Since being selected as Cal State Bakersfield’s sixth President, Vernon B. Harper Jr. has made it clear that he wants every student that graduates from Kern County schools to look at CSUB as their first choice.
Harper had been acting as interim president since the retirement of former President Lynnette Zelezny on Dec. 31, 2023. Prior to this, he served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at CSUB.
“We’re focused on becoming Kern County’s university,” said Harper.
Harper plans to maintain and further increase the reach with K-12 schools in the county, in hopes that every student in the region looks at CSUB as their first choice. He acknowledged the diverse population of Kern County and hopes to reflect the diversity on campus.
“One of the things about Bakersfield is that it has a true kaleidoscope of culture… we want to represent that on campus both physically and through our curriculum,” said Harper.
CSUB is working on ways to physically represent the diversity on campus as well as in the curriculum. During Harper’s tenure as Provost, he helped bring the Umoja Black Student Success program to CSUB.
In response to recent discussions about potentially removing diversity, equity and inclusion programs from college campuses, Harper wants to assure students that these initiatives will not be eliminated from the CSUB campus. DEI is a choice, and CSUB has decided to maintain these programs.
Dr. Dwayne Cantrell, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, worked closely with Harper prior to his appointment.
“That’s something that’s a charge to all of us,” said Cantrell, referring to Harper’s vision for CSUB. “We need to continue to provide positive experiences for our students, our faculty and staff so that the culture at CSUB is one that… people want to be a part of.”
In terms of student life, CSUB has historically been involved with its community bringing students from around the region for campus tours and hosting community events. Recently CSUB celebrated Latinx Heritage Month, holding various events to celebrate Latinx cultures on campus.
