By Devon Halsell
Assistant Features Editor
CSU Bakersfield hosted its first Brown Bag Discussion of the year which was highlighted by Chair of the Board of Trustees Rebecca Eisen who discussed student success.
Trustee Eisen started the discussion by telling the crowd a little bit about herself before delving into the discussions topic of student success.
“You can’t get to know an institution without visiting all of the campuses,” Eisen said about the CSU system.
Eisen has made it a goal of hers to visit all 23 of the CSU’s. She mentioned only having five more to visit.
Trustee Rebecca Eisen
The Board of Trustees is not made up of educators, but with people from the surrounding communities who have a world view.
When making decisions, the board listens to what students have to say because “students are a power that can change the world.”
“The board will be determining what is an appropriate goal for graduation range,” Eisen mentioned. “Whatever we can do, to be productive in terms of getting students toward degrees that they are working for.”
After covering the topics she had prepared, Eisen opened the floor for questions and comments from students and faculty present.
“The mandatory advising for current students was very helpful during the quarter to semester transition because the advisors walked us through step-by-step what we would need to graduate,” Oscar Alvarez, Vice President of University Affairs, had to say about how helpful the advisors on campus can be.
Emerson Case, an English professor, brought up faculty “I see a big erosion of tenure-track faculty to part-time lecturers.” Part-time professors and lecturers are not required to do advising or hold office hours, so the students are losing out on making those connections. Which Eisen said is one of the Chancellor’s main concerns; they would all like to help the students in as many ways possible.
The next Brown Bag Discussion will be held on Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 29 in the Stockdale Room in the Runner Café from 12-1:15 p.m. It is free to attend the event.
