CSUSB President Named IEEP Co-educator of the Year

Cal State San Bernardino President Tomás D. Morales was honored by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership as co-educator of the year at the partnership’s annual meeting last month. Along with Morales, UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox was also named educator of the year. They were recognized for their overall leadership in the Inland Empire Education Council, especially their efforts in trying to secure additional funding for the universities through Gov. Jerry Brown's Awards for Innovation in Higher Learning. “The Inland Empire owns a debt of gratitude to both President Morales and Chancellor Wilcox for bringing so many of our educational leaders to the table,” said Paul Granillo, IEEP president and CEO. “It gives our region an opportunity to benefit from the governors Innovation Award.” The state award provides support for ongoing efforts to reduce the time it takes a student to earn a degree and to improve the process of transferring to the state universities from community colleges. Morales gave credit for receiving the honor to the CSUSB faculty and staff for their hard work. “I also want to be clear on an important point. I am standing here tonight on the shoulders of the incredible faculty and staff of CSUSB,” Morales said. “They are the heroes behind our success stories, working every day to transform the lives of our students. To those of you, I humbly say thank you.” He also thanked the IEEP for its commitment to education. “The IEEP understood that for education in the two-county region to succeed, we as education leaders need to work together to help our students make the successful transition from high school to college smoother,” Morales said. “That’s why the Inland Empire Education Council has representatives from the many community colleges and universities in the two-county region. The event was held at the Victoria Club in Riverside. Nearly 200 businesses, education, civic and nonprofit leaders from across San Bernardino and Riverside counties attended. The meeting, which was proceeded by a gathering of the IEEP’s Board of Directors, was an opportunity to let the community know what the organization, the region’s largest economic development group, has been doing to enhance the business environment and the quality of life for the region’s 4.2 million people in the last 12 months. Other award recipients were: * Business of the Year, Loma Linda University Medical Center; * Public Partner of the Year, Corona Mayor Eugene Montanez; * Non-Profit of the, shared by Ontario-Montclair Promise Scholars and the California Emerging Technology Fund; * The President’s Award, Pam Clute at UCR; and * The Chairman’s Award, Jennifer Johnson, formerly at Watson Land Co. and now with Southern California Edison.