It’s easy to tell a young person what you think they should do to succeed. The challenge lies in recognizing that young people, particularly those from underrepresented communities, sometimes need help in removing the obstacles in their path to success.

Hoping to provide young people and their mentors — from parents and teachers to community leaders — with the tools needed to help clear that path to success for African-American youth, officials at California State University, Northridge are hosting a free, daylong Black Youth Guidance Forum on Saturday, Feb. 13.

“We spend a lot of time at conferences, workshops and symposiums focusing on the ‘issues’ in the community — incarceration, gangs, violence, etcetera — but we also need to spend time talking about the positive things we can do as a community to help our young people feel empowered and hopeful about their future,” said Cedric Hackett, a professor in CSUN’s Department of Africana Studies and director of the university’s W.E.B. DuBois-Fannie Lou Hamer Institute for Academic Achievement. The institute is organizing the forum as part of the university’s Black History Month celebration.

The event is scheduled to take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the University Student Union, located on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. The day will feature workshops, a health resource and advocacy fair, and keynote addresses by Troy Vaughn, president and CEO of Christ Centered Ministries, and Yvette Jackson, CEO of the National Urban Alliance.

Hackett said the forum will include four tracks — one for students in kindergarten to fifth grade, one for students in sixth to 12^th grade, one for parents and one for teachers, administrators, counselors and community leaders — designed to foster dialogue and collaboration among the attendees. Students, staff, faculty from CSUN are also encouraged to attend, especially those who will be our future teachers.

“The leadership track will discuss ways to end the school-to-prison pipeline, while the parent track will talk about how parents can support their kids in their post-secondary efforts,” Hackett said. He noted that for many parents, their children are the first ones in their families to go to college, and they are often at a loss on how to help them.

For Hackett, the most exciting tracks may be those geared toward the young people themselves.

“It’s important to include them in the discussion,” he said. “You can call it empowerment, liberation, validation, whatever. They are all components of outcomes that result in young people being enriched with all types of information that can help them succeed, and the awareness that there are people out there who are willing to help them.

“The whole day is geared to promote racial uplift, health and wellness, college preparation and leadership development,” Hackett continued. “What I would love to see come out of this is a college collaboratory — community partnerships — with nonprofit organizations, for understanding and developing clear pathways for African-American youth and other youth of color to enter post-secondary education.”

For more information about the forum or to register, call (818) 677-7155 or visit the website https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-youth-guidance-forum-tickets-20688960237.

David Nazarian, a CSUN alum and one of the people behind the idea for the Bull Ring, talking to students. Photo by Lee Choo.

Entrepreneur and philanthropist David Nazarian is teaming up with former California State University, Northridge classmate and businessman Jeff Marine to create CSUN’s own version of “Shark Tank,” called “The Bull Ring,” in which students will compete for $50,000 in prize money by pitching their innovative ideas for new business ventures.

Organizers are hoping the competition will attract students from across the campus — from English and the arts to engineering, the sciences and, of course, business — who are interested in exploring their entrepreneurial sides.

“Above all, what we’re really trying to encourage in our students is the entrepreneurial mindset,” said Ryan Holbrook, director of CSUN’s Entrepreneurship Program in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics. “To me, this means being willing to experiment, step outside of your comfort zone and follow through on what inspires you.”

“For ‘The Bull Ring,’ all ideas are fair game — whether it’s in retail, mobile apps, sustainability, new technology, food and beverage, the nonprofit sector, or anything in between,” Holbrook continued. “It literally could be anything, as long as it’s a good idea, has some way to monetize and there’s a potential market for it.”

The Bull Ring New Venture Competition will take place in April. On April 7, the top 20 teams will be awarded $250 and asked to “fast pitch” their ideas to an audience and a group of judges who will be circulating in a room set up like a trade show. The final contest will take place April 26, when six teams will face off before a panel of judges. Third place will be awarded $5,000, second place $15,000 and first place $25,000.

From left, businessman Jeff Marine, who, with Nazarian came up with the idea for The Bull Ring, and Ryan Holbrook, director of CSUN’s Entrepreneurship Program. Photo by Lee Choo.

The idea for the competition grew out of a lunch meeting between Nazarian and Marine. While discussing ways to encourage entrepreneurial thinking among CSUN students, the conversation strayed into a discussion about “Shark Tank” — a reality television show that has aspiring entrepreneur contestants make business presentations to a panel of “shark” investors — and the idea for “The Bull Ring” was born.

“Startups and small businesses are the backbone of our community and the future of our nation,” said Nazarian, who graduated from CSUN in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Nazarian’s career as an investor and business builder began with his active involvement in his family’s early identification of the potential for wireless communications technology that ultimately became part of Qualcomm, Inc. As founder and CEO of Nimes Capital, Nazarian has established a consistent track record of identifying opportunities ahead of the pack, actively managing investments in the real estate, manufacturing, water and solar infrastructure, technology and hospitality industries. Two years ago, Nazarian announced his commitment to lead a $25-million fundraising drive for his alma mater, and he launched the campaign by personally pledging $10 million toward the effort.

“We need to encourage and educate the future generation to strive to innovate and to create new models for business,” he said. “I see ‘The Bull Ring’ as one of many new initiatives at CSUN that provide our entrepreneurial-minded students with the resources and skill base to do just that.”

Marine, who attended CSUN in the late 1970s, is currently CEO and president of JEM Sportswear and Awake Inc., headquartered in San Fernando. JEM Sportswear manufactures apparel for men and boys. It is distributed to many well-known stores, including Walmart, Macy’s, Sears, JC Penney and Target. The company produces private labels for many of those stores and also manufactures for Disney, Ford, DreamWorks, Sony and Universal.

“What excited me is being able to support these fantastic college students as they pursue their new venture ideas,” he said. “I think ‘The Bill Ring’ competition will give them exposure to great resources, and ultimately give them a head start on becoming an entrepreneur. My hope is that this competition will create opportunities that weren’t there before for students to realistically start the process of building a successful business that could one day change the world.”

Holbrook, local business leaders, CSUN alumni and business faculty are spending this month meeting with potential contestants and hosting a series of workshops designed to give the competitors an idea of what they need to launch a startup.

While attending the workshops is not required, Holbrook said it is recommended, “because we are effectively laying the foundation on the nuts and bolts of how to launch a new venture.”

Competing teams must have a minimum of two members, and at least half of the team must be comprised of current CSUN students as of the academic year 2015-16. Fall 2015 graduates are eligible. In order to compete, the “pitch” must be delivered by a current CSUN student.

The teams will be asked to submit a five- to seven-page written executive summary or a 10- to 25-page slide deck and a two-minute video about their idea. The deadline for submissions is March 6. The 20 semifinalists will be selected shortly thereafter. For more information about “The Bull Ring,: visit its website at http://www.csunbullring.com.

Entries will be judged on their feasibility, market potential, traction and quality of presentation.

“We want to see something that once it leaves the room, still has legs,” Holbrook said, adding that the winners will be required to use their prize money to make their proposal a reality. “We are serious about seeing CSUN students turn their ideas into reality. It’s exciting to think about the potential that’s out there, just waiting for a little boost. There could be someone walking on the CSUN campus right now whose idea could someday change the world.”

The first Education on the Edge lecture of the year on Thursday, Feb. 18, at California State University, Northridge will explore how technology, big data and students’ ever-changing learning needs are transforming learning and how students should be taught.

Candace Thille

Candace Thille, founding director of the Open Learning Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University, will talk about how educators can use open, web-based courses and technology to improve the educational outcomes for students with diverse learning needs. Her lecture, “Technology, Big Data and Student Learning Needs: Transforming Education,” is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. in the University Student Union’s Northridge Center, located on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“CSUN’s Center for Teaching and Learning is always looking for recommendations for strong speakers on cutting-edge educational topics for our Education on the Edge series,” said Wendy W. Murawski, executive director and Eisner Endowed Chair of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Imagine how excited we were when CSUN’s own president, Dr. Dianne F. Harrison, recommended Candace Thille to us! President Harrison said that she had recently heard Dr. Thille speak and thought that every faculty member at CSUN should hear her message about how students learn and how that can impact our own teaching.”

Thille’s focus of research and development is in applying results from the learning sciences to the design, implementation and evaluation of open, web-based learning environments.

The Open Learning Initiative, which Thille first built at Carnegie Mellon, was originally designed to make courses freely available to non-enrolled learners. It also created software that would adapt to the individual needs of students. When the program was used, researchers found that students who used the open-learning program scored just as well as those who attended weekly lectures and a lab.

Those results prompted a re-examination of the initiative. In recent years, it has been used to help liberal arts colleges better educate academically underrepresented students or free up classroom time for other purposes. In addition, the software is being developed to meet the needs of particular educational communities. Thille’s work at Stanford expands on what she was doing at Carnegie Mellon.

Thille also serves as a redesign scholar for the National Center for Academic Transformation; as a fellow of the International Society for Design and Development in Education; on the Assessment 2020 Task Force of the American Board of Internal Medicine; on the technical advisory committee for the Association of American Universities STEM initiative; and on the Global Executive Advisory Board for Hewlett Packard’s Catalyst Initiative. She served on a U.S. Department of Education working group, co-authoring the “National Education Technology Plan,” and on the working group of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology that produced the “Engage to Excel” report for improving STEM education.

The Education on the Edge series is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required. For more information and to reserve a seat, visit www.CTLthille.eventbrite.com.

CSUN’s Center for Teaching and Learning is the research, collaboration and professional development arm of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education. Faculty from departments across the college are conducting cutting-edge research and professional development to better address the needs of schools, as they work in collaboration with K-12 teachers and administrators and community members.

The center was established in the summer of 2002, thanks to a generous gift from the Eisner Foundation, the family foundation of Michael and Jane Eisner. The center initially focused on neurodevelopment and how knowledge of those constructs can be taught to teachers — and ultimately impact the way they teach and the way students learn. It has since broadened its scope. Faculty and affiliates are researching and analyzing multiple innovative approaches to teaching, counseling, educational therapy, administration and professional development. The center also offers a speakers bureau that provides local schools and organizations an opportunity to bring these new approaches to their campuses. More information about the center can be found at www.csun.edu/ctl.

CSUN has joined a national effort,aimed at ensuring success for all students, particularly those who historically have been underserved by higher education.

California State University, Northridge has joined a national effort, called Re-Imagining the First Year of College, aimed at ensuring success for all students, particularly those who historically have been underserved by higher education —   students who are low income, first generation or persons of color.

A coalition of representatives from 44 colleges and universities, all members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), will be working together for three years to develop comprehensive, institutional plans to redesign the first-year college experience and create sustainable change for student success. The project is being supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USA Funds.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to share best practices with the other 43 institutions,” said English professor Cheryl Spector, director of CSUN’s Academic First Year Experiences. “It will be tremendously helpful to have support from nationally recognized experts as well.”

AASCU President Muriel Howard said the association and its members historically have been committed to student success, “with particular concern for those students who have shown great promise but who have encountered stumbling blocks along the way.”

“The Re-Imagining the First Year of College initiative is further testament to this commitment,” Howard continued. “It is a groundbreaking collaboration that we believe will substantively and sustainably alter the first-year experience for students at the 44 AASCU-member institutions that are participating.”

The first year of college has been identified as a critical time in a college student’s academic career — the point when they decide whether to continue their studies or drop out. The project’s organizers recognize that no single intervention is a solution to the retention problem, and that some solutions fail to reflect the differing needs of a changing student body.

Organizers of the Re-Imagining the First Year effort are hoping to inspire redesigned approaches that work effectively for all members of an increasingly diverse and multicultural undergraduate student body.

The institutions participating in the effort will form a learning community that reviews and shares evidence-based practices, programs and implementation strategies. The initiative is designed to include a comprehensive “top-down, bottom-up” approach that engages the whole campus in focusing on four key areas to help first-year students succeed: institutional intentionality, curriculum redesign, changes in faculty and staff roles, and changes in student roles.

Other California State University campuses taking part in the effort include Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSU Channel Islands, CSU Dominguez Hills, Humboldt State, CSU Long Beach and CSU Monterey Bay.

Four members of CSUN’s community — Helen Heinrich, director of data and analytics for the university’s division of Information Technology; Patrick Bailey, director of student involvement and development; first-year experience librarian Susanna Eng-Ziskin and Spector — attended a conference last week on the initiative. Spector said they returned “energized with new possibilities and pleased to recognize how much important work is already underway at our campus.”

Spector said members of the team were happy to discover that CSUN already was implementing many of the suggestions made to improve the first-year experience, “though we really are hoping to rethink even the things that are working.”

She pointed to one example: A speaker suggested attendees reconsider the letter campuses send first-year students when they are placed on academic probation. Instead of being stern and threatening, accusing the recipient of “failing” to meet the institution’s high academic standards, the letter could explain the probationary process and give struggling students the name and contact information of someone on staff who could help them take the steps to rectify the situation.

“If you’re talking about struggling first-year students, you don’t want them to give up,” Spector said. “You want to turn them around. I can imagine that if you are a freshman and you receive a letter that implies you have failed, it could be the last straw and you might decide it was just time to give up. We don’t want that to happen.”

One of the key areas in the initiative, “institutional intentionality,” means “establishing a culture of obligation, where everybody on campus recognizes that we are here to serve the students and promote student learning,” Spector explained.

“There are many ideas that I think could be put into action to serve our students,” she said. “The challenge is for us to figure out which ideas fit together best and match our campus’s possibilities best.”

Michael Dukakis

Former presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis will give his perspective on this year’s battle for the White House, during a special presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at California State University, Northridge.

Now an elder statesman of the Democratic Party and a respected politician known for his political acumen, Dukakis will explore today’s political landscape as well was the implications of the 2016 presidential election.

The “Conversation with Governor Michael Dukakis” is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. in the Whitsett Room, Sierra Hall 451, located on the west side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“In an election year that has everyone scratching their heads to try to figure out what is happening in both parties’ nomination process, it will be especially exciting to hear from someone who has first-hand experience running and winning his party’s nomination in a crowded field,” said political science professor Lawrence Becker, director of CSUN’s Center for Southern California Studies.

Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts from 1975-79, and again from 1983-91. In 1988, he was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. Since leaving the governor’s office in 1991, he has been a distinguished professor of political science at Northeastern University and a visiting professor in the School of Public Affairs at UCLA.

Dukakis’ talk is sponsored by CSUN’s Center for Southern California Studies and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Though the event is free and open to the public, seating is limited and reservations are required. To make a reservation, visit the website http://www.csun.edu/center-for-southern-california-studies.

A Krazy Kat comic by cartoonist George Herriman. The strip ran from 1913 to 1944.

California State University, Northridge is taking the burgeoning field of comics studies to the next level by throwing the spotlight on student research that examines the interaction of comics and visual culture from diverse perspectives.

“Comics and Visual Culture” takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, in CSUN’s University Student Union on the east side of the campus, located at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, comes on the heels of the university’s record-breaking exhibition, “Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic Worlds of Jack Kirby,” held last semester, and is part of an ongoing series of events organized by Comics@CSUN. The collaborative effort aims to advance comics studies and teaching across campus.

“Comics and Visual Culture” highlights students’ research that examines the explosion of academic interest in sequential art – including comics, graphic novels and manga, which are Japanese comics. This interest follows similar exponential growth in the availability of these formats, not only in comic book shops, but in mainstream bookstores and online, said English professor Charles Hatfield, one of the organizers of the event and founding president of the Comic Studies Society, the first academic professional association for scholars of comics.

Co-organizer Frances Gateward, professor of cinema and television arts, noted the impact of comics on other media and popular culture in general.

“The genre of ‘the comic book movie’ – especially via the Walt Disney Company and its ownership of Marvel Comics and Time Warner and its ownership of DC Comics, has dramatically changed the feature film industry,” she said. “The synergy among film, television, the Internet, novels, graphic novels and comic books is virtually complete.”

The symposium will feature about 20 student presenters representing a range of institutions, from CSUN, CSU Dominguez Hills, and San Diego State, to USC, Portland State University and SUNY-Empire State. The presenters will examine diverse examples of comics, from acclaimed graphic books such as Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home,” and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ “Watchmen,” to popular series starring Batman, Superman, Ms. Marvel and other superheroes. They also will explore independent works by artists such as Linda Barry, Becky Cloonan and Gilbert Hernandez. Topics will include theories of identity, feminist interventions in comics, Latina/o superheroes, trauma studies and many more.

In addition, the symposium will feature two guest speakers: José Alaniz, director of the Disabilities Studies program at the University of Washington, Seattle and author of “Death, Disability, the the Superhero”; and Tony Puryear, a screenwriter, designer, illustrator and co-creator of the graphic novel series “Concrete Park.” Both men will explore how comics tackle issues like social justice and the experience of being outside society.

“José Alaniz brings a unique perspective to the conversation and the role comics play in advancing social justice,” Hatfield said. “He has done terrific work showing that superhero comics, which are so often seen as stories about ideal, perfect beings, actually give us ways of thinking through disability and difference.”

Tony Puryear’s first comic project is “Concrete Park,” a science fiction series co-written with his wife, Erika Alexander, an actress, producer and activist. It takes place on a prison planet in the future. Gateward noted: “Its heroes are people of color — African Americans, Latinos, Asians — and it creators are African American. It’s such an interesting comic, in terms of being science fiction as well as addressing issues of social justice and social division.”

The next Comics@CSUN event will be “Women Cartoonists of Color” on March 30, co-sponsored by CSUN’s Departments of Asian American Studies and Africana Studies.

For more about the symposium and Comics@CSUN, visit the website http://www.csun.edu/humanities/comics.

What does it mean to be Jewish? And what roles do race and nationality play in determining who gets to immigrate to Israel, particularly when those asking to immigrate are Ethiopian?

Don Seeman

Those questions and more will be explored at California State University, Northridge’s third-annual Maurice Amado Foundation Lecture in Jewish Ethics on Wednesday, March 9. The lecture “The Ethics of Ingathering: Race, Religion and the Dilemmas of Ethiopian Immigration to Israel” by Don Seeman, author of “One People, One Blood: Ethiopian-Israelis and the Return to Judaism,” is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. at Valley Beth Shalom, located at 15739 Ventura Blvd. in Encino.

“Don Seeman was invited to give this lecture because his anthropological work offers a compelling way to talk about ethical questions,” said Jennifer Thompson, CSUN’s Maurice Amado Assistant Professor of Applied Jewish Ethics and Civic Engagement. “Because he has spent many years doing fieldwork among Ethiopian-Israelis, he has a deep understanding of, as he might say, ‘what’s at stake’ for them, as well as for the Israeli society into which they are integrating.

“Those attending the lecture will have the opportunity to think about ethical questions about immigration from different perspectives,” she continued. “I hope that they will come away appreciating that there are often no simple answers to ethical questions, while also thinking that it is nevertheless worth the effort to explore and do the best we can to resolve those ethical questions.”

Seeman is an associate professor in the Department of Religion and the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies at Emory University in Atlanta. He is widely published in the areas of Jewish thought and social anthropology of modern Israel. He is the co-editor of “Contemporary Anthropology of Religion,” a book series at Palgrave Macmillan.

Seeman explained that most Ethiopian immigrants to Israel since 1991 descend from people whose ancestors had either assimilated or converted to Christianity, unlike earlier Beta Israel Ethiopian immigrants. This group’s immigration has raised difficult ethical, cultural and legal controversies in Israel around such topics as the limits of “Jewish solidarity” and the “Jewishness” of the new immigrants. Seeman has written the only scholarly account of this immigration and its aftermath.

The Amado lectures are part of the mission of CSUN’s Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program’s endowed professorship, which was created with the understanding that whomever holds the position would teach and engage in scholarship drawn from the heritage of Sephardic, Ashkenazic and other Jewish traditions. The lectures “extend the work that I do in Jewish ethics by bringing other experts in as well,” said Thompson.

CSUN offers a major and a minor in modern Jewish studies. The program explores the rich heritage of the Jewish people. Using the methodologies of different academic disciplines, it examines the experiences of Jews in the many lands in which they have lived over the past 4,000 years, as well as contemporary Jewish life in Israel, Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. For more information or to RSVP, email jewish.studies@csun.edu or call 818-677-4724.

A method to measure student success — including employment and earnings — over a 10-year period after they graduate from California State University, Northridge has been singled out as an “Innovation that Inspires” by an international coalition of business schools.

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), a global accrediting body and membership association for business schools, honored CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics earlier this month for the work of management professor Richard Moore and economics professor Kenneth Chapman. It was one of only 30 “innovations” from around the world to be recognized.

The duo have developed what they believe is a more accurate way of measuring the success of college graduates, using state employment and tax data to track how much alumni earn two years, five years and 10 years after they graduate from an institution. Their method takes into account students who drop out or transfer to other institutions, and it tracks the success of students who go on to graduate school.

“CSUN’s top strategic priority is the success of our students — not only during their years on campus, but also over a lifetime of economic and social contribution,” said Kenneth Lord, dean of the Nazarian College. “Rick Moore and Ken Chapman have applied their creative talents and expertise to develop an automated benchmarking system that integrates data from university and government sources to yield perhaps the most comprehensive information about graduates’ career outcomes over the short, medium and long term that is to be found at any institution of higher education.

“Their findings give me pride in the outstanding accomplishments of our graduates and insights that will help us plan for even higher levels of lifetime student success,” Lord continued. “I am delighted that the impact of their work has been recognized as one of only 30 ‘Innovations that Inspire’ from around the world by the prestigious AACSB International.”

Chapman and Moore said they were honored to receive the recognition, and they hope that it inspires other institutions of higher learning to consider their approach to measuring student success.

“It’s nice that our work is getting attention,” Chapman said. “The whole point is to make it easier for parents, perspective students and others to get a clearer understanding [of] how well an institution and its graduates do. The data may reassure a parent that their child, who may want to major in the arts, will indeed find a job and be able to live comfortably, five or 10 years after graduation, and that they will not spend the rest of their life living on their parents’ or someone else’s couch.”

Moore said today’s students and parents, more than in previous generations, want to make sure that a college education will lead to career success.

“The ability of a business college and a university to show the value of a degree in terms of career success is crucial to maintaining the college’s or campus’ reputation and brand value,” Moore said. “Public universities also are challenged by policymakers and the public to show how they contribute to the state or regional economy. Historically, higher education has used national data to show the value of a degree, and relied on anecdotes to show the success of their graduates and their contribution to the economy. Our methodology goes well beyond that.”

The duo, with the help of Bettina Huber, CSUN’s director of Institutional Research, established five guiding principles they argue create a realistic, unbiased way of measuring the success of an institution’s students: follow all matriculated students over time; use standard data available in every state, such as employment records and tax rolls; create standard, easy-to-understand labor market measures; break down the data to the campus and program level; and make the results public.

The trio of researchers used this method to measure the economic success of CSUN students. They collected records for all entering students, including first-time freshmen and transfer and post-baccalaureate students, for the years 1995-2000. They issued their first report in 2013, offering a snapshot of CSUN students’ success.

Five years after leaving CSUN, the average annual salary for the university’s graduates was about $51,000. For those who completed graduate degrees, the average annual salary five years out of CSUN was more then $68,000, while the salary for those who dropped out of the university was about $38,000.

The follow-up study, released last fall, took a look at the annual salary for CSUN students 10 years after they leave the university. CSUN graduates earn, on average, $64,000 annually a decade after leaving the university. Those who complete graduate degrees have an average annual salary of more than $73,000. Those who drop out of the university earn, on average, about $44,000 a year 10 years after leaving CSUN.

A copy of the complete report, including a breakdown by college and program, can be found on the university’s Office of Institutional Research website in the “CSUN by the Numbers” link under Alumni Earnings.

Chapman said data generated by CSUN provide understandable information that helps students and their parents make informed decisions about about the students’ futures.

“For most parents, the question is not, ‘Will my child be rich?’” he said. “The question is ‘Will they be adults who can take care of themselves, get work that is rewarding and a career path that is going somewhere?’ The data also help colleges and universities make informed decisions about the programs and courses they offer to help their

California State University, Northridge cancer researcher, mentor and professor Steven Oppenheimer is celebrating 20 years collaborating with Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for K-12 students.

The latest “New Journal of Student Research Abstracts” contains hundreds of science project abstracts from students across LAUSD. The abstract subjects range from hypothesizing how fast a plant will grow in fertilized or unfertilized soil to how different video games affect heart rates.

President Barack Obama poses with Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching winners in the Blue Room of the White House Jan. 6, 2010. CSUN’s Steven Oppenheimer is sitting in the first row, second from the left. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

“I feel very satisfied that so many, literally thousands, of mostly middle and high school students are doing research,” said Oppenheimer, a professor in CSUN’s Department of Biology. “And, the journal is on the web for free! It’s getting bigger and bigger.”

Oppenheimer added that the abstracts provide students with interest in science.

“It’s a lot of fun. I feel it is serving a lot of students,” he said. “I have many teachers who have been working with me for decades. It is an outstanding group of people who help make this journal a great success.”

Terri Miller, a teacher at Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School in Northridge, has been involved in the journal since 2000. She said working with the students on their abstracts has created more interest in science in her classroom.

“I think the most important thing is that [the journal creates] a lot of enthusiasm for science,” she said. “The kids are just very excited to get their work published. It means the world to them. It helps them to do their absolute best work.”

Oppenheimer said one of his favorite parts about the journal program is the annual symposium, where CSUN faculty and staff can meet the K-12 students, their teachers and parents to celebrate the science projects the students worked on.

“When the kids hear their names for a medal, the place is in uproar,” he said. “It is better than any sports game. That I think is one of the greatest things to see.”

Miller noted that the students showcase at CSUN every year has provided her students with an additional nudge toward being curious about science.

“We’re just so grateful for CSUN doing this for us,” she said. “It encourages [the students] to go on into science.”

Oppenheimer said the journal helps fill the need to promote STEM careers earlier in students’ academic life.

“There’s a national crisis in terms of getting enough new scientists [in the U.S.]. We believe that starting as early as possible to get students interested in research is the way to start getting new generations of excellent scientists,” he said. “Because in college, many people feel it is already too late. Students often have made up their minds in what they want to do. So starting, for example in middle school, to excite students in research is a key to protect the security, health and welfare of the country.”

The annual symposium will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 13, in the University Student Union Grand Salon, located on the south east side of campus on 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is $6 per day. To see the journal online, go to http://scholarworks.csun.edu/handle/10211.3/125029.

WHAT:  Senator Bob Hertzberg, CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison, CSUN Vice President for Administration and Finance Colin Donahue, and CSUN Associated Students President Jorge Reyes will share collaborative transportation proposal that meets critical public transit needs of San Fernando Valley residents and nearly 50,000 CSUN students, faculty, staff and visitors.

WHEN: 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016

WHERE: California State University, Northridge Transit Center

Vincennes west of Darby

Northridge, CA 91330

Media parking will be provided in Lot B4. Please check in at Information Booth #2 on Prairie Avenue. Satellite trucks may park on the east side of Etiwanda Avenue/W. University Drive.

WHO: CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison

Colin Donahue, CSUN’s Vice President for Administration and Finance

Jorge Reyes, CSUN’s Associated Students President

Senator Bob Hertzberg

Media Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler, CSUN Media Relations, office (818) 677-2130 or carmen.chandler@csun.edu

A consortium of preschool through 12^th grade educators, advocates and supporters has singled out the alliance between California State University, Northridge and the CHIME Institute as a model of a successful partnership between schools and a university.

The Southern California Professional Development Schools (SCPDS) Consortium honored CSUN and CHIME, regarded by many as a national model for inclusive education, with its Exemplary Partnership Award earlier this month. The award recognizes the richness and strength of the partnership in contributing to the quality of education for the students at the participating school, as well as educational practices overall.

Celebrating the honor from SCPDS are, from left, David Kretschmer, a CSUN elementary education professor and CHIME Institute board member; Annie Cox, executive director of CHIME’s early education programs; Virginia Kennedy, CSUN special education professor; and Amy Hanreddy, a CSUN special education professor. Photo courtesy of the CHIME Institute.

“We are thrilled to be chosen for such an important honor,” said Annie Cox, executive director of CHIME’s early education programs and one of the institute’s founders. “We are so proud of the strong collaboration we have with CSUN, whether it’s with our educational programs, administration or participating on the clinical side for CSUN students. It’s something we’ve been doing since the beginning. It’s something that is part of who we are.”

Special education professor Amy Hanreddy, who serves as CSUN’s liaison with CHIME, called the partnership a boon for both institutions.

“For the past 25 years, CSUN has partnered with CHIME by providing authentic experiences for students that allow them to observe and participate in high-quality educational programs for infants and toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children,” Hanreddy said. “As a teacher-educator, I have observed firsthand the ways in which CSUN student participation in these inclusive programs enriches classroom discussions and promotes critical reflection on the potential of inclusive learning environments. CHIME also provides a resource as a research site for both students and faculty, and the CHIME Research Committee includes representatives from both the school and the university. Overall, this close partnership is both valuable and unique, and it is an honor to be recognized for this longstanding partnership!”

The SCPDS Consortium is a nonprofit, professional organization that provides resources, professional development and advocacy for the professional development school model in teacher education. The consortium functions to support, advocate and nurture collaborative partnerships between preschool to 12^th grade educators, as a center for inquiry that leads to discovery and the sharing of knowledge that shapes educator practices and leadership.

Established in 1990, the CHIME Institute is a national leader in developing and implementing model educational programs and dynamic research and training environments to disseminate best practices in inclusive education. The institute’s research and training center is housed in CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education.

The institute began with an early childhood education program housed on the CSUN campus. The success of that program, coupled with needs of the community and sound research, prompted a group of parents and CSUN faculty to develop a public charter elementary school in 2001 and a public charter middle school in 2003. The two schools merged into a K-8 school located in Woodland Hills in 2010.

Inclusive education at CHIME means that children who reflect the demographics of the surrounding regions learn side by side. CHIME’s model allows for the individual needs of each child to be addressed in a manner that enhances each child’s strength, while also providing educational progress.

CHIME also serves as a model for educators through its partnerships with the Eisner College and the Los Angeles Unified School District. It facilitates research opportunities and regularly hosts visitors from around the United States and the world who are interested in replicating its successes in their own schools. The institute has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a model for full inclusion of students with disabilities and for providing a blueprint for local schools across the country.

Thousands of people attended the CSUN Conference to explore new ways technology can assist people with disabilities. Photo courtesy of CSUN’s Center on Disabilities.

Assistive technology — whether it’s a mobile app or a modified wheelchair — can transform the lives of people with disabilities. The latest in the field of assistive technology will be the focus of the world’s largest gathering of people who develop or use assistive technology, taking place later this month in San Diego.

California State University, Northridge’s 31^st Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference is dedicated to presenting and exploring new ways technology can assist people with disabilities. It is scheduled to take place March 21-26 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel.

People with disabilities make up the largest group of attendees and “are the reason we all gather to push the research and challenge industry professionals to keep moving technology forward and to tackle new challenges,” said Sandy Plotin, managing director of CSUN’s Center on Disabilities, which organizes the conference each year.

The “CSUN Conference,” as it is known in the industry, is the only one of its kind sponsored by a university. It provides a unique opportunity for people with disabilities to have direct input on the creation of or modifications to assistive technologies intended to make their lives easier.

“Our conference brings together thousands of people from around the world — including scientists, practitioners, educators, government officials, the industry executives and entrepreneurs — all committed to driving innovation in assistive technology to promote inclusiveness for people with disabilities,” Plotin said.

The conference explores all aspects of technology and disabilities, and it features a faculty of internationally recognized speakers, more than 350 general session workshops and more than 130 exhibitors displaying the latest technologies for people with disabilities. This year’s exhibit floor has added several new exhibitors from all facets of assistive technology and services. The CSUN Conference Exhibit Hall is free and open to the public.

The conference’s keynote address will be given by Christopher P. Lu, deputy secretary of labor for the U.S. Department of Labor. He was sworn into office in April 2014, after being confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. He serves as the chief operating officer of a 17,000-employee organization that works to create greater opportunities for all Americans.

Lu will discuss the critical role technology plays in the modern workplace, and the adoption of accessible workplace technology by America’s employers. In his travels around the country, he often visits employers who are doing all they can to ensure that America’s workforce is “fielding a full team.” Lu will talk about these experiences, highlighting ways to foster change and better empower a full workforce through assistive technology, inclusion and fairness. Lu also will share agency initiatives related to accessible technology and employment, including the Department of Labor-funded Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology, and its recent work to improve the accessibility of online job applications and other recruiting tools.

Conference organizers are working once again with WebAble TV, an Internet TV channel for people with disabilities on the TV Worldwide Network which will serve as the conference’s official webcaster.

“In past years, we have been able to provide some coverage of the conference to non-attending participants through WebAble TV’s live interviews with sponsors, exhibitors, and VIPs, and through a recording of the keynote address,” Plotin said. “This year, we’re selecting sessions from the law and policy track to record and make available for a small fee to download post-conference. We’re hoping that this helps expand the conference experience for those people who are unable to attend, and we’re excited to announce that we’ll be live-streaming the keynote address again this year.”

Conference organizers will present this year’s Strache Leadership Award to Catherine S. Fichten. She is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Dawson College and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. Her research interests include factors affecting the success of college and university students with various disabilities, with a focus on information and communication technologies.

For more information about the conference or how to register, visit CSUN’s Center on Disabilities website at www.csun.edu/cod/conference/index.php or call the center at (818) 677-2578 V/TTY.

California State University, Northridge has a long history of involvement in many aspects of assisting people with disabilities dating back to 1961, when the university was known as San Fernando Valley State College. This precedes Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In 1983, university officials created the Center on Disabilities to directly assist students in realizing their academic and career goals. To that end, the technology and persons with disabilities conference was launched.

Over the years, the conference has grown to about 5,000 participants, with presenters and exhibitors sharing technology devices, services and programs. Participants come from all 50 states, numerous territories and more than 35 countries. It has an international reputation for expanding the knowledge base of professionals and introducing newcomers to the field.

Serving more than 40,000 students each year, CSUN is one of the largest universities in the United States, and it has an impact to match its size. CSUN’s 171 academic programs and engaged centers enjoy international recognition for excellence. CSUN partners with more than 100 institutions of higher education in 22 countries around the globe and attracts the largest international student population of any U.S. master’s=level institution. Situated on a 356-acre park-like setting in the heart of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, the campus features modern educational buildings and world-class LEED Gold-certified performing arts and recreational facilities recognized as among the best in the country. CSUN is a welcoming university that champions accessibility, academic excellence and student success.

Actress Amy Amy Brenneman at the 2015 CHIMEaPalooza celebration. Photo courtesy of the CHIME Institute.

Luminaries from the performing arts community — from acclaimed actress Amy Brenneman to music legend Stephen Stills — are coming together this Saturday, March 5, to celebrate the CHIME Institute, a national model for inclusive education housed at CSUN.

In addition to Brenneman and Stills, those taking part in the annual CHIMEaPalooza to raise funds for the institute include celebrities Benjamin Bratt, Dave Annable and Jamie Kennedy, musical guests Chris Stills and Lisa Loeb, and author Jonathan Mooney.

The celebration is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the El Portal Theatre, located at 11206 Weddington St. in North Hollywood.

“This amazing event allows us to share the CHIME Institute’s vision and mission with the larger community,” said Annie Cox, executive director of CHIME’s early education programs and one of the institute’s founders. “It shines the light on our educational programs and brilliantly represents the voices of all of the children — from those in infant and toddler program to those in eighth grade — and the families we serve. I’m thrilled and grateful for the support from so many talented people.”

Tickets are $60 pre-sale or $75 at the door. Ticket prices include a pre-show reception from 6 to 7 p.m., the show from 7 to 9 p.m. and a post-show party. To purchase tickets, visit www.chimeapalooza.org.

Established in 1990, the CHIME Institute is a national leader in developing and implementing model educational programs and dynamic research and training environments to disseminate best practices in inclusive education. The institute’s research and training center is housed in CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education.

Singer Tom Morello performing at the 2015 CHIMEaPalooza with children from CHIME. Photo courtesy of the CHIME Institute.

The institute began with an early childhood education program housed on the CSUN campus. The success of that program, coupled with the needs of the community and sound research, prompted a group of parents and CSUN faculty to develop a public charter elementary school in 2001 and a public charter middle school in 2003. The two schools merged into a K-8 school located in Woodland Hills in 2010.

Inclusive education at CHIME means that children who reflect the demographics of the surrounding regions learn side by side. CHIME’s model allows for the individual needs of each child to be addressed in a manner that enhances each child’s strength, while also providing educational progress.

CHIME also serves as a model for educators through its partnerships with the Eisner College and the Los Angeles Unified School District. It facilitates research opportunities and regularly hosts visitors from around the United States and the world who are interested in replicating its successes in their own schools. The institute has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a model for full inclusion of students with disabilities and for providing a blueprint for local schools across the country.

Proceeds from CHIMEaPalooza will go toward supporting inclusive practices in the institute’s early education programs and charter school. For more information about the CHIME Institute, call (818) 677-4979 or (818) 346-5200, or visit its website at www.chimeinstitute.org.

Virginia Huynh

Teens who believe they are discriminated against in their daily lives — whether because of their race, gender, age or physical size — have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, according to a new study by California State University, Northridge child and adolescent development professor Virginia Huynh.

Dysregulated cortisol patterns during adolescence can have implication for later adult health and has` been associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality. The health risks may increase for those teens who experience discrimination or disrespect on a regular basis — in particular people of color and women, according to the study.

“For a long time, there’s been a belief that adult experiences matter more than those in childhood, even when it comes to health,” Huynh said. “However, it is while you are a teenager that you are trying to determine where you fit in society, where you belong. If you are excluded or mistreated, it can affect how you present yourself and interact with others. Those teen experiences truly matter.

“And our study shows that those experiences can also have an adverse effect on teenagers’ health, and may have long-term consequences,” she said.

Huynh and colleagues recently completed a study involving more than 300 teenagers attending Los Angeles public high schools. The teens were asked to report any perceived discrimination and whether that discrimination was attributed to race, gender, age, height or weight. The researchers then measured the high schoolers’ cortisol levels. Cortisol is a naturally occurring hormone released by the body in times of stress. Prolonged elevated levels of cortisol can have long-term effects on a person’s immune system — from sleep loss and depression to cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

The study, “Everyday Discrimination and Diurnal Cortisol During Adolescence,” was published in the online journal Science Direct, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X16300605, earlier this month. In addition to Huynh, the study was conducted by CSUN child and adolescent development professor Shu-Sha Angie Guan, David M. Almeida at Pennsylvania State University, and Heather McCreath and Andrew J. Fuligni at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The researchers found that everyday discrimination, regardless of the type, can contribute to higher cortisol levels in adolescents of different ethnic backgrounds and genders, which in turn raises concerns about the teens’ health when they become adults.

“By studying a broad selection of students and asking about discrimination beyond the traditional race and gender, we were able to find that all adolescents are affected by perceived discrimination,” Huynh said. “But when you take into account that certain students — minorities and women — are more likely to experience some form of discrimination or disrespect on a more regular basis, the impact of elevated cortisol levels would be compounded.”

Huynh cited the example of two teens whose school is located near a supermarket. Every day the store is flooded with students when school lets out. A white male student gets randomly
stopped by the store’s security guard, who asks to search his backpack. The stress may increase the student’s cortisol levels, but the incident never happens again. A Latino male student is also stopped and searched by the guard. Unlike the white student, the Latino student gets stopped by the guard several times over the course of the school year.

“When the white student is searched, his cortisol levels may rise, but since the stop only happens once, levels don’t stay elevated,” Huynh said. “If the Latino student experiences the stressful event more frequently, the elevated cortisol levels over time could have long-term implications for his health when he’s an adult.”

Adults tend to accuse teens of being “overly sensitive” to some situations, Huynh said. “We might want to take a step back and think about that a little,” she said. “It might seem like an overreaction, but if they are actually experiencing distress, it could affect them biologically.

“Parents and adults who care for kids might see this as more of a reason to talk to their kids, especially teenagers,” she continued. “I know it’s hard to talk to teenagers, especially when they don’t want to talk to you. You don’t want to be overly intrusive; you want to be there to listen.

“Once you realize that the situation has not just psychological, but biological effects as well, I think there is more motivation to work with the teenager to find effective coping strategies,” she said. “For a teen, it may be something as simple as having someone who will listen to them, or there may be issues that call for a bigger action. But if we don’t take these steps now, it may be too late when they’re adults and their health is adversely impacted.”

The first San Fernando Valley Award for Nonfiction, presented by the Delmar T. Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge, has been given to author and longtime Valley public relations executive Martin M. Cooper.

Cooper received the honor for his book, “Read All About It! The Valley Times: 1946-1970.”

“The award was conceived by the Oviatt’s Friends of the Library to recognize important contributions to nonfiction writing about the San Fernando Valley, and to promote research and writing related to the region,” said Mark Stover, dean of the Oviatt Library.

“Historical research and retrospective journalism are the keys to unlocking the mysteries of the past,” Stover continued. “With his book, ‘Read All About It! The Valley Times: 1946-1970,’ Martin Cooper has created a marvelous work that will bring back memories for some of us and open up new vistas for others.”

Cooper will be honored at a special reception later this year.

“‘Read All About It!’ was originally conceived as an adjunct to the Los Angeles Public Library’s desire to raise funds to catalog and digitize its collection of 70,000 photographs from the now-defunct Valley Times newspaper,” he said.

Cooper took the opportunity to explore a truly eventful time period in the San Fernando Valley’s history — post-World War II migration to the cusp of the “Brady Bunch” era — and turned his findings into the book.

“The San Fernando Valley, with a population of almost 2 million people, has a colorful history and a bright future,” Stover said. “It has played an important role in the evolution of the city of Los Angeles and the surrounding region. Growth in the population, in industry and in the art and culture make the Valley a rich source of material for nonfiction literature. There are no other awards for books specifically about the San Fernando Valley, so it makes perfect sense for CSUN’s Oviatt Library, located at the largest university in the region, to honor writers and researchers with this prize.”

Cooper is donating his proceeds to the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, of which he is chair.

In addition to “Read All About It!,” Cooper has written four other books and more than 100 magazine articles, newspaper columns and essays. He is active in the community, having  received a 2014 Fernando Award for his lifetime of volunteerism and philanthropy. He also teaches marketing, strategic planning and public relations at UCLA Extension, where he was named the extension’s Instructor of the Year in 2011.

The Oviatt Library is located at the center of the California State University, Northridge campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. The library serves as the main research facility in the San Fernando Valley. For more information about the library or its hours, visit its website at http://library.csun.edu or call (818) 677-2285.

A complete listing of library events can be found on the Exhibitions and Events page on the library website, or by calling (818) 677-2638.

March 14, or 3/14, is celebrated around the world as Pi Day. Pi, the Greek letter π, is the symbol used in mathematics to present a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, approximately 3.14159.

California State University, Northridge is celebrating Pi Day by inviting scientists and engineers to meet with faculty and students to share valuable insights into their careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). They also will discuss the power of mathematics and the role it plays in our everyday lives.

“The STEM: Education Challenges and Career Opportunities — Networking Opportunity and Mixer” is scheduled to take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in CSUN’s Orange Grove Bistro, located at the corner of Nordhoff Street and Zelzah Avenue. The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by CSUN’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library and the Bonita J. Campbell Endowment for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE).

“We hope the evening will be a great experience for everyone,” said Jennifer Coronado, chair of WISE advisory board. “In addition to helping educate university students about the myriad professional opportunities that are available to them in the STEM fields, it is our chance to show how we are surrounded by math every day without realizing it.”

The WISE endowment, established in 2009 by manufacturing systems engineering and management professor Bonita Campbell, organizes events that celebrate and promote women’s achievements in the fields of science and engineering.

While the Pi Day event is open to the public, guests must be 18 years of age or older to attend. Reservations are requested, and the deadline is March 8. Reservations can be made by calling (818) 677-2638 or emailing wise@csun.edu. Free parking for the event is available in Lot G1, located at the corner of Nordhoff Street and Zelzah Avenue.

Information about all Oviatt Library events can be found on the library’s website, http://library.csun.edu or by calling (818) 677-2638.

The Oviatt Library serves as the main research facility in the San Fernando Valley. For more information about the library or its hours, visit its website or call (818) 677-2285.

Luke Cage, the first African-American superhero to get his own monthly comic book, first graced the newsstands in the 1970s in an attempt by Marvel Comics to ride the successful coattails of the era’s Blaxploitation film boom. As a person of color, Cage stood out in a comic book landscape of mostly white, male superheroes. People of color were also rarities on the mainstream newspaper comic pages.

Fast forward a few decades, and Cage is no longer an anomaly. African-American superheroes are more common — Marvel Comics even issued a series revealing that the first Captain America was African-American. Aaron McGruder’s “Boondocks” changed the complexion and tone of the comic pages, and Kyle Baker’s graphic novel “Nat Turner” has been hailed for provocative telling the story of the insurgent slave.

A new anthology by California State University, Northridge cinema and television arts associate professor Frances Gateward, “The Blacker the Ink,” explores the construction of black identity, first on the comic pages and later in comic books and graphic novels. The book, co-edited with John Jennings, recently was awarded the Ray and Pat Browne Award for Best Edited Collection in Popular Culture and American Culture by the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association.

“We’re at an interesting crossroads at the moment,” Gateward said. “The world of comics and graphics novels — the world of what we now call sequential art — is expanding by leaps and bounds, and that means that the stories that are being told are expanding, and including more and different voices.”

Gateward said the 15 essays in the book, written by academics, explore a gamut of sequential art — from the early days of newspaper comic pages to graphic novels, with subjects such as race and science fiction, gender construction, colonialism and African American history.

Comics have always been part of popular culture, serving as a way to illustrate or comment on contemporary society.  How people are portrayed, however, depends on who controls the publication, Gateward said.

The emergence of African-American newspapers in the early 20^th century, she said, offered an alternative portrayal of African-American life to those found in the stereotype-riddled images of more mainstream publications.

“The people in power wanted to define what blackness was, rather than let the Black people define themselves,” she said.

As African-American artists began to publish independently — and to find jobs at Marvel and DC Comics — and they began to tell their own stories in the comic pages and graphic novels. “Stories of who we are and what we are capable of began to change,” Gateward said.

“Today, you can have a black-Latino Spiderman, and people, regardless of race, are reading the story,” she said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there. It’ll be interesting to see what the future brings.”

Phillip Martin’s passion for music started young. According to family legend, Martin beat out tunes on McDonald’s kids meal buckets when he was only two. Not long after that, his father, a former professional musician who played bass for artists such as Stevie Wonder and Phil and Brenda Nicholas, bought him his first Muppet Babies drum set.

“He also gave me the best advice,” said Martin, 33, now a senior majoring in music at California State University, Northridge. “I told him that I wanted to play music for the rest of my life. He just looked at me and said, ‘Then you better learn how to read it.’ He reminded me that learning — education — was the only way I was going to get anywhere.”

CSUN student Phillip Martin with music legend Stevie Wonder. Photo courtesy of Phillip Martin.

That advice stuck with Martin through middle and high school, stint in the military as a member of the Army Band and while he worked — following his honorable discharge from the Army in 2004 — as a percussionist as part of South Korea’s K-Pop scene for YDG, Dynamic Duo and Heritage of Faith. He also worked in Los Angeles’ highly competitive music industry for music legend Andraé Crouch, Will Kennedy of the Yellowjackets, jazz musician Keiko Matsui, and R&B singers Howard Johnson and Chante Moore, among others.

His father’s advice really hit home when Martin realized that he wanted to do more than just play on albums and tour.

“I love to play — I’ll always love to play — but I want to do more,” he said. “I want to arrange music, be a music director and compose. That’s how I ended up at CSUN. One of members of my church told me all about the program and how amazing its faculty are. I was introduced to Elizabeth Sellers [an award-winning composer and head of CSUN’s media composition program]. She’s one of the reasons I’m here. This is probably one of the best programs in the country, if not the world. And, even though I’ve been working as a music professional for nearly half my life, I find myself learning something new every day I’m on this campus.”

Sellers called Martin “one of the most talented natural musicians I have in my program.”

“He is easy to work with, which is why he has made great headway in the industry so far and picks things up quickly,” she said. “I expect he will work with a lot of heavyweights in the very near future.”

If he does, Martin, a married father of four, said a large portion of his success will be due to the lessons he learned in CSUN’s Department of Music.

“The level of respect I and all the students in the music program are shown from the faculty is amazing,” he said. “Even though they know I have a lot of professional experience, they don’t treat me any differently, yet they understand when work sometimes makes me late to class. It doesn’t mean I don’t have to do the work; it just means they get why I was late.”

At the same time, he said, the faculty respect his musical talent and push him to build on it, explore new genres and hold him to high standards.

He recently tapped into that experience when five-time Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter and music programmer Devine Evans asked Martin to serve as music director for his Grammy Tribute Party last month and to play drums on a song for Queen Latifah’s new album.

Martin ran into Evans while apartment hunting in Northridge. Evans got the apartment, but two formed a connection. A short time later, Evans invited Martin to play at his daughter’s birthday party.

“I figured that it was just going to be this jam session,” Martin said. “I was playing with all these artists he had worked with before. He told me, ‘Man, you really can play.’”

A couple of days later, Evans invited Martin to do some studio work on an album he was producing.

Phillip Martin working on the music for ‘Sheet Music,” a project with music producer Devine Evans. Photo courtesy of Phillip Martin.

“He didn’t tell me what it was for,” Martin said. “I showed up at the studio, and I found out we were working on Queen Latifah’s new project. The producer told me what vibe he wanted, asks if I can do it. I started playing what I thought he wanted and we just clicked. We were literally creating the vibe for her new song right there on the spot. It was surreal. It was kind of a soul, R&B-type vibe. It felt really good. When we played it back, everyone said, ‘Yeah, this is it.’”

Martin said he won’t know if the song made the album until it is released sometime later this year.

In the meantime, Evans invited Martin to record a personal project and serve as music director for his Grammy party, which featured an all-female band, and to help arrange the music from the album that will accompany the publication of Evan’s new book, “Sheet Music: The Diary of a Songwriter.” The book, slated to come out later this year, aims to shed light on the sexual injustices female artist can encounter while they chase their dream of a career in the music industry.

“It was such an honor to have someone of his caliber trust me to work on his party and his personal project,” Martin said, adding that opportunities like that can help in the realization of his dream to professionally arrange and compose music.

“Who knows what the future will bring?” he said. “But working with people like Devine Evans and building on what the amazing faculty at CSUN have taught me, I have a very good feeling about my future.”

Brian Levin

The battle between Apple and the U.S. Department of Justice over access to information on the iPhone used by the perpetrators of the San Bernardino terrorist attacks is only the latest example of the struggle Americans are having as they try to protect First Amendment ideals of free speech in the fight against terrorism.

Brian Levin, an expert on terrorism and hate crimes, will explore those tensions and more during the next Richard W. Smith Lecture in Cultural Studies on Monday, March 28, at California State University, Northridge. The lecture, hosted by CSUN’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. in the Whitsett Room, Sierra Hall 451, on the west side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“This important lecture will help the audience better understand the tradeoffs between liberty and security in relation to political violence, and how terrorism in the United States is testing important democratic values,” said Stella Theodoulou, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Levin is a professor of criminal justice at CSU San Bernardino and director of its Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. A criminologist attorney, Levin has spent his career analyzing terrorism, hate crimes and legal issues.

He is the author, co-author and editor of numerous books, scholarly articles, training manuals and studies on extremism and hate crimes. He has written various U.S. Supreme Court friend-of-the-court briefs, including those in the landmark case of Wisconsin v. Mitchell, where he presented criminological data establishing the severity and characteristics of hate crime. His analysis has won various awards, and his work has been referenced in prominent social science journals and major law reviews.

Before entering academia in 1996, Levin served as associate director of legal affairs for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Klanwatch/Militia Task Force in Montgomery, Ala., and as a corporate litigator for the law firm of Irell & Manella. He also was a New York City Police Officer in Harlem and Washington Heights during the 1980s.

Levin has appeared in international news media on six continents and has lectured around the world. He is a court-certified expert on extremism in the United States and the United Kingdom, and he has testified before both houses of Congress. He also has consulted for numerous state and federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

His lecture on March 28 is free and open to the public. However, seating is limited. For more information about the event or to reserve a seat, call (818) 677-7169.

The MBA program at the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge has been ranked among the top 150 part-time programs in the country in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 list of the best graduate schools.

The U.S. News & World Report 2017 Best Graduate Schools rankings came out today.

U.S. News & World Report ranked CSUN’s Nazarian MBA program among the top part-time MBA programs in the country. Photo by Lee Choo.

“The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business’ (AACSB) accreditation of CSUN Nazarian College, the fact that the college is a Princeton Review 2016 ‘Best Business School’ and our MBA program’s ranking in U.S. News & World Report serve to validate the rigor and reputation of our programs,” said marketing professor Deborah Heisley, director of graduate programs in CSUN’s Nazarian College. “Only one other CSU made the ranking, San Diego State University.

“The CSUN Nazarian MBA program is state supported — as opposed to the MBA programs offered by UCLA, USC, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, which are self-supporting — and this enables us to offer a quality MBA at an incredible savings to the student,” she continued. “At a time of radically increasing tuitions and student debt, this offers tremendous value to our students.”

To be eligible for the part-time ranking, a program needs to be offered by an AACSB-accredited institution and to have had at least 20 students enrolled part time in the fall of 2015. The rankings are based on five factors: average peer-assessment score gathered from business school deans and other MBA program directors; average GMAT and GRE scores of part-time MBA students entering in fall of 2015; average undergraduate GPA; work experience; and the percentage of fall 2015 MBA enrollment that is part time.

In CSUN’s Nazarian MBA program, mid-career professionals incorporate rigorous academic training into their business experience in order to elevate their careers, switch careers or become entrepreneurs.

Nazarian MBA students gain and integrate functional business knowledge in disciplines such as finances, strategy, general management, business analytics, marketing and entrepreneurship. They improve their analytical and decision making capabilities; their teamwork, leadership and communication skills; and their ability to successfully operate in a global environment with multicultural awareness. They also earn to apply ethical, legal and socially responsible frameworks in organizational and business contexts

Students balance family, work and school in this flexible, part-time program. Classes are held Monday through Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. so that students do not have to leave work early. The program’s faculty — handpicked for a balance of excellent teaching, research and business practice credentials — facilitate active learning in small classes.

Nazarian MBA students join a diverse group of accomplished professionals who live and work in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties. They expand their network dramatically as they attend classes, speaker events, workshops, and student and alumni mixers with peers, faculty and organizational and business leaders. The program is enhanced with an active entrepreneurship program that partners with LACI@CSUN, the on-campus clean tech incubator. At the end of the program, students conduct a consulting project for a local organization under the supervision of faculty in an integrative learning experience.