‘Their triumph will echo for generations’

California State University, Bakersfield will confer 1,917 degrees this spring, bringing the total for the 2023-24 academic year to nearly 3,300 across four academic schools and two campuses, a "stunning achievement for Kern County's university," said Interim President Dr. Vernon B. Harper Jr.

"Our graduation rates continue to climb, and we are proud of the innovative support systems we have introduced to help our students reach this pinnacle of excellence," Dr. Harper said. "But as impressive as those increases are, we don't see numbers when we look at our students. We see the determined faces and unique gifts of each of our Roadrunners, and we never forget the sacrifices and commitment they and their families have made to be here. Their triumph will echo for generations."

Three commencement ceremonies are scheduled for May 17 and 18 at CSUB's Main Soccer Field. Some 1,620 Roadrunners have registered to participate in the festivities, which will be livestreamed on the university's commencement page. The ceremonies require tickets for in-person guests.

CSUB will honor a milestone at the May 17 evening commencement ceremony when graduates of the 50th nursing class receive their diplomas.

"CSUB nursing has provided a valuable resource to our community since we graduated our first class in 1974," said Debra Wilson, chair of the Nursing Department. "In addition to providing excellent health care, our graduates have become leaders in our local health care agencies shaping health care policy and improving health outcomes for our citizens."

The university also will honor two men who transformed education in Kern County. In March, the California State University Board of Trustees voted to confer posthumous honorary doctoral degrees on legendary Arvin educator Larry Hallum and CSUB Chief Information Officer Faust Gorham, who led the monumental effort to move the university to virtual instruction during the pandemic while ensuring that students had the necessary devices and internet access to continue their studies.

Hallum was nominated for a Doctor of Humane Letters by CSUB alumna and CSU Board of Trustees member Raji Kaur Brar, who said the teacher and coach "changed the lives and trajectories of thousands of youth." Hallum's wife and family will accept the honor at the 8 a.m. May 17 ceremony.

"I said, 'Oh my goodness, what an honor," said Brenda Hallum, widow of Larry Hallum, when Brar called to discuss the nomination with her. "I said Larry would be shaking his head going, 'What?' And yet Raji was clear in saying he's done so much for Arvin. Larry had an expression he always would say when something good would happen. He'd put his hands in the air and yell, 'Touchdown!" This is a touchdown for Larry."

Gorham was nominated for a Doctor of Science by his CSUB community and peers at the 22 other CSU campuses. His family will accept the honor on his behalf at the 6 p.m. May 17 ceremony.

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thom Davis called Gorham a "consummate professional who was held in the highest esteem by his CSUB colleagues and those who worked with him throughout the CSU system."

"Faust exemplified leadership with kindness and genuine concern for the well-being of his information technology team, our students, and their success while simultaneously, as a first-generation college graduate, earning his master's degree and pursuing his doctorate," he said. "Faust knew that education was the key to transforming one's life and providing opportunities for one's future, the cornerstone of the CSU. Faust loved his wife and family, was a colleague and friend who I think of often and will never forget and is the most deserving of this honorary doctorate."

Hallum and Gorham bring the number of CSUB's honorary doctorate recipients to 21 since the first was awarded to former state Sen. Walter W. Stiern in 1986.

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