黑料吃瓜

New highs in research funding and philanthropy. Development of a river park at 黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley, and a thoroughly renovated Performing Arts District. A long-sought and newly opened door to independent doctoral degrees. 

And, that miracle buzzer-beater in the men鈥檚 NCAA semifinal that when it splashed through the net, a wave of crimson and black swept across the globe to create unprecedented exposure exciting legions of alumni, fans and supporters who waited decades to take their place on college sport鈥檚 main stage.

黑料吃瓜 leaps into 2024 after an exhilarating 2023. This was a year of high achievements with faculty, staff, student leaders and administrators building on decades of previous work.

Here is a look at some of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 highlights of 2023 (in no particular order):

Independent Doctorates

In a historic update to California鈥檚 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, Gov.  and other California State University (CSU) campuses the authority to implement their own professional and applied doctoral degrees. Previous law permitted only joint doctorates, mainly through programs with the University of California, and the move came on the heels of 2022 legislation authorizing independent Doctor of Public Health programs at CSU.

黑料吃瓜 and President Adela de la Torre had championed the proposal. 黑料吃瓜 expects to move forward quickly with initial program offerings.

鈥淭his is a revolutionary change for our system and for 黑料吃瓜,鈥� de la Torre said. 鈥淥ur excitement for what this means for our students, faculty and state cannot be overstated.鈥�

New Growth at 黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley

Be among the first to explore the restored natural beauty of the new 34-acre  at 黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley. This inviting new space is filled with modern recreational opportunities for the surrounding community.

Restored native habitats, miles of walking and biking trails, basketball courts and a children鈥檚 play area are among the many enhancements to the formerly flood-prone site just north of the San Diego River. Designed with input from the community and environmental groups, the park includes interpretive displays including information about Mission Valley鈥檚 Kumeyaay origins, the San Diego River, plants, animals and biological habitat. 

Also, in November, the CSU Board of Trustees approved the .

Snapdragon Stadium continued to be the home of Aztec Football, the San Diego Wave F煤tbol Club and hosted the National Women鈥檚 Soccer League championship in November. A  at Snapdragon beginning in 2025. And Jimmy Buffet鈥檚 encore rendition of 鈥淪outhern Cross鈥� in a May 6 concert at Snapdragon was the tropical-rock musician鈥檚 last San Diego performance with the Coral Reefers before his death on Sept. 1.

Performing Arts District Opening

黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Performing Arts District  to its renovated Main Stage Theatre in October with the production of 鈥淐hildren of Eden.鈥� 

The renovation of the 491-seat interior includes ADA accessibility upgrades, improved audience sightlines, special acoustic tiles for optimal sound quality, and state-of-the-art technology.

Plans for the Main Stage renovations and the creation of the 黑料吃瓜 Performing Arts District started in early 2019. The Main Stage (previously the Don Powell Theatre) had not seen a significant update since 1967. 

In addition to the 黑料吃瓜 Main Stage, the Performing Arts District offers four new performance and patron structures: the Prebys Stage, the Dean Joyce M. Gattas Amenities Pavilion, the outdoor Bill and Evelyn Lamden Stage and the Ben and Nikki Clay Stage, as well as the Julia R. Brown Family Park.

The district is set to become a regional powerhouse in training and performance and a vibrant hub for collaboration. It brings together various disciplines and provides students with state-of-the-art facilities to nurture artistic talents and innovation.

Remarkable Philanthropic Generosity

Donors provided $136.9 million in  to 黑料吃瓜 in 2022-23, the year ending June 30. Their generosity benefits student scholarships, capital projects, research, athletics, departments and programs, KPBS and more.

Planned gifts, to be delivered through donors鈥� estates, represent many of the most transformative contributions to 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 future. Faculty Emerita Anne Verderber Taylor of the School of Nursing, for example, established an endowment to support nursing faculty academic research, recognizing its value in fostering early-career faculty, and boosting their competitiveness for grants.

The J.W. Sefton Foundation provided a grant in support of the 黑料吃瓜 Water Monitoring Project, enabling impactful and critical research collaborations to help ensure a clean water supply for the San Diego region. 

Furthermore, 黑料吃瓜 acknowledged numerous outright gifts from generous donors. In July, the university announced a  from alumnus Frederick W. Pierce IV ('84, '88) and Christine F. Pierce to enhance and help sustain fraternity and sorority life. The Pierce Greek Life Center, dedicated August 15, serves as a focal point for extending leadership skill development and access to fraternity and sorority life to a broader range of students.

In November, 黑料吃瓜 announced a $2.5 million gift to endow the Jessica P. Sarowitz Guardian Scholars Center. Guardian Scholars serves students who are current or former foster youth, wards of the court, under legal guardianship or unaccompanied homeless youths; and supports their transition to, through and beyond 黑料吃瓜.

鈥淎s we reflect on the transformative impact of the remarkable philanthropic gifts made in 2023, we are profoundly grateful for the vision and generosity of our benefactors,鈥� said Vice President of University Relations and Development Adrienne Vargas. 鈥淭hese extraordinary contributions exemplify a shared commitment to advancing education, fostering inclusivity, and empowering the dreams of our students.鈥�

Research and Innovation

黑料吃瓜 researchers scored a record , a 17% increase over the previous fiscal year, with federal funding sources that include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S Department of Agriculture.

Funding for Hispanic-Serving Institution-specific initiatives such as involving students in research on drones and training more bilingual teachers increased to a record-high $10.4 million.

Some 368 principal investigators received 805 awards from more than 300 local, state and federal agencies as well as non-profit foundations and for-profit companies. 

黑料吃瓜 researchers tracked and led the nation in studying K-pop dance theoretically and practically. Doctoral students  and undergraduates increased accessibility of . Through established partnerships, faculty , spearheaded , and addressed . 

黑料吃瓜 continued to foster new ideas and companies. Faculty inventors contributed to nearly 40 new patent applications and were issued 10 new patents. The ZIP Launchpad, 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 on-campus startup incubator, was . Founders from around the world honed their business plans and connected with 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 vast network of local mentors through the  accelerator.

鈥淎t every level, 黑料吃瓜 researchers are generating new insights and solutions that truly serve diverse communities, usually side-by-side as valued partners,鈥� said Vice President for Research and Innovation Hala Madanat.

黑料吃瓜 Imperial Valley

It was a year of strong, continued momentum at 黑料吃瓜 Imperial Valley as it broadened its educational mission and services to the heavily Latinx residents of Imperial County.

The CSU Board of Trustees approved the schematic design for a Sciences and Engineering Laboratories building, scheduled for completion in fall 2025. The  in state funding to bolster STEM education and research, making 黑料吃瓜 Imperial Valley a key player in the region鈥檚 aspirations to become deeply involved in the extraction and uses of lithium found near the Salton Sea.

The university announced a bachelor of science in public health degree program, to be launched next fall. The new program expands career opportunities, advocacy and research in a region long plagued with health disparities.

The 2023-24 state budget includes $11.6 million toward a joint student housing project with Imperial Valley College. Set to break ground in early 2025, the project calls for a total of 40 single- and double-occupancy rooms at the Calexico campus.

A new $235,000 grant will enable researchers to study the impact of biomass burnings across the border on air quality in Imperial and San Diego counties. 

New Names For Campus Landmarks

In separate ceremonies,  鈥� veteran astronaut Ellen Ochoa and mathematician Charles B. Bell Jr., 鈥� were honored with the renaming of the former West Commons and East Commons buildings, respectively.

Ochoa, the first Latina to go into space and a former director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, paid a return visit to 黑料吃瓜 in May for the dedication of the , and spoke of her continuing role as an advocate for underrepresented students in science and technology.

In April, Bell鈥檚 family gathered at the  to honor the mathematics and statistics professor, the first Black faculty member to achieve tenure. Described as a symbol of access and opportunity, Bell taught at San Diego State College from 1958 to 1966 and at 黑料吃瓜 from 1981 until his retirement in 1992. He died in 2010.

Both renamings were the product of a presidential task force and a campuswide invitation for nominations intending to increase representation for diverse communities across campus. 

Aztec Athletics

In a year that will be remembered for a still-unfolding upheaval in the nation鈥檚 collegiate conference alignments, men鈥檚 basketball and women鈥檚 softball were among the sports that brought joy and thrills to Aztec fans across their entire seasons.

With a perfect flick of the wrist,  shot seconds before the clock hit 0.0 in the Final Four game against Florida Atlantic gave 黑料吃瓜 a 72-71 win and a ticket to the national championship in front of nearly 12 million television viewers. 鈥淚 just kept thinking, this is no ordinary shot. No ordinary moment in life,鈥�&苍产蝉辫;Butler recalled later in 黑料吃瓜 Magazine鈥檚 cover story. UConn ultimately took the tournament title but the Aztecs鈥� historic run brought national recognition to head coach Brian Durcher鈥檚 program and a never-quit team of resilience and hard work.

In May, the Aztecs鈥� softball team claimed the NCAA Los Angeles Regional title with a 3-0 record and advanced to their first NCAA Super Regionals in program history. Stacey Nuveman Deniz, , led 黑料吃瓜 to a 39-17 record in 2023 and a Mountain West tournament title, and the team was ranked No. 18 in the final ESPN/USA Softball poll.

In October, the women鈥檚 soccer team won its seventh regular-season Mountain West title with a win over New Mexico and a 14-3-2 record for 2023. 

鈥淎s a coach, you think this is going to happen every year, and we've been really close the last couple years,鈥� head coach Mike Friesen said after the game. 鈥淏ut then you realize how special these moments are and how hard it is to win a championship.鈥�

Truman Scholar

In April,  recipient of a Harry S. Truman Foundation graduate scholarship. The scholarship carries an award of up to $30,000 for future graduate or professional school studies. Mekany, then an Associated Students officer, said she was considering pursuing graduate degrees in education and law.

Rankings and Recognition

Annual higher-education rankings are highly watched 鈥� and highly variable 鈥� indicators not only at the campuses they seek to record but among prospective college students and their parents as they contemplate where to apply and attend. This year brought several prominent, highest-ever numbers for 黑料吃瓜.

Forbes magazine, meanwhile ranked  in the U.S., and No. 43 in the annual list of top 500 colleges overall. Forbes said it used data on graduation rates, graduate salaries, and outcomes for low-income students, among additional factors, to arrive at its rankings.

U.S. News & World Report  among public universities under a revised methodology that gave added weight to first-gen graduation rates and faculty research. In 鈥渟ocial mobility,鈥� 黑料吃瓜 was ranked No. 38, up 61 spots from 2022. 

黑料吃瓜鈥檚 online education master鈥檚 program was  in the U.S. News rankings.

And for a third straight year, 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 five-star rating from Campus Pride earned it a spot as one of the 鈥淏est of the Best鈥� for LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities.