As we emerge from the pandemic, possibility abounds. While the pandemic made us feel stalled in some ways, the time also ignited reflection for a commitment to professional and personal fulfillment and contribution to one’s community. In Extension and International Programs at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF EIP), we are here to respond to that call.
Our motto is students first! At CSUF EIP, our programs are designed with the needs of students at the forefront, and we are committed to delivering education through modalities that meet the needs of learners where and when they work, live, and study. We are dedicated to current and relevant education that aligns with existing and future workforce needs. We face the aftermath of the great resignation, and we both view and position ourselves as a solution. We are here for workplaces to invest in the skills of their employees, and we are here for employees who desire a career change, greater fulfillment, and advanced learning.
CSUF EIP is also dedicated to educating with a global reach for an increasingly interconnected world. We are proud to welcome international learners from across the globe and take pride in our culturally rich community of learners. While the pandemic stymied global mobility, we never ceased virtual engagement with our cross-border communities. Now, we are proud to be once again sending students to study, serve, and intern across the globe.
We invite you to read our 2022 Annual Impact Report and learn more about the students, alumni, communities, faculty, employers, team members, and partners that together comprise the CSUF EIP community.
Dr. Debra Leahy
Dean for Extension and Associate Vice President for International Programs
Our short-term professional development programs helped participants learn a new skill, advance their careers or pursue academic goals. Certificates were offered for multiple fields: Business, Crime & Forensics, Legal & Fiduciary Management and Technology & Engineering.
2,823 total enrollments
136 courses
759 students
1,933 instruction hours
12 programs
30 instructors
This year, we piloted digital badges for select certificate programs. When participants completed a program, they received a badge which could be displayed on their resume, portfolio, LinkedIn and other online platforms.
To address the need for biomanufacturing technicians in Southern California, a consortium was formed, comprising three California State University campuses—Fullerton, Los Angeles, and Long Beach—and the industry association Biocom California Institute. The certificate program is scheduled to begin in January 2023.
Dr. Sagil James is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences at CSUF. He developed the fully online Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Certificate program and is an integral member of the CSU Consortium on Biomanufacturing Technician program.
Rachel K. Professional Fiduciary Management “Since 2018, I have been serving as a Care Manager for seniors and families who need support in navigating long-term care. In 2020 I became a Board Certified Case Manager and Certified Administrator for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly with the California Department of Social Services. I enrolled in the Professional Fiduciary Management for Trustees Certificate to advance this career change and to shore up my basic fiduciary management skills. Over the past ten years, I have been in and out of the workforce due to caring for my elderly parents. My father was hospitalized in the fall of 2012 and passed away the following year. Since then, I have also been the primary caregiver for my mom. I have financial need due to my lack of income for many years. I am currently on CalFresh food assistance and MediCal.”
Patricia R. Digital Marketing “Learning, understanding and using digital marketing will hopefully help me implement and develop a better marketing/sales plan. I mostly work on trade shows and events but those projects also require a successful marketing strategy/plan. By learning about the digital marketing world, I should be able to utilize this knowledge to turn my projects into successful and profitable programs. Each year my company evaluates its employees on any professional development taken and used successfully at work. By obtaining a digital marketing certificate, I should be able to accomplish the company's professional development goal and I hope to make the marketing programs more successful. I am 55 years old and with age comes knowledge. I have decided to broaden my knowledge of marketing by working toward a digital marketing certificate. By understanding how digital marketing works and how it can be used, I have become more valuable to the marketing department. I feel if I can obtain a digital marketing certificate will help with my career goals & objectives. One goal is to gain enough knowledge to be able to help the department with the digital marketing programs.”
Erika Y. Crime & Intelligence Analysis “I graduated last year from Cal State Fullerton with a double major in psychology and criminal justice. After graduation, I was lost and I was not sure what I wanted to do with my degree. This program has helped me find some clarity on what I want to do in the future. This program opened my eyes to a new profession I did not know much about. Now, I know I want to become a crime analyst. This is a great program and is helping me improve myself personally, professionally, and academically. The instructors in this program are awesome and are people who I admire. This scholarship would be helpful to me because I am currently working part-time, I am halfway done with the program, and I am getting ready to go back to school for my master's. There are times when it gets complicated and I struggle financially because I only work part-time and I have other academic expenses. My job and my family are very helpful in paying for my education. However, this scholarship would be extra support and it would help me reduce my worry about paying for my classes.”
Our online courses and programs helped educators fulfill their professional goal, including completing credentials and meeting prerequisites. In partnership with CSUF’s College of Education, we provided the training needed for the teachers of the future.
620 total students
We also introduced two new Educator Programs:
Early Childhood
Special Education (ECSE)
Bridge Authorization
In 2020-2021 we partnered with numerous agencies, organizations and corporations to drive workforce development throughout the region:
Our online bachelor’s degree completion-programs provided the flexibility that many adult learners need to reach their academic goals, eliminating the hassles of transportation, conflicts with busy work schedule, and other time-consuming obstacles.
761 total graduates
321 Business Administration
97 Sociology
91 Humanities & Social Sciences
Adelia Jones, a military spouse, was in the process of moving her family to Delaware and needed a flexible program that allowed her to earn a bachelor’s degree while moving states. Our Online Bachelor’s in Humanities and Social Sciences program was the perfect fit. Adelia appreciated the convenient online format, as well as the cohort structure that guaranteed a spot in class every semester. What’s next for Adelia now that she’s earned her degree? Read her full story to find out!
45 students enrolled
45 graduates
Our Pre-Health Professions Postbaccalaureate Program provided a way for students with a non-science background to begin careers in the medical field and other health related occupations.
In addition to our bachelor’s degree programs, we have continued to offer advanced degree programs for postgraduates. These include the Fully Employed Masters in Business Administration (FEMBA), M.S. in Counseling, Master of Social Work (MSW Flex) and Accelerated M.S. in Software Engineering (AMSE).
63 Fully Employed MBA
49 MS in Counseling
75 MS in Social Work
20 AMSE
CSUF alumna Mayuri Kumbhare obtained her Accelerated M.S. in Software Engineering from CSUF Extension & International Programs. It was through this program that she learned about a Metaverse research project being conducted by Dr. Rong Jin of the Computer Science department. The skills and knowledge she gained from our AMSE program led to her being offered an internship as Dr. Rong Jin’s graduate research assistant.
In support of CSUF’s “Finish in 4” initiative, our summer and winter sessions provided a way for students to stay on track to graduate or even accelerate their graduation date.
Over 17,000 admitted students
Over 1,000 non-admitted students
Nearly 300 GI2025 students Graduation Initiative 2025 (GI2025) is the CSU’s initiative to increase graduation rates for all CSU students while eliminating opportunity and achievement gaps.
“Summer and winter session courses have been the most beneficial to me while at CSUF. The classes are more 1-on-1 oriented and the professors are helpful.”
“I love summer classes because they are fast-paced and allow me to stay on top of my road to graduation.”
“I enjoyed that courses ranged from 5-8 weeks, and I am beyond grateful I received the opportunity to complete my 30 units before the beginning of my 2nd year.”
“It was definitely nice to be able to take courses over the summer and not have to stress about taking them during the school year.”
127 non-admitted students
3,367 total enrollments
12,447 units
2,005 students
1,247 advising appointments
300 workshop attendance
Everyone deserves an opportunity to learn and pursue an education. That’s why we’ve been honored to offer Open University, which allowed non-admitted students to take classes at Cal State Fullerton. Through this program, students were able to raise their GPA, get re-admitted and complete their degree, complete prerequisites for programs, or simply learn something new.
As we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, it was exciting to incrementally and safely reintroduce in-person events for our international programs. CSUF students could finally pursue their dreams of studying abroad in new countries, and international students and scholars from across the globe were welcomed back onto our campus.
2,224 students and scholars served
2,950 virtual advising sessions
15 student recipients 13 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships,
1 Freeman Asia scholarship,
1 Program provider award
$63,750 in scholarships
This 3-day virtual expo offered various live or pre-recorded Zoom sessions highlighting opportunities for studying abroad, studying away within the United States, global internships, post-graduate opportunities, internationally-focused activities at CSUF, and more.
27 sessions
3 days of events
We partnered with international universities to offer virtual study abroad programs. Participants were able to intern, volunteer, and take classes in another country without having to physically travel.
Our beautiful 26-acre Fullerton Arboretum, located right next to the CSUF campus, is dedicated to the preservation of a spectacular collection of plants, including rare and endangered species, and a nationally recognized citrus collection. Accredited at the highest level, Fullerton Arboretum is one of just 8 Level IV arboreta in the world.
107 private events
6 plant sales
5,526 native plants sold
6,584 herbs and edible plants sold
3,367 lbs of fruit sold
70 active volunteers
10,000 volunteer hours
Mysun Foundation Matching Grant:
$130,000 matching grant from the Mysun Foundation
$100,000 for funding Horticulture team
$30,000 for lake/stream sediment removal
Day of Giving:
1st place for PepsiCo Donor Challenge (154 donors)
154 donors (202% increase from 2021)
$22,000 raised (547 % increase from 2021)
23 student interns
2,760 hours
Colleges represented:
Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Engineering & Computer Science, Humanities & Social Sciences, College of the Arts
CSUF Food Pantry: We delivered fresh produce grown in our gardens, while they provided us spoiled produce to be used as compost!
CSUF Sustainability Decathalon: We are working with a CSUF student/faculty engineering team to build affordable housing and energy-efficient homes. This project will run through Fall 2023.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) provides retired and semi-retired adults with intellectual, physical and social opportunities in a university setting. Members continue to learn, engage with peers, serve the community and enhance the activities of Cal State Fullerton.
1,053 members
$184,050 total funds
268 donors
OLLI offers many different types of programs, including self-directed classes, discussion groups, educational lectures, physical and social activities, and travel opportunities. Gifts are what help maintain that high-quality programming.
150 donors
2nd place for PepsiCo Donor Challenge
$22,080 raised
As an immigrant from Mexico, Melina Wulin Ulloa faced many challenges coming to the U.S., including the language barrier. However, she persevered and went on to pursue a master's in Gerontology at CSUF. She interned as an aging studies student coordinator, managing undergraduate interns who were working at Project LIFE and St. Jude Medical Center.
Moving forward, Wulin Ulloa plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program, where she’ll study evaluation in applied research methods or cognitive sciences. She hopes that with her Ph.D. research, she can find a way to improve people’s well-being.
We embark upon the next year with an eye toward deepening our impact on our current community of learners and broadening our reach to new populations across the region and globally. We remain dedicated to access, affordability and spreading the transformative power of education to learners across the lifespan of their academic study, careers, and lives.
California State University, Fullerton, Extension & International Programs (CSUF EIP) proudly stands for lifelong learning, and we remain committed to staying attuned to the needs of the communities we serve and responding with programming and initiatives that build individual and regional capacity; respond to unmet labor needs; elevate those who seek career advancement; and holistically educate those who are intellectually curious and committed to their communities. Below is an overview of how we will fulfill these aspirations in the coming year, coupled with our commitment to stay nimble and responsive to the dynamics and ever-evolving environments we serve and seek to serve.
We take pride in the role that the University plays in its community, and we define community with a broad lens. In the year to come, we will strategically focus on the workforce needs of our multifaceted communities that include our current students, alumni, community members, and workforce and industry partners. We are proud of our faculty and experienced instructors who bring disciplinary and industry expertise. Bringing together passionate educators and programs that are aimed at meeting current and emerging needs is a winning formula that we seek to expand upon and deepen. We are committed to conceptualizing professional and workforce education with a broader mindset that includes a wider span of disciplines and industries, in varying durations, and through educational models that are delivered where and when the learner has the greatest access.
We are committed to serving and cultivating responsible environmental stewards and passionate believers that can be allies to the Fullerton Arboretum and make a difference in the future of the environment in which we live, work, and thrive. In the next year, we strive to welcome our ardent supporters and invite others who also feel an affinity with the wide-spanning conservation and sustainability work that enriches our community. We will also identify enhanced and deeper ways in which the Fullerton Arboretum can serve as a living, learning laboratory for students, alumni, and community members. We have a rich resource at our literal footsteps, and we welcome increasing ways to draw you in and create immeasurable meaning - environmentally, historically, and socially.
Learning expands across one’s lifespan, and sometimes it takes a community to coalesce those passions, inspirations, curiosities, and goals. At the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Cal State, Fullerton, we strive to offer education and social programming that educates and engages a community and exemplifies CSUF as a multi-generational campus with a steadfast focus on lifelong learning. In the year to come, we plan to invite additional members, some of who are new to the depth and breadth that OLLI brings to all that it does. We also plan to foster reciprocity where the university and OLLI bring their best to a collective point and serve as a transformative community for the region and beyond.
As global mobility resumes after a long pause, we are pleased to increasingly open opportunities for students, faculty, and scholars to cross borders. We have resumed travel-based study abroad, and in the year to come, we will promote the wide-spanning impact that comes with global education with the aim to engage a wider and more diverse group of Titans and more indelibly align these experiences into a future career, academic study, and life pursuits. We also aim to blend the global and the local and engage with the rich, pluralistic communities in which we live and serve. We will cultivate deeper relations with our international partners who span the globe, and seek new global alliances that bring more meaningful cross-border opportunities. We will welcome more students from across a broader spectrum of the globe to study at Cal State, Fullerton and cultivate a rich global learner community.
We highly value our community partnerships. We have continued to enjoy strong relationships with Southern California municipal employees, local tech companies, community colleges, and corporate organizations, and we are dedicated to creating programs based on the needs of the workforce, degree-seeking students, and lifelong learners within Orange County and the greater Southern California region. By taking the time to speak with the communities we serve, we are able to find ways to support each other, partnering on courses, events, projects, and programs that play to our strengths and benefit lifelong learners of all ages.
To say this was an unusual year is an understatement. We watched as the world battled its way through a global pandemic and questions and challenges across our nation. Through it all, an unwavering light shone on the importance of providing inclusive and diverse programs that are accessible to all. We are excited to build on what we have created and to forge new paths in a post-pandemic world.
As new opportunities arise, we meet them with enthusiasm, ready for the next challenge and eager to help our students excel in their careers. In creating virtual learning experiences for each of our programs, from Arboretum community classes, OLLI workshops, professional development certificates, and collegiate classes and degrees, to collaborating with global institutions and organizations on virtual internships and study abroad experiences, we have found new ways to make learning accessible to all. Looking to the future, we see a hybrid world, where both in-person and virtual programs provide the best learning experiences possible to those who seek it.
We will continue to build, adapt, and meet challenges, doing what we can, with what we have, exactly where we are. Thank you for your continued support of CSUF Extension & International Programs. Let’s work together to shape our collective future.