CSUSB CAL Talks

What a huge job she has! The CSUSB Perfoming Arts Center had been in the works and under construction for ten years. Tiina Mittler was named the Executive Director in Spring 2026 for its innaugural season. Housing the departments of Theatre and Music, Tiina is uniquely qualified for this position.  She's a huge fan of 1980-90s Alternative Rock and so am I! So that was fun to hear her talk abo...

One thing that stood out to all about Jose Pereida was his love of all things Motion Pictures: Jose is a movie fanatic! And so very knowledgeable. Jose is a graduate of the Communication & Media Department with a concentration in Media Studies. He has been a student on-air host on the campus radio station, Coyote Radio during his senior year. This is where his movie knowledge shines through th...

Dr. Erin Hall is an Assistant professor of linguistics and speech-language pathologist in the English Department at CSUSB. She tells me that she has a goal of building a strong rapport with students and leading them to develop an appreciation of the field. She hopes to help develop new programs in speech-language pathology at CSUSB to address the lack of a public university options in the Inland E...

​Scott was such an fun interviewee! Not only does he have a colorful background but he delivers his story with vividness and humor. He is a true Inland Empire original being born in San Bernardino and growing up in the High Desert.  His youth brought some health challenges that turned into his life's passion. Well, his work passion! Because there's Julie Kruger, too. And much more import...

Kevin Zhang’s work as a composer and experimental musician encompasses instrumental, vocal, electronic, and electro-acoustic concert music, along with field recordings, sound walks, site-specific installations, and interdisciplinary projects involving film, theater, and dance. His compositions have been presented internationally at the Darmstadt Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Dian Red Kechil Internat...

Dr. Matt Smith began his academic career at Cal State San Bernardino but that's just part of his amazing college experience. He takes us through that path and the hows and whys of his commitment to student affairs. After all, we're all here because of the students! But his story may be the best. Matt spent his youth in the Inland Empire so he knows first hand what it's like to make...

Peter has such a fun zig-zag college path that is unlike most students in getting where he is today. He laughs frequently at discribing how he came to be an ITS Consultant trhough that very path of finding his way through academia.  Peter describes his Vietanmese background and the orign of his family's last name. It's all so facinating and the epitome of being American. Coyote Radio is...

And just like the blouse she wears in her profile pic here, Professor Papailler is colorful, intriguing, smartly presented and just a bounty of liveliness. She has some super fun stories about growing up in Louisville, Kentucky. From that early age she was play acting with her brother and neighborhood friends. Her desire was to attend Columbia University but stayed home and was a student at Univer...

This episode will bring you a smile! Dr. Perez Torres brings her happiness to this interview which features her infectious laugh. Her educational path has a terrific travel element to it and that is fun to hear.  Empirical evidence is her stronghold as she talks about her research and expertise in media effects. I asked her if she could devise a course to teach what would it be and what would the...

It's fascinating that Dr. Hyon achieved her PhD at just age 27. And with that she also got her first professor job at Cal State San Bernardino. Lucky for us she has retained her position in the English Department since then. But wait, there's more! In addition to her Professor of Linguistics office, Sunny is the coordinator at the Professional & Career Readiness Center for Students w...

So, how many languages does a chair speak when they are the leader of the World Languages and Literatures department? Please listen and find out! It's a very fun interview from start to finish. His life story (so far) has many travels included in it. I found myself quite envious! Starting in Brooklyn and landing in San Bernardino and everything in between is quite entertaining.  George takes...

I know you'll enjoy this pleasant half-hour with Kelly. Who knew daydreaming could be so rewarding in one's life? She delivers her succinct profile with humor and insight as a relationship expert might do! Dr. Campbell is also a Professor of Psychology at CSUSB. In fact, she used to host a talk show on Coyote Radio called "Let's Talk Relationships" which I co-engineered at...

Professor Carlson has a charming way of delivering his background and his stories. His tales read like a captivating short story! And he knows a little bit about reading and writing. Most people from central Massachusetts wouldn't care to find themselves plopped down in the Inland Empire but David found it to be the perfect fit for him and his family. And we here at CSUSB are the better for i...

I had the great pleasure to have a chat with our Provost during this fetching sit down meeting at our Coyote Radio studios. What started out to be a journey down accountant lane for him became a successful career studying and practicing sociology in his every day life and with his students. What happened to initiate this change? Give us a listen and find out! During your listen you'll hear mo...

There is so much I can say about spending time with Professor Ervin but succinctly I'll say one word: enthralling! Growing up in Detroit the theater bug hit her very early. Not many kids know what they want to do with their lives but she did. and you'll hear how she did it and how good she is at it! Her life reads like a bestseller. She dove in big time during her high school career and...

Speech Language Pathology: it's got legs here at CSUSB and in the forefront of it all is Dr. Jonathan Robinson Anthony. The certificate program looks to expand in the Department of English. We've got all the details as we spend time with the congenial Jonathan. His love of language started at an early age and his expertise is quite impressive in the general and focused courses he teaches...

Philosophy is about the art of living which is what I learned! Something I will always remember from my interview with Dr. Van Tu. She is an expert in and passionate about the ancients. With her gleeful smiling laughter she speaks of her start in studying philosophy which was in high school. You'll hear about her travels from her native Vietnam to Florida and on to Colorado, Michigan and Main...

It was my pleasure to interview Professor Oregel. I loved hearing about his youth in Boyle Heights, the history, the theaters and the ghost stories. We are lucky to have him as part of our campus community! In this podcast Roberto discusses his recent documentary "Foxtrot: Operation Reunification." I'd like to share his GoFundMe page which helps to support the making of this importa...

Dr. Girshin earned his PhD in Composition and Rhetoric from Binghamton University. His research focuses predominantly on composition pedagogy, writing assessment, and the rhetoric of exile. His current research project analyzes the rhetorical strategies of Soviet Gulag prisoners in their letters home. Before coming to CSUSB, Dr. Girshin was Assistant Professor of Writing and Director of First-Year...

I know you'll enjoying hearing this captivating interview with Dr. Terry Smith. He's an actor and director, after all! Oh, but that's just a little bit of his story. His education path spanning a couple of decades is quite compelling. Look at this: Ph. D. Dramatic Critical Theory and Theatre History - University of Washington School of Drama, M.A. Theatre Arts (With Distinction) - C...

Maxine Van Doren is a linguist and licensed speech-language pathologist. She obtained her PhD in Linguistics from University of California, San Diego. Her clinical and research interests include voice disorders and phonetics. Prior to joining CSUSB, Professor Van Doren was serving as an adjunct lecturer at San Diego State University's Global Campus and Emerson College's Speech@Emerson. M...

Folks from the Inland Empire mostly associate Barstow as a stop on the way to Las Vegas. But for Professor Getman, this is her hometown where she began her musical journey. During her time at Barstow High School Jessica became a musician on what instrument - guitar, piano? Listen and find out! It's an extraordinary thing to play. As a professor, Dr. Getman is a film musicologist, with emphasi...

Talk about filling the room with light and energy! Dr. Bibiana Diaz-Rodriguez does exactly that. She'll fill your ears with excitement, too. Bibiana joined Cal State San Bernardino in 2012 and has continued to expand her profile, passion and teaching reach and has recently been promoted to full professor at the most senior level. Listen as she describes her native Colombia all full bloom of r...

Dr. Mumma is now in his 13th year in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Letters at CSUSB. He teaches the department's logic courses. His research is in logic and the philosophy of mathematics. He received his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University for a dissertation on the logic of geometric diagrams. He has since moved on to the connection of the logic of elementary arithme...

Alicia Escobedo, Ph. D., CCC-SLP is a graduate of the San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders. Her research focuses on typical and atypical language development in bilingual children through community-based research methods. Alicia recently completed her Certification of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. Her dissertatio...