By Runa Lemminn

News reporter

 On Aug. 24 Horace Mitchell announced his retirement as president of CSU Bakersfield. After thirteen years in the position, he has a lot to be proud of. The university’s academic accomplishments are at the top of his list.

 “We’ve done a lot of things in different areas. I would say number one would be the academic accomplishments, because that’s what the university is all about. You know, having the right academic programs, having the right faculty, and having a commitment to the academic success of our students,” said Mitchell.

 Under Mitchell’s leadership, CSUB started new academic programs such as Engineering, and a Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, in spite of not having state funding for them.

 “Those were important for us, because they were game changers for us, in terms of people looking at the university and whether or not the university could provide the kind of education that they were needing in terms of workforce development,” said Mitchell.

 During his tenure, CSUB has achieved several milestones, as well as a long list of accolades.

 Thanks to the Student Government’s vote to have a fee to fund them, some of the milestones were the new student housing, the student recreation center, and achieving Division I status for CSUB’s athletic program.

 All CSUB’s accomplishments have the goal of not only serving students, but also the community.

 The result of the school’s strong community service is reflected in another accolade that  Mitchell is very proud of: The Carnegie Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification for 2015 and 2016. The classification is based on a very rigorous set of criteria.

 “It’s not just what you say you do, it’s demonstrating and documenting what it is that you actually do,” he said.

“On the community part, we really have had a very strong commitment to community service,” said Mitchell.

 His last day is June 30, 2018, but he still has goals for his final year at CSUB. One goal is to increase fundraising for the university.

 He talked about the importance of having people’s engagement, their advocacy, and their philanthropy, because universities never get all the resources they need from the state.

  “I want to have more people in our region have a good understanding of the important role that the university will play in the future of this region. You know, it makes a major difference, it’s already made a difference, and from what I can tell, people have a greater sense of the value of the university, and that value is going to continue to increase in the future,” said Mitchell.

 Mitchell said the administration, the faculty, and the students have all worked towards the CSUB’s goals.

 “I’m proud of the work that we’ve all done together here,” said Mitchell