Next week, Cal State San Bernardino will host something new — and something worth showing up for.

The Defining the Future conference, taking place April 15-16 alongside the Meeting of the Minds Student Research Symposium, brings together emerging technology, workforce development and student innovation in a way the university hasn’t done before. At its core, it’s a rare opportunity to see where industries are headed — and how CSUSB students, faculty and alumni are already part of that future.

For students, the value is immediate. Employers and industry professionals will be on campus, creating space for conversations that can lead to internships, mentorship and career opportunities. At the same time, Meeting of the Minds will showcase student research and creative work from across disciplines. That overlap matters. Students presenting their work won’t just be sharing it with classmates and faculty — they’ll be doing so in front of professionals actively working in the fields they hope to enter.

Photo from Meeting of the Minds event.
A record number of 380 student researchers will be participating and presenting at this year’s Meeting of the Minds Student Research Symposium.

For faculty and staff, the conference offers a front-row view of how higher education and workforce needs are continuing to evolve. Sessions and conversations will explore emerging technologies and the skills shaping today’s careers, providing insight that can inform teaching, advising and program development. It’s also a chance to support students by showing up — to see their work, ask questions and celebrate the depth of talent across campus.

More broadly, Defining the Future positions CSUSB as a place where ideas connect to real-world impact. It brings industry, academia and student innovation into the same space — not as separate conversations, but as part of a shared ecosystem.

And that’s what makes this moment especially meaningful.

It’s not often that a student can present research in the same environment where employers are actively looking for talent. It’s not often that a campus community can engage directly with professionals shaping fast-moving fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. And it’s not often that all of this happens at once, in one place, over the course of two days.

For those who have been hearing about the conference but aren’t quite sure what it is, the simplest way to understand it is this: it’s a chance to see the future of work, learning and innovation — and to see CSUSB right in the middle of it.

Whether you attend a session, support student presenters at Meeting of the Minds or connect with industry guests, showing up is what brings the event to life.

This is what it looks like when a university brings learning, innovation and opportunity together. Not someday — but now. Defining the Future invites the CSUSB community to step into that moment and be part of what comes next.