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Robert Phelps

• April 2, 2013

Robert Phelps has been named director of the Concord Campus by Provost James Houpis in consultation with the Cal State East Bay Academic Senate, effective April 2.

Phelps, an associate professor of history, has served as interim associate director for the Concord Campus for the past three years.

“I am pleased to recognize Robert (Phelps’) excellent work with the staff and faculty at Concord,” Houpis said. “He interacts well with all segments of the Contra Costa community, and I know he will help us increase enrollment and educational opportunities in that important region.”

In his new role, Phelps will continue to report to Brian Cook, associate vice president for the Division of Continuing and International Education.

Phelps received his B.A. from San Diego State University before completing his Ph.D. at the University of California, Riverside. The author of numerous publications on the history of California and the American West, he joined Cal State East Bay’s faculty in 1998. Since fall 2009, he also has served as director of the university’s Honors Program. Under Phelps’ tenure, the number of Honors students has grown from 60 to almost 200, and the program’s visibility has been raised by its civic engagement with both Habitat for Humanity and Oakland Technical High School, the latter initiative supported by a grant from the Bank of America.

A past recipient of the Concord Campus Professor of the Year award and the former chair of the Concord Campus Advisory Committee (CCAC), Phelps has taught at the Concord Campus since 1999. He said he was attracted by the campus’ small class sizes, pastoral surroundings and dedicated administrative staff.
 
“Concord is relatively small, compared to Hayward, but the staff knows you, you know them, and you always get a rapid response when you have administrative needs,” Phelps said.

The Concord Campus enrollment primarily consists of students with juniors and senior standing. The average age of Concord undergraduates is 30, including many who have returned to college after time away and may have entered the workforce immediately following high school. About 70 percent of Concord Campus students are female, most pursuing their education while working and raising a family.

“It is really inspiring to hear the cheers of children when their mothers or aunts receive a diploma at the campus graduation ceremony,” Phelps said.

Freshmen and sophomores studying health sciences and nursing also form a significant part of the Concord Campus enrollment. At the other end of the lifelong learners scale are participants in the Osher Lifelong Learning institute, which primarily serves retirees.

“At any given time you will see a mix of students walking to various classes, some are in their late teens, others in their 20s and 30s and some in their 70s and even 80s,” Phelps observed. “All we need is a pre-school, and we literally will have lifelong learning here. This is something that’s pretty unique.”

Phelps predicted notable changes for the Concord Campus in coming months.
 
“We are moving toward making Concord a STEM focused, professional development campus, with a new mix of services and facilities,” he explained.

“We just instituted a daytime schedule for our shuttle between the campus and the Concord BART station, are acquiring new conferencing technologies to keep our students connected to events on the Hayward campus and will soon open a new, state-of-the-art organic chemistry lab. I’m really looking forward to working with Associate Vice President Brian Cook and the rest of the CSUEB faculty and staff to expand our educational presence here in Contra Costa County.”