2020 Past Winners

TITAN OF THE YEAR: LAURA ARCE

Laura Arce, Lecturer, Biological Science

Arce is a long-standing, part-time lecturer in biological science whose primary teaching assignments are upper-division courses in molecular and cancer biology, as well as a lower-division laboratory course for students accepted into the Research Careers Preparatory program that she directs. In addition to serving as the RCP program director, she conducts research on-campus and leads her own community outreach events.

As the RCP director, she guides students as they engage in their first scientific research experience, preparing them for the next steps in their careers. RCP partners with the campus' venerable Maximizing Access to Research Careers program to increase diversity in science, so Arce's work to mold young scientific researchers stretches beyond her department to include students from psychology, chemistry and mathematics.

Arce is a former CSUF MARC scholar and a first-generation, Mexican American student, so she brings a personal awareness of the obstacles such students face. That passion resulted in the inception of the annual MARC-RCP Family Day, where MARC alumni, faculty and guest speakers interact with current scholars and their family members. She has directed this unique event for the past eight years, reaching out to students' family members in a way that makes a lasting impact.

Alisha Brown, Director of Total Wellness, Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion

As director of HRDI's Total Wellness program, Brown is a passionate leader who has taken her team and its message to new heights, building a healthier campus community through enthusiastic service and outreach.

Brown's efforts have provided a multitude of programs and events for students, staff and faculty to learn more about their health and improve their well-being, such as Healthy Campus Week and the annual Health and Wellness Expo to name a few. Brown is at the center of these efforts, and her continuous hard work, creativity and inspiration have been key to their realization and success.

Shelly Arsneault

Shelly Arsneault, Professor, Politics Admin & Justice

Professor Shelly Arsneault exemplifies the values of the Titan Excellence Award and demonstrates this through the creation and coordination of one of the university’s signature programs — the City Management Fellowship Program .

Arsneault created CMFP in 2012 as a partnership between the Master of Public Administration program and the Orange County City Manager’s Association. CMFP provides professional, academic and financial support to several MPA students each year who demonstrate a commitment to public service and desire a career in city management. Each student is paired with a city manager mentor, and the students attend a series of workshops conducted by them. Arsneault’ s efforts have built community for the MPA program, its alumni and with the city managers of Orange County.

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUITY AWARD

Male Youth Empowerment Conference Staff

Vincent Harris, Director, Male Success Initiative, Student Affairs (top left) | Adriana Badillo, Director, Educational Partnerships, Student Affairs (top right) | Genesis Perez, Academic Coordinator, Educational Partnerships, Student Affairs (bottom left) | George Parker IV, Senior Program Coordinator, Male Success Initiative, Student Affairs (bottom right)

The Male Youth Empowerment Conference

The winner of this year's Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Award is the team responsible for Educational Partnerships and the Male Youth Empowerment Conference: Adriana Badillo, Genesis Perez, George Parker and Vincent Harris.

The Male Youth Empowerment Conference, or MYEC 4.0, is geared toward young men of color in grades nine through 11. MYEC creates an experience where young men of color from across Southern California gain insight and encouragement into preparing for college life while in high school. This year, nearly 300 young men of color participated in a full day of programming geared toward demonstrating ways in which these future Titans can view CSUF as a destination to thrive, succeed, and reach their goals.

TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION AWARD

Titan Communication Team

Eraj Shadaram, Director, Titan Communications, Academic Affairs (top left) | Nathan Jeffers, Media Production Specialist, Titan Communications, Academic Affairs (top right) | Jeffrey Whitten, Television Media Coordinator, Titan Communications, Academic Affairs (bottom right)

The Titan Communications Team

Eraj, Nathan, and Jeffrey directed, produced, shot, and edited videos for the award-winning 2018 Presidential Rap Video , which had more than 100,000 views; the 2018 Holiday Video with a record-breaking 6,000 views on Twitter and 25,000 views on social media; the 2019 University Awards Program featuring Kevin Costner, Gwen Stefani, Bruce Bowen, and Justin Turner; the 2019 Convocation Dance Video ; and the 2019 Holiday video that broke their own records. Together, these videos have brought hundreds of thousands of viewers to the university through the power of song, humor, dance, and by creatively infusing our points of pride in each of these videos with masterful editing.