A Moment with President Tomás Morales – November 2022

I confess that fall is the one time of the year that I miss the changing colors of my home state of New York. It has become a cliché, I know, but the months of October and November are some of the loveliest on the East Coast. But my next confession is that our beautiful state of California definitely has its compensations, and this transplanted New Yorker has been thoroughly won over. I know I am definitely a #Coyote4Life. 

At CSUSB, fall means it is time for our annual Homecoming tradition, which grows more robust each year. Both the San Bernardino and Palm Desert campuses hosted events during the week of October 17-22, with the 22nd being the Big Bash. Events welcomed back our alumni and also provided opportunities for current students to meet and mingle with graduates. And this year the Rec Center provided alumni with a week-long free gym membership.

I am so very proud of what CSUSB alumni are doing with their lives, not only in their careers but within their communities. The Coyote DNA of giving back remains strong. If it’s been a while since you have visited the campus, I urge you to flag October 2023 on your calendar and think about coming by for a visit. Our Alumni Office will have all the details, along with other opportunities to gather with fellow Coyotes wherever you are living throughout the year.

October also provided all of us at Cal State San Bernardino with an opportunity to express our appreciation to long-time donors Jim and Judy Watson with the unveiling of the re-named James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education. The new name reflects nearly two decades of their giving to CSUSB and, most particularly, their recent $8.4 million gift which was a key donation to Our Defining Moment: The Campaign for CSUSB.

For those of you who have never met them, permit me to introduce you. Jim is president and chief executive officer of J.R. Watson & Associates, a private commercial real estate firm based in Seal Beach. He is a former chair of the board of the CSUSB Philanthropic Foundation (from 2012-2013), where he has also been a member of the executive committee and board of directors. CSUSB awarded him an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2010.

Judy Watson, who serves as senior vice president alongside Jim at J.R. Watson & Associates, is an ardent supporter of education and the arts. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, but her connection to Latino culture was nurtured early in her childhood. Passionate about education, in 2011, Judy served as honorary chair for the Latino Education and Advocacy Days summit at CSUSB and was affectionately termed, “La Madrina de Honor,” or honorary godmother. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2015.

The Watsons’ latest extraordinary gift will provide the following to our College of Education: establish a new Center for STEM Education; support Project Impact, a new program that will recruit and prepare males of color in the teaching profession; enhance the Watson Literacy Center’s efforts in the Inland Empire by adding to the existing endowment and create a Dean’s Endowed Fund to be used to support special projects and requests by faculty and students. This dean’s endowed fund will be the first for CSUSB.

There is never a dull moment at Cal State San Bernardino. I look forward to catching up with you next month on the latest events and achievements taking place on our beautiful San Bernardino and Palm Desert campuses.