Marilyn Magaram Center

Spring 2022 Director's Message

February 21, 2022

Annette A. Besnilian

“Spring is the time of plans and project." Leo Tolstoy

With the return to on-campus learning and the spring semester already underway, the MMC has “sprung” into action as we remain dedicated to fulfilling our mission and vision through the valuable contributions of all those who are helping to advance our commitment to research, education, and community service in the fields of nutrition, dietetics and food science. The development and training of students on the path to becoming future professionals continues to be our highest priority, and we are proud to further these efforts in supporting CSUN and the community at large by providing both in-person and virtual resources, tools, and learning opportunities that are widely accessible and in alignment with the university’s protocols for campus repopulation. Also, through the Pathways to Success program and generous donor funding, we have been able to provide approximately 40 scholarships to our student scholars who are being recognized this spring for their achievements. We are extremely grateful to our donors, sponsors and partners for the opportunity to implement and further expand our innovative and collaborative programs and services while improving health outcomes and enhancing quality of life for the CSUN community and beyond. 

March is National Nutrition Month and the MMC will be highlighting this year’s theme, “Celebrate a World of Flavors,” through interactive social media posts and various hybrid events. We are also looking forward to continued interdisciplinary collaborations with our campus and community partners through programs and projects with the CSUN Journalism Department, the Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing, the Institute for Sustainability, CSUN Entrepreneurship, CSUN ARCS, NASA Deep Space Food Challenge, MyPlate the Musical, Spring Arts Festival, Culinary Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Tower Cancer Research Foundation. Additionally, we are excited to continue expanding our product lines with new items in development such as protein bars, pickled giardiniera, and herbal teas. Our CalFresh Healthy Livingteam continues to coordinate free nutrition and fitness education and activities for children and adults, outreach events at local parks, and monthly food distributions, and the MMC is currently offering the following services, programs and workshops, both in-person and virtually: 

  • Nutrition Counseling via Telehealth 

  • BOD POD body composition testing 

  • Recipe Analysis + Diet Analysis 

  • Thrive with Diabetes group education classes for diabetes management 

  • PreventT2 diabetes prevention program 

  • Tower Cancer Foundation workshops 

  • Gardening at Home video series on YouTube + Instagram Live from the MMC Wellness Garden 

  • Culinary workshops with the CSUN Alumni Association 

  • Public Policy Day on April 18, 2022 via Zoom

All of our unique products are now available to purchase and pick up in-person at the MMC and through the CSUN Matador Bookstore! Please visit our website for more details about our current promotions, services, resources, and upcoming events and be sure to look for updates in our bi-weekly MMC Virtual Events emails. I extend my sincerest appreciation to all of our staff, student assistants, interns, collaborators, and campus and community partners for their dedication in providing our amazing hybrid programs and services at CSUN and in the greater community. As a reminder, you can find the most recent campus updates along with the new COVID dashboard through the Matadors Forward webpage.  

Annette A. BesnilianExecutive Director, Marilyn Magaram Center