California State University, Fullerton, is launching two new degree programs this fall, and is tapping new leaders to head the various divisions of administration.
The school— now under leadership of the new president, Mildred GarcĂa—will offer a new program in environmental engineering, its fourth online course for a master’s degree. The two-year program will start with 60 students this fall.
The school also has rolled out a new doctor of nursing practice degree, a pilot program offered jointly with Cal State’s Long Beach and Los Angeles campuses.
The program was put into place in part to prepare for higher demand for doctorate degrees among nurses.
“Per nursing accreditation standards, all nurses in the practice fields…will have to have the doctorate degree in order to become licensed to practice by as early as 2015,” said Roberta Rikli, emeritus dean of the College of Health and Human Development.
Graduates would be qualified to work as faculty members in the Cal State system and other community college nursing programs, “helping to curb the nation’s nursing shortage projected to reach 800,000 by 2020,” according to the school.
In other news, Cal State Fullerton said it has hired more than 40 new faculty members across its eight colleges who will start this fall.
It also has appointed Berenecea Johnson Eanes the new vice president for student affairs and Theresa Mendoza as the interim vice president for university advancement.
Other new appointments include Carol Spencer as senior director of development for the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, Jane Hansen as director of development for education and special constituencies, and Alina Mircea-Trotz as director for development for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
