Doc Hop

Howdy y’all! Less than two weeks remain of my first year at Long Beach State! Time sure does fly when you’re the happiest you’ve ever been!

It’s the end of another academic year, so your faculty friends are likely being pulled in and out of countless meetings, brunches and lunches this week, and things at CSULB are just as hectic. I know that as a first-year faculty member, I’ve certainly been busy.

On Wednesday I met with my department chair to discuss a class I will take over next spring, focused on the First Amendment, citizen journalism, and data-driven investigative reporting. Most of my students will likely be journalism or PR majors, but since this is an upper-level GE course that counts toward a research requirement, I’m expecting a mix of majors. I often find myself on a First Amendment soapbox, emphasizing the role that citizen journalists—and everyday people—play in spreading both information and misinformation, so it will be so exciting to teach a course dedicated specifically to just that! I’ve also fallen a bit in love with the research course I teach, and it will be rewarding to work with students who really want to dive into the data. Research methods is a cool overview of the scientific method, but investigating data is a specialized study that shows just how many important questions—and surprising answers—can be hidden in the numbers. Woohoo! I can’t wait to get investigating! I plan to work out my whole syllabus this summer.

On Thursday morning I got up bright and early for a first year faculty breakfast with CSULB President Jane Close Conoley at the Anna Ngai Alumni Center. I got to meet the president (who was super nice and down to earth), before her speech, and I got to hang out with a buddy from my THRIVE orientation cohort as well. I actually saw a few familiar faces, as a first year lecturer from the JPR department was there as well. I also had one of the best cups of coffee that I’ve had in my whole life, a breakfast burrito, and something similar to potato salad but mushier. (I’m not gonna lie, I thought the potato salad was fancy scrambled eggies, or I wouldn’t have put it on my plate.) The food was all fine. That coffee though!

After President Conoley provided thoughtful and encouraging remarks about our role in shaping student success, organizers opened the floor for new faculty to share some of their highs and lows from the year. But CSULB is so great that everyone had only the best things to say. It was a warm, welcoming vibe all around—and honestly, a nice reminder that I’m part of a really supportive community here. (Have I mentioned how much I love it here?)

After a short trip back home I headed back to campus for a Beach XP “thank you” luncheon at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. Also featuring President Conoley!

The Beach XP program at CSULB supports first-time, first-year students by creating college-specific cohorts that meet regularly for designated courses fulfilling general education or major-specific requirements. Each cohort typically includes 18 to 30 students and is paired with a peer mentor who offers guidance on tutoring, study skills, and the overall transition to college life.

As part of this initiative, I teach a news literacy course within a small learning community of about 15 undeclared freshmen. This semester, we’ve explored everything from misinformation and media bias to AI-generated news and global censorship. While the transition to college-level news literacy was a big leap for many in the group, I’ve seen them make real progress in asking sharper questions and approaching media with a more critical eye. It’s been a rewarding experience, but it’s nice to be recognized for our efforts to make the program a success.

The event felt kind of swanky, but that’s just because it was at the Japanese Garden. It was my second time visiting, but it was just as beautiful as I remembered. (A photo really cannot do it justice.) I had another coffee even though it was getting much hotter as the day moved forward, some baked macaroni and cheese, and some mashed potatoes. (There was chicken and stuff, but I obviously avoided that. There was also salad, but it all had ham in it, which was a bummer, especially since there were two salad bowls. What the heck?! Who even puts ham in a salad? In California!) The macaroni and cheese was really good and the taters were alright. The coffee could not compare, but what coffee could, really?

I know I should say that my favorite part was hearing all the moving and engaging speeches about how much the faculty means to the continued support of the Beach XP program and its students. And that part was great. But I loved feeding the ducks and koi! After taking a walk around the gardens I picked up some fish food and handed out a little treat. Those ducks and fish were a-fussin’ and a-fighting though! A person who worked for the gardens told me that only the aggressive fish came to the area I chose, and aggressive was right! I like to reward a go-get ’em attitude.

Today marked my final faculty meeting of year one, and directly following was my THRIVE “graduation” with CLA Dean Deborah Thien. THRIVE is the College of Liberal Arts’ yearlong professional development program for new faculty, designed to build community, share resources, and support our teaching, research, and service as we grow into our roles at CSULB. I’ve been going to monthly meetings, and this meeting was our last one. (Events and meetings continue through year two, but they are less frequent. And by then I’ll be an experienced pro!)

Earlier in the day our dean announced that she’ll be leaving CSULB to accept a provost position at CSU, Bakersfield, and while I am so happy for her, I am incredibly bummed for our loss. Dean Thien has been an incredible source of support throughout my first year, both through the THRIVE program and individually. I’m especially grateful for the support and encouragement she offered during our meeting about my Professional Development Plan for tenure—her guidance made a meaningful difference and really helped to make this first year a seamless one. Whoever steps into the position next has some pretty big shoes to fill!

This last THRIVE meeting was pretty low key and informal. We enjoyed a last lunch together and discussed our year one successes. An hour in the dean stopped by to hand out our graduation certificates, and we wrapped up with a group photo and some celebratory champagne! (I’m still waiting on the group photo, but I will share it once I have it.) We didn’t have a full group, but it was so nice to let our hair down and pat each other on the backs a little bit. I’m going to miss our monthly meetings, but it’s so nice to feel that I’m walking into year two with a strong college community, across departments.

I have one more week of classes, but I’m really just down to finals. I’m done lecturing for the semester, so it’s really just open lab time for my design students and extended office hours for my research methods students. I’ve been living in grade city lately, so I’m completely caught up moving into finals. It feels pretty good, but I can’t seem to let myself enjoy it, because I always catch myself refreshing Canvas to see if anything else is in. I guess I’m just as excited for summer break as the students! It will be my first full one in Long Beach and I’m absolutely going to make it a good one! 😎

Since I won’t be teaching, I have applied to be a part of the university’s ASSET(Accelerating Student Success and Equity in Teaching) program over the summer. The ASSET program is a three-week, hands-on summer workshop for CSULB faculty that mixes live Zoom sessions with independent activities. It’s all about helping us use student success data and culturally responsive teaching practices to make our courses more inclusive and effective. Led by fellow CSULB instructors, the program gives practical tools for supporting equity in the classroom and improving outcomes for all students. I should be a great opportunity to grow as a teacher, strengthen my tenure file, and earn a bit of extra income to help with Woodward’s medical bills, so I really hope I’m chosen to participate. I applied the second I saw the call!

That’s about it for this update. Thank you to everyone who reads these posts! (Even the boring ones.) I wish I could properly express how much it means to me. I’ve moved around quite a bit over the years, which isn’t the easiest way to make friends and build community. It’s nice to be able to share my life with the people who care, even in this little way.