CSUN's Connection to Local Industry Leaders

The concentration of degrees in health-related fields at CSUN is closely connected to the University’s long-term relationship with the Medtronic/MiniMed Corporation, which occupies a sizable portion of CSUN’s North Campus. The partnership provides valuable internship and scholarship opportunities for students, making the often-daunting transition from education to the workforce significantly easier, while also establishing a professional network of alumni that helps future graduates enter the Healthcare industry.

In addition, CSUN’s Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing collaborates with a range of local and state organizations on a variety of activities including grant proposals, contracts, and faculty/student service models. Collaborative organizations include:

• Antelope Valley Partners
  for Health
• City of Los Angeles
• City of Pasadena
• City of San Fernando
• Child and Family Guidance Center
• Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles
• Child Care Resource Center of
  Los Angeles
• Child Development Institute
• CHIME Institute
• El Proyecto del Barrio
• Independent Living Center of
  Southern California
• Kaiser Permanente

The College of Engineering and Computer Science at CSUN embraces a hands-on approach to learning that provides students with opportunities for undergraduate research and laboratory work, as well as internships and industry experience. The college is home to nationally recognized programs such as AIMS2 supported by a five-year, $5.5-million grant from the USDE and recognized by Excelencia in Education and the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education in 2015. CSUN plays a vital role in AMP SoCal, which is one of the 12 Investing in Manufacturing Community Partnerships around the country selected by the U.S. Department of Commerce in summer 2014. AMP SoCal’s goal is to promote growth in the aerospace and defense industry throughout the region. In support of this goal, CSUN partners closely with numerous aerospace leaders, including Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, that engage in technical collaboration with the college and participate in design clinics with faculty and students among other connections.

“It’s a natural place to recruit from, and it’s a key school to me because it’s a large contributor to the employee base here — both new hires and people looking to advance their careers. A number of Northrop Grumman employees with bachelor’s degrees go to CSUN to get their master’s degrees.” – Dr. Charles Volk, VP Northrop Grumman

The college partners with industry through several signature programs such as Honors Co-Op, Tech Fest, and Senior Design Project Showcase. The college’s Industrial Advisory Board consists of leaders from more than 25 companies covering a broad range of interests including Aerospace, Intelligent Robotics, Software Engineering, Construction Management, Biotechnology, Clean Energy, and Advanced Manufacturing.

For example, Boston Scientific, another key industry partner, counts on CSUN as a vital resource for the development of highly skilled personnel to meet their emerging workforce needs. They provide internships, and many of the college’s graduates are employed at Boston Scientific in highly responsible positions of leadership. Also, they are a strong supporter of the college’s unique interdisciplinary master’s degree cohort program in Assistive Technology Engineering.

“We’re very impressed with the quality of the CSUN engineering and computer science grads. They have a really good grasp of the theoretical but good hands-on capabilities as well. Plus they’re good communicators, so they have risen to various positions of leadership here. They’re a big part of the company, and we want to bring more like them to Aerojet Rocketdyne in the future.” – Chris Erickson, Chief Engineer, Energy and Advanced Programs, Aerojet Rocketdyne

The David Nazarian College of Business and Economics touches many sectors of the regional economy through its programs, centers and institutes. The following is a small sampling of the organizations served by recent faculty-supervised and student-executed consultancy projects (addressing needs as diverse as marketing plans, competitor analysis, opportunity assessment, business-process analysis, rebranding, and new-product development) offered through the college’s Graduate Programs, Wells Fargo Center for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Small Business Institute, and course projects:

• Beats by Dre
• Bianchi Watch & Co.
• Cobalt Construction
• Frazier Aviation
• Global Aerospace Technology
• Madrid Theatre
• Marketing Educators’ Association
• Mrs. Fields Cookies
• Naked Juice
• National Aeronautics & Space Administration
• Pick My Solar
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
• STUTZ Motor Car Corporation of America
• Swatch Group

The Bookstein Institute for Higher Education in Taxation is the hub for education, scholarship, and community service in taxation in the Greater Los Angeles region. In realizing that vision, it partners with the Internal Revenue Service, the California Board of Equalization, Tax Defense Partners, City National Bank, NEW Economics for Women, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the California Council on Economic Education, and the office of State Senator Robert M. Hertzberg.

Through more than 600 internships annually, coordinated by the Center for Career Education and Professional Development, Nazarian College students contribute to the economic performance of a wide range of industries throughout the region. The annual contribution of their efforts to the regional economy, assessed at the undervalued level of minimum wage, is approximately $1.26 million.

Clearly, CSUN’s efforts to develop longstanding collaborations and working relationships with local organizations increase the University’s ability to provide students with hands-on experience and adequately prepare them for success in their respective fields of study. This level of professional grooming delivers a significant social benefit to the students themselves and the communities in which they live.

6 Hailey Graves, “Chemistry Teacher Receives Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award”, CSUN Today, March 30, 2015.

7 Allie Bidwell, “Report: STEM Job Market Much Larger Than Previously Reported”, U.S. News & World Report, February 5, 2014.