As 2024 comes to a close, we are reflecting on the impact this year has had on California State University, Bakersfield and the campus community.
Below is a selection of some of the biggest news that came from CSUB this calendar year as well as some of our favorite feature stories that highlight the achievements and incredible persistence of our `Runners.
This fall, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Vernon B. Harper Jr. to serve as president of California State University, Bakersfield. Dr. Harper has been serving as the university’s interim president since December 2023 following the retirement of President Lynnette Zelezny. Dr. Harper is the university's sixth leader to serve in the role in a permanent capacity.
Allan “AJ” Manalili, a Philippines native who moved to the U.S. when he was 15 years old, graduated from CSUB this month with his bachelor’s in criminal justice after spending just one year at the university. He will be pursuing his master’s in public administration next spring, after that, he plans to attend law school and eventually become a lawyer.
CSUB held a groundbreaking ceremony this fall to celebrate the construction of a new modular building just north of the Student Union that will house the Basic Needs Department and a Food Pantry that will be quadruple the size of its current location. The facility is expected to open next spring. The project aims to better meet demand for the Food Pantry, which serves an average of 800 students, faculty and staff each week in the small building it’s currently housed in.
This year, the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering celebrated 10 years of offering engineering programs to students. Since the first graduating computer engineering class in 2012 and the first graduating electrical engineering and engineering classes in 2014, more than 600 people have earned their degrees from CSUB’s engineering programs, many of which have stayed in Kern County.
Maria Colon may be in her 60s, but that didn’t stop her from seeking a university degree. The 25-year Marine Corps veteran put higher education on hold after initially struggling with college and decided to join the military instead. After retiring from the Marines, she is now focused on pursuing her bachelor’s in public policy and administration and hopes to attend graduate school at CSUB. Her goal is to serve as a service representative or claims agent for veterans such as herself.
CSUB received approval this fall as a Blue Zones Project worksite and is the first campus in the CSU system to receive the designation. The Blue Zones Project is a community well-being initiative that educates people about how to make choices that will lead to longer, healthier lives. As part of a celebration in September, CSUB created a digital map of walking routes around campus — called `Runner Walks — with signage explaining the estimated number of steps for each route.
CSUB alumnus Pedro Naveiras has been working as an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Eastern District of California since July. He is focused on narcotics and violent crime cases and is working in the district’s Bakersfield office. Naveiras received dual bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and political science from CSUB in 2016 and graduated with a law degree from the Santa Clara University of Law in 2020.
Following a national search, CSUB announced last spring that Ari Wideman had been selected as the fourth head coach in the history of the Roadrunner women's basketball program. Wideman is the first woman to lead the women’s basketball team and is also the first Black, female head coach in the history of CSUB Athletics.
The National Science Foundation awarded nearly $2.5 million for scholarships and student support services to CSUB’s College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering this past spring. “S-STEM: Providing Aid for STEM Success,” or PASS, is a six-year grant that aims to improve retention and degree completion of STEM majors by providing scholarships for low-income, academically talented NSME students with unmet financial need. The “last-mile” scholarships will award however much additional help an S-STEM scholar needs after financial aid and other scholarships and grants, up to $15,000 a year.
CSUB’s Counseling Center moved from its longtime location in Student Health Services to a space all its own in Student Housing West’s Rivendell building last spring. The move allowed the center to expand its programming and services as well as provide a quieter, more private space for students.
The Guardian Scholars Program at CSUB provides support and resources for current and former foster youth as well as students experiencing homelessness. It assists students with applying to the university, receiving financial aid and meal cards, getting special counseling as well as getting connected with on-campus housing, if needed. For many students, the program has served as a major lifeline that has helped them achieve academic success.
CSUB received a $1 million grant from Kern Health Systems to establish a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the university last spring, part of a $20 million package of support made by Kern County’s largest health plan to expand access to health care, educate more primary-care professionals and narrow health equity gaps. The doctoral degree program replaces CSUB’s Family Nurse Practitioner program. It will offer three tracks of study and is scheduled to welcome its first cohort of students in fall 2025.
© 2026 California State University, Bakersfield
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