CSUN President Erika D. Beck welcomed faculty and staff with her annual address on Aug. 22, marking the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. The event that took place at The Soraya also featured student performances from the CSUN Honors String Quartet, and a hip-hop rendition of CSUN’s Alma Mater by the a cappella group Acasola.
Before a packed house, Beck welcomed 36 new faculty members and outlined many accomplishments from the past year and exciting additions. They included significant four year graduation rate gains since the CSU’s Graduation Initiative 2025 launched ten years ago, strong enrollment numbers and the brand-new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center, which was celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony later that afternoon.
In her opening remarks, Beck referred to CSUN as a “North Star” or guiding presence for the communities we proudly serve.
“We enable human potential, disrupt intergenerational inequity, and educate, inform and engage citizens who serve as the very foundation of our democratic republic. That’s not a tagline. That is the essence of what we do and why,” Beck said.
Beck noted that more than 37,000 students, including nearly 5,300 new freshmen and 4,300 transfer students, are projected to attend CSUN this fall.
“At a time when universities across the country and throughout California are shrinking, our strong enrollment reflects the exceptional education experience that you offer,” Beck said.
Beck also celebrated the significant strides made since the start of the CSU’s Graduation Initiative 2025, a ten-year system-wide program aimed at improving graduation rates and eliminating equity gaps in achieving degrees.
“Our four-year graduation rates have more than doubled and our transfer student success has increased substantially,” Beck noted. “These aren’t just statistical improvements. They represent a transformation in how we serve our students,” she said.
Beck applauded the faculty and staff’s numerous efforts and triumphs, and acknowledged their achievements made during a time of added pressures and challenges.
“Higher education faces ongoing pressures that require difficult choices. We’re operating in a challenging environment,” Beck said.
“Our faculty remain committed to this vital work despite these headwinds,” she noted with deep appreciation.
Beck included highlights of the numerous accomplishments by faculty and staff from the past year, including the following:
- More than $40 million in outside funding for 218 research and scholarly projects; this led to the employment of more than 440 students as paid research assistants, whose work was funded by external grants.
- A 22% increase in awarded Pell Grants and 10% increase in State University Grant assistance for students.
- The recent grand opening of CSUN’s two new student residences, Hibiscus Hall and Joshua Tree Hall.
- More than $36.5 million in philanthropic commitments, reaching the third highest fundraising year in the history of CSUN.
- Approval of the schematic design by the CSU Board of Trustees for the Matador Success and Inclusion Center, which will house a collection of student focused and community-based programming as well as spaces to support CSUN Athletics.
- The nearly completed Valera Nest — a center located within the heart of the University Student Union, which will house basic needs services, including the CSUN Pantry and a community kitchen.
- More than 11,000 students graduated last spring, bringing CSUN’s alumni network total to more than 435,000.
In her closing remarks, Beck said the CSUN community continues to inspire her.
“And I look forward to continuing to chart the future with all of you colleagues who embody the very best of what public higher education has to offer the communities we so proudly serve,” she said.
