CSUN’s Achievements Deserve Headlines Too

In the last couple of years, The Times has given headline press to some of CSUN’s perceived problems. But when the true distinction of this university emerges, little is said. Every now and then we should set the record straight.

The latest example of this institution’s worth was provided by the “yes” vote by students on the athletics referendum, which raises student fees to pay a portion of the costs required to maintain high-quality Division I sports for decades to come. The yes vote reflects the reality of a true university community, guided by a dynamic president, that is working together to build worldwide recognition.

This institution is already well on its way to developing a place for itself among the nation’s finest universities. Its programs in music and theater are widely praised. It has been listed as a top 10 comprehensive university in a National Science Foundation study on numbers of science doctorates achieved by its graduates. Its programs in the sciences have been cited as national models and include participation by Nobel laureate-caliber leaders. In my lab alone, for example, over 140 students have co-authored publications in leading science journals. And it has recovered in record-breaking time from the most costly natural disaster in the history of U.S. higher education.

This place is an awakening giant that will continue to open people’s eyes by its well-documented accomplishments.

STEVEN B. OPPENHEIMER

Oppenheimer is director, Center for Cancer and Developmental Biology, Cal State Northridge.