Building a Region: The CSU 5
Five California State University campuses serving Los Angeles have committed to working collaboratively to lend their combined research, education and service capabilities to help shape the future of their region. Working together, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Long Beach and CSU Northridge can implement large scale efforts to promote economic and community development and create a powerful network –an Innovation and Industry Commons for Greater LA—that supports employers and better prepares students for the regional workforce. CSU5 was another exciting innovation pitched at the Lumina sponsored Innovation Pitch Challenge.
One Year Old
Now that a year has transpired since the CSU 5 was created, there are many activities and successes to report:
A CSU 5 team meeting with presidents, provosts, AVPs research, deans and guides was held to discuss strengths and opportunities, contemplate goals for the near and long terms, review current projects, explore new areas of collaboration, refine our Basic Principles, Processes and Shared Responsibility approach, and identify our immediate next steps.
The CSU 5, through the guides and the five Campus Career Center Directors, is collaborating with the Office of Human Resources for the County of Los Angeles to solve workforce shortages. Some solutions coming out of the work include advising about better messaging to appeal to students and recent graduates, deploying more technology (social media, video testimonials) to reach students and alums, and developing virtual recruiting fairs to create a more direct recruitment pipeline between the County and students and alums. We began by targeting IT vacancies and the County is reporting an increase in applications received from the five campuses.
CSU 5 has responded to and supported several regional grants, including a P3 grant submitted by the City of Los Angeles for a county-wide effort to more effectively work to improve the lives of disconnected youth.
Faculty-originated grants using the capacity of the CSU 5 as a key component of the grant application are being submitted.
Regional research universities are including the CSU 5 as stakeholders and participants in grant applications.
Active engagement with AMP SoCal (the regional consortium for the IMCP designation) continues, largely through the Guides network.
Mapping the CSU 5 Assets is underway to more efficiently respond to regional needs and opportunities coming from grant applications or economic development initiatives.
A marketing brochure and collateral marketing materials were developed. A website is currently under construction.
What are you doing to support your region? We want to know. Leave a comment or email us? We are happy to share your story.