PALM DESERT, CA — The California State University, San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus held its inaugural pinning ceremony on Aug. 13, honoring 28 students who completed the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellows Program during the 2025–26 academic year.
The program, managed by the Ford Leadership Forum under the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, requires students to complete coursework and service centered on four core pillars: civic education, civil dialogue, public service, and ethical decision-making.
The Palm Desert Campus chapter is one of four Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellows Program chapters nationwide, joining programs at the University of Michigan, Hope College, and Middle Tennessee State University.
During the event, Jeff Polet, executive director of the Ford Leadership Forum, presented Edna Martinez, associate vice president and administrator in charge of the Palm Desert Campus, with a plaque formally recognizing the campus chapter.
"Programs like this exist because people believe in students, open doors for them and give them opportunities to grow into leaders," said Jose Ramirez, a cybersecurity major and president of the campus chapter. "My hope is that years from now, students will want to become Ford Fellows at the Palm Desert Campus not simply because of the name or the prestige, but because of what this program has come to represent in our community."
Faculty advisor Kevin Grisham noted the Ford family's local historical connection to the Coachella Valley.
"The strength of a community is based on the commitment to education they provide to their citizenry," Grisham said. "The Coachella Valley community's support of this program would make President Ford and Mrs. Ford very proud of this place they called one of their two homes."
Prior to the ceremony, Grisham and five student chapter officers traveled to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a leadership retreat alongside student officers from the other national chapters.
The inaugural class of 2026 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellows from the CSUSB Palm Desert and San Bernardino campuses includes (student name followed by major):
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