Professional Development

Matador Management & Leadership Program

Here at California State University, Northridge we believe that an employee’s success is dependent upon having access to the tools and resources necessary to do one’s work, possessing an understanding of the mission and values of the University and being engaged in the day to day community of the campus.

For our staff and faculty, the success, commitment and level of engagement of those you manage, in many instances, are measured by the supportive relationship that the employee has with his/her supervisor.

We have a commitment to you as a manager/supervisor to ensure that you have the resources to effectively manage and to help develop your teams. As part of that commitment, we have developed the Matador Management & Leadership Program.

The Matador Management & Leadership Program currently consists of the following Key Modules:

Manager Exchange – (MPPs & Department Chairs)

Manager Exchange is an opportunity for Management Plan Personnel (MPPs) to participate in development opportunities facilitated by leaders from across campus and to exchange ideas and solutions.

MPPs are encouraged to attend as often as their schedule permits and to raise new topics for discussion as time allows. Each session is scheduled for one hour and features an administrator or guest speaker presenting on a specific topic for 20 to 30 minutes and then facilitating a cross-divisional exchange of information and ideas by the attendees – practices currently employed addressing the topic, any challenges, and possible solutions or improvements to practices.

Spring 2025 programming highlights the Leadership Principles! For more information about Manager Exchange, visit: http://www.csun.edu/development/manager-exchange

Supervisory Institute – (MPPs)

This is an interactive training designed to align supervisory, communication and team development skills with practices supported by the CSU and CSUN.  Newly hired or recently promoted administrators will be enrolled in an upcoming session following participation in New Administrator Orientation. Existing managers are encouraged to participate in this opportunity as a way to stay current when space is available.

Supervisory Institute is currently on hiatus while we explore the best way to convert this to a virtual program.  If you are interested in attending or have additional questions, please email frank.stranzl@ csun.edu or contact him at x7421.

Administrator Onboarding - (MPPs)

On online session that provides resources to help support your learning about our campus structure and important contacts/information. Go to https://www.csun.edu/development/administrator-onboarding for the resources reviewed during the session.

New Administrator Orientation – (MPPs)

Newly hired leaders will be invited to New Administrator Orientation intended to connect you with senior campus leaders, provide you with overview information on all of our campus priorities, and to help you form a connection to - and have a better understanding of critical matters outside your unit and division.  

This orientation is part of CSUN's Matador Management and Leadership Program and is reserved for managers and senior administrators.  This orientation is in addition to Administrator Onboarding session.

If you have not yet attended New Administrator Orientation and are interested in attending or have additional questions, please contact Frank Stranzl at Professional.Development@ csun.edu.

Leading the CSUN Way - CSUN Leadership Principles

Leadership, regardless of the setting, can often be intangible. But successful leaders share common traits. At CSUN, with our unyielding commitment to student success, the following leadership principles are absolutely essential. Every CSUN leader should strive to model these attributes day in, day out. These qualities, which are all important and listed in no particular order or ranking, should not feel overly aspirational or even inspirational. Rather, these characteristics should feel familiar and routine. Living these principles creates the environment where employees and students achieve their goals and ultimately success.

You may view the CSUN Leadership Principles and information about how they look in day-to-day leadership at CSUN here.