More than 5,500 students participated in Cal State LA’s nine college-based Commencement ceremonies, which were held for the first time at the historic Shrine Auditorium from May 19 to May 21. “This is your chance to be transformative,” President Berenecea Johnson Eanes told the graduating students. “It’s time for you to fly. Brighter futures and broader horizons await you.” Read more about Commencement.

Cal State LA and the Board of Trustees of the California State University awarded honorary doctorates to three globally recognized champions of education during Commencement. Biotech leader Kevin Xu received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, while comedians Ken Jeong and Jo Koy were awarded honorary Doctor of Fine Arts. President Eanes also presented the first Presidential Award to journalist Christine Devine. Read more about the honorees.

The Class of 2025 included eight outstanding students who are poised to make an impact outside of Cal State LA. The Newsroom is highlighting the achievements of these highly motivated students. Read more about the Student Success stories.

Cal State LA and Binzhou Medical University of China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote international academic collaboration and foster educational exchange between the two institutions. Read more about the MOU.

Cal State LA, the California Institution for Men (CIM), and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the university’s new campus in Chino, the first in the country dedicated solely to serving an incarcerated population. Read more about the CIM College Campus.

The Prison Graduation Initiative (PGI) program held its second PGI Convening in April. With the theme of “Community and Careers,” this year’s event served as a resource fair with more than 30 exhibitors assisting paroled students with job searches and other services. Read more about the convening.

Cal State LA has been selected to receive a $100,000 grant to expand connections between Ethnic Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Read more about the grant.

Initially hesitant about student politics, Yahir Flores has completed two terms as Associated Students, Inc. president, with key accomplishments that benefited the 22,000 fellow Cal State LA students he served. Read more about Flores.

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education recognized Cal State LA as an institution that can serve as a model for how campuses can foster student success. Read more about the Carnegie Classifications.

U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 edition of Best Graduate Schools ranked Cal State LA’s Master of Science in Nursing program among the top five in California and 30th overall in the nation, moving up 11 notches from the previous year. Read more about the ranking.

Michele Bleuze, assistant professor of anthropology at Cal State LA and director of the university’s Subterranean Maya Bioarchaeology Project, has garnered international media attention for her recent findings from the Cueva de Sangre site of Dos Pilas in Petén, Guatemala. Read more about her research.

The university’s Pérez-Silverman Symposium: Promoting Urban Ecology explored the connections between wildlife, native plants, and environmental resilience in urban environments such as Cal State LA. Read more about the symposium.

John M. Kennedy, professor of music in the College of Arts and Letters at Cal State LA, led a visionary project that brought together robotics, orchestral performance, and real-time innovation. Read more about the project.

The Department of Communication Disorders at Cal State LA, housed in the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services, announced two significant accomplishments for its Master of Arts program in Communicative Disorders with an emphasis in Speech-Language Pathology. Learn more about the accomplishments.

Cal State LA hosted a pair of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) competitions that doubled as Capstone Senior Design projects for students from the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology. Read more about the UAV competitions.

Cal State LA made a strong showing at the 39th Annual CSU Student Research Competition, with Alejandro Sanchez taking first place in the undergraduate engineering and computer sciences category. Three others earned top honors for outstanding research across disciplines. Read more about the research competition.

As part of CSU Hill Week in April, a delegation from Cal State LA traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for increased federal support for students and institutions of higher education. Read more about CSU Hill Week.

Mike Bonin was named executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs (PBI) at Cal State LA, effective May 1, 2025. Read more about the new PBI executive director.

Cal State LA hosted a Future Forums event, entitled “Recovery, Rebuilding, Resilience and the Future of Infrastructure,” in April at the Golden Eagle Ballroom. Find out more about the Future Forums.

A contingent from Cal State LA recently participated in the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights Spring 2025 workshop held at the University of Oxford. Funding for the trip was provided by the James Rosser Endowment in support of the Honors College. Read more about the workshop.

A group of Cal State LA students convened in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo to prepare for a future of leadership and impact. The meeting was organized through CAUSE on Campus at Cal State LA. Find out more about the meeting.

Maria Velasco has become an influencer for Zapotec. The 25-year-old is working to keep alive the ancient language of her native Oaxaca, Mexico, through her graduate studies in linguistic anthropology at Cal State LA. Read more about Velasco.

America’s fastest growing sport has come to Cal State LA. The university held a grand opening for its highly anticipated pickleball courts in April, inviting students, staff, faculty, and alumni to give the eight state-of-the-art courts a test run. Read more about the pickleball courts.