President Erika D. Beck
California State University, Northridge
CSUN proudly serves as an intellectual and social resource to our communities, with a transformative impact on our region and the entire state of California. Few programs embody that purpose more clearly than CSUN VITA.
For more than 50 years, CSUN VITA — a service of the CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics — has had a twofold mission: to equip students with the expertise and confidence needed to embark on their professional careers, and to use those skills to serve individuals and families who otherwise would not be able to afford help with preparing their taxes.
As our region and the world’s population work to recover from a global pandemic that disproportionately affected low-income populations and put socioeconomic inequities into sharp focus, this program’s work in assisting community members has never been more critical.
This year, the CSUN VITA Clinic’s impact was stronger than ever. More than 200 student volunteers were trained to provide free tax preparation at multiple in-person sites, as well as through a secure virtual platform, resulting in low-income community members having access to VITA Clinic services seven days a week throughout the entire tax season.
I am incredibly proud of the dedication of the VITA team and the program’s growth. Thanks to supplemental funding from the IRS, CSUN VITA continued its support of clinics at Cal State LA, Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona, extending its reach across Los Angeles County. In addition, CSUN VITA has inspired more than 8,000 clinics around the country, helping families in all 50 states.
My gratitude goes to Nazarian College Dean Chandra Subramaniam and Bookstein Chair in Taxation and Director of the Bookstein Institute for Higher Education in Taxation Rafi Efrat for facilitating transformative experiences for our students and their continued leadership, especially throughout the challenges of the pandemic.
CSUN VITA is a brilliant example of how higher education and a university degree have the power to not only change individual lives, but to transform entire family trees and impact the world beyond our campus. I look forward to seeing our Matador students, faculty and community partners continue working to create a brighter and more equitable future through this vital service