Aug 12, 2025  
2025-2026 Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Catalog

Distinguished Faculty


Marisol Clark-Ibáñez, Ph.D.

Harry E. Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award, 2024-2025

Welcome to our campus! We are thrilled you are here and hope you make the most of your semesters at CSUSM. 

I want to introduce myself as a professor of Sociology and Criminology and Justice Studies, and the proud recipient of the Harry E. Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award. I have been a professor for more than 20 years and still very much love my job.  

When I first started college, I really did not know what I was doing. I had to work many jobs, and I went through a few majors before I ended up as a literature major with a minor in sociology. For me, college was the place where I found my scholarly identity and could explore so many ideas about our world, and my place in it. I also began habits that have lasted me an entire career, for example I still use a paper planner and write outlines on index cards. The things I remember about my college experience 30 years ago include figuring out which professors’ courses to take, advocating for myself with advisors, struggling with hard classes (sometimes even failing), and, most excitingly, getting asked by professors to do research with them, and learn about graduate school.  

Now, as a professor, I can share advice about how students have successfully navigated their time at Cal State San Marcos. Personally, I love making a list and checking off the items as they are accomplished. Do you? Please check out this list and consider tackling a few while you are with us: 

  • Get to know your professors. Visit office hours, and don’t worry about what to say. We will know how to get the conversation started. Write an email to your professor and include something that you liked about their class (or course material), and something that you have a question about. 
  • Work or get involved on campus. Students who work on campus or are involved with clubs or other campus organizations are better connected to academic and social resources, which can lead to their academic success. There are jobs in almost every part of the university and clubs for almost every major or interest. Additionally, you can get involved in volunteering with student leadership and campus projects such as Cougar Pantry or Cougar Closet.  
  • Engage in Service Learning. Look out for classes that offer service-learning opportunities. These are short-term experiences for students to apply their course learning to sites around the region. We have an office dedicated to service learning, so you can check out all the possibilities with the coordinator. For a one-day commitment, our campus offers a Day of Service to honor César Chávez Day. 
  • Check out research opportunities. Many of your professors will also be leading various research projects. You might even read about them in publications that they assign in class. If you are interested in learning more, ask them about it! This helps you sharpen your analytical skills and gives you a unique experience to set you apart in job searches and graduate school applications. You also might be inspired to create your own research project! There are programs on campus and independent studies you can participate in to support your research goals.  
  • Explore internships to test out career ideas and make connections. We have an amazing Career Center that runs our Office of Internships. Our campus has a database with hundreds of partners to check out. Students can take an internship class with their major or students can take UNIV 495A -F, which offer academic credit for your internship. As an internship coordinator, I see that students either use the experience to determine whether they really want to start a career (or graduate school), or end up making lots of contacts they can use after graduation to launch their career. Either way, it is a significant learning and life experience!  

Every opportunity in the above list is based on connections – connecting with peers, faculty and staff, the community, and, most importantly, connecting with all the strengths and areas of growth within yourself.  

My final words of advice – dabble in classes from different departments; lean into experiences that might scare you a little bit, but that you feel curious about; and, remember that you have what it takes to get to this point, so you are prepared for continued success! We are here for you!