Founding faculty: Recalling the university's early days

50th anniversary faculty spotlight: Dr. Kim Flachmann

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 8^th, 2020

Dr. Kim Flachmann, Writing Program coordinator at California State University, Bakersfield, remembers the days on campus when her office was in the Faculty Towers building.

She would look out her window on the north wall in the spring to see grazing sheep on the other side of Stockdale Highway.

“I will never forget that image as long as I live,” she said. “I loved it.”

Dr. Flachmann guesses the sheep and the shepherds disappeared around the year 2000. She kept hoping they’d come back, but they never did.

Although not a founding faculty member, she and her husband, Dr. Michael Flachmann, came to campus when the university was still settling in as a state college.

The school was so new that they both had the opportunity to develop programs and take part in establishing the culture of CSUB, which is a proud, positive place that includes faculty, staff, and administrators with vision, ingenuity, and endless creativity.

Dr. Michael Flachmann taught Shakespeare, Renaissance literature, advanced composition, and judo. He also was the only theatre person in the 1970s, which allowed him to produce plays with students who were hungry to make the dramas they were reading come alive on stage.

His very first production featured an all-female cast of “Everyman,” which was staged in Faculty Towers because we had no theatre yet.

California State University, Bakersfield in spring 1970

Dr. Kim Flachmann was hired first as a part-time faculty member to start the developmental English program at CSUB — then called California State College, Bakersfield (CSB).

This was a labor of love for her because that level of student is what enticed her into education. She loves coaching the students who might not succeed in college without a little handholding, a lot of encouragement, and an effective curriculum.

She then coordinated the CSB Center for Professional Development (now the Faculty Teaching and Learning Center) and subsequently ran the Tutoring Center when all tutoring was centralized in one location.

Soon, Dr. Flachmann applied for a full-time position in the English Department, where she taught for several years and then began the Writing Program, which now consists of courses for freshmen through graduate students. She believes coordinating the Writing Program is what she was born to do.

Over the years, CSUB became quite the family affair for the Flachmann family.

“Our kids were raised with CSUB at the center,” said Dr. Flachmann.

The Flachmann kids became part of the active CSUB social life at their home. The house was often full of students and professors who interacted with the kids.

“Our kids thought class parties were a way of life,” said Dr. Flachmann.

Dr. Flachmann pictured with family in the Flachmann Honors Study Room

Founding faculty: Recalling the university's early days

Dr. Flachmann also recalls the early days when everyone knew each other on campus. She went on to say that she never took a walk across campus when she didn’t know the names of every person—faculty and staff—that she passed.

Faculty and staff have always been able to walk into any administrator’s office on campus to share an idea, ask a question, or just say ‘hello.’

“Even as we have grown, the relationship between faculty, staff, and administrators is open and welcoming—on both sides,” she added.

Dr. Flachmann said she goes to many state meetings with fellow writing coordinators who don’t enjoy the kind of environment we have on our campus.

“It’s part of our campus culture that we are all open, friendly, and accepting of each other at all levels.”

Dr. Flachmann also noted the important connections we have at CSUB with other educators in our community.

Since coming to campus, her mission has been to knock on doors and make connections within the educational community.

“I think we teach better when we know what the students just completed in 12th grade,” she added.

Based on what she learned from the connections she made in the educational community, she developed the Writing Program at CSUB.

“This community invites that kind of communication,” Dr. Flachmann said. “Other educators and administrators, especially at the Kern High School District, always welcomed my visits and wanted to work with us at the university.”

These connections and relationships have opened many doors, including the Reading Institute for Academic Preparation (RIAP) grant, funded by the California State University Chancellor’s Office and the Kern High School District.

Dr. Flachmann (left) and David Reese (right)

Dr. Flachmann, right, pictured with fellow CSUB donors at the President’s Associates Annual Recognition Dinner

The Expository Reading and Writing Program is also a “joint” program with the community, as is a California Academic Partnership Program grant that she oversees for CSUB. Her primary mission has always been to open communication and then stay linked with the community.

“It’s because of the people here,” she noted about the progress in her program. That’s what has motivated her through her career at CSUB and has made the educational experience in Kern County as seamless as possible for its students.

“The best part for me is being able to raise the level of literacy in Kern County,” she added.

It’s a mission she shares with the entire educational community in Kern County. Another goal for Dr. Flachmann has always been to look for what she can expand or improve upon to make writing in general even more dynamic in this community.

As for CSUB’s future, she said she hopes the campus doesn’t get too much larger and that the university will continue to sustain strong connections on campus and in the community. She also hopes we will continue to use these partnerships to develop new programs, fuel our mission, and continue to expand, strengthen, and diversify our presence in the community.