Helen Rucker Center for Black Excellence

Cal State Monterey Bay’s center for Black Student Success was the brainchild of former Cal State Monterey Bay faculty member and Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services, Dr. Vanessa Lopez-Little. The center was  founded in 2020 by Dr. Lopez-Little with the support of Dr. Brian Corpening. Before entering retirement in 2024, Dr. Corpening worked in higher education administration for over 30 years and served  as Cal State Monterey Bay’s Associate Vice President for the Office of Community and Belonging. Dr. Lopez-Little served as the center’s first director and helped lay the foundation for what the center is today. Since its creation, The Helen Rucker Center has served as a shining model that spearheaded the development of other student resource centers that now exist across campus. In 2022 the name of the center was changed to the Helen Rucker Center for Black Excellence to honor the contributions of our beloved community advocate, educator, activist, and civil servant, Mrs. Helen Rucker.

Helen Rucker is a retired teacher, librarian and longtime community activist on the Monterey Peninsula who has dedicated her career and life to civil rights and community engagement. Seaside, CA became Mrs. Rucker home after moving to the area from Louisiana with her husband, a U.S veteran, when he was stationed at the Fort Ord military base in 1964. The Fort Ord military base was closed in 1994 giving way for the founding of California State University, Monterey Bay. 

Mrs. Rucker made remarkable contributions to the city of Seaside and Monterey Peninsula community throughout her lifetime. She is the founder of Seaside’s Voter Education Center, an organization dedicated to inspiring young people, especially of color, to vote. In each of the last five national elections, as well as over 10 local, county and state elections, she ensured the community had access to educational materials and forums in which to discuss and debate pertinent issues. She has served as a city council member and board member of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. She also volunteered with numerous other community organizations addressing issues important to her including: prison education, HIV/AIDS prevention, Black entrepreneurship, mental health services, tax assistance and meal delivery for seniors, police reform, low-income housing, voter education and registration and civil rights.

In 2015, California State Assembly member Mark Stone honored her lifetime of service by naming her Woman of the Year for the 29th District. In 2017, Ms. Rucker was awarded the Monterey County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Medgar Evers Freedom Legacy Award for her work on behalf of civil rights and civic engagement. California State University, Monterey Bay honored Mrs. Rucker with an honorary doctorate degree in 2022. Also in 2022, she received the key to the city of Seaside and was crowned Mrs. Juneteenth Monterey County by the Monterey County Black Caucus. Shortly after, Mrs. Rucker was honored with a star on the Seaside Walk of Fame in 2023. 

To honor her legacy of community engagement and activism, her contributions to our local community, and her dedication to education, the name of the center was changed from the Center for Black Student Success to the Helen Rucker Center for Black Excellence in 2022. Mrs. Rucker continues to show her support for Cal State Monterey Bay, our students, and the center. We are extremely grateful that we still have the opportunity to learn from Mrs. Rucker, listen to her powerful stories, and be in community with her at many of our signature events. 

Click to learn more about Mrs. Rucker