Stanislaus State Geography and Environmental Resources Professor Augustine Avwunudiogba, known to many students as “Dr. Austin,” has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, one of the nation’s most prestigious academic honors.
Beginning in January 2026, Avwunudiogba will spend eight months at the Federal University of Technology in Akure, Nigeria, teaching applied remote sensing, conducting curriculum workshops and expanding Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) opportunities that will connect Stan State students with peers in Nigeria.
Through the COIL program, his Stan State students will collaborate virtually with students in Nigeria on shared class projects, gaining cross-cultural perspectives without leaving campus.
“My students will engage with students in Nigeria, working together on projects — getting global perspectives within the course structure, without having to travel,” Avwunudiogba said. “It helps to democratize the learning process and gives access to students who may not otherwise be able to study abroad or gain an international perspective and global experience in their education.”
He also hopes his award inspires students to pursue their own international opportunities. “I always tell students: Don’t limit your dreams,” he said. “International research is very rewarding. Keep knocking on the door. Eventually, it will open.”
Stanislaus State alumna Adrian Harrell, ’98, B.A. sociology and French, is elevating Warrior pride to the California State University (CSU) system level. On July 1, 2025, Harrell began a two-year term as chair of the CSU Alumni Council, representing more than 4 million alumni across the 23-campus system.
In this role, Harrell represents the collective interests of CSU alumni while bringing the experience and perspective of a Stan State graduate to systemwide leadership.
“My time at Stan State prepared me for this leadership opportunity by giving me both a strong academic foundation and meaningful opportunities to grow as a leader,” Harrell said. “As a student, I learned the value of resilience, collaboration and the importance of lifting others as you climb, all lessons that continue to guide me in my professional and service roles today.”
As chair, Harrell will focus on celebrating alumni impact, strengthening advocacy at every level and unifying the statewide network to advance the CSU’s mission and showcase the transformative power of a CSU degree.
Stanislaus State is in the early stages of exploring an expanded presence in San Joaquin County through a potential academic site at Pacific Gateway, a 1,500-acre master-planned development in Tracy.
Tracy offers a strategic location for expanding educational access in a rapidly growing region of California, located near Interstate 580 and State Route 132. In partnership with Ridgeline Property Group and with support from the Sandhu Family, who are contributing land, facilities and startup funding, the University is evaluating how a Tracy site could broaden degree access, strengthen workforce pipelines and build public-private partnerships that advance the region.
The proposed site would bring nationally ranked academic programs, workforce development initiatives and student support services directly to Tracy, complementing the University’s Turlock and Stockton campuses as part of a three-location model designed to increase social mobility and deepen regional impact. President Britt Rios-Ellis described the opportunity as a visionary pathway to strengthen Stan State’s role as an anchor institution in the Central Valley.
Stanislaus State nursing student Ava Holland was awarded the 2025 California State University Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, the CSU’s highest recognition for student accomplishment, given annually to one student from each of the 23 campuses. She was named the Trustee Julia I. Lopez and Ann E. O’Rielly Scholar and honored during the CSU Board of Trustees’ September meeting. Holland will receive a $7,000 scholarship in recognition of her academic excellence, resilience and commitment to serving others.
Holland is one of 23 students, one from each CSU campus, selected this year. A native of Sonora, she joined Stan State in 2024 after graduating from Sonora High School with a 4.21 GPA and simultaneously completing 60 college units through a middle college program. Now in her second year in the University’s competitive nursing program, she maintains a 4.0 GPA while engaging in the Student Nurses Association, honors society and volunteer service through flu clinics and Lions Club events. She plans to become a family nurse practitioner providing compassionate, community-based care in underserved areas.
Stanislaus State’s Warrior Food Pantry got a boost to kick off the fall 2025 semester — and a heaping helping of community spirit — thanks to a spirited celebration at Save Mart’s Geer Road store in Turlock.
During the grocery store’s grand reopening on Aug. 20, Turlock Police and Fire Department teams squared off in a fast-paced “Battle of the Bags,” racing to fill grocery bags with items donated directly to the pantry. Save Mart sweetened the friendly competition with a $1,606 gift and $1,000 in gift cards, bringing the total donation to $2,606.
The Warrior Food Pantry, part of Stan State’s Basic Needs program, provides free perishable and nonperishable food and toiletries to students at locations in Turlock and Stockton.
“This generous gift from Save Mart strengthens our ability to support students’ food security by keeping the Warrior Food Pantry shelves stocked with nutritious options,” said Basic Needs Director Heather Pearson Villeda. “Thanks to Save Mart’s generosity, the Warrior Food Pantry continues to nourish student success, one grocery bag at a time.”
Stanislaus State is once again earning national attention for delivering accessible, high-quality education that drives social mobility and student success.
In the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings, the University placed No. 4 in the nation for social mobility, No. 14 for best value and No. 21 overall among 584 institutions, making it the second-highest ranked CSU campus.
U.S. News & World Report named Stan State among the Best Regional Universities in the West, highlighting its commitment to academic excellence, affordability and outcomes.
For the first time, Stan State was included in The Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges list, placing in the top 10 for best value public schools in the West. Money.com awarded the University a five-star rating for the second consecutive year, recognizing strong return on investment and student outcomes.
Washington Monthly ranked Stan State among the Top 10 universities nationwide for social mobility, and Forbes listed the University among America’s Top Colleges, further underscoring its growing national profile.
Taken together, these rankings reflect Stan State’s enduring commitment to access, academic excellence and economic impact, while positioning the University as a national model for student success and upward mobility in the Central Valley and beyond.
In the nation for social mobility
Rated for best value by Wall Street Journal
For best value public schools in the West
Universities nationwide for social mobility
Stanislaus State is building on a five-year award from the California State University Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Student Achievement Program to expand opportunities and strengthen community for students.
The $1.2 million award provides $240,000 annually to support initiatives that advance AANHPI student success on campus. Funded by the State of California and established through Assembly Bill 190 (2022), the program invests $8 million annually across the CSU.
At Stan State, the grant will allow for the recruitment of a student success coordinator, and subsequently, a faculty fellow and student assistants to help seed targeted programming and services that foster connection, mentorship and leadership development.
The proposal was developed collaboratively by Dana Nakano, Sarah Bissonnette, Vincent Laus, Anne Van, Houa Vang, JungHa An, Mandeep Khaira and Sacha Joseph-Mathews, with partnership from University leadership.
This award reinforces Stan State’s mission to ensure every Warrior feels seen, supported and empowered to succeed, strengthening the University’s ongoing commitment to access, opportunity and community across the Central Valley.
Stanislaus State students and faculty walked in the shadows of history this summer, traveling through Germany and Poland for a two-week study-abroad experience that confronted the Holocaust where it happened.
Led by Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Sebastián Sclofsky, the Holocaust Program – Study Abroad guided participants through Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Ravensbrück, Majdanek and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Along the way they explored the human stories, ethical dilemmas and enduring questions that define this chapter of world history.
Offered as a 1-unit course titled “Exploring Holocaust History in Germany and Poland,” the program blended historical analysis with personal reflection, encouraging participants to view the Holocaust not only as a record of the past but as a warning for the future against hatred, antisemitism and indifference.
The program offers participants a rare opportunity to study the Holocaust where it occurred, deepening historical understanding while advancing Stan State’s commitment to education that challenges intolerance and builds cross-cultural awareness.