When Debra Hammond took the helm at CSUN’s University Student Union (USU) in November 1993, she thought she might stay five to seven years at most. She couldn’t even guess that she would go on to guide three generations of Matadors — from Gen X to millennials and then Gen Z — and see the Northridge campus transformed.
A celebrated leader, role model and mentor for students and colleagues alike, Hammond will retire Dec. 31, concluding 31 years as USU executive director. It’s hard to imagine the student union or even the Northridge campus without her calm presence and steady leadership. But retirement beckons.
CSUN Newsroom sat down for a Q&A with Hammond in mid-August, as she was preparing for her last fall semester on campus. Here are some highlights of the conversation. This article has been edited for length:
Q: First of all, thank you for your long tenure and service to CSUN. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment or highlight of your time as USU executive director?
Debra Hammond: Personally, for me, it’s been the impact I’ve been able to have on students to go into the field of higher education — student unions, Student Affairs. A number of the people that I have worked with and mentored are in high-level positions in Student Affairs, here and at other campuses. Almost all of them are people of color. For me, that was a really big deal, because when I got into the field — particularly in student unions — there were very few people of color, and very few women of color. There was an article around 1991, 1992, published in Black Issues in Higher Education (now Diverse Issues in Higher Education). There were nine of us across the country. It’s changed dramatically since then.
To me, this is the perfect marriage of supporting students and running a business. It’s the best of both worlds. We have a $21-million operating budget this year, 75 full-time staff, 300 student employees. We have a nonprofit corporation that runs us, and it’s mainly governed by students. I have a student chair and vice chair, which means every year, I get a new boss. I am teaching and training them, but they’re also evaluating me. It’s a really unique relationship, but it keeps us on the pulse of what students want.
Professionally, [it has been] making the USU into a facility that deepens the students’ connection to the institution — innovative programs like Matador Nights, resource centers, and programs like the Student Recreation Center, Oasis Wellness Center and the upcoming Valera NEST.
Q: What attracted you to CSUN in the first place?
DH: I started Nov. 22, 1993, so I came about a month before the earthquake. I was working at Cal State L.A. for about five and a half years, and several [student union and student services] colleagues who worked at Northridge — Jerome Green, Larry Mrozek and Dick Scott — called me about the opportunity. Before that, I was at Rutgers University — I’m originally from New Jersey. I started my career as assistant to the dean for Minority Affairs. I’ve been in the field almost 45 years now!
Reporting to Dr. William Watkins (and immediately connecting with him), and CSUN was led by a Black woman, Dr. Blenda Wilson — what an opportunity.
Q: What do you see as the greatest changes in the USU — capital changes, cultural changes or otherwise?
DH: The SRC (Student Recreation Center) changed the landscape of this campus when it opened in 2012. Food service (campus dining) wasn’t even open in the evenings before the SRC came. Everything shut down at 5. It changed the feeling on campus. We started to have more people walking around campus with yoga mats and in workout gear.
The Valera NEST is going to be a game-changer for our campus as well. The biggest thing about the NEST is that we are changing the narrative. We are taking basic needs out of the shadows. You change that by how you set it up – where the facility is located. The student union and having a student board has allowed me to do those kinds of creative things, where you push the envelope.
My job is to keep moving a project forward, providing the continuity year to year so the students in the next year understand what their responsibilities are. We use the concept: Each generation that’s here sets the table for the next generation of students.
Q: How has CSUN changed overall?
DH: The demographics have changed tremendously. When I first got here in 1993, it was a majority white institution, in terms of the student body. Now, we’re majority Latinx, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, minority-serving institution. Also, when I first got here, we had 12% Black students, and now we’re at 5%. And, we had the earthquake!
When I think about our students today, 80-85% of our students are on some kind of financial aid, and we are a first-generation student campus. They have the encouragement at home, but they may not have the support at home in terms of navigating the system. If your parents went to college, they can help you navigate the system. So, our job here is to be support providers.
Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring leaders, whether at CSUN or elsewhere in higher education?
DH: Know your “why” — why you are here. You have to be able to speak your truth and tell people what you see, even if it may be different from what they believe. You can only do that when people respect what you do. Understand that it’s not about you — you are a servant leader. It’s not about you, but it begins with you! Figure out how you can contribute.
Q: Tell us about your mug collection — how did it start, and how many do you have?
DH: I have mostly Black-oriented mugs, and I have some others that are significant about CSUN. I love art. I can’t do it, but I love to collect it. I saw a mug years ago that was unique, and I felt like it had something to say. I bought two, and then I bought three. Now, a lot of my mugs, I don’t even buy them anymore — they’re gifts.
Q: What’s next for you? What are you looking forward to in retirement?
DH: For January, I’m not doing anything. I’m just going to rest, relax and plan. I haven’t been able to plan as much as I would like to, because I’m so busy. I’m planning to travel.
I continue to do some consulting — for various campuses throughout the country. But I get to decide how much I want to do, or if I want to do. I’m also thinking about writing about leadership, and how to help people through the grief process. I was with my Dad when he passed away, and then I was with my Mom when she passed away. It’s the cycle of life, and we need to help people do it better. Even now when people pass, I’ve created some rituals that I do and I try to help other people by sharing those.
And … I’m going to be a grandmother, “Gi-Gi,” for the first time — in November, and I’m so excited!
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