Cal State San Bernardino welcomed 20 new faculty members to the Coyote community on Monday, Aug. 17, during the 2026 New Faculty Orientation, as they prepared for the start of the academic year.

Organized by and held at CSUSB’s Faculty Center for Excellence in the John M. Pfau Library, the daylong orientation connected new faculty with campus leaders and introduced them to programs, services and resources available to support their teaching, scholarship and commitment to student success.

CSUSB President Terri Gomez, Ph.D., joined campus leaders in welcoming the university’s newest faculty members to the campus community. Among them were Rafik Mohamed, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; Jordan Fullam, Faculty Senate chair; Nicole Dabbs, interim associate provost for Faculty Affairs and Development; Bradford Owen, assistant vice president for Faculty Development and chief academic technologies officer; and Jhe Chin Davidson, interim Faculty Mentoring Program director.

Throughout the morning, new faculty members learned about campus services designed to promote student success and help them navigate university life. 

Matthew Smith, interim vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, and Agustin Ramirez, interim associate vice president for Student Success and Educational Equity, provided an overview of student resources available through the Division of Student Affairs. 

Smith also discussed the partnership between faculty and Student Affairs in supporting the overall student experience.

“This work is really important. The things that you all do in the classroom are so critical and pivotal to student learning and student development,” said Smith. “We’re here to support that. We’re here to provide wraparound services and see what we can do to ensure that our students are thriving inside and outside of the classroom.”

Rebecca Lubas, dean of University Libraries, provided an overview of library resources and support, while representatives from the California Faculty Association discussed the organization and its role on campus. Sandra Davis, director of payroll and benefits, also presented information about human resources and employee benefits.

During lunch, new faculty had an opportunity to meet and talk with their deans and department chairs. Kelly Campbell, vice provost for Academic Affairs and senior diversity officer, welcomed faculty back for the afternoon program, which focused on classroom preparation.

Mihaela Popescu, director of the Teaching Resource Center, led an extended session on effective teaching strategies aimed at engaging students from the first day of class and beyond.

The orientation concluded with a session on disability inclusion and accessible course materials led by Meigan Karakoc, director of the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities, and Tracy Medrano, instructional designer.