Communications major Tiara Turner has enjoyed her time studying at California State University, Bakersfield, but she found that she wasn’t taking full advantage of the college experience.
“I feel like I just go to class and leave. I don’t really hang out a lot on campus,” she said.
When Turner learned that the College of Arts and Humanities was hosting a trip to the Getty Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, she jumped at the opportunity. Although she had previously lived in LA, Turner had never been to the art museum.
“I wanted to get out and meet more people from the school, and I thought it was a great opportunity to see something I’ve never seen before,” she said.
Turner was one of about 40 students who participated in the trip, the first to be offered by the college as part of its new Beyond the Classroom program. The students got to participate in three docent-led tours at the Getty — two highlighting the art exhibits and one focusing on the museum’s architecture and grounds — and got some free time to roam around and explore.
The goal of the program is to help students gain a greater appreciation of the arts as well as forge a stronger connection to the university.
“We know that with some of our students, they graduate but they don't feel connected to the university. They don’t feel that sense of belonging,” said Interim Dean Dr. Alicia Rodriquez. “I'm hoping that in addition to just being able to have the appreciation of arts and humanities outside the classroom and being able to experience a world-class cultural center like the Getty, they will be able to connect with other students and with the faculty and hopefully make new friends.”
When Dr. Rodriquez became interim dean last year, one of the first discussions she had with Arts and Humanities staff was about providing a field trip for students to have the opportunity to go somewhere outside of Kern County.
Dean Rodriquez knows firsthand how meaningful such trips can be. While she was an undergraduate student at CSUB, Dr. Rodriquez participated in a camping trip to Yosemite National Park led by Professor Emeritus Dr. Maynard Moe.
“It was such a memorable experience,” she said. “I met other students. I got to see something I had never seen before, so this was an opportunity to do that. Students will leave, and ten years from now they will remember this experience.”
Four faculty guides participated in the trip, with each in charge of around 10 students. One of the guides was Assistant Professor of English Education Dr. Dan Stockwell, who joined CSUB last academic year.
“I love interacting with students inside and outside of the classroom, doing things that enrich their college experience,” he said. “It was also a great opportunity to learn something new myself and get to know the other faculty better.”
Dr. Stockwell said he had a great experience leading his group during the visit and enjoyed being able to have a shared learning experience with them. He especially appreciated learning about an ornate golden microscope from 1700s France that was one of only 10 of its kind ever made.
“I thought it was great that we could all leave with this knowledge that we built together,” he said.
Dr. Stockwell also enjoyed hearing the students talk to each other on the bus ride to and from the museum instead of just being on their phones or listening to music.
“We want arts and humanities majors to develop deep connections with faculty and with each other so that when they graduate and move on to whatever’s next, they have these joint experiences, networks and relationships that they can fall back on,” he said.
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