Pioneering Faculty, Staff Honored at Annual Breakfast

Five current and former Cal State San Bernardino faculty, staff members and alumni were honored for their trailblazing impact at the university during the Black Faculty, Staff and Students Association’s third annual Pioneer Breakfast on Friday, Feb. 20. J. Milton Clark, a CSUSB alumnus and an associate vice president in the university’s Office of Ombuds Services, delivered the keynote address for the public breakfast. Clark was an associate professor of English and served as the CSUSB associate vice president for undergraduate studies and as the university’s chief diversity officer. Among this year's honorees was James Person, who taught in the CSUSB school counseling program. He also was a coordinator in the master’s degree program and as an adviser to MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán) student association and the Black Student Union. Also honored were Cita Jones, who retired from CSUSB’s athletics department as assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator. She also served as the department’s NCAA compliance coordinator; Carolyn Stevens, who retired from the CSUSB Educational Opportunity Program. She served as an EOP counselor, coordinator of Transition Services and Summer Bridge, and taught freshmen orientation; Margaret Hill, an alumna with a master’s degree in education and administration, who served as an adjunct professor. She is currently a member of the San Bernardino Unified School District Board of Trustees and is the author of the book, “It’s All About The Children;” and Tom Rivera, who received the Lorraine Frost Ally Award, and is the associate dean emeritus of undergraduate studies. He helped found the Inland Empire Future Leaders Program. The breakfast event was also a fundraiser for scholarships for CSUSB students. The association currently awards three scholarships – the Overton, Henry and Monette scholarships – for students enrolling in the fall quarter and will launch its newest scholarship program – the J. Milton Clark Scholarship. Proceeds from the event also will support the annual African American Graduation recognition ceremony, said Kathryn Ervin, president of the BFSSA and chair of the university’s theatre arts department. The Pioneer Breakfast also sponsors the Annual Essay Competition, which is open to all CSUSB students. The competition enhances student learning and writing structure, working with the CSUSB Writing Center to encourage more students to utilize its resources on campus. New to the annual event this year was a Pioneer Breakfast Hashtag Competition open to CSUSB students, with a $150 book scholarship sponsored by the USDA-Hispanic Service Institution National Program. Also honored were departed alumni and staff members who were campus pioneers.