Trustworthy. Loyal. Insightful. Caring. Resilient.These are words one could use to describe a longtime friend.

One of the great and important joys of life is friendship, and the fortunate among us have one or more very close friends they have known for most of their lives. They can share nearly anything, and they can be confident this person will be there for them in times of need as well as times of celebration.

One of my most dearest friends is Bud. Some of you have met him. He is the person that came to Humboldt a few years ago and spoke at the presidential investiture. Bud and I met when we were only four years old. My family moved to that neighborhood and we promptly found each other, not knowing it would be a friendship that would endure a lifetime.

We played, dreamed, rode bikes, took road trips, and kept each other’s secrets. We helped each other in school and in life. I probably spent as much time at his house growing up as I did my own. Even today, we talk and text each other. The topics are usually sports-related, but family comes up often as well. Trustworthy, loyal, insightful, caring, and resilient are words that I could easily use to describe Bud.

In a similar way, Humboldt State University is fortunate to have many friends and partners, including a special and close friendship with the College of the Redwoods. CR and HSU are tightly connected, and we have been highly focused on strengthening this relationship even further.

The students and their experience are our central focus. However, our work together matters for everyone on the North Coast. The better that CR and HSU align and support each other, the better we can help the North Coast prosper. As two campuses, we understand that, and we are living that tenet daily.

CR is guided by an outstanding leader. Dr. Keith Flamer’s aspirations for CR and the North Coast are also shared by HSU. As two campuses that share a very remote, but highly significant part of the state, our work together means a stronger standard of living, increased opportunities for local citizens, regional arts and entertainment, and a standard of excellence and ingenuity that only a campus could provide.

The CR and HSU relationship, or friendship, is built day-by-day, person-by-person among students and our workforce. It is reinforced by the 2,500 residents of this area who are alumni of both CR and HSU.

In recent years, we have accomplished a great deal together, which are highlighted on a shared website at redwoods-humboldt.org.

Successes have included:

• Established a far-reaching memorandum of understanding to collaborate on joint academic programs, admissions, intercollegiate athletics, university housing, campus safety, and other partnerships.
• Launched a new RN-BSN nursing program, along with the help of many other organizations.
• Created new academic pathways for CR students interested in three specific four-year programs.
• Created an HSU+ transfer model especially for CR students.
• Coordinated pharmacy services across both institutions and provided HSU Library access to CR students and employees.
• Held joint training exercises for emergency response and coordinated on enhancing safety for students and employees.
• Established our joint Native American Advisory Council.

And, there is much more. We are continuing with regular, focused gatherings of CR and HSU leaders, faculty, and staff. We see new opportunities to work more closely on joint grant opportunities, improving alignment between curriculum and workforce needs, better engagement of tribal nations and rancherias, shared career services, professional development, and much more.

The North Coast is one of the few areas fortunate enough to have both a community college campus and a California State University campus. It’s a competitive advantage for our economy and it means expanded opportunities for our students. The economic benefits of two campuses in the region may come close to $1 billion in the future.

We share a broad commitment at CR and HSU to expanding our partnership. We’re tightening our academic connections, experimenting with new approaches, and we may even create a national model for others to follow. Trustworthy. Loyal. Insightful. Caring. Resilient. These words could also describe CR.

Be well.

Dr. Tom Jackson Jr. is the president of Humboldt State University.