Cal State San Marcos welcomed more than 17,000 students, including the largest freshman class in university history of more than 2,700, to kick off the fall semester Monday. Official enrollment numbers will be available following the 2025 fall census in October. President Ellen Neufeldt expressed excitement and optimism about the new academic year during her annual convocation address to faculty and staff last Thursday. “As we think about the start of school, in this moment in time — now more than ever — it is important that we remember why we are here,” Neufeldt said. “Why we show up. Why we keep going. We believe in the power and the promise of higher education. And we believe in the mission of this university.”  Neufeldt highlighted many of the university’s achievements over the past year, while also looking ahead to what is in store. That includes CSUSM’s fundraising campaign, the largest capital campaign in university history.   The campaign aims to raise $200 million through philanthropic support and sponsored research to expand programs, fund scholarships, advance faculty work, and strengthen the infrastructure that drives social mobility and lifts the entire region.   “This is not just about dollars,” Neufeldt said, “it’s about lasting impact.”    New science building On July 31, CSUSM broke ground on its future Integrated Science and Engineering (ISE) Building, which will allow the university to respond to the critical need for STEM programs, including new engineering majors and enrollment growth. The ISE building is estimated to cost $110 million and will be funded through commitments from California State University and private support. It will cover more than 70,000 square feet over three stories. The first publicly funded academic structure on campus since 2014, it’s expected to open in fall 2027.   Name for new housing project The new University Village Housing and Dining Project, which is expected to be ready in time for the fall 2026 semester, has been formally named Black Oak Hall and Kwíila Dining. The names were determined following thoughtful input from a campus naming committee and student representatives. Kwíila is the Luiseño word for “acorn” and was chosen to honor the local tribal heritage and the land on which CSUSM resides.   CSUSM named to best colleges list  CSUSM was named to the “Best Colleges in America 2025” list by Money magazine. CSUSM received a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. The list, which includes 732 colleges, showcases the country’s top values, based on graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, alumni salaries and more.   Weeks of Welcome The annual Weeks of Welcome, which started Aug. 22, includes dozens of events for students to meet new people and kick off the academic year. Visit the Weeks of Welcome calendar for a complete schedule.   Arts & Lectures for fall The university’s longstanding Arts & Lectures series recently released its fall lineup. This season boasts a diverse selection of five events. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.   Summer highlights CSUSM was selected for the third straight year as an Angeles Higher Education Impact Award honoree. A new master’s degree program in clinical counseling psychology was approved by the CSU Chancellor’s Office to accept applications this fall. Edward Mills was appointed as interim chief enrollment officer, beginning his tenure on July 28. Cinthya Ippoliti started in her position as the new dean for the University Library on July 1. Two alumni were selected for the CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program, also known as CDIP, for the incoming 2025-26 cohort.  Surfer and business student Tanner Vodraska captured his second consecutive national title at the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) Interscholastic Championships. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Cal State San Marcos is pleased to announce that Michelle Rosenthal Clark has joined the university as the interim vice president for University Advancement. “We are thrilled to welcome Michelle to CSUSM,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. “Her depth of experience and collaborative leadership style will be instrumental as we launch the biggest fundraising campaign in the university’s history and continue to build on the strong foundation.” Clark brings more than 30 years of experience in philanthropy advising, nonprofit management and fundraising strategy. She has led development programs at institutions including Caltech, UC San Francisco, Emory University, USC and The Music Center. Over the course of her career, Clark has contributed to more than $500 million in philanthropic gifts supporting higher education, scientific research, health equity and the arts. She has served in executive roles, advised presidents and provosts, and built high-performing teams. Her expertise includes planning and executing multibillion-dollar campaigns, navigating public-private partnerships, and shaping academic and community programs. “I’m honored to join CSUSM at such a pivotal moment in its journey,” Clark said. “The campaign represents a bold vision for the university, and I’m delighted to partner with President Neufeldt, the advancement team, the Foundation Board, and the entire campus community to help bring that vision to life."  Clark also has a strong track record of working with fiduciary and fundraising boards, supporting governance, development and marketing committees. As a consultant and interim leader, she partners with universities, nonprofits and philanthropic advisory organizations to elevate strategy, optimize operations and drive results. She earned her bachelor’s degree in art history and a certificate in management effectiveness from USC. Clark will serve in an interim capacity while CSUSM continues to advance its fundraising and engagement efforts. A national search for a permanent vice president of advancement will begin this fall.

Jason Magabo Perez, a Cal State San Marcos associate professor of ethnic studies, will be a featured performer at the inaugural KPBS San Diego Book Festival this weekend. Perez, who’s also the poet laureate emeritus for the City of San Diego, will read some of his poetry on the main stage Saturday from 2:30-3 p.m. at the University of San Diego. He will appear alongside Paola Capo-Garcia, San Diego’s current poet laureate, and award-winning poet Karla Cordero. The festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is a free event featuring panel discussions with award-winning authors, activities, live entertainment and exhibitors including local authors and independent booksellers. Hired in 2019, Perez is entering his seventh academic year at CSUSM. In January 2023, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria selected him as the city’s poet laureate, a two-year appointment to write poems, hold workshops and add to the cultural richness of the region. Also in 2023, Perez was awarded a $50,000 poet laureate fellowship by the Academy of American Poets. He helped launch a youth empowerment poetry project that included youth mentorship and workshops on poetry, performance-making, filmmaking and video art. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Adam Petersen, assistant dean of undergraduate studies at Cal State San Marcos, has been appointed chair of the advisory board for the CSU Student Success Network.   Student success efforts are underway at every level of California State University to support educational opportunities and close opportunity and outcome gaps. The network offers forums for sustained, cross-campus, cross-role, evidence-based, professional learning opportunities.  Petersen, who has served on the board since 2018, will help guide the network into its next phase.  At CSUSM, he leads efforts to improve student retention and graduation, particularly for traditionally underserved groups, by overseeing academic support programs such as peer-led tutoring and developing systems to identify and assist students experiencing academic challenges.   Petersen received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from the University of San Diego and San Diego State, respectively, and earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the joint program at CSUSM and UC San Diego.  Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Soudeh Khoubrouy came to Cal State San Marcos two years ago with an unorthodox mix of expertise: a background in electrical engineering (in which she holds a Ph.D.) combined with a research interest in neuroscience (in which she has a master’s degree). Entering her third fall as an assistant professor of electrical engineering, Khoubrouy runs the Neural Signal Processing and Artificial Intelligence Research (NSPAIR) Lab, a small room in Academic Hall where she and a group of students work on projects fusing her two academic fields – using engineering skills to advance neuroscience applications. This summer, the NSPAIR team began a project that they hope could someday contribute to helping people with paralysis use brain signals to accomplish everyday tasks. As part of the long-running Summer Scholars Program on campus, the three students in Khoubrouy’s lab – Aleks Gonzalez, Moises Nelson and Manuel Villa-Hernandez – started modestly. They learned about the electroencephalogram (EEG) cap that Khoubrouy purchased through a Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM grant during her first year at CSUSM. The EEG cap is worn over the head, where 32 electrodes connect to the scalp (non-invasively), measure brain signals and send them wirelessly to a computer. The students then learned how to interpret EEG signals and the type of software employed to process them. They discovered how eye blinking by the person wearing the cap can disrupt the signal and how to remove that interference. They also reviewed methods used for EEG-based brain-computer interfaces that will assist them in designing their human data collection and decoding the collected EEG signals. When the fall semester commences, the students will split into teams and continue the project as part of their capstones (all three are senior electrical engineering majors who are on track to graduate next May). Gonzalez and Nelson, joined by a third student, will work with the EEG cap – designing experiments for human subjects (mainly student volunteers), collecting data and applying machine learning and deep learning methods to decode the EEG signals. Villa-Hernandez, joined by two other students, will focus on the robotic arm – collaborating on the experiments for human subjects and designing an interface to allow the team to take brain signals from the cap and use them to control the robotic arm. Khoubrouy said the Summer Scholars students built on the efforts of previous students, who accelerated the training process by sharing their work and resources. But she also saluted the current students for diving headlong into a mostly unfamiliar discipline this summer. “They had to go outside their comfort zone, because the project was an interdisciplinary topic,” she said. “Before this, they were only focusing on electrical engineering, and this was more related to neuroscience. The literature that they studied is high-level papers written by scientists, Ph.D. students. I know it was really difficult for them to understand, and I was impressed by the progress they made.” Gonzalez is a two-time Summer Scholar in the NSPAIR Lab who has been mentored by Khoubrouy since his sophomore year. The first project he worked on involved training AI software to interpret brain waves and predict if the subject was responding to an audio or visual stimulus. The team next increased the complexity, presenting the subject only with a visual stimulus and trying to determine if it was a food or non-food image. “I've been able to see how the projects have grown from their simplest form to now moving to controlling a robotic arm, which has been cool,” Gonzalez said.   The robotic arm features four joints and a gripper. This school year, the objective is to exert basic control – which joint to move and in what direction. In future years, Khoubrouy hopes to reduce the processing time to make it as close to instantaneous as possible. The ultimate goal of the multiyear project is to help people with paralysis to move prosthetic limbs or other devices using only their thoughts. “I know some labs have been working on it,” Khoubrouy said. “They have been very successful, but the goal is to make it more natural and faster and easier.” All three of the lab students are from the local area (though Villa-Hernandez was born in Ithaca, N.Y., where his father worked for Cornell University), and all three have caught the research bug to the extent that they intend to pursue a master’s or even doctorate in engineering. “It’s really nice to be given the opportunity to partake in undergrad research,” Gonzalez said. “That pushed me to want to go to graduate school.” For now, however, there are experiments to design, subjects to recruit – and a robotic arm to move. “It’s fun, it’s interesting,” Villa-Hernandez said of the project. “It’s learning new things that you’ve never seen before.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

A paintbrush, a stage, a story — the arts inspire innovation, evoke empathy and spark thoughtful conversations. Now, thanks to a generous three-year investment from the David T. and Dorris E. Staples Foundation, Cal State San Marcos students are turning creative passions into career pathways through paid academic internships.  In partnership with CCAE Theatricals, CSUSM’s College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences (CHABSS) launched Pathways to Purpose, a career readiness program that provides structured, paid internships for students in arts education and theater arts. Future educators gain experience designing curriculum and teaching in Escondido elementary schools, while theater students gain an introduction to administration, performance opportunities and invaluable production experience through set design, prop creation and behind-the-scenes work on live performances.  “While there are clear career paths in fields like nursing or business, the pathway for liberal arts students may not seem as obvious at first glance,” CHABSS Dean Liora Gubkin said. “For our students, especially those who are first-generation, paid internships open doors to opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.”  More than half of CSUSM students are the first in their families to attend college, often balancing academics with multiple jobs. For liberal arts students, especially those drawn to nonprofit and public-sector work, most internships are unpaid. Pathways to Purpose helps level the playing field by reducing financial barriers and offering real-world experience. Research shows that students who complete internships are more likely to graduate on time, secure employment and earn higher wages. And with eight out of 10 CSUSM graduates staying local, the program also strengthens the region’s cultural and educational landscape.  “We’re proud to support CSUSM’s Pathways to Purpose program, which reflects the university’s commitment to student success,” said Joe Bowe, president of the David T. and Dorris E. Staples Foundation. “By combining paid internships, mentorship and career skills training, the program prepares students for meaningful careers in the arts and education while strengthening the local workforce.” The Staples Foundation’s support builds on a longstanding relationship with CSUSM. Over the years, the foundation has contributed nearly $500,000 to programs such as the Alliance to Accelerate Excellence in Education, the ASI Cougar Pantry, the School of Education and the university’s All-Steinway School designation – a tribute to co-founder Dorris Staples’ love of music.  “We’re immensely grateful to the Staples Foundation and thrilled to collaborate with CSUSM,” said Julianna Crespo, executive director of CCAE Theatricals. “The arts are essential to building vibrant communities. Partnering with CSUSM to provide students with real-world experience ensures that the next generation of artists and educators can thrive and make a lasting impact.”  With Pathways to Purpose, the Staples Foundation is helping shape the future of the arts at CSUSM, providing students with the resources they need to transform their passions into purpose-driven careers that will benefit our region for years to come.  “Our vision is to expand this program across all liberal arts disciplines, giving every student a chance to apply their education in real-world settings,” Gubkin said.  Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314