WASHINGTON ― In an effort to bolster student achievement and degree completion among underrepresented students, the nation’s largest four-year public university system, California State University (CSU), has focused on a series of enrollment and retention initiatives.
As of fall 2012, the 23 campus system educates 437,000 students and employs 44,000 faculty and staff. Chancellor Dr. Timothy P. White said he is dedicated to ensuring that students have the skills needed to not just get into college but to successfully matriculate and graduate. In an interview with Diverse, White said that, “through education, disadvantaged students have a chance to do more for their families and communities.”
In February, the African American Initiative (AAI) has been in full swing coordinating its eighth annual CSU Super Sunday event where trustees, campus presidents, alumni, students as well as the chancellor visit predominantly African-American churches throughout the state. Black students made up only 4.8 percent of the student body as of 2012, down from 6 percent in 2010. The goal is to give youth and their families, information on admissions, financial aid and face-time with system representatives. In his first year as chancellor, White felt that this tradition needed to not only continue but to expand.
“The turnout at the churches has increased by over 9 percent,” White said.
Initiatives for other underrepresented groups have also been successful. Overall, CSU campuses received their largest number of undergraduate applications to date for fall 2014 of more than 760,000. Five of those campuses—Fullerton, Long Beach, Northridge, San Diego and San Luis Obispo—each received more than 50,000 applications for admission. The recent recruitment efforts have contributed to the amount of minorities that are accepted.
On February 15, Cal Poly Pomona hosted a college expo for students from underserved Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The expo was part of the AAPI initiative’s “Journey to Success” program that provides families, students and community leaders with college prep information. In addition to socioeconomic barriers, there are language obstacles to consider, and events like this help “many parents with difficulty understanding the U.S. educational system and how it operates,” said president of CSU East Bay and CSU AAPI Initiative chair Dr. Leroy Morishita in a previous statement.
Another annual event, which was held last October at CSU Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), was the “Es El Momento” Education Fair, where the Latino community gain access to career-building programs and higher education information in partnership with Univision Los Angeles affiliate KMEX. CSU Senior Director of External Relations Jorge Haynes was also on hand to discuss the multi-year effort that aligns with other diversity initiatives that Chancellor White and the CSU system deem significant.
