Dr. Emily Allen, Dean, College of ECST
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Yesterday we awarded bachelors’ and masters’ degrees to over 600 students at Commencement. Being at an in-person ceremony with all our faculty, our graduating students, and their families, was such a satisfying thrill! A few weeks ago we held our in-person Capstone Senior Design Expo, where we listened to our graduating seniors present their yearlong projects, many of which were sponsored by industry clients. Though we all know we are not out of the woods yet with the pandemic, life has begun to have some normalcy to it, and these events helped us remember why we do what we do – it’s about our students.
Commencement was also special for me, because was the last one I’ll attend as Dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology. I will be retiring in August. After more than 30 years in the Cal State system, at two campuses, it’s time for me to step back and figure out what the next phase of life will look like for me. I will be staying on at ECST as a part-time retired faculty member, and be able to continue contributing to our wonderful college community.
Over the last nine years, we’ve seen the College grow, with over half of our faculty hired in the last decade, and the establishment of the ECST Makerspace, the Sikand SITI-Center, and the Acceleration Initiative (which includes LAunchPad, FYrE, and the Peer Mentor Program), as well as millions of dollars in research grants awarded to our faculty and staff. We’ve established the Advising Council, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, the Deans Advisory Board, and the Teaching and Learning Academy. All of these efforts have been the result of faculty and staff developing great ideas that support our students, enhance their success, and make a difference in the world.
Of course, we couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the tremendous partnerships we have built with our alumni, donors and friends, industry and government agencies, high schools, community colleges, sister universities, and colleagues across campus. Educating our students and providing them with a life-changing experience is truly a team effort. Our partners are essential for our students’ success, and we gratefully acknowledge their support. This issue of InSights focuses on many of these collaborations. I hope you enjoy reading about some of our activities.
At the Alumni Gala held on a lovely evening in April, I was seated next to one of our alums, a successful dean at another engineering college in California. At the end of evening, he turned to me and said, “Cal State LA opened a door for me that no one else was willing to.” That says it all – why we are here, what we do, and why we do it. With your help, we’ll keep doing it!
Emily L. Allen, Dean
College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology
California State University, Los Angeles
Yesterday we awarded bachelors’ and masters’ degrees to over 600 students at Commencement. Being at an in-person ceremony with all our faculty, our graduating students, and their families, was such a satisfying thrill! A few weeks ago we held our in-person Capstone Senior Design Expo, where we listened to our graduating seniors present their yearlong projects, many of which were sponsored by industry clients. Though we all know we are not out of the woods yet with the pandemic, life has begun to have some normalcy to it, and these events helped us remember why we do what we do – it’s about our students.
Commencement was also special for me, because was the last one I’ll attend as Dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology. I will be retiring in August. After more than 30 years in the Cal State system, at two campuses, it’s time for me to step back and figure out what the next phase of life will look like for me. I will be staying on at ECST as a part-time retired faculty member, and be able to continue contributing to our wonderful college community.
Over the last nine years, we’ve seen the College grow, with over half of our faculty hired in the last decade, and the establishment of the ECST Makerspace, the Sikand SITI-Center, and the Acceleration Initiative (which includes LAunchPad, FYrE, and the Peer Mentor Program), as well as millions of dollars in research grants awarded to our faculty and staff. We’ve established the Advising Council, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, the Deans Advisory Board, and the Teaching and Learning Academy. All of these efforts have been the result of faculty and staff developing great ideas that support our students, enhance their success, and make a difference in the world.
Of course, we couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the tremendous partnerships we have built with our alumni, donors and friends, industry and government agencies, high schools, community colleges, sister universities, and colleagues across campus. Educating our students and providing them with a life-changing experience is truly a team effort. Our partners are essential for our students’ success, and we gratefully acknowledge their support. This issue of InSights focuses on many of these collaborations. I hope you enjoy reading about some of our activities.
At the Alumni Gala held on a lovely evening in April, I was seated next to one of our alums, a successful dean at another engineering college in California. At the end of evening, he turned to me and said, “Cal State LA opened a door for me that no one else was willing to.” That says it all – why we are here, what we do, and why we do it. With your help, we’ll keep doing it!
Emily L. Allen, Dean
College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology
California State University, Los Angeles
Contribute to ECST
Want to help us provide the best education possible to current students? Please donate to:
- the Acceleration Initiative
- the ECST Student Success Fund
- the Dean’s Fund for Innovation
- the Makerspace Fund
For more information about making an impactful gift, please contact me directly at ([email protected]) or
Kevin Doody at ([email protected]). You can also give online at https://campaign.calstatela.edu/give