A Moment with President Tomás Morales – October 2022

The academic year always brings with it the promise of new possibilities, and I look forward to each fall as a result.  But this year carries with it a special excitement: the public launch of Cal State San Bernardino’s new $200 million blended campaign, “Our Defining Moment: The Campaign for CSUSB,” and the September 7, 2022 groundbreaking for the long-dreamed of Performing Arts Center. 

First of all, I am proud that we are the first public university in the United States to launch a fully blended campaign, which incorporates philanthropic support as well as sponsored grants and contracts.  Its goal to assist future generations of scholars and students includes the need to fund strategic priorities and essential resources for four distinct and beneficial supportive areas within the campus community. For more details on the campaign, check out the Our Defining Moment website.  The transformational possibilities inspire me for how we will be able to secure CSUSB for future generations of students and the faculty who teach them. 

Secondly, I could not be happier for the College of Arts and Letters and their departments of Music and Theatre Arts. I have greatly enjoyed attending musical and theatrical performances since I became president of CSUSB. It has become clear to me that we have outstanding programs to offer in these two disciplines. I am incredibly proud of the achievements and performances by our students and our faculty.  But facilities age over decades of intensive daily use. Providing our students with 21st century resources means that they require access to state-of-the-art facilities. Therefore, our campus needs both to refresh and build new over time.  

I know that you agree with me that our students deserve the very best. They have that already with their faculty—now we need to ensure that they have it in their learning spaces. Once completed, the PAC will include a 500-seat theatre as well as a renovation of existing spaces and will be the premier performing arts facility for our community and the Inland Empire. And, once its doors open, we will be able to provide invaluable learning experiences for our students and further bridge the connection between our campus and local communities.  

Because the Performing Arts Center will be a groundbreaker of a project for the IE. For example, we will be able to bring touring shows and performers to our campus because we will have a facility of the right size to offer them. Also, as part of Greater Los Angeles—albeit a much-overlooked corner—this will bring the spotlight of Southern California’s global entertainment industry here, to CSUSB, which will increase opportunities for our students and faculty for both collaborations and post-graduation employment.  

So, the groundbreaking celebration for the Performing Arts Center honored more than simply the latest addition to the university skyline—it embodied a promise to our Inland Empire home for a robust cultural space for the future.   

I look forward to communicating with you regularly over the course of this campaign to share my thoughts about all we are accomplishing here at CSUSB. Until next time, I look forward to seeing you on campus or at events out in the community.