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The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Press Releases

CSUDH Office Hours Presents “Insistent” Art Exhibition

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View of Insistent exhibition, with framed print and needle felted wool works
Background, left: Bonded by Felt collective (work by Ariana Rodriguez) Untitled, 2023, needle felted wool. Left, wall: Aimee Goguen, maggot farm, 2022, linocut print, animation HD, 0:0. Foreground: Bonded by Felt collective (work by Nayely Santos) Untitled, 2023, needle felted wool. Lower right: Zara Kuredjian, Columns, 2020, cast zinc alloy.

Insistent, a group exhibition featuring CSUDH students and emerging and mid-career artists, is on view in LaCorte Hall B116 until March 23.

The exhibition includes works on paper, sculpture, video, and textiles that are materially or conceptually conceived through multiplicity, accumulation, layering, obsession, or repetitive labor.

One of the works on view is a textile installation by Bonded by Felt, a collective of the current CSUDH ART 392 Sculpture 2 class. Students worked individually on components for a multiples felt installation, making wool sculptures using needle felting techniques. The collective includes: Grisabel Alfaro, Jon Steven Camacho, Gabriel Carrillo, Melissa Cervantes, Dempsey Craig, Jenifer Dang, Tatiana Estrada, Cynthia Flores, Isabel Flores, Jon-Eric Foote, Marc Gonzales, Mark Gonzalez, Natalie Gutierrez, Christyle Hill, Faith Hills, Hicsumy Jimenez, Selena Najar, Edgar Perez, Ariana Rodriguez, Nayely Santos, Jesus Tamayo, and Uriel Velarde.

Insistent also features Bay Area filmmaker Dicky Bahto in collaboration with musician Sarah Davachi, Los Angeles artists Aimee Goguen and Dulce Soledad Ibarra, and Los Angeles artist and current Art and Design Department lecturer Zara Kuredjian. It is the second exhibition produced by Office Hours, an art space organized by CSUDH Assistant Professor of Art Jimena Sarno to bring together works by current and past CSUDH students with the arts community of greater Los Angeles and beyond. Office Hours provides a space in which students can build their CVs, learn about artist-run initiatives, and become familiar with artwork and curatorial proposal submissions for consideration. For more information, visit officehours.art.

CSUDH University Art Gallery Presents “Our Lips are Sealed”

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Image of two women in motion
Reclaimed (2018), by Vanessa Conte, is one of the works included in the exhibition.

What: “Our Lips Are Sealed,” an exhibition of artwork by six Los Angeles-based artists
When: January 28 – April 15, 2023
Where: CSUDH University Art Gallery, LaCorte Hall A-107

The University Art Gallery at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) proudly presents “Our Lips Are Sealed,” an exhibition of work by six Los Angeles-based artists exploring how young women find their internal power. The exhibition will be on view January 28 through April 15, 2023; Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The public is invited to an opening reception for “Our Lips Are Sealed” on Saturday, January 28, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Using sculptural installation, photography, video, and painting, “Our Lips Are Sealed” presents a series of artworks that show how women are behind closed doors—who they become when they can let their (proverbial) hair down. It investigates the sources of their power. Is it their personal soundtrack? Their family lore? A text from a member of their squad? Or is it an aspirational quote taped to a mirror?

Susan Aparicio, Vanessa Conte, Yasmine Nasser Diaz, Genevieve Gaignard, Juliana Paciulli, and Jennifer West each provide thoughtful, considered work that speaks to these ideas and does so with strength using a broad range of media and sometimes a wink and/or an eyeroll. “Our Lips Are Sealed” is co-curated by University Art Gallery Director Aandrea Stang and artist Juliana Paciulli. 

The University Art Gallery on the CSUDH campus, 1000 E. Victoria Street in Carson, is free and open to the public Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit csudh.edu/visit-us for directions and a printable campus map. Daily permits in campus lots are $9 and sold at yellow kiosks in the lots.

State Awards CSUDH $3 Million Grant for Health Professions Pathways Program

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The California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) has awarded a $3 million grant to CSUDH to help establish a Health Professions Pathway Program in the College of Health, Human Services and Nursing (CHHSN). The program is designed to support and encourage students from underrepresented regions and backgrounds to pursue health care careers.

“HCAI is pleased to provide this financial support for pipeline programs, internships, and fellowships that will open the door to needed health care professions for students, and in turn help the state create a more diverse health care workforce,” said HCAI Director Elizabeth Landsberg. 

CHHSN Dean Mi-Sook Kim said that the funding will be used for three CSUDH initiatives. One will establish allied health pathway programs for incoming high school and transfer students. It will help students better discover the career options available to them, while providing them with structured rubrics to help them choose the right courses for their interests.

“This pathway program is a dream project for a health college,” said Kim. “Many universities are unable to do this type of programming because they don’t have the resources to do it right. It’s exciting for the college. We are all motivated to make the most of this opportunity to help us achieve this goal.”

The funds will also help CHHSN establish a paid summer internship program for Toro health students. Because internships are typically unpaid, many CSUDH students are unable to pursue them. “So many students here come from underserved or low-income populations. They tend to need to at a job that earns them money, rather than unpaid internships.”

“They’re the group that we need to support more to be able to go into the health care sector workforce,” Kim added. “We need a lot more diversity, but often those students are the very ones who are unable to do it right.” The HCAI grant will allow CSUDH to provide 20 paid summer internships for CHHSN students per year for the next five years.

In addition, the funds will support the development of a post-undergraduate fellowship program targeting underserved student populations. The fellowships will provide five students with $25,000 each, so that they can explore careers in health care without the added pressure of having to find a job.

“This is really a student success plan at the college level,” said Kim. “I get excited whenever I talk about it, but this won’t be an easy task. These funds will help us get off to a good start. Now it’s up to us to do the hard work.”

CSUDH Workforce Integration Network Awarded Prestigious Volcker Alliance Grant

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The CSUDH Workforce Integration Network (WIN) has been selected as the recipient of the Volcker Alliance’s Government-to-University Talent Connection Grant. The $40,000 grant supports WIN’s innovative outreach effort: From Public Sector Job Aggregator Tool to CSU Public Sector Alliance.

Addressing the needs of a public sector workforce in crisis due to an aging workforce and a shortage of talent, WIN will design an outreach and education module to address the way young people seek careers—with a focus on finding meaning in work. By combining the stories of those employed in the public sector with navigation help for those seeking entry-level public-sector jobs, WIN creates a pathway for students to build their skills while working in a meaningful job. Many public-sector organizations are now adopting apprenticeships, graduate, and development programs along with management training, which promotes progression at every stage of a career.

“We developed the Workforce Integration Network because some employers perceived there to be a gap in students’ professional skillsets,” said Dr. Krystal Rawls, project designer.

“We wanted to ensure that CSUDH students possess the necessary skills that are needed in our public sector workplaces. Receiving the Volcker Alliance grant will allow us to show students the value of a public sector career. It also highlights the Volcker Alliance’s endorsement of our ongoing work and outreach efforts.”

CSUDH and WIN are proud to partner with the Volcker Alliance to create a pathway for increased diversification of the public sector workforce and to bring awareness to the social benefits of public service. The Volcker Alliance’s mission is to empower the public sector workforce to solve the challenges facing our nation.

The Alliance’s Government-to-University initiative is a collaborative, national effort to connect jobseekers to public service jobs. The grant monies provided will be used to recruit and retain diverse, new talent, increase public sector internship and apprentice opportunities, and leverage emerging technologies to facilitate improved connections between jobseekers and public sector employers.

The aim of the Workforce Integration Network is to highlight the career opportunities that abound for CSUDH students and other members of our community. WIN uses advanced technological resources, combined with university and industry-generated business data, to demonstrate the benefits of the CSUDH educational experience in promoting all stakeholders: students, staff, faculty, employers, and the entire community. For more information, visit the Workforce Integration Network website.

Toros Discuss Student Debt Relief with Congressional Representatives

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Congresswomen Katherine Clark, left, and Nanette Barragán at Friday’s roundtable.

A student loan debt cancellation plan officially announced by President Biden last month will bring much-needed financial relief to CSUDH students, a handful of whom addressed the program’s impact during a roundtable discussion on Friday, Sept. 9.

Nanette Barragán from California’s 44th district, and Assistant Speaker of the House Katherine Clark of Massachusetts’ 5th district, met with President Thomas A. Parham and seven current and former CSUDH students to hear their concerns and answer questions about the program.

Skyrocketing tuition rates and the failure of Pell Grants to keep pace often mean that students from low- and middle-income families have few options beyond borrowing money to pay for their education, according to a White House loan relief factsheet outlining the plan.

Students of color, and particularly women, are disproportionately affected by ballooning student debt – a point Parham highlighted while introducing Barragán and Clark.

“If you want to know where the diverse leaders of the nation are coming from, they’re coming from places like our CSUDH. We’re 97 to 89 percent students of color and 68 percent women. So you’re in the right place.”

Clark told the roundtable that loan forgiveness would allow students, particularly female students, to get out from under debt that holds them back from further education, progress on their chosen career path, and the creation of generational wealth crucial to greater educational opportunities for the next generation.

“We know that women are two-thirds of all student debt holders. This is even more so for women of color,” Clark said, adding that half of all Latina borrowers would see their entire debt forgiven under the plan.

Barragán, whose district includes CSUDH and the city of Carson, explained that she took out loans for tuition and to help support a terminally ill parent during her undergraduate studies at UCLA. She incurred even larger amounts as a law student at USC.

“I have about $15,000 left, but I had a lot more than that,” Barragán said, adding that though the challenges might be different for students now, “there are things that I can understand and relate to.”

Karlynn Parker, a 2020 graduate of CSUDH with a degree in film, television, and media, said it’s been difficult to find work, and that the debt forgiveness has given her much-needed peace of mind.

“How am I going to afford to pay my loans, pay my car, food, housing, taking care of my necessities? I feel like this is really a blessing to be able to have this opportunity,” Parker said.

Student debt has been a source of anguish for Kristin MacGuire, a first-generation college student who saw her initial student loans more than double because of poor communication by the servicer about the terms of repayment.

“Up until about seven years ago, I actually felt guilt and shame about how much my debt had ballooned, not understanding that there was a larger issue,” she said. Other students echoed similar themes, noting that student loans are in many instances the first adult responsibility for young people from communities with little or no financial literacy.

Students needed more assistance to improve accessibility to affordable education, Parham said in his concluding remarks. He suggested that Pell Grants should be doubled to keep pace with the rising cost of education. He also said students would benefit from improved early outreach, so they’re better prepared for the rigors of higher education.

“It’s part of the social contract that exists. It’s not just about cost. We’re trying to help students understand this is about an investment,” Parham said.

Barragán told the students that neither she nor Clark were done working on student loan debt relief.

“My hope is that we in Congress can continue to make efforts on this front. When we all do better, our country does better,” Barragán said.