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Bringing campus life to CSUB and its students

50th anniversary administration spotlight: Dr. Thomas D. Wallace

By California State University, Bakersfield

January 8^th, 2021

Vice president for Student Affairs, Dr. Thomas D. Wallace, never intended to leave the University of Nebraska, Omaha (UNO) before coming to California State University, Bakersfield.

After retiring from the Mississippi system and accepting a job as the chief student affairs officer, Dr. Wallace believed that was where he would end his career.

“We liked Omaha with the exception of the brutal winters. The quality of life in Omaha was really nice,” said Dr. Wallace.

Then, one day, he received a phone call from Coach Barnes saying, ‘we have a position open for Vice president for Student Affairs, and we really need you here.’”

Dr. Wallace responded with, “‘Rod, thank you for thinking of me, but we’re where we want to be and need to be. And, so, I really have no desire to leave Omaha.’”

He had never heard of Bakersfield, other than that it was the home of Buck Owens.

He also didn’t know anyone in Bakersfield, except for two people, Coach Rod Barnes and his wife Bridgett. Dr. Wallace and Coach Barnes worked together previously at the University of Mississippi, but that was the extent of it.

“I guess Coach Barnes, being the coach and recruiter that he is, he didn’t accept that,” said Dr. Wallace of his initial response to that first call.

It wasn’t long after, he received a phone call from Mike Neal, who was the chair for the hiring committee, and indicated that he’d been nominated for the position.

Once again, he told Neal he was flattered but wasn’t interested in leaving Omaha. But, after enough convincing to send his application in, he did.

“We had been together at the University of Mississippi, and I know he was a huge part of the transformation of the student experience at the University of Mississippi,” said Barnes, men’s basketball coach.

Coach Barnes knew that Dr. Wallace loved and cared for the students. He talked with then-CSUB president, Dr. Horace Mitchell, about his goals and ideals for the candidate, as well as the university.

“Because of my experience with him, I knew the impact he could have, what he could bring to the university and to the community. More importantly, I felt like our students really needed someone who had his skillset. I just saw a great opportunity,” added Coach Barnes.

“I sent everything in, and I received a call from Mike Neal again, telling me that I was a finalist and that they wanted to do a phone interview,” said Dr. Wallace, and they did.

Bringing campus life to CSUB and its students

He ultimately visited the CSUB campus for the next interview and was impressed with those he interacted with during his time at the university.

“I saw something in CSUB that said to me, ‘this is a place that could be special. It could be special because of the people who were here,’” said Dr. Wallace.

He was able to spend time with Dr. Jackie Kegley, who took him to visit the Children’s Center, since that would be one of the areas reporting to Student Affairs. Dr. Wallace also had a background in elementary education.

“It was the committee’s judgment that he had a driving passion to support students and student success. He also came with some wonderful ideas to both increase student involvement in the campus and to highlight student excellence and student community service,” said Dr. Kegley, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

After going back to Nebraska and discussing with his wife, Phyllis, Dr. Wallace told her he wasn’t sure what he’d do if they did offer him the position, after all. He also knew they had to visit Bakersfield together before he could make a decision.

“One of the things that attracted us was the small town feel that you get, you can get a sense of community and actually know the people,” said Dr. Wallace of Bakersfield and his visit to campus.

Just the beginning

Ultimately, he landed the job and the rest is history. Or rather, just the beginning.

So, what motivated him once he got here to start over at a new university?

“The university being as young as it was,” Dr. Wallace said. He had had experience with prior institutions that had existed for more than 40 years. CSUB would be a chance to help bring a young university like CSUB the traditions and services that it lacked and also deserved.

Dr. Wallace asked himself whether he had the personnel to carry out what he thought the goals should be, and the answer to that was ‘yes.’

From there, he and his team began to work strategically in developing plans on how to grow, as well as how to give students what they deserve during their college experience.

“The team that I have had the opportunity to work within Student Affairs, the President’s Cabinet and other individuals outside of the division, which has allowed us the opportunity to create something special for our students,” said Dr. Wallace.

The goal of Student Affairs is to support the academic mission of the university through co-curricular programs, services and activities. Everything the division does is built around the concept of putting students first.

“When I arrived, I was discouraged because walking the campus, you didn’t see any CSUB gear. I could count on one hand, the number of individuals that I saw with CSUB gear on,” said Dr. Wallace. “Well, you walk our campus now – it’s odd to see someone who doesn’t have CSUB gear on – that’s again, the pride you want to develop.”

Campus programming director, Emily Callahan, also added “within six months of Dr. Wallace’s arrival to CSUB, he created a new department, Campus Programming, that focused on creating traditional, social, educational and cultural programs for the students at CSUB.”

“It was a unified effort on the part of our campus and coming together. That’s what we still try to do today is to work together. Collaborations are so important. That’s been the cornerstone for Student Affairs, and we’ve reached out to the rest of campus and the Bakersfield community – bringing us together and working together,” said Dr. Wallace.

Dr. Wallace has been the spearhead of many campus traditions, including the Alma Mater being sung after sporting events, the Rising `Runner young alumni event and much more. Even simple touches that one might not notice.

Big changes

“Some were big, but others were subtly implemented that have become a staple for us,” said Coach Barnes.

“The campus changed almost overnight. There was a commitment from the campus leadership and support from Dr. Wallace to enhance the student experience and for the first time, students were not talking about what other campuses were doing, but what CSUB was doing,” Callahan added.

“Among the ideas I believe he initiated are the Sensational Sophomores, which promotes student excellence and student service, and the `Runner Student Hall of Fame. I know he has also worked to increase the involvement of student-athletes in the campus and in the community. I believe he also promoted the idea of a University Honors Code (Guiding Principles). He is a great student advocate and a wonderful team player,” said Dr. Kegley.

One particular initiative he’s especially proud of, though, is CSUB’s Campus Beautification.

“When I arrived, I was somewhat disheartened that we have a beautiful campus, but we weren’t taking pride in our campus,” said Dr. Wallace.

He would find trash everywhere on campus and it bothered him to see. He sent out an email to campus asking anyone who was interested in being part of a Campus Beautification Committee to attend the first meeting. There were around 32 individuals who attended.

“It was gratifying to know that we had that many individuals on our campus who were interested in learning more about how we could make our campus beautiful. I was excited to have so many campus faculty, staff and students interested in volunteering. This is not part of a job description. These were individuals who had pride in the campus and now individuals come to our campus and you hear them say, ‘Wow, you have a beautiful campus,’” said Dr. Wallace.

The campus has continued to come together for Campus Clean-Ups, and Dr. Wallace now sees many individuals on campus taking pride in the campus by picking up trash and doing what they can to keep campus beautiful.

“This has become the special place that I had hoped it could be when I arrived here. Again, it's because of the many faculty, staff, students, alumni and community supporters that work here and take pride in their work while caring about our students. I can say that we are evolving into what I had hoped we could become in being a student-centered campus,” said Dr. Wallace.

“Students wanted to stay on campus, they participated in programs, engaged with each other and formed communities. He created so much more than programs for our students, he created a new culture of CSUB pride,” said Callahan.

A staple in the community

CSUB has also become more of a staple in the community, as people look to the university for guidance.

“I’ve seen us become that beacon of light that a university should be in a city and in a community. We are now that place the city looks to partner with. We’re one of the first places they come to as we look at growth and exploration.” said Dr. Wallace. “You can see now that the city looks for us to help in providing guidance and expertise that is needed in order for any city to grow and prosper.”

Between the work Dr. Wallace has helped implement, along with the other individuals in his division and around campus, the university has continued to thrive and grow. Although, he would never take credit for it.

“It is very rare to meet someone as genuine, kind, graceful and honest as Dr. Wallace and someone who is a true champion for student success,” said Callahan.

“Dr. Wallace is so many different things to me. He’s a mentor, he’s like an older brother, he’s a friend,” said Coach Barnes. “I knew he was so good at it, because he’s so good with students. His heart was in the right place. There was a good opportunity here for him to put a stamp on it, but also leave a legacy.”

“I did not know a servant leader until I met Dr. Wallace. He embodies the mission of the university and Student Affairs. Students are always at the core of everything he does and the decisions he makes. I’m truly blessed to have the opportunity to work beside and learn from an incredibly selfless leader,” said Nicole Halcomb, assistant to Dr. Wallace.

“I’ve been fortunate just to be part of the many things that are going on our campus. I don’t take personal credit for anything that has happened on our campus. I’m just fortunate and blessed to be a part of working with so many professional and good people on our campus. That’s been the rewarding thing,” said Dr. Wallace.