CSUMB’s 2025 filled with laudable milestones

By Mark Muckenfuss

From outshining other CSU campuses on increasing graduation rates, to maintaining stellar showings in national rankings, it’s been a great year for Cal State Monterey Bay. Other milestones for 2025 included the unveiling of the otter statue in front of the Otter Student Union, recognition as a research university and a half-million dollar grant from Chiipotle to fund construction of a greenhouse complex.

February:

The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching puts CSUMB among its Research Colleges and Universities, a newly formed designation. CSUMB is among 12 CSU campuses to receive the distinction. 

In May, the Carnegie Foundation also named CSUMB to its Opportunity College and University list, making it one of only 33 higher-education institutions in the country to receive both classifications.

March

Chipotle Mexican Grill announces a $500,000 grant for the Agricultural Plant and Soil Science program. The funds will be used to help build a new greenhouse complex to contribute to agricultural education and strengthen CSUMB’s role in future farming practices. The grant is part of Chipotle’s commitment, announced in 2021, to give $5 million by the end of 2025 to support the future of farming.  

Officials with CSUMB and Monterey Peninsula College announce the Lobo Otter Pathway Program, designed to smooth the transition for students earning an associate degree at MPC who wish to transfer to CSUMB. The program is targeted toward students who do not meet the requirements to attend a CSU after high school or who are returning to school after an extended break. It mirrors a program established with Hartnell College in 2024.

April

Approximately 4,000 students attend the annual Admitted Otter Day, a chance for students who have received confirmed admission to the school to visit the campus and find out more about the programs and services CSUMB offers. Students are able to attend mock classroom sessions to get more information on various majors, and meet with faculty and talk about academic programs. They are also encouraged to sign a statement of intent to attend CSUMB in the fall. 

The College of Business announces its Bachelor of Science in Accounting, a program that will help meet the needs of an accountant shortage, both locally and nationally. 

After being talked about for years, a new mascot statue is unveiled in front of the Otter Student Union. Featuring two sea otters at play, the nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture, “Otters for Life,” created by once-local artist Edward Eyth, is the culmination of an effort made possible largely by private donations. The statue is poised to be a focal point for university identity.

The annual Montes Award program, honoring the university’s top athletes, culminates in the surprise unveiling of a new Otter Athletics logo, designed by alumnus and former baseball player Benjamin Mayberry. 

May

For the second year in a row, CSUMB holds a unified Commencement where all graduates are honored at once. More than 1,800 graduates out of a class of 2,200 participate. As part of the ceremony, honorary doctorates are awarded to David Stivers, CEO of The Pebble Beach Co., and former CSUMB Foundation Board member and AT&T executive Bettye Saxon.

June

The first of several national rankings including CSUMB is released by Money magazine, which gives the master’s of education program a perfect five-star rating. Other rankings that will be released in the following months include: 

• No. 2 in social mobility from U.S. News & World Report
• 4.5 stars from Money magazine for CSUMB as a whole
• Top 50 in four categories, including No. 9 for graduate programs, by Washington Weekly
• No. 24 as a best value among California public universities by the Wall Street Journal

July

The Salinas City Center, which CSUMB had owned for 10 years, is sold to Hartnell College, which plans to utilize the space, newly named as One Main Street, for Hartnell students as well as a number of local nonprofit organizations. Funds from the sale will help with the renovation of CSUMB’s Gavilan Hall to provide more student residential space on campus. 

August

Students are welcomed back to campus with Welcome Week activities and first-year students are invited to the second-annual Convocation address at Cardinale Stadium. One of the week’s highlights is the annual Otter Plunge, which draws hundreds of students, staff and faculty to the beach in Monterey.

October

Monte’s 5K anchors the third-annual RAFT Weekend, a chance for families and alumni to visit the campus and take part in a host of activities and events both on and off campus. 

Leaders from across the CSU system gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the Graduation Initiative 2025, an ambitious 10-year plan to increase graduation rates and eliminate equity gaps. Cal State Monterey Bay was recognized as the only campus in the system to achieve all six of its targets.

Hundreds of students and their families swept into campus for CSUMB’s annual Open House, an opportunity for those considering becoming an Otter to find out more about academic programs, financial aid, student housing and more. 

November

“Moving California Forward: The economic power of the CSU,” a report that looks at the impact of the California State University system on both the state and its regions, shows how much CSUMB influences its region's economy. The report looks at four dimensions: economic, student, industry workforce and societal impacts. 

December

A renovation launch marks the start of work on Gavalin Hall. The office building, which also housed KAZU radio and its studios, is being converted into residential space for students and will house more than 200 starting in Fall 2026.