined the startup Exa Corporation in Boston, further advancing his career.

Faculty, mentors (including peer mentors) and K-12

educators can show young people what’s possible — from outer space to right here on Earth.

“You need to show people that if you’re in a technical profession, you’re going to be tackling pressing problems that we have in the world: building infrastructure, fighting back on climate change, mitigating real threats to the prosperity of future generations,” Anagnost said. “You’re going to be able to make impacts on longevity, on health and all sorts of things that other people couldn’t imagine making impacts on, because technology has advanced so much. [We] want people to aspire to that.”

Access The serious problem in this equation, Anagnost said, is access: access to education and support such as tutoring and mentoring.

“The biggest hurdle people have right now is mathematics,” he said. Access to tutors can help math students reduce practice and homework hours and streamline their learning, he said.

“Math terrifies some people because it’s conceptual, but it just requires work and support, and somebody telling you, ‘You can do it,’” he added.

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HIGH BAY, HIGH TECH In the ATEC’s 30-foot-tall High Bay Structural Lab, civil, structural and materials engineering faculty and students can test concrete and conduct countless other experiments. It’s the first of its kind in the CSU system.

For much more on the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center, see page 8.

Access to support and higher education, he said, are the antidotes.

“That’s why institutions like CSUN are so important,” he said. “[This is an] educational institution that can help [students] get there without saddling them with massive amounts of debt.

That’s why the work we’ve done with ATEC was so important — not only to increase awareness and aspiration, but also to create first-class facilities that give people in these universities access to the latest and greatest technology.

They have access to a lot more than I had when I was here.

“You can’t just hope for the outcome,” Anagnost said. “You have to create the awareness, you have to create the aspiration, and you have to provide the means of access to getting to it.”

Anagnost’s personal cumulative giving of more than $22.1 million represents the largest alumni contribution in CSUN’s history, establishing a new standard for alumni engagement and support. And through Anagnost’s stewardship, Autodesk has invested more than $10.2 million in corporate philanthropy at CSUN to empower the next generation of innovators through access to cutting-edge tools, research and industry collaboration.

A $25 million state budget allocation under California Gov. Gavin Newsom was made possible with support from U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, then-Congressman Tony Cárdenas and Congresswoman Luz Rivas (then Assemblymember), who succeeded Cárdenas in California’s 29th District. Padilla also helped secure $1 million in federal funding for equipment.

And, with significant support from Apple Inc. as part of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative — as well as from TOLD Foundation, the 1994 Blommendahl Family Trust and alumnus Varoujan Chakarian and family — the ATEC will house and be equipped to support programming for the Anagnost College, as well as the Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub program, which has launched initiatives in the region, statewide through the CSU system, and nationally.

“Accessibility is our vision, and this is Andrew’s vision as well,” said Houssam Toutanji, dean of the newly named Andrew J. Anagnost College of Engineering and Computer

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Science. “The very first time I met him in 2019, he mentioned: These labs [in Jacaranda Hall] were the same labs and looked the same as when he was a student here, and it’s time” for new facilities and resources. “He said, ‘We owe it to these students to provide them the very best, cutting-edge facilities.’ He never forgot what CSUN has done for him, and he never wavered about it: CSUN was good to me, and I have to give back,” Toutanji said.

The dean praised Anagnost’s consistency, followthrough and devotion to his alma mater and community. “And he doesn’t have to do it — he comes here every year to judge the Senior Design Showcase, takes the time out of his busy schedule,” Toutanji said.

ATEC is for Everyone “The Autodesk Technology Engagement Center will transform how we do research and how we deliver education, and it reemphasizes the strength of our college and CSUN: hands-on learning,” Toutanji said.

“Autodesk helped to realize this [ATEC] space, to make it a gateway for creativity, with the end goal of trying to diversify pathways that lead to careers in STEM and the creative and tech industries,” added Amanda Quintero, senior advisor to the president for inclusive excellence and equity innovation officer for the Equity Innovation Hub. “They made it possible for us to have the kind of 21st-century programming that will inspire a whole new generation of students, to learn these skills, apply them in a way that is fun, creative and gives them access to opportunities.”

The center’s new research labs are already increasing the college’s capacity for innovation. The clearest example also happens to be Anagnost’s favorite ATEC space: the 30-foottall High Bay Structural Lab, where civil, structural and materials engineering students can test concrete and conduct countless other experiments. It’s the first of its kind in the CSU system, and one of just seven or eight in the country.

“I really love the High Bay!” Anagnost said, grinning.

“It’s got a crane and this huge concrete wall that required three test-pours to figure out. It’s a piece of engineering in a building about engineering!”

Anagnost wants everyone to take advantage of this new space. “[ATEC] is meant for the entire community of the university. It’s not meant to just be the place where the engineers figure something out,” he said. “There’s a makerspace, there are creative spaces. Come and use the place, and experiment with making something. You don’t have to be an engineering major or STEM major. You’ll be surprised what you find.”

He reminisced about his CSUN student days, when he had many friends who were art majors. Some went on to become painters in Hollywood and special-effects artists.

“I found out that my fluid-dynamics professor, Mel Epstein, was running a computer graphics lab in one of the back rooms of Jacaranda Hall, and the art students were coming there and hanging out with him, to work on computer graphics,” Anagnost said. “It was really cool! Somehow, these two groups started talking to each other. You just never know how your world expands when you cross-pollinate people from different academic orientations.”

—Jacob Bennett contributed to this report.

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Teaching CSUN Brings Inclusive Education to Neurodiverse Students Through the CHIME Institute, Explorers Program, Campus Support and More.

By Danielle Fairlee

Illustrations by Daniel Lievano

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serve to segregate students who are perceived as different,” Hanreddy said. Future educators trained at CSUN, she said, “demonstrate exemplary practice in inclusive education.”

dedicated to accessibility and inclusive education, CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education and the university at large offer numerous programs for students interested in learning about neurodiversity, as well as for students who identify as neurodivergent. These include scholars with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), dyslexia, dyspraxia or dyscalculia.

Neurodiversity refers to all minds, whereas neurodivergent means having a brain that diverges from the dominant group. People who are neurodivergent may process information differently, explained Amy Hanreddy ’99 (Special Education), M.A. ’02, chair of the Eisner College’s Department of Special Education and co-director of CSUN Explorers, a program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

For example, ASD is characterized by differences in social interaction, communication and sensory processing, while ADHD affects attention, impulse control and hyperactivity. Dyslexia affects reading and writing, while dyspraxia affects motor skills and coordination, and dyscalculia affects mathematical abilities. There are also people who identify as neurodivergent who do not have a specific diagnosis, Hanreddy added.

For those who want to study neurodivergence, CSUN offers highly regarded programs in psychology, general and special education, and an 18-unit minor in Disability Studies — the first of its kind in the California State University system.

Graduates of these programs go into a wide range of fields, including working at inclusive local schools run in part by CSUN. And for neurodivergent students who do not qualify for traditional university enrollment, CSUN Explorers offers the opportunity to experience courses and college life.

CSUN’s dedication to neurodivergent students and those with other disabilities is “about dismantling systems that

CHIME Model Leads the Way The research-backed inclusion practices taught at CSUN are lived out daily at the CHIME Institute, where children with autism and other forms of neurodivergence learn together with their typically developing peers in the same classrooms from preschool through 8th grade.

The CHIME Institute — which celebrates its 35th year this year — is a groundbreaking partnership between CSUN’s Eisner College and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The program’s highly successful model attracts educators and visitors from around the globe, from as far away as Japan.

The institute is made up of the CHIME Infant and Toddler Program for children identified for early support, the CHIME Preschool Inclusion Program and a transitional

“We [are] creating classrooms in which all learners have the opportunity to authentically participate — and authentically learn and have agency and a place to belong in the classroom.” kindergarten (TK)-8th grade charter school in Woodland Hills called CHIME Institute’s Schwarzenegger Community School, which currently serves approximately 635 students.

Additionally, it offers a teacher residency program in conjunction with the Eisner College.

A Place to Belong “We [are] creating classrooms in which all learners have the opportunity to authentically participate — and authentically learn and have agency and a place to belong in the classroom,” said Erin Studer ’12 (Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Policy Studies), executive director of charter school programs for the CHIME Institute. “We do that by applying research-based approaches that are taught at CSUN and lived out here in our classrooms, like universal design

CHIME ARCHIVE PHOTO BY LEE CHOO.

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for learning, co-teaching, positive behavior intervention and support. By implementing those methods, we are able to reach all learners and help them thrive in ways that classrooms that apply very narrow instructional approaches are not able to do — and, in fact, might be presenting unintended barriers to their learning.”

Inclusive education helps children with ASD and other forms of neurodivergence achieve their maximum potential, Studer said. Meanwhile, student teaching and residencies at CHIME’s Preschool Inclusion Program and charter school help train the next generation of teachers to work with all learning abilities — from children who need high levels of support in the classroom to those who are gifted.

While schools nationwide are trending toward inclusive education practices like CHIME’s, Studer said schools that do not follow its model split up their most precious resource: “the highly educated adults who come to work there.” Non-inclusive schools run essentially segregated, separate-track programs for students who are typically developing, those who are gifted, those who have disabilities and those who are English-language learners.

At CHIME, “we do the opposite,” he said.

The CHIME Institute, established

by CSUN's Michael D. Eisner College of Education faculty in 1990, now includes the Schwarzenegger Community School (above), which serves students in TK-8th grades.

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Collaboration in the Classroom Teachers at CHIME work in teams. “Because of that collaboration, because of that teaming, we are able to meet the needs of that wide diversity in a classroom,” Studer said.

CSUN Eisner College faculty helped establish the CHIME Institute as a private nonprofit corporation in 1990. Its Preschool Inclusion Program launched first, soon followed by the CHIME Infant and Toddler Program. Both programs are still housed at CSUN, in collaboration with the Child and Family Studies Center, and they serve as demonstration and educator development sites for CSUN students.

The success of the early childhood program, coupled with the needs of the community, prompted a group of parents and CSUN faculty to develop a charter elementary school in 2001 and a charter middle school in 2003. The elementary and middle schools merged in 2010 and were named the Schwarzenegger Community School, which now serves TK through 8th.

For CHIME students who are gifted or need little classroom support, there are still benefits to inclusive education, including increased empathy, Studer said.

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“There’s something inherent in the model where students with disabilities are learning side by side, in high-quality, standards-based instruction, with their typically developing peers,” he said. “It works and we can show it, not just in the fact that kids are included, or that they have a wide range of friends, or that they’re learning social skills and empathy, but they are getting solid academic achievement out of this model as well.”

As they celebrate this 35th anniversary year, Studer and CSUN leaders marvel at the full-circle moments, such as current CHIME teachers who got their start as preschoolers in CSUN’s Lab School — which partners with CHIME on its Preschool Inclusion Program — and CHIME graduates who go on to CSUN to earn bachelor’s and graduate degrees, or to attend the CSUN Explorers program.

CHIME also hires Eisner College graduates, many of whom spend time as student teachers or residents at the charter school.

“CSUN is a talent pipeline,” Studer said. “We like to hire our graduates. It is a way for us to maintain high-quality teachers in our classrooms. What we see from our CSUN graduates across all disciplines — general education and special education — is an orientation [toward] those research-based practices that we hold dear.”

Honoring the ‘Variation of Human Minds’ When educators like Studer incorporate neurodiversity-affirming practices in their classrooms at CHIME, at CSUN or elsewhere, subject matter may be presented in multiple forms and “students may be allowed accommodations or other supports that value and honor the variation of human minds that come with neurodivergence,” Hanreddy said.

At CSUN, those supports may look different for each neurodivergent person, said Ellen Stohl, a professor of Disability Studies and co-director of CSUN Explorers. One student may wear headphones because they need to mute loud sounds.

Another may need to stand or take frequent breaks from the classroom. Others may need lectures recorded and transcripts provided to help with processing spoken information.

Stohl, who advises the student club DISRUPT (Disabled Individuals Rising Up for Systemic Transformation), noted that several CSUN faculty and staff also identify as neurodivergent, increasing representation on campus.

Communication studies lecturer Kelly Opdycke has written about her experience as a neurodivergent faculty member, and assistant professor of philosophy Johnathan Flowers speaks and writes about his experiences with neurodivergence, specifically ADHD. Supporting Diverse Learners To create environments that support all learners, including those who are neurodivergent, Stohl has challenged all schools and educators to rethink classroom design.

“This takes willingness to support diverse learners,” she said. Future classrooms might have modular spaces where students can stand, sit or even lay down if needed. Students might be invited to present information mastery in a variety of ways — not just on tests, but in small-group presentations, journals, drawings and art projects, or via mobile device.

Because neurodivergence can be invisible, Stohl said, the onus is often on students themselves to communicate

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their needs to professors, peers and others on campus — in order to get accommodations and support. She challenged professors to invite those conversations by including a disability-related statement on each course syllabus.

“We have to communicate with our students about it, but for people for whom communication might not be their greatest skill or ability, how do they tell me what they need?”

Stohl said. “In my classrooms, students can email, they can journal, they don’t have to come talk to me in person. I’m never going to judge.”

Neurodivergence is not the same as disability, and not all who identify as neurodivergent need additional supports when it comes to classroom learning, Hanreddy said. However, neurodivergent students who are interested in support services have a wealth of resources available at CSUN, at the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) office. Students can register with DRES, located in Bayramian Hall 110, or call (818) 677-2684 or email dres@csun.edu.

At CHIME, an independent charter school (above), educators create classrooms where "all learners have the opportunity to authentically participate," said Erin Studer ’12, executive director of charter school programs.

From Explorers to Employees To help students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including ASD and other forms of neurodivergence, CSUN established the CSUN Explorers in 2018. The twoyear program aims to increase employability and autonomy for participants.

“CSUN Explorers can fully access a college experience and work toward their employment goals,” Hanreddy said.

Professor emerita of special education Beth Lasky ’73 (Psychology), M.A. ’77 (Special Education) created the program to break down stereotypes and encourage participants to engage in university life, while also building skills to expand their employment opportunities. Among the first cohort was a young woman who had attended the CHIME Institute Preschool Inclusion Program.

“Everyone in that first cohort — including some who were on the spectrum — passed their classes,” Lasky said.

“Some of them got accommodations from the faculty member, [and] others did not need them.”

Participants are required to take up to two classes per semester and participate fully, and they often exceed their own expectations, according to Lasky and current Explorers co-directors Hanreddy and Stohl.

Faculty shared how much they appreciated having Explorers in their classes, because they set a positive example for neurotypical students and often came to class better prepared, Lasky said.

Explorers do not earn a CSUN diploma, rather they are awarded a certificate for participation and working toward their employment goals. The second year of the program includes an internship opportunity on campus or in the community.

Community Support at CSUN For neurodivergent members of the larger community, CSUN offers support in a variety of ways.

At the university’s Autism Research Laboratory and Autism Clinic, run by the Department of Psychology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, therapists assess, design and implement individualized behavioral interventions for individuals with ASD. The lab also conducts research on specific intervention techniques, based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis.

In the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, students in the Music Therapy program work at the CSUN Music Therapy Wellness Clinic with a variety of clients, ranging from children to older adults with a diagnosis including autism, neurodivergence, depression, anxiety or other disorders.

Professor emeritus Ron Borczon, who started the program in 1984, said he’s encouraged by the recognition music therapy has received from other segments of the scientific community. “There’s a lot of collaboration between neuroscientists and music therapists, to see how the brain is affected by music,” Borczon said.

And in the Eisner College, the Family Focus Resource Center helps families raising children with disabilities, through education, advocacy and family support services.

“We’re very connected to the community,” Hanreddy said.

Whether students come to CHIME’s Infant and Toddler Program because they are identified for Early Start services, or to the Eisner College Special Education Literacy or Educational Therapy clinics for help, there are numerous entry points for local children with neurodivergence to benefit from support and resources, she said.

Early Assessment and Identification are Key Studer, Lasky and Stohl agree that neurodivergent students who are identified early for support have the best chance for long-term success.

“When students are identified early in their lives as having an impairment or a disability — and their parents and families learn how to utilize the supports available to help them be successful — those students are prepared with the knowledge they need to be successful, along with receiving the outside supports they need,” Stohl said.

But when students with neurodivergence are identified later, or perhaps never formally assessed, they may miss opportunities for accommodations and building confidence.

“If we just taught through special education in diverse ways and respected that everybody’s neuro processing is different, we would not have to diagnose to get the supports,” Stohl said. “The supports would be built into the system. But because we look at disability as a deficit, you have

“If we just taught through special education in diverse ways and respected that everybody’s neuro processing is different, we would not have to diagnose to get the supports. The supports would be built into the system. But because we look at disability as a deficit, you have to get a label to get the supports you need to be successful.”

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Approximate age when students who are neurodivergent should be identified for early support in order to provide the best chance for future success, according to CSUN experts.

Scan below to check out a Day in the Life at CHIME:

to get a label to get the supports you need to be successful.”

For future educators and educational therapists studying in the Eisner College, inclusion of neurodivergent students and students with disabilities is always a focus. All future teachers take at least one course in special education.

“That class is focused on inclusive education and accessibility, which encapsulates the heart of our department — we focus on promoting full access to the curriculum, and full access to school communities for all students with disabilities,” Hanreddy said.

Lasky, who helped develop the Disability Studies minor, said educators trained at CSUN in inclusion help spread opportunity in classrooms at CHIME and across the nation.

Stohl, who started her career as an inclusion aide at the Lab School and later worked as an inclusion staff member at the CHIME Preschool, said inclusion for students who are neurodivergent or have disabilities should start at TK, to provide the best chance for future success.

“It’s about changing the system and the way we see impairments, and realizing that everyone experiences disability and everyone is diverse,” she said. “Now, with technology, we can help find supports and make things easier for people, like a communication device that will speak for you. We used to think people who were nonverbal were non-thinking.”

Prepared for Educational Leadership At CHIME, Studer said, he works to inspire his staff to serve students with all forms of neurodiversity, but also to help students understand what it means for themselves.

“We help students understand what neurodiversity really means for them as a learner, and then we select strategies and approaches that make them the most effective learner and worker they can be,” Studer said. “What neurodiversity cannot be is a reason why we opt out of teaching and learning.”

Studer credited his CSUN graduate education with preparing him to lead at the CHIME Institute and serve a diverse community, including neurodivergent students.

“The doctoral program (in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) helped me understand how to recognize systems of education and how to change or improve those systems,” he said. “It also helped me be a good reader of research and interpret what the research is saying about educational practice, and how that can bridge to classroom practice.”

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Derrick Olson '10 and Bryan Olson, cousins and co-founders of 8one8 Brewing in Canoga Park, raise a toast to 10 years in business and supporting their community.

Brewed with

Matador Spirit Derrick Olson ’10 and Cousin Bryan Olson, Co-Founders of 8one8 Brewing, Keep it Real as They Celebrate a Decade of Building Community.

BY PERLA COLIN

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hat started as a homebrewing experiment in their garage more than a decade ago has grown into a cornerstone of the San Fernando Valley’s craft beer scene. Back then, Derrick Olson ’10 (Manufacturing Systems Engineering) was a recent CSUN grad and an engineer with a homebrewing hobby.

Today, alongside his cousin and business partner, Bryan Olson, he’s the owner and force behind 8one8 Brewing, a local hotspot that blends community with the art of craft brewing.

The sale of the duo’s first wholesale keg in late 2015 marked a turning point, solidifying the Olsons’ transition from hobbyists to professional brewers. With momentum building, the cousins continued to expand their vision for the brewery. In May 2018, they opened their tasting room on De Soto Avenue in Canoga Park — a welcoming, communal hub where customers could gather and enjoy a frosty pint.

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A decade later, the Olson cousins are raising a glass to celebrate 8one8 Brewing’s 10-year anniversary (which fell on, what else? Aug. 18, 2025: 8/18), reflecting on their journey from local garage and side hustle to beloved watering hole, community sponsor and Valley fixture.

“We’re hyper-local. Our name itself is the Valley,” Bryan Olson said. “We’re rooted here and proud to be here. We’re not trying to be the biggest, but we are trying to be the brewery that feels like home to anyone in the 818.”

8one8’s brews pay tribute to CSUN — with the always-popular Matador Red ale — and the Valley itself, with favorites including Valley Girl Blonde ale and Reseda Rye session IPA.

From Hobby to Business License The Olsons’ odyssey into the world of professional craft beer began with homebrewing in June 2012. Equipped with an extract kit — a beginner-friendly tool they picked up from a local homebrew shop — the cousin duo crafted their first blonde ale.

Through career shifts, from working as a freelance engineer to serving as a tooling engineer at SpaceX — where he specialized in designing and maintaining manufacturing tools and equipment— homebrewing remained a steady passion for Derrick. Inspired to take his hobby to the next level, he fine-tuned his recipes and his process, focusing on creating craft beer that was consistently high quality.

“For me it was about repetition — how well I could do the same beer, make it more efficiently and improve the flavor profile of it,” he said. “I focused on the quality aspects of beer and how to hit those marks every time.”

The Olson cousins shifted from weekend experiments to a steady weekly routine, fueled by the enthusiasm of their thirsty and supportive friends. Then, one pivotal day, they decided to transform their homebrewing into a full-fledged business after a close friend tipped them off to an available lease — on De Soto Avenue, across from Aerojet Rocketdyne.

The tap room, which 8one8 Brewing still calls home today, is just 4 miles southwest of campus.

After completing the required renovations, the cousins officially received approval to open for business on Aug. 18, 2015, three years after their first successful homebrew batch. A nod to the Valley’s iconic area code and their venture’s birthdate, 8one8 Brewing was born.

The Olson cousins shifted from weekend experiments to a steady weekly routine, fueled by the enthusiasm of their thirsty and supportive friends.

Forged in CSUN Engineering Derrick credited much of his career and business success to the engineering education he received at CSUN. Esteemed professors such as Tarek Shraibati (now with the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation) provided him with invaluable knowledge that later enhanced his understanding of the technical and managerial aspects of running the brewery, Olson said.

“A big part of a manufacturing and systems engineering degree is the management side, doing cost analysis on [brewing] equipment and determining if it’s worth building or buying,” he said. “It ties in with the understanding of how to build an efficient facility with the mindset of minimizing your constant expenses.”

Olson’s engineering expertise proved efficient and cost effective — not to mention creative — as the first brewing system he designed, a five-gallon kettle paired with a turkey fryer, remains fully functional and is still in use at the brewery. Later, he constructed a 31-gallon tank for brewing test batches, a key step in developing the wide variety of beers on tap.

“At its core, brewing is the same — water, malt, hops, yeast — but the scale and philosophy differ. For us, it’s hands on,” Bryan said. “Derrick and the brew team are literally touching or checking every detail during the process. At 8one8, we keep it small enough to stay connected to the beer and the people drinking it.”

This philosophy extends to their relationship with CSUN, a partnership that has grown alongside the brewery.

“CSUN is part of the Valley’s DNA, and as a Valley business, supporting them feels natural,” Bryan said. “It’s great to bring it back home, and I hope that it’s inspiring to students to see that someone who graduated from here now has his beer on campus,” Derrick added.

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change by offering live music, trivia nights, a popular “818 Oktoberfest” celebration, and even weekly community bike rides to keep customers engaged and connected.

“To be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be ready to adapt to your audience,” Derrick said. “You can’t be stuck in a rut. You have to listen, be dynamic and be aware of what the trends are, what’s changing and go in that direction.”

The Olson cousins’ commitment to variety extends to their brewing. They’ve retained their penchant for experimentation, catering to adventurous craft beer enthusiasts and those seeking classic flavors. In fact, 40 to 50 percent of 8one8’s craft beers are experiments or trials.

To commemorate their 10-year anniversary, Derrick and the 8one8 brew crew crafted Cold Reputation, an experimental IPA that bursts with citrusy, piney, tropical and berry notes and reflects his passion for innovation and creativity.

“Craft and independence mean freedom,” Bryan said.

“It means we can experiment, make a beer just for our neighborhood or collaborate with local businesses without answering to a boardroom somewhere. Our identity is shaped by that flexibility — and every pint reflects that.”

The Next Decade

As an alumnus, he’s discovered meaningful ways to give back to his alma mater, from partnering on alumni events and pouring beer at athletics fundraisers to honoring the university’s mascot with the brewery’s Matador Red ale.

Their beer is also proudly served at The Soraya, CSUN’s renowned performing arts center.

BREWERY PHOTOS BY LEE CHOO/CSUN

Pushing through a Pandemic Derrick’s innovative approach to brewing built a solid foundation for 8one8 Brewing. However, the road hasn’t always been smooth. When the COVID pandemic struck, the cousins had to lean on their resourcefulness and resilience to keep the brewery thriving.

To adapt, 8one8 Brewing invested in their own canning line and launched a refillable growler service, allowing customers to enjoy reusable bottles of their craft beer.

“Locals showed up for us with continued support to make sure we were around when the world re-opened,” Bryan said.

“People would come by two or three times a day to get their growler filled. They understood and saw that we’re a small business trying to make it,” Derrick added.

As restrictions eased, 8one8 Brewing began its recovery. The cousins saw an opportunity to enhance the taproom by adding food. Together, they debuted Osborne Pizza Kitchen (a nod to their Osborne Street cross street), offering patrons their take on Italian food to complement their brew of choice. The menu, featuring freshly made pizzas, has been a hit and pairs perfectly with the brewery’s 28 beers on tap.

“Opening the restaurant felt like a necessity to us,” Derrick said. “People want to go out and enjoy great food and beer in one place.”

The cousins have observed a shift in customer trends and preferences, with less focus on beer alone and a growing demand for a complete experience. They’ve embraced this

8one8’s distribution footprint spans the Valley and greater Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

Seeing their beers featured in restaurants and retailers across the region — from local favorites like Finney’s Crafthouse and Kitchen to national chains such as Yard House and Total Wine & More — is a milestone that reflects how far they’ve come, Derrick said.

“It’s rewarding seeing our beer in over 85 different restaurants and over 100 bottle shops and box stores,” he said. “I run every canning line session with the brew crew, so every beer that’s out there, I helped can.”

The cousins are looking ahead, with ambitious plans for 8one8 Brewing.

“I see us still here in Canoga Park, still independent, and hopefully recognized as one of L.A.’s most important craft breweries,” Bryan said. “I’d like to see us expand our footprint, with maybe a second tasting room and a stronger retail presence — but always rooted in the 818.”

Reaching this point has required more than just crafting great beer. For the duo, it’s also been about embracing the challenges and lessons that come with running a business.

“Be ready to hustle and sacrifice harder than you thought 40-50% possible,” Bryan advised aspiring entrepreneurs. “What your business does is the fun part, but actually running a business of 8one8's is where the real work comes in. Surround yourself with peocraft ple who balance your strengths and weaknesses, and never beers are lose sight of why you started in the first place.” experiments “It’s so important that people understand what makes or trials. a craft brewery. Independent breweries like us, their main driver is passion,” Derrick said. “When you’re doing something you love, you put more into what you do. You’re going to get a higher quality product.”

Athletics

Side Out! Homegrown Coach Theo Edwards Mentors Matadors.

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accumulating more than 100 wins — while competing in the Big West, the toughest men’s volleyball conference in the country.

When volleyball legend Jeff Campbell ’92 (Kinesiology) announced his retirement in 2022, CSUN tapped Edwards to lead the program starting in the 2023 season. Campbell was the program’s longest-tenured head coach (with 25 seasons) and all-time leader in wins.

“When I first started coaching, I thought it was all about the competition, the X’s and O’s, the strategy, the scoreboard,” said Edwards, who’s preparing for his fourth season as head coach. “But over time, I’ve come to understand that the real reward is in the peo-

THEO EDWARDS Stats as Player

62 matches

26 aces

(2007-10)

189 sets

200 digs

494 kills

Stats as Head Coach 2023 record

12-16 overall (1-9 Big West)

2024 record

13-16 overall (3-7 Big West)

2025 record

18-11 overall (3-7 Big West)

DAVID J. HAWKINS, CSUN

hen Theo Edwards assumed the role of CSUN Men’s Volleyball coach, he embodied continuity and renewal. A standout player from 200610, Edwards captained the Matadors to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, setting a foundation for future success. Now, it’s his job to take the program to the next level.

Following his playing days as an outside hitter, Edwards ’10 (Urban Planning), M.A. ’21 (Cultural Geography) stayed firmly rooted in the program. He joined the coaching staff in 2011 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2019, after nine seasons of recruiting elite talent and playing a central role in

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ple. It’s about mentorship, about being there for these young men and about building a culture that helps them grow, not just as players, but as people prepared for life.”

In his inaugural season at the helm, Edwards sparked a resurgence.

The Matadors returned to the national rankings, secured impressive wins — including a notable triumph over No. 6 Stanford — and re-entered the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 15 for the first time since 2020.

The 2024 season saw continued momentum: A semifinal appearance in the Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship marked the team’s deepest postseason run since 2018. CSUN also celebrated multiple individual honors for players such as Kyle Hobus, Donovan Constable and freshman Jalen Phillips.

2025 proved a milestone season for Edwards and CSUN, which finished with an 18-11 record and was ranked ninth in the final AVCA National Collegiate Coaches Poll of the season. It ended with a heartbreaker, though: a five-set loss to No. 4 UC Irvine in the quarterfinals of the Big West Championship.

The Matadors were ranked in the Top 10 in the final poll of the season for the second time in the last seven seasons.

Expectations are high for the 2026 season, which opens with invitationals in January. In one of the most competitive conferences in the country, the Matadors are on the rise.

A coach who thrives on meticulous prep, Edwards is known for intense weekly reviews and an emphasis on team culture. His philosophy? Prioritize character and cohesion above all.

Edwards’ influence extends beyond CSUN. A fixture on the USA Volleyball scene since 2012, he led the Men’s Collegiate National Team in 2024 and has played key roles across age-group national teams, including U19 and U21.

From being recruited to leading the Matadors from the sidelines, Edwards’ story is one of evolution — from hometown athlete to the architect of a promising future at CSUN and beyond.

Denzel Clarke: Home Run Robber Former CSUN Baseball player Denzel Clarke built quite the highlight reel after making his Major League Baseball debut May 23 — creating fireworks with his bat and playing some superhero defense. Clarke was called up from the minor leagues to play for the Athletics — a team that spent the season playing in West Sacramento before a planned move to Las Vegas. The center fielder is considered an elite defensive prospect.

He showed off that ability in a late-May series against the Blue Jays in his hometown of Toronto, climbing the center-field wall for an incredible leaping grab to rob Alejandro Kirk of a home run. The jaw-dropping play inspired more than one observer to compare Clarke to Spider-Man. The next night, still in Toronto, Clarke hit his first major-league home run, a go-ahead two-run shot in the second inning. “I’m playing in the big leagues in front of family and friends,” Clarke told MLB. com. “That’s a really cool moment. Not everyone can say they’ve done that.”

Clarke kept up his home run-robbing ways, including June 9, when he stole one from the Angels — in what MLB commentators called “one of the greatest catches you’ll ever see in your life.”

He studied systems and operations management while playing three seasons at CSUN, before being picked by the A’s in the fourth round of the 2021 Major League draft. In 2021, he became the first Matador in team history to win the Big West Defensive Player of the Year award. —Jacob Bennett

Rookie Denzel Clarke spent his first MLB season slugging for the Athletics.

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Cox Named Softball Interim Head Coach Jodie Cox, a Matador assistant coach during the 2025 season, has taken the helm as interim head coach for CSUN Softball in 2026, after Charlotte Morgan’s departure to Fresno State.

Cox returned to CSUN in 2025 after building an extensive coaching resume in the Division I, Division III and high school ranks.

She previously served as a CSUN assistant coach under head coach Barbara Jordan from 2005-07, when the Matadors won 61 games over a three-year period and earned an NCAA Regional berth in 2007.

Cox served as pitching coach for the Matadors this past season, helping CSUN to a staff 3.61 ERA, while the team finished as runner up at the Big West Championship.

Under Cox, the pitching staff racked up 180 strikeouts on the year.

In addition to CSUN, Cox previously coached at Fresno State, Cal State Fullerton, Syracuse, Occidental College, UC Riverside and Clovis East High School. As a student-athlete, Cox was a four-year starting pitcher at Fullerton from 2000-03, where she helped the Titans to four consecutive Big West titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.

Matador Moments 34 This is CSUN

Updates from Alumni

Rudy Pereira ’85 (Computer Science) with his son and Premier America Credit Union staff pregame at the Baseball Fan Fest on May 3, 2025.

Alumni enjoy the lively sounds of Earth, Wind and Fire at the annual CSUN Night at the Hollywood Bowl on July 3, 2025.

Cinema and Television Arts alumni Sergio Serna ’11, Casey Hodgkinson ’13, Chaya Supannarat ’18, MFA ‘21, and William Chalmers ’09 (not pictured) shared valuable career insights with Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication students and alumni on Jan. 30, 2025.

Child & Adolescent Development Alumni Chapter (CADAC) members shared industry and career insights with students on May 3, 2025.

Alumni Carlos Fuentes ’82 (Political Science) and his wife, CSUN Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Patricia de la Riva ’84 (Health Science), enjoy a pregame picnic with their daughter-in-law and Carlos Jimenez Salgado, CSUN’s associate athletics director for marketing and fan engagement.

David Chinchilla ’16 (Management) hosted a group of CSUN students at Angel City on April 23, 2025, highlighting the company’s career opportunities.

Darin Kuida ’92 (Environmental and Occupational Health) hosted Environmental and Occupational Health program students and shared career opportunities at Amgen on April 18, 2025.

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Extra! Extra!

Want to find more ways to plug in to your Matador community? Read on!

CSUN’s Legacy Shines Across Generations Matadors Elevate Their Careers and Pursue New Passions in Retirement.

Alumni Success Stories Have you reached new career heights, made an impact in your community or achieved personal goals?

We want to hear about them! Your story can inspire current students and fellow alumni. We can’t wait to celebrate your success!

Visit wkf.ms/4cotAJs or scan the QR code.

Maria Kennedy Retiz ’20 (Liberal Studies), M.P.A. ’24 (Public Administration)

As a first-generation college student, Maria Kennedy Retiz entered CSUN straight from high school, expecting a smooth path ahead.

The reality proved more challenging, as she balanced a long commute, work and coursework. In 2020, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies just as the pandemic shut down in-person classes.

As she weighed her options, she realized that her undergraduate academic record might

“I can’t thank [the CSUN community] enough for shaping who I am and giving me the hope I needed.” not fit the requirements for most graduate schools. Then, an unexpected opportunity: The recruitment manager at Tseng College, while reviewing her application for another program, recognized her potential and offered her admission to CSUN’s Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program.

Determined to prove herself, Retiz embraced the chance to redeem her academic record. The result was a resounding success: In Dec. 2024, she graduated with distinction and received her M.P.A., graduating with a 3.95 GPA! Her academic resurgence opened the door to the next step on her higher education journey, as she started her Juris Doctorate program this fall at the University of La Verne College of Law and Public Service.

Crediting CSUN faculty and fellow students, Retiz said she “can’t thank them enough for shaping who I am and giving me the hope I needed,” while inspiring her resilience, fueling her ambitions and strengthening her

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Matador Moments

Extra! Extra! commitment to higher education advocacy.

With her law degree, she plans to continue championing the needs of underrepresented minorities, faculty and students, and striving to ensure equity.

Her story is a testament to persistence and the power of second chances. She hopes CSUN students are inspired by her journey.

“CSUN has given me so much throughout my years, and I hope my story shows others that anything is possible, especially when you want to accomplish your dreams and goals,” she said.

Bethe Sullivan ’77 (Art History)

CSU Channel Islands, where she was part of the Dual Language Program.

She retired from teaching in 2017.

Sullivan’s retirement ushered in a new chapter of community service and philanthropy. She has volunteered with numerous local organizations, including Food Share, a food distribution nonprofit in Ventura County.

In 2014, she established the CSUN Thomas Matthew Magness Memorial Scholarship Endowment, which provides $1,000 tuition remission for a first-semester graduate student in the English M.A. program. Since 2002, Sullivan has served as team captain of “Team Nivlac V” and volunteered annually for the SoCal ALS Network Ride to Cure ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Her most recent passion merges fitness and service. In March 2023,

Sullivan continues to channel her skills and compassion into causes that matter, demonstrating that retirement can be a powerful new beginning.

After graduating from CSUN, Bethe Sullivan ’77 (Art History) embarked on a 15-year career as an agent and supervisor with Air Canada, serving in Boston and Los Angeles, including four years as a supervisor at LAX. In 1996, she earned her teaching credential from Cal State Dominguez Hills, launching a second career in education.

Over the next 22 years, she taught in the Los Alamitos Unified School District, Pleasant Valley School District and the University Preparation Charter School at

she became a certified assistant coach with Rock Steady Boxing in Camarillo, an evidence-based program designed to improve quality of life for those with Parkinson’s disease. She teaches boxing classes tailored to this community, inspired by her husband, who is an active participant in the program.

Together, they also assist with piloting programs for the Camarillo Health Care District.

Whether supporting CSUN graduate students with scholarships, volunteering at community events or leading the charge into the boxing ring, Sullivan continues to channel her skills and compassion into causes that matter, demonstrating that retirement can be a powerful new beginning.

Continued

Join a Chapter!

Our alumni chapters offer a wealth of opportunities and resources, from professional development to social events, providing a welcoming space to reconnect, grow and engage with fellow alumni. As part of our vibrant community, we welcome everyone to join our chapters!

Friends, neighbors, business partners, parents and extended family who share a deep sense of loyalty to CSUN are also welcome to join and participate in our chapter activities and events. Visit wkf.ms/3VIhm75 or scan the QR code.

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Expanding Access Lisa Jackson, Environmental and Equity Leader, Receives Honorary Doctorate.

David Phelps Appointed to L.A. County Governance Reform Task Force

After receiving her honorary doctorate, Apple executive and former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson told the audience she felt “right at home” among the graduates of CSUN’s College of Engineering and Computer Science at their commencement ceremony May 16. “I chose math and science and engineering way back when I was in high school,” Jackson said. “So, I’m standing here with what I consider to be my people. The ones who get excited about process flow diagrams, about balancing equations … my fellow nerds.”

The university honored Jackson for her work to expand education access, as well as her groundbreaking environmental leadership that has spanned decades. Jackson heads Apple’s environmental efforts, global social initiatives and public policy engagements.​ Apple invested $25 million in CSUN’s Global Hispanic Serving Institution Equity Innovation Hub. This commitment supports the initiative’s main location on the CSUN campus and provides Apple technology, design support and thought partnership with the goal to increase accessibility for students to education and careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) fields.

“We’re so proud of our partnership on the HSI Equity Innovation Hub, which is expanding opportunities to help students like you shape the future,” she told graduates.

Long before her career with Apple, Jackson was breaking barriers. She began working for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1987, and then she moved on to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2002, where she was appointed commissioner in 2006. In 2009, President Barack Obama named Jackson EPA Administrator — the first African American woman to hold that position.

Jackson urged graduates to ask themselves, “What is your why?” and establish a grounding sense of purpose. She spoke about the passion that drove her to pursue science in her education and her career, after growing up in New Orleans.

ADVANCING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS Lisa Jackson addresses the graduates at the commencement ceremony for the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Science and Mathematics on May 16.

CSUN Alumni Association board member David Phelps ’00 (Political Science) brings a strong entrepreneurial voice to the Los Angeles County Governance Reform Task Force.

A lifelong San Fernando Valley resident, Phelps is deeply rooted in the community as a small business owner and a longtime public affairs professional leading The Palomino Group, a consulting firm focused on advocacy and organizational strategy. Phelps co-owns We Can Be Heroes Comics, a minority-owned and -run neighborhood shop in Chatsworth.

With more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit, government and business sectors, Phelps offers a practical perspective on how local policies affect business owners and other residents daily. He sees the task force “as an opportunity to build a more transparent and effective L.A. County government, ensuring historically underrepresented voices are heard and valued,” Phelps said.

“This effort isn’t just about holding government accountable, but about creating trust and lasting connections between the county and community.”

Voters approved ballot Measure G in 2024, to implement the creation of an independent ethics commission, establish an elected county executive, and expand the Board of Supervisors from five to nine members, among other reforms. The amendment established the task force.

“Measure G was the first step in bringing county government closer to its constituents,” said Phelps, who was appointed as an at-large member by the Board of Supervisors. “As a business community leader, I want to bring my entrepreneurial know-how and spirit to the table as we reconstitute a better form of local government.” —Naz Keynejad

Giving

Feeding the Future Bookstein Gift Trains New Generation of Lactation Professionals.

parked by the CSUN lactation education course she was taking as an undergrad, Jocceline Hernandez asked about her own mother’s breastfeeding experience. Nutrition experts recommend breastfeeding as the optimal source of nutrition to support an infant’s growth and development. But Hernandez’s mother said she hadn’t received much support before delivery nor later as a working parent.

“That really formed that kind of aha moment, the light bulb went off, where I thought to myself, ‘My mother experienced this, who’s to say how many other individuals and families experience a similar situation to that,’” said Hernandez ’11, M.S. ’14 (Family and Consumer Sciences - Nu-

S

trition and Dietetics). “Not only did it make me want to pursue the lactation program, but I discovered [CSUN was] the right place where I could make a difference in my community.”

Hernandez, a lactation consultant and a nutrition public health professional for over 10 years, has spent her career helping community members learn about the health benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers. She started by teaching families how to breastfeed and preparing them for their breastfeeding journey — what to do when you get home from the hospital or if you must go back to work, and how to eventually introduce nutritious complementary foods. Later, she scaled up

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this work, training health care professionals in Los Angeles County. She earned an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification (IBCLC) and now works for the California Department of Public Health, promoting lactation support in the workplace, advancing policies to support in-hospital breastfeeding and studying breastfeeding disparities among different groups.

Hernandez was one of the first students in CSUN’s human lactation program, which was founded in 2010 by health sciences professor Merav Efrat in the College of Health and Human Development. It helps students — many of whom have no experience breastfeeding — become comfortable teaching others, Hernandez said. Program alumni work as lactation educators in hospitals, doctors’ offices, milk banks, public health agencies and more.

The program’s impact is expanding, thanks to a new gift from longtime CSUN donors and alumni Harriet and Harvey Bookstein. Their matching gift of up to $500,000 — paired with a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — enables the university to establish a new Lactation Counselor Pathway Program. The new program prepares students for the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP) National Certified Lactation Counselor exam, expanding their career options. This adds to CSUN’s lactation education offerings, which include Certificated Prenatal Lactation Educator Training for students and community professionals and a minor in human lactation.

Harvey Bookstein ’70 (Business Administration), Hon.D. ’16, an accounting industry leader, and Harriet Bookstein, a successful business manager, have championed programs across the university, including the accounting and taxation programs and the Bookstein Real Estate Center in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics.

Harvey Bookstein said he trusted Efrat’s work in training healthcare workers to bring critical parenting information to the community.

“No one teaches you how to be a parent,” said Bookstein, a proud father and grandfather. “Feeding your baby properly is obviously a very significant issue to deal with, to give the child the best chance for good health in the future.”

The Booksteins’ CSUN support includes volunteering for lectures and student mentorship, making connections with community partners and helping think through the most impactful ways to help students. Harvey Bookstein recalled speaking at a commencement ceremony a few years ago and being moved by the students he talked to.

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“They had real excitement, but I think they earned that excitement,” he said. “They really had to work for it. And I think this school gives them the ability to work hard, but have good backup behind them — professors or other students — to help them be as successful as you possibly can be.”

Left: Harvey’70, Hon.D. ’16 and Harriet Bookstein.

Right: Lactation consultant Jocceline Hernandez ’11, M.S. ’14 helps build healthier communities.

Mechelle Best, dean of the College of Health and Human Development, said gifts from individuals as respected as the Booksteins resonate throughout the community.

“When they lend support to an institution like ours, it really says to the rest of the world that there’s something good, valuable, special about CSUN,” Best said. “They have been very, very strong supporters of CSUN for a very long time, and it’s important for us to have that type of support.”

The Booksteins’ gift and USDA grant enable CSUN’s lactation program to help students develop critical lactation competencies needed to support breastfeeding families. A lactation professional must verify these competencies before students can take the ALPP National Certified Lactation Counselor exam. The Booksteins’ gift and the grant also pay for students’ exam registration fee and provide stipends and other career development opportunities.

“Breastfeeding is critical to infant health, yet many parents face barriers to breastfeeding, including a lack of support from trained professionals,” Efrat said. “The Booksteins are making a difference in our community’s health by enabling CSUN to train more work-ready lactation professionals.” —Jacob Bennett

Giving

From Pitch to Premiere Student Films Powered by CSUN Donors.

OPENING NIGHT! Alumna filmmaker Abigail Salmon '22, (center, behind poster) and team celebrate the premiere of her thesis project short film, "Dahlia's Monsters."

View active projects and donate at csunfunder. csun.edu.

young woman is haunted by the lingering traumas of her childhood, manifesting as an unrelenting monster. This was Abigail Salmon’s ’22 (Cinema and Television Arts) vision for her senior thesis project — the culmination of her film production program in CSUN’s prestigious Department of Cinema and Television Arts, in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication. The Senior Film Showcase is designed to teach students how to navigate the entire filmmaking process, from script to screen and everything in between.

A

When Salmon first dreamed up her short film, “Dahlia’s Monsters,” she never imagined it would make it past the program’s highly competitive first stage, the pitch. The story was deeply personal and technically ambitious, relying heavily on visual effects. And, to make it even more challenging, students had to adhere to pandemic-era SAG-AFTRA protocols and take extra precautions to ensure their cast and crew’s safety.

Salmon’s cautious optimism paid off, and her senior-year project was approved.

Now came the daunting challenge of financing the production, which took about 50 cast and crew to complete. That’s where CSUN Funder came in. CSUN’s signature crowdfunding platform, CSUN Funder is designed to support student and campus grassroots fundraising projects. The young filmmakers on “Dahlia’s Monsters” customized their campaign, sharing concept art, a video “trailer” that captured the heart of the story, and the impact donor support would have on the project. Referencing past budgets for student films of similar scope, the crew set an ambitious fundraising goal of $30,000. Finally, they shared their project with their networks, spreading the word far and wide.

Fundraising became part of the undergrads’ daily routine. They posted on social

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Safe Shelters, Strong Futures

To donate to the CSUN with a HEART Fund, visit engage. csun.edu/ csunwithaheart.

CRUCIAL RESOURCE CSUN with a HEART team members spread the word about the myriad services available to students, including food and housing assistance.

media, sent emails to friends and family, and shared updates with supporters. Early on, there were moments of doubt: What if they couldn’t reach the goal? But with continued outreach and the generosity of their supporters, donations steadily grew. When the campaign closed, they had the funds to move forward.

The Dec. 2021 shoot was grueling and exhilarating. When it wrapped, they had enough remaining funds to submit the film to festivals. In the year after its completion (after Salmon had graduated with her B.A.), “Dahlia’s Monsters” screened at several indie film festivals, winning the award for best student short film at the Hollywood Art and Movie Awards and the Cine Choice Awards.

For Salmon, the CSUN Funder donors didn’t just finance a film — and a dream — they gave her team real-world experience in budgeting, promotion and strategy. She’s grateful, Salmon noted, to all the donors who helped bring her vision to life while enabling the immersive learning opportunities that film production provides.

You can help students like Abigail Salmon make their projects a reality by contributing to a CSUN Funder campaign. When you donate to these projects, you’re investing in the next generation of storytellers, innovators and leaders. —Naz Keynejad

“I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ … I have been able to secure housing and will be moving in soon. I am overcome by feelings of gratitude and relief. I would not be in this position had you not advocated for me, and I am truly so, so grateful.

I am excited to be able to give my children their own space and not have to constantly worry about our safety.”

This is what’s possible with the support of the CSUN with a HEART Fund and the university’s Basic Needs Office.

Through its partnership with Jovenes, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young adults overcome homelessness, CSUN’s Rapid Rehousing Program provides students with temporary and long-term housing solutions, along with vital support services. These services cover subsidized rental and move-in costs, along with short-term rental assistance designed to help students transition to full responsibility

for their housing. It’s a lifeline for students who need a stable and safe home — including student parents — giving them the opportunity to focus on their academic journeys.

“This assistance is not just financial — it brings me peace of mind and allows me to focus on moving forward with my work and goals. I truly appreciate your kindness and generosity.

Thank you, again, for your support. I feel incredibly grateful.”

The CSUN Basic Needs Office also offers emergency housing grants, providing one-time funding support for emergency rental assistance or other housing needs. These grants mitigate the risk of students becoming unhoused due to unforeseen hardships, increasing stability, comfort and peace of mind.

For too many CSUN students, finding a safe place to sleep at night is the main roadblock to their success.

CSUN with a HEART is the

lifeline that often means the difference between staying in school or dropping out.

From temporary on-campus housing and rental assistance to guidance toward long-term housing solutions, CSUN with a HEART is the crucial resource helping struggling students stay focused on the finish line: their degree.

Our vision for the future includes a dedicated housing center within the Valera NEST, slated to open in spring 2026 in the heart of the University Student Union. The NEST will provide easy access to housing resources and other basic needs.

You can help! Donations to the CSUN with a HEART Fund support basic needs programs across campus and help expand emergency grants and housing capacity, ensuring that no student’s education is interrupted. When you support students’ basic needs at CSUN, you’re not just providing a temporary bed or shelter. You’re providing hope, dignity and stability so our students can rise to their full potential. —Naz Keynejad

Northridge Notes JORGE LOZANO ’77

1970s BEN AMATA ’72 (History) has

served as a librarian at CSU Sacramento for 41 years. He published an open resource journal article in 2024, “New Zealand Security Agencies’ Secrecy, Accountability and Transparency in the Modern Era.” In 2023, Amata received the Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders Award, which recognizes government documents librarians who have made significant contributions to the field of state, international, local or federal documents. The award recognizes those whose contributions have benefited the individual’s institution and the profession.

(Journalism) is retired after a career in television as a writer, producer and director at Univision Networks, KNBC and KCBS. He noted that he has very fond memories of working on CSUN’s Scene Magazine as a journalism student.

1980S JON GEORGIO ’83 (Business

Administration/English), CEO of Gothic Landscape, was the keynote speaker at the 10th Annual Jeff Marine Bull Ring New Venture Competition Final, on April 24 at CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics. In addition to his CSUN degrees, Georgio completed the Management Development Program for Entrepreneurs at UCLA. He’s a member of the CSUN Advisory Board.

Georgio resides in Santa Clarita with his wife, Mardi Georgio ’85 (Liberal Studies), and together they have three children.

TONY NGAI ’83 (Engineering),

CHRISTOPHER G. JONES ’74

(Business Administration – Accounting), former professor of accounting and information systems in CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, published his second detective novel, “Oceano Beach Bedlam,” under the pen name Topper Jones. Since retiring from teaching in 2017, Jones has devoted himself full time to creative writing. He’s under contract with Wild Rose Press for his “Thad Hanlon & Bri de la Guerra Mystery Series.”

The first book in his series, “All That Glisters,” published in 2023.

founder of Society of Motion Imaging in Hong Kong, received the Outstanding Filmmaker Award from the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers.

ZEKE ZEIDLER ’87 (English Literature) was named the Wilmont Sweeney Juvenile Court Judge of the Year for 2024, by the Juvenile Court Judges of California (a section of the California Judges Association). The award is presented to a juvenile court judicial officer who exemplifies leadership and innovative dedication to California’s youth. The announcement was made during JCJC’s annual meeting in May 2024.

BRENT FISCHER ’88 (Music) was part of the team that won Best Global Music Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Fischer served as a producer and orchestral arranger for “Alkebulan II” by Matt B, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

insurance, bad-faith litigation and personal injury defense, among other matters. After graduating from CSUN, Levinson earned her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. She has served on the board of directors for the Southern California Chapter of the International Association of Special Investigative Units.

1990S

MEGAN (MCGOWEN) CROUCH ’93 (Urban Studies

THOMAS G. MACKEY ’91

(Finance), principal at employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C., was named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “2025 Leader of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys” list. The award recognizes top litigators and trial attorneys in the L.A. region for their skill and dedication to clients. Mackey is also a frequent speaker at bar associations throughout the region, sharing insights from his extensive trial experience.

As a key member of the firm’s trials and appeals group, he dedicates a significant portion of his practice to mentoring attorneys in trial advocacy. After graduating from CSUN, Mackey earned his J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

MICHELE LEVINSON ’93

(Political Science) joined Frost Brown Todd as a partner in the firm’s Product, Tort & Insurance Litigation Practice Group in Los Angeles. Levinson represents insurers, nonprofits and public entities in automobile claims, first-party property

Please submit notes for future publication to magazine@ csun.edu.

and Planning) is the city manager for the city of Auburn, Ala. She also serves as national president for Alpha Xi Delta, a women’s fraternal organization. She leads Alpha Xi Delta’s National Council, a governing board that provides leadership, oversight and guidance to fulfill the organization’s vision for inspiring women to realize their potential.

DR. WILLIAM “SCOTT” WOSKA ’93 (M.S., Exercise

Physiology) is executive medical director – medical, clinical and scientific affairs, for two pharmaceutical companies focused on neuromuscular and musculoskeletal movement disorders. In addition to a master’s from CSUN, Woska holds M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Before pursuing dual residencies and fellowships in internal medicine and orthopedics, Woska spent what he called “one of my most rewarding years in medicine,” conducting postgraduate research at the Medical State University of Lviv, Ukraine. There, he studied the intergenerational effects of radiation exposure on descendants of Chernobyl survivors. Since returning to the U.S., he has applied his medical training to the

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biopharmaceutical industry — including as a senior medical science liaison for Bausch+Lomb. Woska lives in Monterey, Calif.

SCOTT D. GOLDSTEIN ’94

(Mathematics) retired in 2025 after 30 years of service to the city of L.A. Goldstein’s final post was as chief city risk manager.

Goldstein enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps while at CSUN and served from 1991-99.

He began his career with the city of L.A. — first as a 911 operator/dispatcher — right after graduation.

Goldstein later served as a civilian analyst in the LAPD’s legal affairs division, and then in the department’s Office of the Inspector General. He transferred to the LAX risk management office, and finally to the City Administrative Office. As an undergraduate, Goldstein was a proud member of the CSUN Ice Hockey team. He’s also a multigenerational Matador: His father, Albert Goldstein ’68 (Biology), B.A. ’73 (English), graduated from what was then San Fernando Valley State College.

2000S LUIS A. “TONY” MARTINEZ ’04 (Theatre) lives in Nogales,

Ariz., where he is a fitness instructor and coaches basketball and soccer. He’s the proud father of two children, and he recently tied the knot, marrying Jennifer Martinez in May 2025.

NATASHA BONELLI ’05 (Mangement), senior vice president and senior financial advisor in Merrill Lynch’s Global Wealth Management Division, was named to Forbes’ 2025 “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, published in April. A veteran in the industry, Bonelli joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2005.

She focuses on corporate 401(k) plans and personal retirement planning strategies. She holds the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist designation from the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp., among other professional designations.

For CSUN, she participates in mentoring professional “shadowing” programs, helping ambitious students achieve their professional aspirations.

TOMMY VINH BUI ’08 (Cinema and Television Arts), M.A. ’10 (English Literature) completed the six World Marathon Majors: New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, Tokyo and Boston. For these races, he raised funds for charities such as the American Red Cross, Alzheimer’s Society and Aktiv Against Cancer. This year, he also ran the 2025 Antarctica Marathon, which is one of the southernmost and coldest (if not the coldest!) marathons in the world. Bui is a teen and adult services librarian for Los Angeles County.

University of Virginia School of Architecture and the Virginia Society for Human Resource Management State Conference. She serves on the board of directors for the Charlottesville Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) chapter and holds an SHRM-CP certification.

2010S

COURTNEY (GRUTTEMEYER) VALLADARES ’06

(Communication Studies), M.A. ’08 (Communication Studies) is the director of human resources for the University of Virginia Foundation.

Valladares previously served as an instructor at CSUN, Pepperdine University and Piedmont Virginia Community College, as well as a guest speaker at the

LOUIS GALE ’10 (Psychology) published the first two volumes in a planned sixnovella series, “A Written

Self-Portait on …” The first two volumes, available in major bookstore chains and online, delve into tragedy and psychosis. Gale is a graduate student in National University’s JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences.

JASON PRATTS ’12 (Business Management), CEO of Kumo and BuildYourOrg, served as a “shark” judge for the 10th Annual Jeff Marine Bull Ring New Venture Competition Final, on April 24 at CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics.

While still a student at CSUN, Pratts co-founded Appetize, where he led a product team and partnered with an engineering team to develop a best-in-class product in the mobile ordering space.

44 Northridge Notes

Pratts went on to create BuildYourOrg, which provides professional services and software to small- to mediumsized business owners.

ELIZABETH DORSSOM ’14 (M.P.A., Public Sector

Management) was named a recipient of the Standout Faculty Member award from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. This recognition highlighted her commitment to leadership in advancing nonpartisan civic learning, political engagement and voter participation among college students for the 2024 election. Dorssom is an assistant professor of political science at Lincoln University of Missouri.

ZULEIMA UGALDE ’16 (English Literature), M.A. ’18, visited CSUN’s English 412 class in April to speak to the student editors of the Northridge Review campus literary magazine. She shared her experience working as an editorial assistant to the senior vice president/ editorial director of Vintage/ Anchor Books at Penguin Random House.

WYATT SAMUELSON ’19 (English Honors) and

Ashleynicole Florendo tied the knot on May 11, 2025, in Cancun, Mexico. Groomsmen included Matadors David Casillas ’19 (Finance), Hector Sanchez ’20 (Art) and Erik Rico Rodriquez.

The happy couple first met in the fifth grade, “where I had a huge crush on her

and we had a shared love of the Beatles,” Samuelson said. Both L.A. natives, the newlyweds live in Key West, Fla. Samuelson works as a government contractor in communications and research and writes for the local newspaper, Keys Weekly.

JENÉE ROBIN ORNELAS ’19 (Early Childhood

Development) is Los Angeles County Parks’ first-ever tribal liaison. A proud member of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, Ornelas leads policy development and outreach efforts to build strong, inclusive relationships between the Department of Parks and Recreation and California Native American tribes and tribal communities.

She plays a critical role in helping the county meet the goals of the L.A. Board of Supervisors Indigenous People’s Initiative, including land acknowledgement protocols and integrating tribal needs into county parks programs and initiatives.

ABIGAIL SALMON ’22

(Cinema and Television Arts) started a master’s program in communication leadership at the University of Washington. Since 2023, Salmon had served as a producer/editor in CSUN’s Department of Strategic Communication and Brand Management, where she was the creative force behind some of the university’s most memorable videos.

These included highlights of the Distinguished Alumni Awards and the President’s Donor Appreciation Celebration. Salmon is also an author and illustrator, and she recently published the graphic novel "Intergalactic Milkman."

HOVIG ANSERLIAN ’24 2020S PERLA COLIN ’20 (Journalism/

Communication Studies) is a technical writer at Medtronic in Northridge, and a proud, former student assistant for CSUN Magazine on the Strategic Communication team. At CSUN, she was involved in performing arts, the Daily Sundial and occasionally crashed a screenwriting class or two.

Her favorite campus spot was the Department of Strategic Communication and Brand Management, where she fostered lifetime friendships and mentorships. She lives in South El Monte.

(Business Management) is a Records and Registration representative in CSUN’s Office of the Registrar. He’s been working on campus since 2017, when he joined Physical Plant Management Work Control as a student assistant. This fall, Anserlian began a master’s program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in Higher Education, in CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education. He noted that he’s excited to grow his career in higher education. Anserlian also volunteers on campus, serving as a proud CSUN Navigator, supporting new students during their first days on campus.

Please submit notes for future publication to magazine@ csun.edu.

ANDREA SHELKEY ’24 (M.A., Educational Psychology – Early Childhood Education), a longtime and key member of CSUN’s Department of Strategic Communication and Brand Management (SCBM) team, relocated to her home state of Minnesota this past summer. She started a new role as senior communications specialist for admissions at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. It’s a full-circle moment, as Shelkey began her higher education career at the U of M in marketing and communications. The new job also allows her to be close to family and friends and return to her Minnesota roots after 10 years in California.

Shelkey served for nine years as an administrative analyst in SCBM, where she was an invaluable colleague and contributed to projects large and small — from the production, printing and mailing of this magazine — to design, events, multimedia, and government and community relations.

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46 Northridge Notes

In Memoriam FACULTY & STAFF

WARREN CAMPBELL

(Public Administration, Urban Planning), who helped found the university’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, died on April 2, 2025. He was 100.

A native of Montevideo, Minn., Campbell served in the 89th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University, as well as a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the London School of Economics.

After brief stints teaching at Colgate University and San Francisco State, Campbell joined the political science faculty at San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN) in 1961.

He was extremely active on campus, participating in the Faculty Senate, the Personnel Planning and Review Committee and the Student Award Committee. In 1971 he helped found the Urban Studies and Planning department, and he later became its chair.

Campbell taught undergraduate courses in state and local government, urban politics and city planning for 40 years. He also began teaching in the Master of Public Administration program in 1976. He later co-directed the graduate program with his close friend and colleague, Chris Leu. He was a vital part of the MPA program for decades, and he taught his last

REMEMBERING COACH HIEGERT

class in 2019, at age 95! The COVID-19 pandemic finally forced him into retirement, according to his daughter, Alice Campbell Leon.

Off campus, Campbell was an active civic leader, serving on the city’s Fair Housing Council from 197384 and the Board of Zoning Appeals under L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley.

“My dad touched the lives of thousands of students, colleagues and members of the community,” Campbell Leon wrote in a tribute.

A scholarship fund in his honor, the Professor Warren Campbell Scholarship Endowment, has been established at CSUN. To give, visit engage.csun. edu/CampbellEndow.

NIRMAL KUMAR MISHRA

(Electrical Engineering, Computer Science), professor emeritus, researcher and advocate for academic excellence, died on Feb. 13, 2025. He was 93.

Mishra focused on biomedical instrumentation, signal processing and control systems, while mentoring students as well as new faculty members.

During a sabbatical at Harbin Institute of Technology in China, he studied Chinese and subsequently became active in CSUN’s China Institute. From 1993-94, Mishra served as an interim associate dean for the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

He was particularly

ROBERT “BOB” HIEGERT ’64

(Physical Education), M.A. ’68, (Physical Education), CSUN Athletics Hall of Fame baseball coach and former director of athletics, died on June 19, 2025, at age 83.

A legendary figure in CSUN history, Hiegert is the school’s all-time wins leader, with 586 victories over 18 seasons. He coached the Matadors to the pinnacle of college baseball, winning two NCAA Division II National Championships, in 1970 and 1984.

The Matadors recently renamed their home ballpark Robert J. Hiegert Field, in honor of the former coach. Hiegert began his CSUN journey as a student-athlete and served from 1965-98 in roles as an assistant coach, head coach, faculty member and director of athletics.

“Bob was always encouraging to me and supportive of our program regardless of the time or day,” said current head baseball coach Eddie Cornejo. “Bob’s legacy will continue to be shared [with] our student-athletes as long as I’m a Matador.”

Hiegert graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks before attending San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN). At Valley State, Hiegert met his wife, Jackie (Brock) Hiegert ’65 (Elementary Education), ’66 (Teaching Credential). The pair were very active on campus, including Bob’s involvement in Delta Sigma Nu Fraternity and serving as sophomore class president.

Hiegert shined brightest on Valley State’s diamond. A four-year starting shortstop for the Matadors, from 1960-63, he played for the university’s first baseball coach, Phil Munroe, and CSUN Athletics Hall of Fame coach Stan Charnofsky. In 1964, Hiegert became the first in his family to graduate from college.

After graduation, Hiegert had a stint in Major League Baseball, playing for the Los Angeles Angels organization before returning to Northridge to coach. He took the helm as head coach in 1967 and quickly led Valley State to three consecutive winning seasons. In his fourth season, the magical 1970 season, the Matadors captured their first NCAA DII title.

Under Hiegert, CSUN became a Division II national power, earning a whopping 11 NCAA Tournament berths. The Matadors also won eight conference championships and five regional championships. In 1984, after his second and final national championship, Hiegert was named National Coach of the Year.

He mentored and coached hundreds of students during his time at CSUN and remained a key figure in the lives of many, long after their time at CSUN. Twenty-three of his players were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, with five eventually playing at the Major League level. The university inducted Hiegert into the CSUN Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. In January of this year, Hiegert was in attendance to celebrate the renaming of the Matadors’ home field in his honor.

The Hiegerts are a multigenerational Matador family, with alumni including his daughter Lorie Havey ’94 (M.S., Home Economics); son-in-law Mike Havey ’95 (M.S., Industrial Engineering); brother-in-law Ron Allington ’68 (Physical Education), ‘69 (Teaching Credential); sister-in-law Terri Brock ’86 (Accounting Theory & Practice); and nieces Tammy Maddigan ’92 (Liberal Studies), ’94 (Teaching Credential) and Deana Allington ’93 (Accounting Theory & Practice).

CSUN Baseball plans to celebrate Bob Hiegert’s life at a home game during the 2026 season. For information on giving to CSUN Baseball scholarships and operations in memory of Hiegert, visit csunfunder.csun.edu/project/46721

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passionate about supporting students and faculty members from underrepresented groups and, when he retired in 2003, Mishra established the Nirmal Mishra Endowed Scholarship in Engineering & Computer Science to aid minority students within his department.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Jabalpur Engineering College in India in 1954. His pursuit of higher education led him to the U.S., where he completed an M.S. in electrical engineering from New York University and a Ph.D. from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Mishra served as a lecturer at the California Institute of Technology and conducted research, including at City of Hope, before joining the faculty at CSUN. For info on giving to the Nirmal Mishra Endowed Scholarship in Engineering & Computer Science, visit engage.csun.edu.

South Korea, Japan, Europe, India and the Former Soviet Union.

After the Northridge earthquake struck in Jan. 1994, O’Donnell served on the task force that helped CSUN reopen “Not Just Back — Better!” (the motto coined by former university President Blenda Wilson).

A Boston native, O’Donnell earned a bachelor’s and master’s from Boston College, both in history and government. Later, he completed a Ph.D. in American history at Boston U. He worked in the cryptology division for the National Security Agency and later served at the U.S. Army’s Ft. Gordon (now Ft. Eisenhower) near Augusta, Ga. Before moving his family to California, O’Donnell taught history at Newman Preparatory School, State College Boston and Seton Hall University, and he worked in the business publishing industry, including at Xerox.

decisions about sensitive topics based on their personal principles vs. social persuasion.”

Fearlessly breaking ground in 1973, he taught a course, “Psychology and the Healthy Homosexual,” through CSUN’s extension program. Torcivia penned a letter to the editor of student publication the Daily Sundial in 1976, where he wrote: “To be a homosexual is, above all else, a recognition of the human capacity to love another … And our world has precious little love under any circumstances.” He lived with his lifelong partner, David Schmittke.

Many at CSUN remembered Torcivia as a warm and gracious friend and colleague who often invited his fellow faculty to his home near Ventura, where he annotated and played his favorite opera selections.

ALUMNI

JAMES “JIM” MICHAEL TORCIVIA (Psychology),

JAMES “JIM” O’DONNELL

(Continuing Education), former dean of CSUN’s School of Continuing Education (now the Tseng College), died on March 5, 2025. He was 92.

O’Donnell considered his 20-year tenure as dean, from 1976-96, to be his most satisfying job in a long career. He loved blending his experience in education and business publishing to run CSUN’s continuing education programs, according to his family. The job included extensive international travel, which he relished — to countries such as China,

professor emeritus, died on March 14, 2025, at age 82.

Torcivia joined the faculty at San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN) in 1968, after earning his B.A. at Regis College and an M.A. and Ph.D. at Loyola University Chicago.

“Jim was beloved by his students, especially in Psychology 250, now called ‘Physiological Correlates of Human Behavior,’ where one student [noted Torcivia was], ‘on fire about neurons, and his excitement makes you want to learn,’” CSUN’s Association of Retired Faculty (ARF) noted in a tribute by colleague Carrie Saetermoe. “Jim’s research taught us that there are individual differences in the ways that people make

HOWARD EDWARD HALLER ’69 (Political Science), a

trustee emeritus of the CSUN Foundation board of directors and former alumni president, died on Nov. 29, 2024, in Centerville, Utah.

He was 77.

Haller served as president of the Foundation Board from 1986-87 and president of the CSUN Alumni Assocation from 1981-82. He played a pivotal role in raising funds for scholarships and the construction of new, earthquake-safe campus buildings.

As chairman of Haller Companies, he had more than 30 years of experience

as a real estate investor and commercial real estate broker. He also founded the Leadership Success Institutes and spoke throughout the U.S. and Canada about real estate investing, finance and investment analysis. At the age of 22, he served as an officer in the National Division of Bank of America, and he went on to serve as senior vice president of United Artists and TCI, and managing director of Anaconda Erickson Finance.

Haller was a member of the Writers’ Guild of America, and he penned two film scripts. His film and TV projects included voice overs and producing “Night of the Tunnel Raiders,” starring Adam West.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was a devoted volunteer. He dedicated 10 years as a scoutmaster, guiding more than 50 teens and young men to becoming Eagle Scouts.

In 2005, he achieved a lifelong educational dream, earning a Ph.D. from Gonzaga University, where he studied leadership.

Haller found his greatest joy and pride in family, as a husband, dad, “Opa” and friend, his loved ones noted.

JERI C. TAYLOR ’66 (M.A., English), Emmy-nominated television writer, director and producer best known for her work on the “Star Trek” shows “The Next Generation,” “Voyager” and “Deep Space Nine,” died on Oct. 23, 2024. She was 86.

A native of Wilmington, Ohio, Taylor graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University (IU) with a degree in English in 1959. She worked as a sportswriter for a local Bloomington, Ind., newspaper, becoming one

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of the first women to break into that male-dominated field in the 1960s, according to Indiana University alumni magazine.

At IU, she met her first husband, the iconic sportscaster Dick Enberg. The couple relocated to Los Angeles, where Taylor earned her master’s from what was then San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN).

She acted and directed regional theater productions and ran her own acting academy while raising their three children.

By the 1970s, Taylor had taken her storytelling talents to Hollywood, writing scripts for classic TV shows such as “Little House on the Prairie” and “Magnum, P.I.” She achieved her greatest fame, though, when she penned her first-ever “Next Generation” script, for the episode “Suddenly Human,” — which earned her an invitation to join the producing team. “The ‘Voyager’ series (1995-98) introduced the first female starship commander, Captain Kathryn Janeway,” the IU magazine noted.

“If there is anything I have brought to the series, I think it may be a heightened awareness of ‘female sensibility’ and wanting to develop the roles of our women a little more strongly,” Taylor once remarked.

48 This is CSUN

Mighty Matadors atador Nights 2025 was unforgettable! Were you there? Or just wish you were? A beloved campus tradition hosted annually by the University Student Union, this students-only evening where carnival meets dance party helps set the mood for a great school year. Matadors enjoyed carnival rides, slushies and amazing DJ sets — all under a full moon on Sept. 12.

Looking good, CSUN! Photo by Blake Fagan.

M

SET

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NONPROFIT ORG.

On the cover: CSUN alumnus Andrew Anagnost '87 (Mechanical Engineering), Hon.D. '24, president and CEO of Autodesk. Read more about Anagnost's indelible impact on CSUNand his journey, on page 14.

Below: Anagnost, CSUN President Erika D. Beck and other dignitaries celebrate the grand opening of the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center on Aug. 22. To learn more about the ATEC, see page 8.

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