Office of the Provost Newsletter December 2025

  

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We are at the end of the semester, and I hope the past months have been both productive and fulfilling for all of you.

This fall, we were thrilled to welcome 34 new tenure-track faculty members, approximately 5,237 first-time freshmen, around 4,298 first-time transfer students and 1,510 new graduate students to our campus community! While the total number of first-time students is slightly lower compared to last fall, our overall enrollment has reached 37,960, representing a slight increase of about 0.2%. We are continuing the Faculty Ambassadors Program, where one faculty member per academic college collaborates with the Office of Student Outreach and Recruitment (SOAR) in Enrollment Services to increase the yield from admitted students.

Once again, the New Faculty Orientation for tenure-track faculty and lecturers was a success in welcoming our new faculty and helping them prepare for their roles on campus. Pending budgetary considerations, we are planning to hire 19 new tenure-track faculty members and filling four roll-over positions for Fall 2026.

The annual virtual Retention, Tenure & Promotion (RTP) Roadshow continues to provide an opportunity for reviewers and faculty members to learn more about the RTP process. During these sessions, Tina von Mayrhauser, Interim AVP for Faculty Affairs, Sylvia Macauley, Chair of PP&R, and I make brief presentations and respond to queries and clarifications, helping to ensure clarity and transparency in the RTP process.

During the Spring semester, the Faculty Senate’s Research and Grant Committee conducted a review of the Large Grant Program (LGP). Even as the committee’s report was being reviewed, over the summer, a whistleblower complaint led to a Chancellor’s Office investigation, resulting in the Grant-Related/Specially-Funded Instructional Faculty (GRIF) and Large Grant Programs needing to be revised. Throughout the summer and as fall began, faculty continued to submit grants—currently at 85 proposals—through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs based on an interim/bridge LGP model. This year, in collaboration with Faculty Senate, a task force has been created to redesign the Large Grant Program to ensure that it is both financially sustainable and compliant with CO, state, and federal regulations. The GRIF program will also be revised in partnership with PP&R. Research and creative activity are highly valued, and the university is committed to supporting faculty in their scholarly pursuits.

In response to the Spring 2025 California State University system’s inaugural Artificial Intelligence Educational Innovations Challenge (AIEIC) competition, CSUN had 47 submissions (the largest number of submissions in the system) and four winners: Learning with AI: Adaptive Support for Math and Conceptual Mastery in Physics by Dr. Tyler Luchko, Physics and Astronomy; Curriculum-aligned AI Language Partner to Support Student-Centered Learning in Japanese by Dr. Drake Langford, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures; Integrating Digital Twins to Transform Education by Dr. Yoshie Hanzawa, Biology; and Ethical AI Literacy and Critical Thinking in EPC 315: Preparing Future Educators for AI-Enhanced Classrooms by Ellen Stohl, Educational Psychology & Counseling.

It was encouraging to see that both the September 15 and November 14 University Budget & Planning Group (UPBG) meetings were well attended, with colleagues across all the divisions. Your engagement in offering suggestions and recommendations for how we respond to budget challenges is highly appreciated. Thank you for attending, participating, asking questions and making recommendations. Your partnership is crucial in helping the university strategically manage financial constraints.

It is encouraging to note that our focus on increasing student retention rates is beginning to make a difference. The retention rate for the Fall 2024 FTF cohort is 75.1%, up 1.3% from the Fall 2023 FTF cohort (73.8%). This year, as part of CSUN’s Annual Survey of Graduating Seniors conducted by the Office of Institutional Research, students were invited to recognize up to three faculty or staff members who had the most significant impact on their educational journey. The faculty and staff who received this recognition were delighted to learn that their students chose to honor them in this way. Thank you for all that each of you does to promote student success at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

As the semester wraps up, I wish everyone a strong finish, relaxing break, and a happy holiday season filled with rest and celebration.

Warm regards,

Meera