In keeping with CSUDH’s commitment to social justice, equity, and educational access, Bobbie Porter has been named the university’s first vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. 

“Education changed my life,” she said. “If you look at the statistics, there’s no way I should be where I am today. But I’m here. My mission is to help anyone that’s choosing education as that bridge, as that gateway to a better life. I want to help create the conditions so students can do that—so they don’t just survive college, but they thrive in it. And then they go out and change the world!” 

Porter sees the newly created position as essential to the university’s mission. “The idea of a chief diversity officer is relatively new,” she said. “A lot of institutions are grappling with how to close equity gaps for students of color. But it’s hard to try to do this work in a substantive and transformative way if your diversity practitioners aren’t in the room where decisions are being made, where they can hear the issues as they come up. Only then can they help shine a light, and call attention to the fact that these are actually equity issues. 

“I love the idea that this position now lives here, because it only can help further advance this work. That’s a huge part of the core mission of CSUDH!” 

Porter’s initial goal at Dominguez Hills is to listen and learn. “Every campus has its own personality, its own history, its own traditions, its own general assumptions. I know I can’t come in and say, ‘This is what I did at my last job.’ I have to learn from the people who have been here—students, faculty, staff, everyone. What drives you? I want to know everyone else’s mission and how we connect with that. How do we join together to create the shared vision for how this work will be realized in the coming years?” 

Although she’s only been on campus for a short time, Porter already feels that she’s made the right choice in bringing her talents and enthusiasm to CSUDH. “I really felt an intuitive sort of draw to the institution. I’m drawn to the history and the origins of this campus,” she says. “I see myself in these students. I mean, I just survived undergrad. I don’t want that to be anyone else’s story. It’s easy to maintain my light and my passion when I feel so personally connected to the student story here.” 

Porter is a double graduate of the University of Memphis, with both a BA in Communications and a Doctorate of Education in Leadership. She also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Tennessee State University. 

Porter arrived at CSUDH in July 2022 after four years as chief diversity officer and assistant vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). Prior to CSUF, Porter served as the chief equity officer for the Tennessee Board of Regents, the state’s 46-institution university, community college, and technical college system. Porter also held leadership roles within the Institutional Equity Office at Tennessee State University and coordinated education and outreach efforts for the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. 

Porter has already drawn inspiration from CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham and the school’s new strategic plan. “I’m very inspired by the concept of Going Far Together and the opportunities there. I’m really excited about that. If I, as a newcomer to campus, can rely on this plan as the blueprint and the heartbeat of CSUDH, then I know I’m in the right place. 

“Those five pillars (thriving students, thriving educators, culture of care, equitable access, and pillar of the community) align with a lot of my personal values. I see myself contributing to that very well. I already feel like I’m at home. I’m happy that I’m here and I’m ready to get to work!”

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In January 2022, CSUDH was named one of 45 California colleges and universities chosen to take part in Californians for All College Corps, the largest state-level investment in a college service program in California history. CSUDH was one of 16 CSU campuses that were included in the historic $146 million investment in the state’s future leaders.  

CSUDH received a 19-month grant supporting the planning and implementation for the first year of the College Corps on campus. The new program will provide up to 6,500 college students statewide with opportunities to serve in three key areas: K-12 education, climate action, or food insecurity. In exchange for 450 hours of service during an academic year, each College Corps Fellow will receive $10,000 to help fund their education. 

Led by the California Volunteers Office of the Governor, the Californians for All College Corps initiative aims to engage college students in meaningful service to build leadership and civic responsibility; to help students from diverse backgrounds graduate with less debt; and to support the work of community-based organizations. 

“At our campus, we pride ourselves on not just being in the community but of the community. I am thrilled that our students will have the opportunity to give back to their communities while supporting their own educational goals and aspirations,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. 

“This groundbreaking program perfectly aligns with our university mission: to provide the broadest possible access to higher education while working toward social justice and equity for all.”

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The former College of Extended and International Education has been renamed the College of Continuing and Professional Education (CCPE) after a collaborative process with internal and external stakeholders. 

The name change, approved in August 2022, was prompted by the wider university’s strategic focus on cultivating lifelong learning to support students’ personal and professional development, as well as the transition of all university international education programs under the Division of Academic Affairs. 

“The College of Continuing and Professional Education title is durable and sustainable for the long term,” Dean J. Kim McNutt said. “It is also consistent with the college’s mission of upskilling and reskilling the South Bay workforce through relevant, timely, and affordable education and training programs. CCPE is excited to embark on our next phase and build on our legacy at CSUDH.” 

Since its establishment as a college in 2004, CCPE has delivered educational growth and career development for the South Bay region. CCPE now serves 12,000 students annually through its dynamic range of online and in-person programs, including certificate, credential, and individual courses, as well as customized programs for organizations through the Center for Training and Development.  

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In March 2022, leaders of the Filipino community and local dignitaries joined CSUDH faculty and representatives of the university’s Gerth Archives and Special Collections to celebrate the launch of the CSUDH Filipino American Digital Archive. The event doubled as a chance for members of the local Filipino American community to bring in their own materials to add to the archive. 

“With Greater Los Angeles being home to the third-largest population of Americans with Filipino ancestry in the United States, this new archive is an important addition to the Gerth Archives’ growing list of special collections that document, preserve, and make accessible the histories of the many cultures and people in the South Bay region,” said Gerth Archives Director Greg Williams. 

CSUDH Assistant Professor of Asian-Pacific Studies Mary Talusan Lacanlale said the community was the impetus behind establishing the new digital archive. “Several years ago, members of Filipino American organizations in Carson approached Greg Williams and I about creating an archive to document the important work of the community in our area,” she recalled. 

Lacanlale, Williams, and the staff at the Gerth Archives agreed and got to work setting up a database with initial contributions by local Filipino leaders. Community members are invited to bring their own photos, videos, meeting notes of organizations, and any other material they would like to submit to be preserved for safekeeping in the archives. 

Among the first contributors to the archives were Florante Ibanez, author of Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay, and Linda Nietes-Little, founder of the Philippine Expressions Bookshop in San Pedro and an icon of the Filipino American community. Ibanez donated boxes of his photos, newsletters, and other collected items, and Nietes-Little donated memorabilia along with a collectible copy of Carlos Bulosan’s America is in the Heart. 

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