How CSUSB Turned Its Campus Map Into a Tool for Navigation, Events, Operations, and Study Abroad

Situated by the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, California State University, San Bernardino has served as a gateway to opportunity since 1965. While the city is known as the birthplace of the first McDonald’s and home of the National Orange Show Festival, it is also known for the legacy that CSUSB has built, rooted in accessibility, diversity, and student success.

Each year, more than 20,000 students walk through CSUSB’s campus, with nearly 70% being first-generation college students. That strong commitment to educational equity has helped establish the university as one of California’s leading public institutions for supporting historically underrepresented students, including one of the highest African American and Hispanic enrollments in the state.

As part of its continued investment in student success, CSUSB partnered with Concept3D to transform the campus navigation experience through interactive digital maps. By making campus information more accessible and intuitive, the partnership helps students feel confident navigating campus, locating resources, and staying connected from their very first day.

“I think ultimately it came down to the polish, the simplicity, and how powerful the platform is for non-technical users. Concept3D really stood out because it gave them the ability to easily understand the system, update the map with relative ease, and share information without creating roadblocks or adding extra burden to their day-to-day responsibilities.”

Joel Fite, Digital Transformation Lead at CSUSB for 13 years

Prior, CSUSB had been using PDFs as their primary map for students to look at to navigate the campus – 441 acres, the equivalent of nearly 346 football fields. This worked for a while, but as new pain points came to light, it was obvious that a more permanent solution was needed.

The map was old and static. It was rough to keep things streamlined. If offices moved, classes changed, areas were blocked, or construction was underway, the PDF wouldn’t have those updates, leading to confusion and questions from staff and students alike. Plus, updating the PDF was a hassle. Every change – small or big – was manual with constant moving of assets, re-exporting issues, and more.

“[Concept3D] seemed to really understand the needs of an institution of higher ed.” — Michael Casadonte, Director of Digital Transformation at California State University-San Bernardino for nearly 3 decades.

“It seemed like one of those easy wins…the thing to do in the modern age,”

That’s how Michael Casadonte, CSUSB’s Director of Transformation and a nearly 30-year university veteran, described the decision to implement an interactive map for students, staff, and visitors.

Concept3D’s interactive map was designed with usability at the forefront. Because not every campus staff member comes from a technical background, it was important to provide a platform that feels intuitive, accessible, and easy to navigate for both map administrators and end users alike.

Beyond improving the user experience, implementing an interactive map delivered immediate operational benefits for CSUSB. The university was able to keep campus information accurate and up to date with far less manual effort, removing many of the maintenance challenges tied to its previous system. This allowed the team to spend less time managing map logistics and more time focused on initiatives that directly support student success.

The platform also made map management more accessible across departments. Thanks to what the team described as the software’s “polish and simplicity,” non-technical staff could easily make updates without relying on custom front-end development or ongoing IT support. As a result, teams across campus could quickly maintain and share information related to facilities, dining, events, and other campus resources through a single, centralized platform.

For students and visitors, the benefits were equally impactful. In a single year, the map reached nearly 52,000 users, about 2.7 times the size of the campus population of 19,000 students. The interactive map made it easier to navigate campus, discover important resources, and access accurate information in real time, helping create a more seamless and less stressful campus experience from the moment they arrived. 

With over 13 years of experience leading digital transformation efforts at CSUSB, Joel Fite emphasized that ease of use was one of the platform’s biggest differentiators:

“We deal with a lot of IT companies and Concept 3D, I would characterize as one of the most authentic and human companies that we have worked with. Everybody at every level seems very real and straightforward and accessible and communicates well.”

Michael Casadonte, Director of Digital Transformation at CSUSB for 28 years