We Are Stronger Together

December 4, 2018

To the Campus Community,

I write you as we near the conclusion of a particularly challenging semester. We have faced terrible wildfires, a horrific mass shooting and assaults perpetrated against CSUN students. We saw some in our community fear that their fields of study would be diminished if not eliminated. We continue to live through significant uncertainty because of the actions of the White House.

Collectively, these and other challenges have increased division, anxiety and discord throughout our campus community. In the midst of these trials, we are celebrating our 60th anniversary. Every day, there are reminders of this university's resilience and sustained impact on the lives of our students and our region. I reflect on how we have grown over the past six decades to the institution we are today, and it is clear to me we are a result of the people who are here and those who came before us. People who worked together to build a university.

The people who are here today - students, faculty, staff, volunteers - have also all played a role in shaping CSUN and are part of our future story. We rose from the devastating Northridge earthquake because of the tenacity and teamwork exhibited by those here at the time. Their names are forever memorialized on this campus. We have overcome other hurdles in our unyielding journey to help students realize their dreams and make the world a better place.

I am incredibly proud of the work we have done and what we have accomplished as a university. Just one measure is that more students are graduating than ever before. That we have achieved these gains while staying true to our commitment to providing an accessible, high-quality education is even more impressive. We must continue to work together for the benefit of our students. Together, we were successful in retaining our historic general education section F, which focuses on comparative cross-cultural studies, and together we can realize a solution that meets the CSU requirements while protecting what we have worked so hard to build. 

I am driven by the bright futures we help provide. I have invested and will continue to invest all of my time and all of my energy to support our students and their success. Students are the reason we exist. The passion, intelligence and drive of our students never ceases to inspire and amaze me. They tell me again and again that they achieve more through the culture of support that we have at CSUN. While we may not always agree on how to realize student success, I see the commitment to our students across every corner of this institution. Put simply, we all have an important role in student success and the future of this university.

Thank you for all you do, and best wishes for a successful end to the semester. I hope to see you as we come together as a campus for camaraderie and fellowship at the Winter Celebration on December 13. As in recent years, we will be collecting for the CSUN Food Pantry as part of the annual event.

Sincerely,

Dianne F. Harrison, Ph.D.
President