05/21/2026
"When I first got to CSUN, this was 8 years ago now, there was an idea of having an M.A. Sustainability program and they said we were just waiting for the new dean to come in and decide whether it was going to get a thumbs up or thumbs down. Well, it was clearly a thumbs up.
To see another cohort come through and the 1st cohort under Amanda's leadership is wonderful. I'm feeling deeply because of what you expressed about the program - about the relationships that you built, the promises that you made with each other, and promises to the future – this is the best experience of Higher Education.
You built community here, you built family here, you shared ideas, there’s intercultural exchange here - this is the best of the human condition. You had good people align with other good people and you came together and you formed this bond that is unbreakable – when you put good people together with good ideas and kindness - this is what the world needs now. Kindness for the environment and kindness for each other - and what we get is truly something remarkable. It's notable, it's needed.
And you also shared that most unscientific of experiences you shared something that the scientific method can’t measure. You said love. Love of each other, love of this program, love of learning - and so, Wonderful Class of 2026: Well done!"
-Dean Yan Dominic Searcy, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, CSUN