Nearly two dozen business majors from Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) spent the day touring California State University, Dominguez Hills on April 15 to get a first-hand look at the campus, speak with professors and other students in their major, and hear how CSU Dominguez Hills could teach them the skills needed to succeed.
LAHC is among 11 local community colleges that are part of the CSU Dominguez Hills Pathways to Success Enrollment Partnership, which provides a clear transfer path to CSU Dominguez Hills for those students who commit to meeting the requirements of the program. To seal the deal with LAHC students interested in the Business Transfer Pathway program, the College of Business Administration & Public Policy (CBAPP) organized the on-campus tour.
“Our goal is to show these students, ‘Why Dominguez?’” said Marie Palladini, acting associate dean of CBAPP, who hosted the event. “We want to show them what sets Dominguez apart and how they can find success here.”
The Pathway program maps out a ‘route for success’ for the business students, highlighting exactly which classes they need to take while at LAHC–and when–to transfer directly to CSU Dominguez Hills.
This was the first time the Pathway program brought a group of students to the campus instead of having Dominguez Hills representatives visit LAHC. The students were shown state-of-the-art classrooms and had a chance to listen to professors in the fields of finance, marketing and accounting.
Associate professor of marking and management and department chair Thomas J. Norman emphasized the university’s commitment to personal interaction with its students, small class sizes, and stressed the pragmatic nature of the program. He gave examples of career-focused internship opportunities, networking events and real-world practical advice from professors who are still employed in their respective fields.
“We have folks who can do, and who are doing,” he explained.
As the prospective students entered into the university library, they marveled at the steel and glass structure, admiring the open spaces, café lounge, and stacks of books as far as the eye could see.
“I can actually visualize coming to school here,” LAHC student Belinda Muhammad breathlessly exclaimed. The 58-year-old worked for years in the corporate world before losing her job during the economic downturn. She says she went back to school to learn new and relevant skills.
“This program really focuses on having a career,” Muhammad explained. She says the Pathway program convinced her of committing to Dominguez Hills, citing how impressed she was by the passion of the school and its staff in their students’ success. “They put the student first–you’re not just a number, you’re a person.”
To find out more about the Business Transfer Pathway program, and many others like it, email transfer@csudh.edu or call the Transfer Hotline at (877) U2-CSUDH or (877) 822-7834.
