Looking back at a stellar 2024

By Mark Muckenfuss

What a year it has been for Cal State Monterey Bay and the Otter family. The university started the year with a landmark agreement with Pebble Beach Company and, in keeping with that theme, continued to beat par for the remainder of 2024. 

The year was marked by a number of historic achievements, including the first unified commencement in many years. Record attendance at promotional events preceded record enrollment for fall semester. And CSUMB grabbed top spots in several national rankings. 

Here is a rundown of some of the year’s highlights:

January:

• CSUMB establishes its first-ever scholars program with Pebble Beach Company. The $1.4 million cooperative venture provides students with up to $5,000 per year for tuition, books and other educational costs for up to four years, and continued campus housing during academic breaks. Concurrent with their classroom studies, the scholars spend time as interns at Pebble Beach with an eye on post-graduation employment.

March:

• The concentration of music technology is reintroduced as part of the Performing and Visual Arts department offerings. The program teaches students about recording, mixing and editing sound. The concentration was last offered in the 2018–19 school year and, largely because of advances in the field, the new curriculum is substantially different than what was offered then.

April:

• So many students and their families are expected to attend Admitted Otter Day that the annual event is split in two, one for first-year students and one – three weeks later -- for transfer students. Record numbers visit the campus to tour dorm rooms, watch lab demonstrations, listen to lectures, dance to music, play games, sample foods and meet with advisors, financial counselors, faculty and other students. 
• "The Strength of Us”™ becomes the new motto for Cal State Monterey Bay as the university launches a new brand. In addition to introducing a series of marketing pillars that relate to CSUMB’s mission, the launch includes a new logo with a simpler design that incorporates elements of the Monterey Bay region both in its use of color and a wave graphic. The face of the otter mascot is also reimagined and has a more appealing presence. 
• CSUMB tops all other CSUs in the number of National Science Foundation fellowships received by its students. Six students are awarded fellowships by the Graduate Research Fellowship Program of the NSF.

May: 

• For the first time in nine years, graduates take part in a unified Commencement at the Salinas Sports Complex. More than 2,000 students crossed the stage to receive their diplomas while a crowd of 12,000 family members and friends looked on.
• The Rainbow Raft Pride Center opens in Building 12, the culmination of 25 years of campus advocacy. The center provides resources and a social space for CSUMB’s LGBTQ+ community.  

June: 

• Money magazine gives Cal State Monterey Bay 4.5 out of five stars on its 2024 college ratings and gives it the magazine’s America's Best Colleges Award. 

July:

• Record numbers of students attend two orientation days, one for first-year students, one for transfer students. They receive academic advising, attend workshops, housing tours and financial aid sessions, register for classes, and explore campus organizations tabling on the quad. 
• CSUMB announces that fundraising and feasibility studies are underway for a greenhouse and farm on the east end of campus. The future assets will enhance the university’s agriculture program by providing research and teaching opportunities.

August:

• About 300 people attend the launch of the new Edward “Ted” Taylor Science and Engineering Building, which will be built just south of the university’s College of Science. The nearly $38 million building will include laboratory and collaborative student spaces for marine science and serve as home to the new mechatronics engineering program. It will also house the offices of NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. 
• Welcome Week is awash with new students as CSUMB welcomes its largest class in years. Besides the excitement of moving into their new living spaces, students enjoy such events as New Student Convocation, the Otter Plunge and a boatload of social activities. 
• Sociology, which has been established as a new major at CSUMB, welcomes its first cohort of students. The new major broadens the offerings of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) and provides better career opportunities. 

September:

• U.S. News College Rankings places CSUMB No. 1 among Western regional universities for social mobility. The school is also ranked No. 5 overall among public universities and No. 10 overall for all regional universities in the Western region. Other agencies also recognize CSUMB’s success:
• The Wall Street Journal ranks CSUMB No. 23 for social mobility among the nation’s top 500 universities. Overall, the university is ranked 158. 
• CSUMB is 11th on the list of mid-size public universities ranked by Forbes Magazine, finishing ahead of other mid-size California schools such as UC Merced and CSU Channel Islands.

October:

• More than 1,000 prospective students and their families pour onto campus for CSUMB’s annual Open House, an event that welcomes those wanting to experience a day at the university and discover all it has to offer. The students learn about campus life, internship and job opportunities, financial aid, housing and other aspects of the Otter community. Due to record demand, two open houses were held three weeks apart from one another. 
• Raft Weekend, a celebration of all things CSUMB was a rousing success. In its second year, Monte’s 5k (this year supplemented with a 1K event) draws more than 400 participants and highlighted a week’s worth of activities. It was also an opportunity for the university to celebrate its 30th anniversary. 

It was, indeed, an eventful year. Stay tuned as 2025 promises to bring even more great events and accomplishments for our Otters.