Cal State San Bernardino is part of a six-campus Southern California collaboration awarded $100,000 through the California State University's inaugural Regional Pitch Contest, a new initiative designed to foster cross-campus partnerships that advance student success.

The winning proposal, "Integrating Alumni and Employer Engagement in a Regional Recruitment Model for Southern California CSU Campuses," was one of four projects selected from across the CSU system. The contest invited campuses within the same region to work together on innovative solutions to student-identified challenges, recognizing that many of the factors influencing student success extend beyond individual campuses.

"Preparing students for success after graduation is central to our mission at CSUSB,” said Paz Olivérez, vice president of Student Affairs. “This regional partnership expands access to the people, experiences and career opportunities that help students turn their education into meaningful careers. By working alongside our fellow CSU campuses, we're creating a stronger network of support that benefits our students long before they graduate and well into their professional lives.”

The universities joining CSUSB in the partnership are CSU campuses Channel Islands, Fullerton, Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona and San Marcos. Together, the campuses will pilot a regional recruitment model that connects students with alumni and employers throughout Southern California, expanding career opportunities for more than 250,000 students across the region's 10 CSU campuses.

The initiative includes four primary components:

  • Virtual alumni engagement to help students prepare for a regional career fair. 
  • A virtual career fair connecting students with regional and national employers. 
  • Assessment of participant satisfaction and career outcomes. 
  • Development of a custom AI-powered ChatGPT tool that will serve as a centralized information hub for Southern California CSU campuses. 

Anchored in the CSU Promise — which commits to ensuring every graduate leaves with the opportunity for a first career job or a clear path to further education — the project is designed to strengthen career readiness while creating stronger connections between students, alumni and employers across the region.

"Regional collaboration within the CSU maximizes student success and removes barriers for employers seeking CSU talent and for students navigating regional opportunities," said Tiffany Bitting, director of the Cal State San Bernardino Career Center. "To address equity gaps in paid internships and careers, our proposal aims to connect employers in Southern California to CSU talent."

The Regional Pitch Contest was created to encourage campuses to leverage the strength of the CSU as one interconnected university system rather than operating independently. Projects were evaluated on their ability to address regional needs while advancing the goals of the CSU Forward strategic plan, the Student Success Framework and the CSU Promise.

Each of the four winning regional collaborations will receive $100,000 to implement its proposal.

The other winning Regional Pitch Contest projects focus on expanding cross-campus degree pathways in Southern California, creating a regional internship and talent exchange for Central Valley and Central Coast campuses, and increasing access to courses across Northern California CSU campuses.