Message From Dean Ronald Ramirez

We have reached the end of the Fall semester and start of the holiday break. The semester was a roller coaster marked by new challenges and notable successes as we navigated the AI disruption and an uncertain economic environment. Despite these headwinds, our faculty, staff, community, and students all came together in partnership to reach new levels of achievement. The College of Business Administration continues to expand access to impactful education, create new opportunities, and prepare our students to lead and thrive in business.

We open this newsletter by highlighting our achievements this semester. It is important to celebrate what we accomplish together each day and to recognize what we can do together in fulfillment of our mission. This issue also honors the people at the heart of what we do. We remember a cherished member of our community whose legacy continues to live on through all of us and we celebrate students whose perseverance and determination has led them to their next chapters. Their stories remind us of our shared purpose and the importance of continuous innovation as the environment evolves.

I extend my sincere gratitude to our faculty and staff for their dedication to teaching, coaching, and student success, and to our alumni and community partners for enabling real-world learning experiences that enrich our programs and the student experience. Together, we are transforming lives through business education.

A Tale of Two Students Who Fought Through the New Reality Facing Graduates

In this story, we highlight the journey of two undergraduate CoBA students who graduated in May 2025. Facing a new reality, we learn about what it takes to launch a career today as a new college graduate. CoBA’s focus on career readiness—especially Business Professional Development (BUS 300)—had a meaningful impact on both. This unique program and its dedicated community of Executive in Residence volunteers is a testament to the value of what we are providing to all CoBA students.

The new reality is not only a call for enhancing what CoBA has in place today, but a call to innovate how we can help our students moving forward. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact our Director of Community Partnerships and Student Success, Sara Vaz, at svaz@csusm.edu. We have opportunities for you to join us this Spring Semester to help with mentorship, networking, coaching, or senior experience projects. We are also interested in your innovative thoughts on how we can help CoBA students in the new environment.

Providing Real World Experience 

in Service to the Community

Senior Experience has served nearly 12,000 CoBA students since its inception and the program has completed over 2,500 projects to date. The projects are completed primarily for regional business, non-profit, and government organizations, although national and international organizations have also participated.