Dr. Timothy White and his California State University colleagues have spoken to more than 400,000 church-goers as part of “Super Sunday” outreach efforts since 2006.
On Sundays throughout February, coinciding with Black History Month, White and other top CSU officials are speaking to churches throughout the state about preparing for college, the CSU application process and financial aid. Known as “Super Sundays,” one key tenet of the messages emphasizes that students should begin planning for college by the time they’re in middle school by taking courses that adequately prepare them for the rigors of postsecondary education.
Since 2006, CSU leaders including the chancellor, trustees, campus presidents, and other representatives have spoken to more than 400,000 churchgoers. The program has expanded from 11 churches in southern California in 2006 to this year, 100-plus houses of worship throughout the state participating.
Last Sunday, White addressed members of a church in Fresno, a city in the state’s central valley where last December, unemployment was 12.4 percent, compared with only 8.3 percent statewide.
Right after the event at the Fresno church, White was peppered with questions from a woman in her 30s, one arm balancing a toddler on her hip and her hand steering her teenage son toward the chancellor. “Overwhelmingly, it’s the same,” White says. “The reaction is, ‘I didn’t know college could be for us.’”
Jorge Haynes, Cal State’s senior director for external relations, says that parishioners often do a double-take upon hearing that a family of four with annual household income of $70,000 or less might qualify for enough grants to cover university tuition. “They’re so surprised that they’re wondering if the chancellor said $70,000 or $7,000,” Haynes says.
This resonates with Dr. Rhoushelle Bozeman, a member of the Los Angeles church where White is scheduled to appear Sunday. “We hear about budget cuts to education on the TV news, so people think there’s no chance for their kids,” she says. “But there are still ways to go to college, and we have to stop them from giving up.”
