If you stopped by the Coyote Commons to grab a bite this afternoon, September 3, you may have noticed an unexpected visitor sitting among the students, CSUSB’s new President Terri Gomez.

The first in a series of three intimate hour long “Lunch with the President” sessions, Gomez is meeting with groups of students in at the Coyote Commons for an informal chat over lunch to give the students an opportunity to speak directly with campus leadership and show that the new president is accessible and visible to the student body. These lunches, intentionally small, with space for about 15 – 20 students to sit down with President Gomez and converse over a meal, rather than just hear her give a speech to a larger audience.

For Gomez that sort of accessibility is exactly the message she wants to send to the CSUSB community. “The goal is to get to know students and let them know that their president is accessible,” Gomez said. “The only way to do that is to be everywhere.”

She has shown her commitment to this philosophy by getting out of the president’s office and being visible throughout the campus. Gomez said she travels around campus on her cart, attends university events, and looks for opportunities to interact directly with the students.

Gomez hopes that students see themselves reflected in her own life and the path that has brought her to the president’s office.

“I’m a first gen student. I was a community college transfer student,” she said. “That’s our students’ experience.”

She feels that sharing that history can help students recognize that the person leading their university has walked a similar educational path that they have.

CSUSB Associated Students Inc. President Amira Shalabi, who attended the lunch, said that they are also intended to reverse the dynamic of students having to seek out administration when they need help, or want their voices heard.

“It’s more so not students fighting their way to come and meet us, but it’s us meeting students where they are at.” Shalabi said.

Shalabi feels that accessibility means that students should be able to feel comfortable approaching their campus leaders with questions, concerns, and suggestions without feeling as though they are navigating through a maze of university bureaucracy.

“My biggest thing is just so students can easily come to me and say, ‘Hey, do you know how to help me get this?’” She said.

That personal approach seemed to resonate with Chris, a sociology major, who also attended the lunch, in part, so he could hear Gomez’s perspective and learn about how she became the university president.

Chris said that he always imagined that university presidents came from an elite background or had different more traditional journeys into higher education. Hearing Gomez talk about beginning her own journey at community college challenged that assumption.

“Talking to her, it was so much more different,” Chris said. “She is much more like us.”

Gomez is just getting started in this new adventure with the CSUSB Coyotes and she acknowledges that the campus community has given her “grace” as she finds her stride and settles into her role. She also said that she understands that the goodwill afforded to a new president with ultimately need to be followed up with action.

“I’m getting a lot of grace right now, and I appreciate it so much, but actions will speak louder than words.” Gomez said.

Rather than shying away from disagreements that might come up around campus, Gomez described them as a part of the work of higher education.

“Universities are the place for productive struggle,” Gomez said. “We should disagree, and we should figure things out together.”

This philosophy extends to her relationship with the faculty, the staff, and the students, emphasizing shared governance and collaborative problem-solving as she begins her administration.

“I will show who I am in my deeds and how I show up with my faculty, with students, with staff,” Gomez said.

For the students who met the president for lunch at the Coyote Commons, “showing up” is quite literal.

Gomez said that she wants students who come to events like this to remember that the invitation to reach out extends beyond this one lunch, particularly when they encounter difficulty in their educational journey.

“When they got an issue, they’re gonna call the president’s office and say ‘You told me at lunch that I could call you, and I just hit a snag,’” Gomez said. “And I’m gonna deliver.”

Two additional “Lunch with the President” sessions are scheduled for students on Oct. 27 and Nov.5 from noon to 1pm. Both sessions are currently full. Similar lunches will be available for Faculty as well in the next couple of months.