General Information

Overview

Welcome to the California State University (CSU) - the nation’s largest comprehensive higher education system with 23 unique campuses and eight off-campus centers serving approximately 486,000 students and employing more than 56,000 faculty and staff.

Each year, the university awards more than 129,000 degrees. CSU graduates are serving as leaders in the industries that drive California’s economy, including business, agriculture, entertainment, engineering, teaching, hospitality, and healthcare. To learn more visit the California State University website.

A Tradition of Excellence for More than Six Decades

Since 1961, the CSU has provided an affordable, accessible, and high-quality education to more than 3.9 million living alumni throughout California. While each campus is unique based on its curricular specialties, location, and campus culture, every CSU is distinguished for the quality of its educational programs. All campuses are fully accredited, provide a high-quality broad liberal educational program, and offer opportunities for students to engage in campus life through the Associated Students, Inc., clubs, and service learning. Through leading-edge programs, superior teaching and extensive workforce training opportunities, CSU students graduate with the critical thinking skills, industry knowledge, and hands-on experience necessary for employment and career advancement.

Facts

• Today, one of every 20 Americans with a college degree is a CSU graduate.
• 1 in every 10 employees in California is a CSU alumnus.
• The CSU awards about half of the bachelor’s degrees earned in California.
• The CSU awards 46% of California’s undergraduate nursing degrees.
• The CSU is the leading provider of teacher preparation programs in the state.
• In 2019-20, the CSU students earned nearly 24,000 business degrees andmore than 10,000 engineering degrees.
• The CSU offers more than 160 fully online and 150 hybrid degree programs and concentrations.
• The CSU offers 5,700 online courses per term, providing more educational options to students who may prefer an online format to a traditional classroom setting.
• The CSU’s online concurrent enrollment program gives students the ability to enroll in courses offered by other campuses in the CSU.
• Over a recent four-year period, the CSU has issued nearly 50,000 professional development certificates in education, health services, business and technology, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, international trade, and many other industries.
• CSU Centers for Community Engagement and Service Learning make available nearly 3,200 service learning courses.
• 64,000 CSU students participated in service-learning, contributing 934 thousand hours of service last year. 

Governance

The CSU is governed by the Board of Trustees, most of whom are appointed by the governor and serve with faculty and student representatives. The CSU Chancellor is the chief executive officer, reporting to the Board. The campus presidents serve as the campus-level chief executive officers. The Trustees, Chancellor, and Presidents develop university-wide educational policy. The presidents, in consultation with the CSU Academic Senate and other campus stakeholder groups, render and implement local policy decisions.

CSU Historical Milestones

The individual California State Colleges were established as a system with a Board of Trustees and a chancellor in 1960 by the Donahoe Higher Education Act. In 1972, the system was designated as the California State University and Colleges, and in 1982 the system became the California State University. Today, the CSU is comprised of 23 campuses, including comprehensive and polytechnic universities and, since July 1995, the California Maritime Academy, a specialized campus.

The oldest campus-San José State University-was founded in 1857 and became the first institution of public higher education in California. The newest-CSU Channel Islands-opened in fall 2002, with freshmen arriving in fall 2003.

In 1963, the Academic Senate CSU was established to act as the official voice of CSU faculty in systemwide matters. Also, the California State College Student Presidents Association-which was later renamed the California State Student Association-was founded to represent each campus student association on issues affecting students.

Through its many decades of service, the CSU has continued to adapt to address societal changes, student needs, and workforce trends. While the CSU’s core mission has always focused on providing high-quality, affordable bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, over time the University has added a wide range of services and programs to support student success - from adding health centers and special programs for veterans to building student residential facilities to provide a comprehensive educational experience.

To improve degree completion and accommodate students working full- or part-time, the educational paradigm was expanded to give students the ability to complete upper-division and graduate requirements through part-time, late afternoon, and evening study. The University also expanded its programs to include a variety of teaching and school service credential programs, specially designed for working professionals.

The CSU marked another significant educational milestone when it broadened its degree offerings to include doctoral degrees. The CSU independently offers Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Doctor of Audiology (AuD), and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree programs. A limited number of other doctoral degrees are offered jointly with the University of California and private institutions in California.

In 2010, in an effort to accommodate community college transfer students, the CSU, in concert with the California Community Colleges (CCC), launched the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), which guarantees CCC transfer students with an ADT admission to the CSU with junior status. ADT has since proven to be the most effective path to a CSU for transfer students.

Always adapting to changes in technology and societal trends to support student learning and degree completion, the CSU launched Coursematch, which enables CSU students to complete online courses at other CSU campuses, expanding enrollment opportunities and providing more educational opportunities for students who may prefer an online format to a traditional classroom setting.

The CSU marked a significant educational milestone when it broadened its degree offerings to include doctoral degrees.  The CSU independently offers Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor or Physical Therapy (DPT), Doctor of Audiology (AuD) and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD).  A limited number of other doctoral degrees are offered jointly with the University of California and private institutions in California.

The CSU strives to continually develop innovative programs, services, and opportunities that will give students the tools they need to meet their full potential. In 2016, the university launched Graduation Initiative 2025, a bold plan to support students, increase the number of California’s graduates earning high-quality degrees and eliminate achievement and equity gaps for all students. Through this initiative, the CSU is ensuring that all students have the opportunity to graduate according to their personal goals, positively impacting their lives, families, and communities.

By providing an accessible, hands-on education that prepares graduates for career success, the CSU has created a network of alumni that is so extensive and renowned that it spans across the globe. As of 2020-21, more than 3.9 million CSU alumni are making a difference in the lives of the people of California and the world.

Trustees

Ex Officio Trustees

The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor of California

The Honorable Eleni Kounalakis
Lieutenant Governor of California

The Honorable Anthony Rendon
Speaker of the Assembly

The Honorable Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Joseph I. Castro
Chancellor of the California State University

Officers of the Trustees

The Honorable Gavin Newsom
President

Lillian Kimbell
Chair

Wendy Fong
Vice Chair

Andrew Jones
Secretary

Steve Relyea
Treasurer

Appointed Trustees

Appointments are for a term of eight years, except student, alumni, and faculty trustees whose terms are for two years. Terms expire in the year in parentheses.

Silas Abrego (2021)

Diego Arambula (2028)

Jackson B. Clarke Jr. (2027)

Douglas Faigin (2025)

Jean P. Firstenberg (2026)

Maryana Khames (2021)

Krystal Raynes (2022)

Lateefah Simon (2027)

Peter J. Taylor  (2021)

Larry L. Adamson (2022)

Jane W. Carney (2022)

Adam Day (2023)

Debra S. Farar (2022)

Wenda Fong (2024)

Lillian Kimbell (2024)

John “Jack” McGrory (2023)

Romey Sabalius (2021)

Christopher J. Steinhauser (2026)

Ana Ortiz-Morfit (2025)

Correspondence

Correspondence with Trustees should be sent to:

c/o Trustees Secretariat
The California State University
401 Golden Shore
Long Beach, California  90802-4210

Office of the Chancellor

The California State University
401 Golden Shore
Long Beach, California  90802-4210
(562) 951-4000

Dr. Joseph I. Castro ~ Chancellor, CSU System

Mr. Steve Relyea ~ Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer

Dr. Fred E. Wood ~ Interim Executive Vice Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs

Mr. Andrew Jones ~ Executive Vice Chancellor, General Counsel

Mr. Garrett P. Ashley ~ Executive Vice Chancellor, University Relations and Advancement

Ms. Evelyn Nazario ~ Vice Chancellor, Human Resources

Mr. Vlad Marinescu ~ Vice Chancellor and Chief Auditor Officer

Campuses

Map

Funding

Average Support Cost per Full-time Equivalent Student and Sources of Funds

The total support cost per full-time equivalent student (FTES) includes the expenditures for current operations, including payments made to students in the form of financial aid, and all fully reimbursed programs contained in state appropriations. The average support cost is determined by dividing the total cost by the number of FTES. The total CSU 2020-21 budget amounts were $3,722,806,000 from state General Fund (GF) appropriations before adding $42.7 million CalPERS retirement adjustment, $2,626,783,000 from gross tuition revenue, and $612,221,000 from other fee revenues for a total of $6,961,810,000. The 2020/21 resident FTES target is 374,131 and the non-resident FTES based on past-year actual is 22,154 for a total of 396,285 FTES. The GF appropriation is applicable to resident students only whereas fee revenues are collected from resident and nonresident students. FTES is determined by dividing the total academic student load (e.g., 15 units per semester) (the figure used here to define a full-time student’s academic load).

*Represents state GF appropriation in the Budget Act of 2020-21; GF is divisible by resident students only (364,131 FTES).

**Represents CSU Operating Fund, gross tuition, and other fees revenue amounts (net of tuition fee discounts) submitted in campus August 2020/21 final budgets. Revenues are divisible by resident and nonresident students (396, 285 FTES).

The 2020-21 average support cost per FTES based on GF appropriations and net tuition fee revenue only is $16,235 and when including all three sources as indicated below is $17,780, which includes all fee revenue (e.g., tuition fees, application fees, and other campus mandatory fees) in the CSU Operating Fund.  Of this amount, the average net tuition and other fee revenue per FTES is $7,829.

The average CSU 2020/21 academic year, resident, undergraduate student basic tuition and other mandatory fees required to apply to, enroll in, or attend the University is $7,363 ($5,742 tuition fee plus $1,621 average campus-based fees). However, the costs paid by individual students will vary depending on campus, program, and whether a student is part-time, full-time, resident, or nonresident.

CSUMB Administration

CSUMB operates under the direction of a president appointed by the CSU Board of Trustees as the chief executive officer of the campus. The president develops campus policy through broadly based consultative procedures that include students, faculty, staff, and administrators in decision making. The CSUMB Academic Senate and its Academic Senate Executive Committee, made up of elected representatives of the faculty, recommend academic policy to the president through a shared-governance process.

The university divides its operations into administrative divisions, each under the direction of a vice president.

President

Eduardo M. Ochoa grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before moving to Portland, Ore., with his family while in high school. He has earned degrees in physics, nuclear science and economics from Reed College, Columbia University and the New School for Social Research, respectively. In mid-career, his plans to return to work in his Argentinian homeland were sidetracked by a military coup. He has worked as an engineer, as an academic faculty member and administrator, and, most recently, as assistant secretary for postsecondary education in the Obama Administration.

Now, he brings that wide range of academic, professional and personal experience to a new opportunity, as president of California State University, Monterey Bay.

“I am honored and excited to return to the California State University, and to have been selected to lead the Monterey Bay campus,” said Dr. Ochoa. “The campus ideals of diversity, sustainability and community embody the values of Monterey Bay, and its focus on innovation reflect the spirit of California. I look forward to working together with faculty, students and staff as we build on the university’s excellent accomplishments and reputation.”

He attended bilingual schools in the Buenos Aires through his sophomore year in high school before immigrating with his family to Portland, Ore., where his father, a biochemist, had been hired to run the clinical lab at Portland’s Good Samaritan Hospital.

Dr. Ochoa earned his bachelor’s degree in physics, with a minor in philosophy, from Reed College in 1973. Three years later, he finished his master’s at Columbia University in New York in nuclear science and engineering just after Isabel Perón’s government had been overthrown by a military coup. His original plan to return to Argentina and work for the National Atomic Energy Commission had to be put aside.

After working for three years as an assistant and associate engineer in New York, Dr. Ochoa began his Ph.D. in economics at the New School for Social Research, where his thesis on labor values and the prices of production during the postwar period won the Edith Hansen award for an outstanding dissertation in economics and political science.

Dr. Ochoa taught at Fresno State University and at California State University, Los Angeles, where he was a full professor and chair of the economics and statistics department. He also led the university’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and served as acting dean of its School of Business and Economics.

In 1997, he was hired as the dean of Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Business Administration, where he served for six years.

He then became provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University. During his tenure-in addition to overall responsibility for the university’s academic programs-he oversaw campus-wide strategic planning and diversity efforts. The Academic Affairs Division has five schools, 600 faculty members, and 8,900 students, with an annual budget of $50 million.

President Barack Obama named Dr. Ochoa assistant secretary for postsecondary education in February, 2010. In that post, he served as the secretary’s chief advisor on higher-education issues and administered more than 60 programs totaling nearly $3 billion annually that are designed to provide financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in postsecondary institutions. Among the notable programs overseen by the ED’s Office of Postsecondary Education are the eight TRIO programs, institutional development programs for minority institutions, teacher development programs, and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. OPE runs the well-known Byrd, Fulbright, Javits and McNair programs and certifies all regional and national accreditation agencies, so they, in turn, may qualify institutions to receive federal financial aid and Pell grants.

President Ochoa’s wife Holly is an historian, writer, and editor. They have two sons.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

As Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Katherine Kantardjieff provides central and academic leadership with primary responsibility to plan, develop, and administer all aspects of the university’s programs, activities, personnel, and budget in the support of students and student learning.

Prior to joining CSUMB, Dr. Kantardjieff served for nine years as the founding dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University San Marcos. She has held academic appointments as Professor and Chair of Chemistry at California State Polytechnic University Pomona and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University Fullerton. Dr. Kantardjieff has served in leadership positions with the California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology, the CSU Council on Ocean Affairs, Science and Technology, and the United States National Committee for Crystallography.

Dr. Kantardjieff received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Southern California and Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles. She was the recipient of the San Diego Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Award and the Athena Pinnacle Award for Individual in Education.

VP Student Affairs

Dr. John Fraire joins us after a distinguished career in senior student affairs positions in several universities, including Portland State University and Washington State University. He has had extensive experience in all aspects of student services as well as enrollment management, including with Hispanic-serving institutions. He received his BA and MEd from Harvard University and his PhD from Union Institute and University in Ohio. 

VP Administration & Finance

Mr. Glenn R. Nelson serves as the Chief Financial Officer for CSU Monterey Bay and directs a wide range of campus departments that provide essential services to students, faculty, staff, and to the external community. He has direct oversight of finance, facility maintenance operations, campus planning and construction, and public safety.

Dr. Nelson brings extensive and varied experience in administrative positions in higher education to CSUMB. He joins us from Idaho State University, where he was the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs. Before that position, he held appointments at Arizona State University, and in the Arizona, Wisconsin, and Oregon university systems, among other institutions. He brings energy and passion to the mission of student success of CSUMB and deep experience in financial and administrative matters at many institutions of varying scale.

VP University Advancement

As the Vice President for University Advancement, Barbara Zappas oversees the university’s fundraising, marketing, and communication efforts as well as the Foundation of CSU Monterey Bay.

She has previously served as the Assistant Vice President for University Advancement.

Prior to joining the University in early 2012, she served as assistant dean for external relations at the law school of Lewis & Clark College. Earlier, she had been a senior vice president at Oregon’s Legacy Health System.

Barbara holds a master of public health degree from Yale University and completed her undergraduate bachelor of arts at the University of California, Berkeley.

Other Information

Information concerning the cost of attending CSUMB is available online.  This page includes tuition and fees; the estimated cost of books and supplies; estimates of typical student room, board, and transportation costs; and, if requested, additional costs of specific programs.  You can also use the Cost of Attendance Caluculator to estimate your costs.

The following information concerning student financial assistance may be obtained from:

Angeles Fuentes
Student Services Building, 3rd Floor
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA 93955
Phone:  831-582-5100

• A description of the federal, state, institutional, local, and private student financial assistance programs available to students who enroll at CSUMB;
• For each aid program, a description of procedures and forms by which students apply for assistance, student eligibility requirements, criteria for selecting recipients from the group of eligible applicants, and criteria for determining the amount of a student’s award;
• A description of the rights and responsibilities of students receiving financial assistance, including Federal Title IV student assistance programs, and criteria for continued student eligibility under each program;
• The satisfactory academic progress standards that students must maintain for the purpose of receiving financial assistance and critera by which a student who has failed to maintain satisfactory progress may reestablish eligibility for financial aid;
• The method by which financial assistance disbursements will be made to students and the frequency of those disbursements;
• The way the school provides for Pell-eligible students to obtain or purchase required bookds and supplies by the seventh day of a payment period and how the student may opt out;
• The terms of any loan received as part o the student’s financial aid package, a sample loan repayment schedule, and the necessity for repaying loans;
• The general conditions and terms applicable to any employment provided as part of the student’s financial aid package;
• The terms and conditions of the loans students receive under the Direct Loan and Perkins Loan Programs;
• The exit counseling information the school provides and collects for student borrowers; and the Contact information for campus offices available for disputes concerning federal, institutional, and private loans;
• Information concerning the refund policies of CSUMB for the return of unearned tuition and fees and other refundable portions of institutional charges is available online;
• Information concerning policies regarding the return of Title 4 student assistance funds as required by regulation.

Information regarding special facilities and services available to students with disabilities may be obtained from:

Margaret Keith, Director Student Disability Resources
Health & Wellness Services, Room 110
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA 93955
831-582-4369

Information concerning CSUMB policies, procedures, and facilities for students to report criminal actions and other emergencies occuring on campus may be obtained from:

University Police Department
Valley Hall
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA 93955
831-655-0268

Information concerning CSUMB’s annual campus security report and annual fire safety report may be obtained from:

Shanieka Fireka, Clery Director
Student Services Building, Suite 201
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA  93955
831-582-3154

Information concerning the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse and rehabilitation programs may be obtained from:

Ana Hernandez, Director Health & Wellness Services
Personal Growth & Counseling Center
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA  93955
831-582-3969

Information regarding student retention and graduation rates at CSUMB and, if available, the number and percentage of students completing the program in which the student is enrolled or has expressed interest may be obtained from:

Veronica Chukwuemeka, Director Institutional Assessment & Research
Green Hall, Room 134
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA  93955
831-582-3508

Information concerning athletic opportunities available to male and female students and the financial resources and personnel that CSUMB dedicates to its men and women’s teams may be obtained from:

Kirby Garry, Director of Athletics
Mountain Hall Suite F
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA  93955
831-582-3051

The Alumni Relations Office may furnish, upon request, information about the employment of students who graduate from programs or courses of study preparing students for a particular career field.  Any such data provided must be in a form that does not allow for the identification of any individual student.  This information includes data concerning the average starting salary and the percentage of previously enrolled students who obtained employment.  This information may include data collected from either graduates of the campus or graduates of all campuses in the California State University.

Information concerning teacher preparation programs at CSUMB, including the pass rate on teacher certification examinations, may be obtained from:

Christy Hanselka, Credential Analyst
Del Mar Room 119
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA  93955
831-582-3638

Information concerning grievance procedures for students who feel aggrieved in their relationships with the university, its policies, practices and procedures, or its faculty and staff may be obtained from:

Idonas Hughes, Student Conduct Administrator
Student Center Room 132
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA  93955
831-582-4597

Information concerning student activities that CSUMB provides are can be found on the website. You may also contact the Student Activities & Leadership Development Office at: 831-582-4686

Information concerning student body diversity at CSUMB, including the percentage of enrolled, full-time students who are (1) male, (2) female, (3) Pell Grant recipients, and (4) self-identified members of a specific racial or ethnic group, may be obtained from:

Veronica Chukwuemeka, Director Institutional Assessment & Research
Green Hall, Room 134
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA  93955
 831-582-3508

CSUMB Extension Sites 2021-2022

In order to better support the needs of our surrounding communities as well as our growing academic offerings, CSUMB utilizes the following extension sites in the delivery of some academic programs and a variety of courses:

CSUMB at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
8272 Moss Landing Road
Moss Landing, CA  95039

CSUMB at North Main/Salinas
1450 N. Main Street
Salinas, CA  93906

CSUMB at City-Center
1 Main Street
Salinas, CA  93901

CSUMB at King City
117 N. Second Street
King City, CA  93930

CSUMB at Cuesta College
Highway 1
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405