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More-Than-$12.2-Million-in-Federal-Funds-Will-Benefit-CSU-Communities.aspx
  
3/11/2024 9:00 AMThropay, Janessa3/11/20243/11/2024 10:40 AMCongressionally directed funding will advance research and initiatives with community impact across five universities.ResearchPress Release

More than $12.2 million in new federal funding will benefit California State University (CSU) projects, thanks to members of Congress and the work of CSU advocates. The congressionally directed funding was part of a “minibus" package of fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills signed into law by President Biden on March 8. 

Funded projects and their sponsors include: 

  • $5 million for Titan Gateway Bridge at Cal State Fullerton | Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-45) 
  • $3.4 million for capital improvements for the Child Development Center at Cal State Long Beach | Rep. Robert Garcia (CA-42) 
  • $963,000 for the California Regenerative Aquaculture Hub at CSUN | Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-32) 
  • $963,000 for the Strength United's Domestic Violence Community Policing and Advocacy Project at CSUN | Rep. Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) 
  • $963,000 for the Tech and Workforce Hub Project at Cal State San Bernardino | Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) 
  • $​963,000 for the Transmission Electron Microscope at San Diego State University | Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) 

"This visionary funding package is a wonderful example of how, with the support of our California congressional delegation, we can develop innovative and effective programs that benefit not only our students, but also our campus communities and our state," said CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “We are grateful and deeply appreciative of the trust these members of Congress place in the CSU, as well as their partnership in helping advance our mission of elevating lives through the transformative power of higher education." 

Building congressional support for CSU priorities is a top goal of the CSU's Office of Federal Relations, which serves as a resource to Washington-based policymakers, including the California congressional delegation, as well as to D.C.-based educational associations. 

The CSU's federal policy ​priorities focus on improving college access and timely completion through student financial aid including enhancing the Pell Grant program and fostering degree completion for California's diverse population including supporting federal policies that assist Dreamers.  

For example, in 2021-22, CSU students and their families benefited from more than $1.8 billion in federal financial assistance through Pell Grant awards, Work Study funds and student loans.



About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom. 

A group of students walking on campus with the copy "News Update" across the center.
More Than $12.2 Million in Federal Funds Will Benefit CSU Communities
CSU-Chancellor-Mildred-García-to-be-Honored-as-Women’s-HERstory-Maker.aspx
  
3/12/2024 10:18 AMThropay, Janessa3/11/20243/11/2024 9:55 AMCalifornia Legislative Women’s Caucus recognizes García for groundbreaking achievements in honor of Women’s History Month. ChancellorPress Release

California State University (CSU) Chancellor Mildred García was honored today, March 11, by the California Legislative Women’s Caucus as a 2024 California Woman Making HERstory. The Women’s Caucus recognized García alongside fellow women HERstory Makers during special Women’s History Month commemorations on the floors of the State Assembly and State Senate at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.  

Chancellor García was celebrated for her groundbreaking role as the first Latina leader of the CSU system and the first Latina to lead a four-year public university system in the nation. She also served as the system’s first Latina university president at CSU Dominguez Hills from 2007 to 2012. And from 2012 to 2018 she was president of Cal State Fullerton. 

Prior to her appointment as chancellor, Dr. García served as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), where she was the first Latina to lead one of the six presidentially based higher education associations in Washington, D.C. 

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized as a California Woman HERstory Maker alongside other remarkable women whom I deeply admire,” said Chancellor García. “I take seriously my role as the first Latina to lead not only the nation’s largest and most diverse four-year university system, but the first Latina to lead any four-year university system in the nation. It is my hope that everywhere that CSU’s students look on our 23 university campuses, they see opportunity, inclusion, and encouragement, and perhaps, their future selves.” ​

Learn more about CSU Chancellor M​ildred García.



About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom. 

Chancellor Garcia speaking at the GI2025 Symposium in 2023.
CSU Chancellor Mildred García Honored as Women’s HERstory Maker
A-Fresh-Approach-to-Student-Wellness.aspx
  
3/12/2024 10:26 AMThropay, Janessa3/11/20243/11/2024 8:00 AMCSU CalFresh Outreach Weeks highlight the myriad ways the university addresses students’ basic needs.Basic Needs InitiativeStory
This February, the CSU’s 23 universities hosted multiple outreach events to raise awareness for the government nutrition assistance program CalFresh and help students navigate the process of applying for benefits. The program is the California adaptation of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and provides eligible individuals with free money to spend on groceries and meals.

Each of the campuses leads their own outreach events with support from the Center for Healthy Communities at Chico State (CHC) and the CSU Office of the Chancellor. In 2023, CalFresh Outreach Week expanded to include a week-long celebration of events in the fall term.

CSU Basic Needs Initiative​ teams, including campus staff and student leaders, organize informative webinars and Q&A sessions about CalFresh benefits, hold virtual and in-person appointments to screen students for eligibility and offer help submitting applications. They also host activities on social media to dispel myths about benefits and reduce stigma surrounding seeking assistance. 

For example, Sacramento State held cooking demonstrations using items individuals can purchase with their CalFresh benefits, CSU Channel Islands hosted a CalFresh farmers market and raffles, and San Diego State implemented a social media CalFresh enrollment campaign using posts, stories and reels to highlight information and resources related to the program.

In addition to providing CalFresh outreach and application assistance, CSU campuses now accept, or are working toward accepting, Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) to be used to purchase food on campus.​

Elevating Outreach

To recognize its leadership as content experts in CalFresh outreach, California Governor Gavin Newsom awarded the CHC a renewal of $3 million in funding in the 2022-23 state budget to continue supporting college students across California.

Its efforts brought an estimated economic impact of nearly $100 million to the state last year, according to the USDA SNAP Multiplier Effect. The CHC partners with all 149 California public college campuses and higher education basic needs leaders to uplift and expand food benefit application assistance, which strengthens regional and state economies.
 
Since receiving initial state funding in 2021, the CHC has been able to elevate its work, including the development of the CalFresh Outreach (CFO) Resource Hub. The hub provides best practices, live help desk support to campuses and assistance in implementing legislation.

Thanks in part to systemwide outreach efforts, nearly 23,000 students received assistance with CalFresh applications during the 2022-23 academic year.

Elevating CalFresh outreach was an overarching theme at the California Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance (CHEBNA) Summit held February 21-22, 2024, which brought together nearly 900 individuals who are working on basic needs throughout the state.

CHEBNA was established in 2016 by members of all three of California’s public higher education segments—the CSU, University of California and the California Community Colleges—to inform basic needs interventions, research and assessment, as well as to inform policy shaping best practices.

One of the key goals in conducting CalFresh outreach, says Emily Kass, systemwide manager for the CSU Basic Needs Initiative, is to help students understand the eligibility requirements, because many who are eligible think they are not. She says it’s also important to combat the stigma around applying for CalFresh.

“A student is not defined by whether or not they are experiencing food or housing insecurity—ultimately they're defined by being a student and a human, and basic needs are human rights,” Kass says. “It’s our job to figure out how we support students as an institution with these resources in order to promote their well-being as a student.”

Learn more about CalFresh eligibility and how to sign up by watching a tutorial from Cal State East Bay's Pioneers for H.O.P.E.

 

Fresh Food for Free

Supporting student wellness and basic needs is a key priority of the CSU’s Graduation Initiative 2025. Through the initiative, the university has made a number of resources, programs and services available to students to support them on their path to graduation. In addition to CalFresh outreach and education, the CSU has established a food pantry or food distribution program at each of its 23 universities. 

These food distribution programs continue to grow each year to meet students’ needs, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted them and their families. CSU Monterey Bay Basic Needs​ coordinator Robyn DoCanto says the number of visits to its food pantry, The Hub, has nearly doubled over the last two semesters. 

“We are serving 39% of the student population,” DoCanto says. “We’re feeding anyone on campus who needs it.”

The Hub at CSUMB is the nerve center for the university’s basic needs program. Located in the Student Center, it offers a variety of nonperishable grocery items, produce, grab-and-go snacks and prepared food. Students can also apply for CalFresh assistance, receive farmers market vouchers and get information about nutrition, housing and financial support programs. 

There is also a thrift shop section where students can find or donate clothing, and a food truck visits the Hub once every two weeks, providing students with free fruits and vegetables. 

Cal State Fullerton recently opened the ASI Food Pantry—a 1,400-foot space in the campus’s Titan Student Union that is twice the size of its original food pantry. The Pantry’s partners include the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, grocery stores like Ralphs and Sam’s Club, and CSUF Basic Needs Services.

Campus gardens and farms across the CSU also help address basic needs by providing fresh produce for students.

CSUF, for example, partners with the Fullerton Arboretum and the CSUF Campus Garden to provide thousands of pounds of fresh produce for The Pantry. Since opening its first location in August 2021, more than 3,300 students have accessed The Pantry, which has received more than 2,800 pounds of fresh fruit from the arboretum since the partnership started in early 2022.

CSUF senior Jade Fonseca, who volunteers at the arboretum, knows firsthand the benefits of having a campus food pantry with fresh-picked produce. In the past, she turned to The Pantry to help her with weekly groceries and learned about other resources that help students, such as food assistance programs and local food banks.

“I work a minimum wage job. I have to pay rent, bills and school expenses,” says Fonseca. “I don’t always have a lot of extra money for food. Thankfully, The Pantry has helped provide me with the food I needed.”

Halting Homelessness

In addition to ensuring students have enough to eat, CSU campuses have expanded emergency assistance for students facing housing insecurity. Each of the 23 universities provides housing support to housing insecure or unhoused students through emergency on and off campus placements and emergency grants to support housing expenses.

Eight campuses, including Chico State, have participated in the College-Focused Rapid Rehousing program since 2019, and they are collaborating with community-based organizations to assist with longer-term housing solutions. The CSU has awarded the participating campuses $220,000 each year through the program to support their efforts.

Working together with regional nonprofits Chico Housing Action Team (CHAT) and the True North Housing Alliance, as well as local property management companies, Chico State Basic Needs​​ provides students with transitional and permanent housing, as well as the rental assistance grants necessary to secure housing or prevent the imminent loss of housing.

For Chico State senior Kourtne Garrison, going to college and living in the dorms was supposed to be an escape from a tumultuous household. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, it forced her back home, where “everything came crashing down,” she says.

Garrison’s father kicked her out of their Sacramento home, leaving her with nowhere to go. When she was allowed to return, “I walked on eggshells. I feared for my safety, so that’s when I got in touch with Basic Needs.”

“My grades really slipped in that time, and I was in a bad mental state of mind,” the public health major says.

Her call to Chico State Basic Needs provided a bridge to a new start. A first-generation college student and an immigrant from Jamaica, Garrison has lived in a CHAT house since she left her father’s house during her sophomore year.

“It took a load off my shoulders—I have a place to go to, I have a bed to lie in, and I don’t have to worry,” Garrison says. “[Rapid Re-housing] gave me the opportunity to focus on my academics and my future.”


Learn more about CSU efforts to address student wellness on the Basic Needs Initiative website.
a smiling college student holding canned goods
A Fresh Approach to Supporting Student Wellness
CSU-Summer-Arts-Program-Accepting-Student-Applications-2024.aspx
  
3/4/2024 10:00 AMThropay, Janessa3/4/20243/4/2024 4:10 PMImmersive on-campus arts experiences at Fresno State and abroad offer rare opportunities for students to live and work with some of the best artists in their disciplines.CommunityPress Release

​The California Sta​te University (CSU) is now accepting applications for its 2024 CSU Summer Arts program, which offers undergraduate, graduate and advanced practitioners a chance to live and study with world-renowned artists and CSU faculty in the fields of art, creative writing, dance, media, music and theatre. 

​The application deadline is April 15 for international courses and May 15 for courses at Fresno State.​

An immersive, multi-disciplinary arts experience, CSU Summer Arts will be held in two sessions at Fresno State: June 24 to July 7 and July 8 to July 21. In addition, three-week international courses will be offered in Italy (June 18-July 9), Germany (July 14-Aug. 4) and Mexico (July 15-Aug. 5).  

“Students tell us that Summer Arts was a truly transformative experience for them; one that expanded their knowledge, skills and appreciation of the arts in a very short period of time," said Ray Smith, CSU Summer Arts director. “Working closely with guest artists in an intensive environment accelerates the creative process, helping students master their craft while fostering lifelong friendships and professional relationships beneficial to their careers."  

CSU Summer Arts offers a wide array of creative learning and mastery opportunities in a close-knit and apprentice-like environment. Through the international courses, painters can master their art in Italy, actors can perfect their craft with renowned artists in Germany, and students can immerse themselves in the rich art, culture and history of Mexico. Courses on the Fresno State campus include process-oriented photography, hip-hop dance, animation production, musical scoring for screen and video games, Chicago-style comedy, and social action writing. 

Students can choose to attend one or both two-week sessions. At the end of the summer, students proudly showcase their artistic talents in free and open-to-the-public events. 

CSU Summer Arts is accepting applications now through April ​15 for international courses and May 15 for courses at Fresno State. Courses are open to students from community colleges, CSU and UC campuses and private colleges, or members of the community with the desire to master their craft. Students admitted to the program can earn up to six units of transferrable credit. Scholarships are available with a deadline of April 15 for priority consideration.  

For more information about CSU Summer Arts courses, registration, scholarships or public events, visit CSU Su​mmer Art​s​.​



About CSU Summer Arts 
CSU Summer Arts is a national and international program that provides innovative arts education, exhibition and performances that nurture the artistic spirit and enhance an appreciation of the arts. Launched in 1985 as a summer dance program on the campus of Cal State Long Beach, the Summer Arts' curriculum expanded the following year to include various arts genres. For more than 36 years, CSU Summer Arts has united artists and students, igniting passions and enriching lives through the arts.


About the California State University 
The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom.​

Students dancing on stage as part of the CSU's Summer Arts program.
CSU Summer Arts Program Accepting Student Applications
women-leaders-of-the-csu.aspx
  
3/11/2024 11:19 AMRuble, Alisia3/4/20243/4/2024 8:40 AMThe CSU celebrates its dedicated women leaders this Women’s History Month.LeadershipStory

At The Helm: Women Leaders of the CSU

The CSU celebrates its dedicated women leaders this Women’s History Month.

jump to main content  

2018 marked the first time in the CSU’s history when the majority of presidents were women. Once again, in 2024, women are at the helm of 12 of the CSU’s 23 universities. In addition, a woman is leading the entire CSU system, with Dr. Mildred García serving not only as the CSU’s first Latina chancellor, but as the first Latina in the nation to lead a four-year public university system.

“The California State University has a long and proud history of elevating diverse women to leadership positions,” says CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “Our current women presidents and trustees continue to provide visionary, principled, bold and compassionate leadership as the CSU strengthens its position as the nation’s model for inclusive excellence and the preeminent university system for educating America’s new majority.”

This Women’s History Month, we honor their hard work and dedication to the CSU and its students, faculty and staff. Meet the women leading the CSU to a brighter future.


Mildred García

Photo of Mildred García  

Mildred García

Chancellor, The California State University

Mildred García began her tenure as the California State University’s 11th chancellor on October 1, 2023, after serving as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. The appointment marked a return to the CSU for García, who served as president of Cal State Fullerton from 2012 to 2018 and president of CSU Dominguez Hills from 2007 to 2012. A recipient of myriad awards and honors—including appointments to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the Committee on Measures of Student Success—García most recently received the Puerto Rican Heritage Award from Comité Noviembre.


Sylvia A. Alva

Photo of Sylvia A. Alva  

Sylvia A. Alva

Interim President, Cal State Fullerton

A product of the CSU having earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees at Cal State LA, Sylvia Alva was appointed interim president of Cal State Fullerton in April 2023. Alva previously served as the CSU’s executive vice chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs, where she oversaw the systemwide Graduation Initiative 2025—as well as dean of the College of Health and Human Development at CSUN and as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona.


Erika D. Beck

Photo of Erika D. Beck  

Erika D. Beck

President, CSUN

Prior to her appointment to CSUN in October 2020, Erika Beck served as president of CSU Channel Islands for four years. Before joining the CSU, she served as provost and executive vice president at Nevada State College, during which time she was recognized as a Woman of Distinction in Education by the National Association of Women in Business Leaders in 2015 and as a Top Female Business Leader in Education by the Las Vegas Business Press in 2012.


Susan Borrego

Photo of Susan Borrego  

Susan Borrego

Interim President, Stanislaus State

In March 2023, Susan Borrego started as interim president of Stanislaus State. Before her appointment, she served in various roles at a collection of universities, including as chancellor of the University of Michigan-Flint, vice president for Enrollment Management, Planning and Student Affairs at CSU Dominguez Hills and vice president of Student Affairs at CSU Monterey Bay.


Soraya M. Coley

Photo Soraya M. Coley  

Soraya M. Coley

President, Cal Poly Pomona

The first woman and first African American scholar to be named president of Cal Poly Pomona, Soraya Coley was appointed to the position in September 2014. She has helped grow CPP’s legacy as the most diverse polytechnic university in the country and as a national leader in promoting social and economic mobility. In 2023, Coley received the American Council on Education Donna Shavlik Award for demonstrating a sustained commitment to advancing women in higher education.


Jane Close Conoley

Photo Jane Close Conoley  

Jane Close Conoley

President, Cal State Long Beach

Since January 2014​, Jane Close Conoley has served as president of Cal State Long Beach. She was the first woman to be named a permanent president of the campus. Conoley has also held leadership roles at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Texas A&M University and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln—and is the author, co-author or editor of more than 120 books, articles, and book chapters.


Adela de la Torre

Photo of Adela de la Torre  

Adela de la Torre

President, San Diego State

With 30 years’ experience working in higher education, Adela de la Torre began her tenure as president of SDSU in January 2018, becoming the first Latina to hold the position. While leading SDSU, de la Torre has received numerous awards, including the 2022 Visionary Award for Innovation & Economic Opportunity from LEAD San Diego, the 2021 Eagle Leadership Award from the Latino Leaders Network and the 2019 Union of Pan Asian Communities 45th Annual Leadership Award.


Berenecea Johnson Eanes

Photo of Berenecea Johnson Eanes  

Berenecea Johnson Eanes

President, Cal State LA

When Berenecea Johnson Eanes was named president of Cal State LA in September 2023, becoming the first woman with the title, it was a return to the CSU. Previously, she served as president of York College, City University of New York and as vice president for Student Affairs at Cal State Fullerton. In 2018, while at CSUF, Eanes received the CSU’s Wang Family Excellence Award for achieving transformative results in her role as a member of the CSUF president’s cabinet and as vice president.


Lynn Mahoney

Photo of Lynn Mahoney  

Lynn Mahoney

President, San Francisco State

Appointed in May 2019, Lynn Mahoney is the first woman to serve as SF​ State president in a permanent capacity. The California State Student Association named her the Robert C. Maxson President of the Year in 2021. Prior to her appointment at SFSU, Mahoney served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cal State LA and as associate vice president for undergraduate studies and interim vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies at Cal State Long Beach.


Ellen J. Neufeldt

Photo of Ellen J. Neufeldt  

Ellen J. Neufeldt

President, CSU San Marcos

Ellen Neufeldt became the fourth president of CSU San Marcos in July 2019. Since then, she has championed making CSUSM a welcoming, inclusive and diverse campus. In 2022, she signed an MOU with the Coalition on Black and African American Education to increase educational access for historically underrepresented students. That same year, CSUSM received the Freedom Fighter of the Year award from the North San Diego County branch of the NAACP.


Vanya Quiñones

Photo of Vanya Quiñones  

Vanya Quiñones

President, CSU Monterey Bay

Before her appointment as CSUMB president in August 2022, Vanya Quiñones served as provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Pace University and held various leadership and professorial roles during her 21 years at the City University of New York (CUNY) -​ Hunter College. A neurobiologist, biopsychologist​ and noted researcher, Quiñones has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles.


Cathy A. Sandeen

Photo of Cathy A. Sandeen  

Cathy A. Sandeen

President, Cal State East Bay

Cathy Sandeen is a two-time CSU alumna, having earned her undergraduate degree at Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State University) and one of her master’s degrees at San Francisco State. Following an extensive career in higher education as both a faculty member and an administrative leader—including as chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage and of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension—she became CSUEB president in October 2020.


Cynthia Teniente-Matson

Photo of Cynthia Teniente-Matson  

Cynthia Teniente-Matson

President, San José State

The first Latina president in San José State’s history, Cynthia Teniente-Matson assumed the role in January 2023. Before her appointment, she was president of Texas A&M University - ​San Antonio from 2015 to 2023. From 2004 to 2015, Teniente-Matson served as vice president for administration and chief financial officer at Fresno State, where she had earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership.


chancellor garcia and cal state l a president berenecea johnson eanes
Women Leaders of the CSU
CSU-Named-as-Winner-of-The-Great-Admissions-Redesign-Challenge.aspx
  
2/29/2024 3:58 PMRuble, Alisia2/29/20242/29/2024 3:55 PMCalifornia State University among just seven selected by Lumina Foundation in national competition to transform how students get into college.AdmissionPress Release

The California State University (CSU) is one of seven winners of The Great Admissions Redesign, a competition by Lumina Foundation to revolutionize the admissions process and increase accessibility to higher education for all students. The CSU will use the $750,000 award to automate admissions to the CSU system through California's official K-12 college and career readiness platform.

“Lumina is thrilled by the number of outstanding applicants committed to revisioning the college admission process," said Melanie Heath, strategy director for Lumina. “As a winner of The Great Admissions Redesign, the CSU exemplifies leadership in streamlining procedures and promoting inclusivity, ensuring all students have equitable opportunities to pursue their educational goals."

Through The Great Admissions Redesign, Lumina is awarding $3.1 million in implementation and planning grants to the seven winners. More than 70 applications were reviewed in a rigorous selection process and using criteria including a commitment to ensuring fair and just outcomes for underrepresented students, simplicity and innovation.

With the grant funding, the CSU will partner with the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) to expand outreach and support to students in high school through CaliforniaColleges.edu, the State of California's official college and career planning platform. Guidance and support communications will be sent to 9th through 11th grade students. Qualified 12th grade students will be offered admission to most of the Cal State universities and the opportunity to apply to more competitive universities and impacted majors. The partnership will also include the electronic delivery of final high school transcripts.

The CSU will also be expanding its Cal State Apply online application for admission to provide automatic admissions to most CSU campuses for high school seniors who have completed their application or are in the process of completing an application.

“The CSU is the engine of opportunity to a quality education that leads to a successful career, and we are grateful to the Lumina Foundation in helping us advance our outreach to prospective students across California," said April Grommo, assistant vice chancellor of Strategic Enrollment Management. “This generous award will advance strategies and partnerships including the California College Guidance Initiative to ensure more students are academically prepared to meet CSU admission requirements and go on to earn a CSU degree."

Additional grant recipients include the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and Northern Arizona University (all Implementation Grants); as well as the Louisiana Board of Regents, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Washington Student Achievement Council and Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (all Planning Grants).



About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom. 

Students gathered together to take a picture on campus.
CSU Named as Winner of The Great Admissions Redesign Challenge
CSU-Reaches-Out-on-Super-Sunday-2024.aspx
  
2/27/2024 9:10 AMBeall, Alex2/27/20242/27/2024 2:40 PMUniversity leaders shared the benefits of a CSU degree with communities at more than 60 places of worship across California.Student SuccessStory

​On Sunday, February 25, the CSU partnered with African American faith-based organizations throughout California for the 19th annual CSU Super Sunday event. CSU system leaders, campus presidents, administrators and students visited places of worship—both in person and virtually—to share personal stories and important college-related information for Black and African American students. More than 60 faith-based organizations participated in the event, with additional activities taking place in the next three weeks.

CSU Chancellor Mildred García spoke during the services at Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood.

“We want to build lifelong relationships with our Black students and their families and ensure that every Black student attains the life-changing benefits of a CSU degree," García told the congregation. “I hope you'll let nothing hold you back. Whether you're the first in your family to attend, looking to transfer from a community college or an adult who wants more for yourself through a certificate or degree, the CSU offers the programs and support you need to reach your dreams."

After the Super Sunday services, outreach directors and staff provided information on the CSU application and admission process, as well as scholarships and financial aid available to Cal State students.

CSU Super Sunday is a key element of the CSU's year-round efforts to engage with local faith-based communities to share a message of access and opportunity, and to provide prospective students and their families with important information about college preparation and admission.

Since its launch in 2005, more than a million people have participated in this signature awareness event for the CSU's African American communities. The CSU remains committed to closing equity gaps and ensuring that all Californians have the access and support needed to achieve a high-quality college degree as part of its Graduation Initiative 2025.

See how our universities participated in CSU Super Sunday 2024.

​CSU Chancellor Mildred García speaks at Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood
CSU Reaches Out on Super Sunday 2024
CSU-donor-support-2022-2023.aspx
  
2/26/2024 4:08 PMKelly, Hazel2/26/20242/26/2024 2:45 PMPhilanthropic support underscores value of CSU to create long-lasting success for students, their families and communities.PhilanthropyStory

In 2022-23, the California State University secured more than $557 million in new gift commitments and almost $466 million in gift receipts. The CSU's cumulative endowment market value reached an all-time high, at over $2.5 billion.

Philanthropic support has a significant impact on the CSU and its 23 universities, enriching campus communities and providing support for the CSU's work in creating social mobility for graduates, their families and communities across California and the nation.  ​

“I offer my deepest gratitude and appreciation to our donors for their extraordinary commitment to the California State University," said Chancellor Mildred García. “Their generosity reverberates through all areas of the CSU and its extended community, from bolstering affinity centers to providing degree programs for incarcerated individuals to supporting scholarships that benefit underserved populations. Philanthropic gifts help to advance the CSU's mission of empowering our students from all backgrounds—America's new majority—to pursue their dreams and gain social and economic independence."


​Donors designated $328 million for current CSU programs across the system, including: 

  • $93.7 million for faculty support and academic enrichment
  • $44.8 million for student scholarships
  • $29.7 million for athletics 
  • $17.3 million for academic research
  • $5.5 million for student affairs and student life, supporting a wide range of co-curricular programming that promotes community service, student leadership and career development, among other areas
  • $137 million for additional university priorities

Highlights from the 2022-23 Donor Support report include:

  • CSUN received more than $7 million from Autodesk Inc. to fund the new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center, where students will learn, create and innovate.
  • A $20,000 grant to CSU Monterey Bay will help student parents cover housing expenses.
  • Thanks to a monumental gift from the Ballmer Group, CSU Dominguez Hills will launch two programs that will prepare more than 1,000 new preschool and early elementary school teachers to serve the Golden State.
  • One donor-funded initiative that creates a powerful and lasting impact for students at all 23 universities is the Guardian Scholars program, which supports current foster youth and those exiting the foster care system. Founded at Cal State Fullerton, the Guardian Scholars program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
  • ​These gifts and thousands more continue to propel students forward, as the CSU remains the nation's largest and most ethnically and economically diverse public four-year university system—and its most powerful driver of social mobility.

View the full report of philanthropic giving on the CSU Donor Support website. Learn more about how to make charitable donations to the university on the Support the CSU website.  

​ 

​What is Social Mobility? 

​Upward social mobility is the improvement of an individual's socioeconomic status—​and obtaining a college degree is one of its primary drivers. A CSU education allows students to move into a better socioeconomic position. In turn, their success allows their families and communities to thrive. Philanthropic gifts to the university and its 23 campuses are critical in supporting the CSU's mission of providing transformational opportunities for students from all backgrounds to earn a high-quality college degree. Read more about the CSU's role in social mobility for its students and communities across California.​

 

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CSU Receives $557 Million in Charitable Giving for 2022-23
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2/27/2024 1:35 PMBeall, Alex2/26/20242/26/2024 8:20 AMThe Technology Infrastructure for Data Exploration (TIDE) project at SDSU will give CSU researchers access to new high-performance data processing capabilities.TechnologyStory

​Funded by a $991,749 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Technology Infrastructure for Data Exploration (TIDE) project will establish a new computing core facility at San Diego State that will allow researchers throughout the CSU to conduct high-performance computing processes, expanding their ability to perform high-level research.

“This is the first computational core in the CSU, a shared service where SDSU is hosting hardware that will benefit faculty across our system​," says Jerry Sheehan, TIDE's principal investigator, as well as an SDSU adjunct professor and former chief information officer. “Increasingly as you have more data-intensive courses, you have more students who are interested in being able to use the same sort of tools that someone in the UC system is going to get access to."

The computing center will first be available for partners at Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State San Bernardino, San Diego State and Stanislaus State, who are conducting research that requires advanced computational infrastructure—such as identifying antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis strains, programming robots with more human reactions, digitally reconstructing archeological artifacts and developing models of water circulation. The center will eventually be available to all 23 campuses.

CSU researchers will be able to connect remotely to the center to process their research data. By running on graphics processing units—rather than central processing units like many computers and networks—TIDE will allow researchers to process massive amounts of data in a much shorter amount of time. This is because graphics processing units utilize a unique technological architecture that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to process data more quickly.

Such a resource will bolster students' academic and professional success by giving them more opportunities to engage in high-level research and use high-performance computing technology. It will also help attract and retain quality faculty who will now be able to conduct research at the same level as those at research-focused institutions. In fact, data has shown that faculty working at campuses with high-performance computing resources like TIDE tend to have more academic publications.

“Our proposal is based on putting the resource in the CSU to serve our faculty—as well as to increase awareness around and opportunities for our workforce of students to use these tools to make them competitive, not only academically, but also as they enter their professional careers or go on to more advanced degrees," Sheehan says.

Ed Clark, Chief Information Officer at the CSU Office of the Chancellor, says: "I’m excited about what the TIDE initiative means for the CSU. Certainly, it will benefit our current faculty members and attract new scholars working on computing-intensive research projects. But just as importantly, these resources will be used to teach our students critically needed skills that are in high demand across the country. This student aspect sets the project apart from other high-end research computing initiatives."

Significantly, TIDE is also addressing equity challenges. Through its Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) program, the NSF has sought ways to expand access to campus-based resources and technology that will allow faculty and students to conduct high-level research. This has included investments in high-speed networks and data storage, but more recently NSF efforts have focused on computing capabilities and the creation of regional computing centers like TIDE that could be accessed by a collection of institutions. NSF has also targeted these efforts toward institutions serving historically underserved populations, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions. The goal is to diversify the research field.

TIDE will help achieve this goal as it will make such technological resources available to the nation's largest system of public higher education, which is home to the most ethnically, economically and academically diverse student body in the United States. In addition, 21 CSUs are des​ignat​ed Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and the CSU provides more than half of all undergraduate degrees earned by California's Latinx, African American and Native American students combined—many of whom are first-generation and Pell-eligible.

“In order for science to be democratized, everyone has to have access—and the easiest way for that access to occur is for there to be resources that are broadly distributed with the right support infrastructure," Sheehan says. “Investing in the CSU is foundational to creating a level playing field for everyone to compute."

A separate $6.7 million NSF grant awarded in 2022 will allow SDSU and CSUSB, along with the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UC San Diego, to train cyberinfrastructure professionals—both staff and graduate assistants—on this new technology. These professionals will then facilitate the CSU community's use of the resource.

“The learning curve on the engagement with TIDE is going to be high," Sheehan says. “But I think the most important thing for everyone inside the CSU to know is this is their resource, and our goal is to make it useful to them."

In addition,​ Dell Technologies is powering the project with Dell PowerEdge servers​, while the CSU Chancellor's Office has committed itself to sustaining this resource, should it prove successful.

Finally, TIDE will connect the CSU to the National Research Platform (NRP) led by the SDSC. This partnership of more than 50 institutions provides access to thousands of graphics processing units and central processing units that partners can use for data processing. Through this network, CSU researchers who have a data processing need larger than what TIDE can manage are able to leverage NRP's more extensive technological infrastructure.

“If you have a big job that is beyond the resource at San Diego State University, you could go out to this much larger national infrastructure [to process the research data]," Sheehan says. “One of the reasons that we refer to TIDE as infrastructure for data exploration is because we want to be an on-ramp to much larger resources."

 

Read the SDSU article for more information about the TIDE project.

rendered image of servers with TIDE logo
New Computing Center Expands CSU Research Capabilities
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2/23/2024 1:02 PMThropay, Janessa2/23/20242/23/2024 1:00 PM​California State University students who work on-campus jobs under the student assistant classification have voted to join the California State University Employees Union.Collective BargainingPress Release

California State University (CSU) students who work on-campus jobs under the student assistant classification have voted to join the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU). With nearly 20,000 student assistants employed by the CSU, the new unit will be one of the nation's largest represented groups of predominantly undergraduate student workers. 

The CSU will begin bargaining with CSUEU’s student assistant unit in the near future. Until a final agreement is reached, the student assistant classification will maintain current standards and requirements.


The following statement can be attributed to CSU Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Leora Freedman:​

“The CSU has a long history of providing on-campus jobs to students through student assistant positions, which give our students the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while they pursue their degrees. The CSU respects the decision of student assistants to form a union and looks forward to bargaining in good faith with the newly formed CSUEU student assistant unit."​



About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom. 

Student walking on campus with the copy "News Update" across the middle.
CSU Statement on Student Assistants Vote to Join Employees Union
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2/23/2024 4:20 PMRawls, Aaron2/21/20242/21/2024 8:00 AMIn celebration of Black History Month, the CSU's African American university leaders reflect on their journey and inspiration.LeadershipStory

The California State University strives to create a welcoming environment for all members of its campus communities, and this commitment to inclusive excellence is manifested in students who make up one of the most ethnically, economically and academically diverse student populations in the nation. In fact, 52% of CSU students are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds and the CSU provides more than half of all undergraduate degrees earned by California's Latinx, African American and Native American students combined.

The CSU’s leaders are as diverse as the students they serve, and their lived experiences inform their leadership styles and offer them a unique perspective on how to foster student success and lift up historically disadvantaged communities. 

"As the nation's largest and most diverse four-year university system in the nation, the California State University is at the forefront of recruiting and cultivating outstanding university leaders who reflect and connect with our student body," says CSU Chancellor Mildred García. 

"While we are inspired by their exemplary contributions every day, the CSU is proud to take the opportunity of Black History Month to honor our Black presidents for providing invaluable guidance and wisdom from lived experiences and exemplifying all that is possible through the transformative power of higher education. We also want to recognize and extend our deep appreciation to our Black trustees, who contribute their time and talents by serving on the board and helping us lead the CSU to even greater heights."

To mark the occasion of Black History Month, we asked some of the CSU's African American leaders to share their journey, what inspires their work and how they use their platforms to effect change in their communities. Read their thoughts below.


VERNON B. HARPER JR

VERNON B. HARPER JR
CSU BAKERSFIELD INTERIM PRESIDENT

Who or what inspired you to continue pursuing new and higher leadership roles, and how were you influenced by the presence or absence of people of color in these positions?  

Though I didn’t know it at the time, the seeds of my desire to serve as a leader in higher education were planted when I was a doctoral student at Howard University. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by students, professors and university leaders who looked like me. My most powerful memory of my time at Howard was this feeling of being affirmed without a word, without ever knowing that I was seeking affirmation. You are affirmed by your existence. We travel through life as people of color in the United States and we don’t know the void we carry until it is filled. That’s what happened to me at Howard, and it is the same experience I want to provide to students in Bakersfield. 

I also owe an incredible debt of gratitude to my parents—neither of whom graduated from college—for investing their hopes in me and always believing that the America of my future would be a more just and equitable place than the one they knew in the Jim Crow South of their youth. Their refusal to surrender to despair and the internal fortitude and grace they demonstrated in the face of racism has had a profound impact on my life.

In my career in education, I have been fortunate to serve with a number of principled leaders who have seen in me a spark that they took the time to nurture and develop. One of the most influential was Dr. Horace Mitchell, the first African American president of CSUB, who invited me to become part of the team in Bakersfield. It was the best professional decision of my life when I accepted that invitation.

The CSU places high importance on diversity, equity and inclusion. Why are these values important in higher education and how do you ensure your campus is an inclusive environment for students of color?

It is an incredible point of pride that all campuses in the CSU—including Bakersfield—are centered around the core principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Yet as an educator and leader, I am most inspired by the virtues that are born of our DEI efforts: empathy, compassion and, most important, the dawning recognition in our students that the understanding that comes when we connect with people who are different from us expands our own hearts and souls.

But a commitment to fostering a DEI culture also has other benefits that follow our students for the rest of their lives. Exposure to diverse populations makes us more competitive economically, socially and politically in a global landscape that rewards leaders with the ability to bridge differences, bring people together and find common ground in a chaotic marketplace of disparate voices, views and interests.

The breadth and depth of CSUB’s efforts span the entire university, and every member of our team contributes to this priority. But we are especially proud of a new initiative called the Black Students Success Council that consists of administrators, faculty, staff and students. The council will take our support of Black students to another level and help guide efforts to establish a Black Student Center, which would aim to increase recruitment and enrollment efforts for Black students.

How do you use your platform as a university president to effect change in the African American community?

As the new interim president of CSUB, I’m just getting started in the role. But I have had the honor of serving in Bakersfield since 2016, and in that time, I have championed many initiatives at CSUB aimed at closing equity gaps, increasing graduation rates and retaining students of color, particularly young Black men in that critical period between their freshman and sophomore years. The support systems that we have developed in recent years, particularly as an outgrowth of Graduation Initiative 2025, have provided critical research and data that form the foundation for outreach to students who are struggling to continue their studies. And we are seeing the results of those action plans.

Here in the heart of the Central Valley, friendship and engagement matter. Bakersfield’s small-town values and well-deserved reputation for warmth and hospitality belie our growth into a major California city. CSUB’s most recent presidents—Dr. Horace Mitchell and Dr. Lynnette Zelezny—made tremendous strides in forging a bond between the university and the communities we serve, and there is potential to build even stronger connections and expand our footprint into neighborhoods throughout the region. At a recent NAACP banquet, several community members thanked me for showing up in support, and I was moved and disarmed by their sincerity. The lesson I took away is one that I will carry with me in every interaction with our community, including our Super Sunday outreach, when several CSUB leaders fan out across the city to address African American congregations: Never underestimate the power of showing up.


Thomas Parham

THOMAS PARHAM
CSU DOMINGUEZ HILLS PRESIDENT

Who or what inspired you to continue pursuing new and higher leadership roles, and how were you influenced by the presence or absence of people of color in these positions?  

I come to my role as the chief executive of a campus with a posture as a reluctant leader who, if truth be told, never aspired to be a university president or even a senior executive. On the contrary, I was content being a psychologist of African descent, and an African-centered one at that, whose roles and duties as academician, clinician, scholar and researcher, administrator and consultant were enough for me to manage.

And yet, the invitations to serve in higher levels of the organization hierarchy that I received in my career echoed the voice of my first mentor and mzee [respected elder], the great psychologist and contemporary father of the Black psychology movement Dr. Joseph L. White. He reminded me to consistently produce excellence, and that excellence would bring me opportunities. He was also clear that in the context of one’s trajectory toward career success, the key to mental health, particularly for a young Black man or woman in the field of psychology in America, was to develop and create a broad range of choices and options in one’s endeavors. It also helped to see other people of color and of African descent in these roles. CSU Bakersfield President Emeritus Horace Mitchell, Ph.D., and former University of California, Irvine Chancellor and current UC President Michael Drake, Ph.D., are two examples I can point to who were not only role models but symbols of possibility and potential for me.

The CSU places high importance on diversity, equity and inclusion. Why are these values important in higher education and how do you ensure your campus is an inclusive environment for students of color?

Higher education is about the cultivation of the human spirit and human potential. And yet, that cultivation must consider the cultural mores, values, customs and traditions diverse people bring with them on their journey through life. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are essential elements in higher education and impact everything from faculty and staff composition, curriculum offerings, the instructional methodology and system of pedagogy an instructor employs, the student experience on campus and the relationship of a campus to the community in which it is located. Equally important, students should be able to see themselves reflected within the fabrics of the university community and attention to DEI helps that.

Regarding insuring that my campus is a diverse and inclusive environment, I tend to engage in a multi-pronged approach. One strand of that approach puts great intentionality of ensuring that we have a competent and capable, yet diverse, student body, staff, faculty and senior executive leadership team. Increasing the pipeline of applicants and providing opportunities to review credentials of students, staff, faculty and senior administrators in the admissions, human resources and academic department domains where each segment apply is also important. However, making real and authentic DEI progress demands that we move beyond simplistic yardsticks of diversity progress like counting demographics. That’s where the second strand emerges. For me, diversity is not just percentages of race, gender, etc. Diversity is a question that asks if policies and practices of our institutions and agencies change as a function of our demographics, or whether they are contaminated with the racism, sexism and biases that are too pervasive in the human condition. It is that level of review and interrogation that helps us be a truly diverse and inclusive environment.

How do you use your platform as a university president to effect change in the African American community? 

Throughout my professional life as a psychologist, academician, clinician and senior administrator, I have been blessed with a platform to use my voice, my writing and my behavioral activities to effect change. That posture has been enhanced since becoming a university president. As a president, I speak to my university community with an uncompromising clarity about our campus's ability to transform and move from where we are to where we might be, if only we can close that attitudinal and behavioral gap between aspiration and actualization. Externally, I stay involved in and engaged with the larger African American community, participate in national and community-based organizations and write articles and commentaries on issues that impact various segments of our nation's citizenry for various local and national periodicals like Inside Higher Ed and the Los Angeles Sentinel


Tom Jackson, Jr.

TOM JACKSON JR.
CAL POLY HUMBOLDT PRESIDENT

Who or what inspired you to continue pursuing new and higher leadership roles, and how were you influenced by the presence or absence of people of color in these positions?

My leadership experience in higher education is rooted in student affairs. Having worked closely with students, I have seen firsthand the power of opening doors to education. It has been—and still is—amazing to see what students are capable of when they have access to opportunities and resources that are often out of reach for many, including underrepresented young people. They flourish in an environment where their dreams are seen as concrete, achievable goals. Given the chance to shine, students can change the trajectory of their lives. I'm inspired by their dedication and their commitment to bettering themselves through education.

My own life trajectory has been influenced by many factors and people. My parents instilled perseverance to withstand the naysayers I would encounter. Early supervisor Joe Poell inspired me to pursue graduate school. Mentor Dr. Charlie Fey, who is still one of my closest friends, opened the door to doctoral programs for me and befriended me through a more than 35-year career, so far. There are others who are diverse in their own ways. A few were of color; most were not. But they valued our relationship, they valued me and they valued the work of helping students. Their passion for helping others comes out every single day in the work that I do as a university president.

The CSU places high importance on diversity, equity and inclusion. Why are these values important in higher education and how do you ensure your campus is an inclusive environment for students of color?

There is no question that diversity continues to be the source of strength for all campuses in the CSU system. That's why amplifying the voices of students who may not otherwise be heard is critical to providing a positive, meaningful educational experience at Cal Poly Humboldt. Our students—45 percent of which are people of color—bring with them their unique perspectives and life histories which ultimately make us stronger as a university and as a campus community. Cal Poly Humboldt also plays a major role in diversifying the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce. As of the 2022-23 academic year, 41 percent are Pell Grant recipients and 37 percent of STEM majors are people of color. Fifty-one percent of STEM majors are women while 41 percent of STEM faculty are women. And 48 percent of recent Cal Poly Humboldt graduates were the first in their families to earn a college degree.

I look at these figures and I'm in awe of the resilient spirit of students who have overcome personal and financial hurdles to graduate from Cal Poly Humboldt. That's all the more reason campus resources are dedicated in support of these students and continue to play an important role in their success. In the spirit of staff and faculty helping others, we have programs like the Cultural Centers for Academic Excellence. The centers support academics and create a sense of belonging for students of color. They are also homes away from home where students can receive peer mentoring, be involved in cultural programs and build a community.

As a campus, we are not just trying to help students of color succeed while they are in college. We have an obligationa dutyto help students succeed beyond college and in society. To help them find their voice and their life's passion is a service to a greater good. The person who will discover the cure for Alzheimer's disease, cancer and other diseases will be a college graduate. That graduate may also be a person of color. We cannot afford to lose any students who are in the pipeline for a degree. The one we do lose might have been the one to make a history-making discovery later in life.

How do you use your platform as a university president to effect change in the African American community?

This is a very personal question to me. My grandmother lived during a time when African Americans weren't allowed to pursue an education beyond the eighth grade. Still, she believed in the power of books and of education. She passed those values on to her children including my father who passed them on to me. Two generations later, I am proud to say that, like so many students across the CSU system, I am the first in my family to earn a college degree and the only one to earn a doctorate.

I am also a university president who is African American and also Filipino, Native American and Irish, and I am honored to be an educator who makes tangible changes by supporting opportunities for people of color. Those opportunities include the continuing push to hire diverse administrators and faculty. Additionally, we have a new position that supports outreach and partnerships with local Tribal nations. Being a person of color in a leadership role carries with it incredible opportunity and responsibility. Through my story and the stories of other leaders in the CSU, we can show students what is possible after graduation. Despite the obstacles that may come their way, students can serve their communities and help to solve the many challenges our world faces today.


Soraya Coley

BERENECEA JOHNSON EANES
CAL STATE LA PRESIDENT

Who or what inspired you to continue pursuing new and higher leadership roles, and how were you influenced by the presence or absence of people of color in these positions?

When I began my graduate program at Boston University, I realized that none of the faculty looked like me. They didn’t share my background, experiences or culture. Because of that absence, I felt like there was a gap somewhere that I had to figure out for myself. I pursued leadership roles to help fill the void and offer other students what I felt was missing in my experience.

I was also inspired to pursue leadership roles because I wanted to be a part of shaping the conversation about learning and teaching. I wanted to be a faculty member of color, a faculty member who represents students and who is in conversation with students.

The CSU places high importance on diversity, equity and inclusion. Why are these values important in higher education and how do you ensure your campus is an inclusive environment for students of color?

We live in a time where this conversation is complex and exciting. Some people see it as negative and feel pressure to see diversity as an obligation rather than an opportunity to work with their community. We have to push ourselves and see this conversation as an opportunity to serve our young people and an opportunity to look at belonging, and the benefits of an active, diverse community.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are values that keep us moving forward toward a more equitable society. There was a time when African Americans had to fight for the right to eat in certain places, vote in local and federal elections or swim in city pools. Today, when we focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, we are working to ensure that all students have an affirming space in which to learn, explore and grow. We are developing a generation who will expect and work for the same values in our society.

I am invested in knowing the history of what my students have been and are currently fighting for or fighting against.

How do you use your platform as a university president to effect change in the African American community?

I am a social activist by showing up every day being a president. Nobody intended for me to be a university president. There are not very many African American women presidents. I am already breaking barriers by being here and showing up. My social justice platform is this position and doing my best to be here for the Cal State LA community in this role.

We all have an opportunity to define and grow our impact in all the spaces we occupy. I am grateful to have the experience of this presidency to effect change.


Soraya Coley

SORAYA COLEY
CAL POLY POMONA PRESIDENT

Who or what inspired you to continue pursuing new and higher leadership roles, and how were you influenced by the presence or absence of people of color in these positions?

I grew up in North Carolina at a time when segregation was the law of the landa time when the color of my skin determined where I could live and go to school. Significant portions of society said to me, "You are not and you cannot." The attitudes and prejudices of others could have defined or deterred me. But it was the sense of self-worth instilled by my mother and my grandmother that gave me the resilience to succeed.

I owe an incalculable debt to my grandmother, who was very active in registering Black Americans, especially the elderly, to vote for the first time after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Her courage still burns within me today.

I owe a gratitude to my mentors and supporters, especially those who saw potential in me that I never imagined. I vividly remember a time earlier in my career when I had just settled into my role as a department chair at Cal State Fullerton. The university president at that time, Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobban African American woman and trailblazer in the sciencessaid very emphatically that, someday, I was going to be a university president. I summarily dismissed that idea, but her confidence in me and her mentorship proved critical in getting to where I am now.

The CSU places high importance on diversity, equity and inclusion. Why are these values important in higher education and how do you ensure your campus is an inclusive environment for students of color?

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as core values, are not only crucial to higher education but to humanity. Our human diversity, along with our diversity of thought, experiences and contributions are among our greatest strengths and greatest benefit to our communities, our state and our nation. Only by fostering inclusion and mutual respect can we create an environment where each of us is empowered to reach our full potential and greatest contributions.

Higher education remains the greatest engine for social mobility. This is especially the case for low-income students and for students of color. Unfortunately, the converse is also true. When low-income students and students of color start college but don't complete their degree, they end up worse off than if they had not gone to college at all because they do not have a degree but, too often, end up in debt without means to pay. So, we have to create the conditions in which all students—including those who the system is not set up to serve—can thrive.

Cal Poly Pomona is one of the most diverse polytechnics in the nation. But the benefits of diversity and inclusion don't just happen. It takes deliberate effort and an institution-wide approach. Academic Affairs, Advancement, Student Affairs, Administrative Affairs, Information Technology, Athletics...everyone needs to be engaged. I'm fortunate to serve at a campus where those efforts are valued and actively promoted. And yet, I know that there is so much more that we need to do.

How do you use your platform as a university president to effect change in the African American community?

I appreciate being part of a public university and system in which we welcome and proactively engage in extending access to achieving the social mobility that is derived from higher education. I work with local and national groups in promoting access, opportunities and education advancement. We are hosting the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) Leadership and Mentoring Institute summer program. I also served on the faculty of the New Presidents Academy sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) that engages attendees in discussions regarding DEI in higher education. As a campus, we also collaborate with local professional and community-based groups as well as national organizations that provide early education and information about college to young people.

Cal Poly Pomona is the first CSU to launch a Black Thriving Initiative. Through town hall meetings, surveys and listening sessions, we found that we have more to do to fulfill our value of inclusion, particularly for Black students, faculty and staff, and we have welcomed and encouraged our entire campus to participate. The initiative recognizes that our university's future is connected to the success of Black communities both on and off campus.


LUKE WOOD

LUKE WOOD
SACRAMENTO STATE PRESIDENT

Who or what inspired you to continue pursuing new and higher leadership roles, and how were you influenced by the presence or absence of people of color in these positions?

My mother had me and my twin brother while she was in jail—immediately making us wards of the court. I grew up in a diverse foster care home, but that was the only place I saw people who looked like me while growing up in the rural community of McCloud, California. The color of my skin made me a target for teachers and my peers. I was suspended more than 40 times in elementary school, and it wasn’t until the right teacher showed up that I finally experienced the joys of being in an educational environment and the positive impact an educator could have on my life. 

During my undergraduate years at Sacramento State, Dr. Cecil Canton became one of the many mentors who supported me during my college journey. As I navigated the uncertainties in my life, I decided to join student government. It was then I realized I wanted to become president of Sacramento State—not for the title, but for what I could do in the role.

When I became a professor, then vice president for Student Affairs, then chief diversity officer, it showed me more than ever how instrumental it was for Black and African American students to have educators and leaders across their campus who looked like them. It’s a privilege and an honor to return to my alma mater as president to ensure students know they too can achieve any goal they dream of. 

The CSU places high importance on diversity, equity and inclusion. Why are these values important in higher education and how do you ensure your campus is an inclusive environment for students of color?

I like to add justice to equity, diversity and inclusion—making it JEDI. For decades, systemwide policies across our country have hindered our Black and African American students from achieving in high numbers, and it starts as early as pre-kindergarten. If our students see JEDI on their campuses, retention will be higher, meaning students are coming back to finish their degrees because they're in a welcoming environment.

I believe it takes investments and new pathways to demonstrate to our students that we hear them and see them. Currently, I've initiated cluster hiring across our campus—bringing in educators who have a demonstrated record of success serving our most minoritized student populations.

How do you use your platform as a university president to effect change in the African American community?

As a new president, it is critical that I learn from the campus and the community. During my first semester on the job, I held 92 listening sessions attended by more than 1,500 students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. I asked them to share not only what makes Sacramento State distinctive and what we are already doing well, but also where we need to improve and how we can do so without compromising our JEDI values.

Right before I became president, I worked with colleagues across the CSU system on the 2023 CSU Black Student Success Report (BSSR). The findings of that report were clear: Our Black and African American students need more support to get them to graduation and foster a more welcoming environment.

When I arrived at Sacramento State, I learned we serve the largest number of students who identify as Black and African American across all 23 CSUs, and all the UCs, except for one. I take pride in that and decided to take the recommendations from the BSSR and launch the first-ever Black Honors College in the nation. We're creating a model on how to best showcase Black Excellence, create a clear career pathway to graduation and cultivate the leaders of tomorrow.


JACK B. CLARKE JR.

JACK B. CLARKE JR.
VICE CHAIR, CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Who or what inspired you to continue pursuing new and higher leadership roles, and how were you influenced by the presence or absence of people of color in these positions?

My mother and father, Rose Elizabeth Clarke and Jack Clarke Sr., impressed upon me the importance of being involved in the community and they were unbending in their belief that higher education is a ladder that must be climbed. Both were college graduates and both had successful careers. My father, in particular, emphasized that it is important to be a part of systems and to try to be of service, rather than simply a critic of what was happening in the world.

The CSU places high importance on diversity, equity and inclusion. Why are these values important in higher education and how do you ensure the CSU is an inclusive environment for students of color?

DEI should be a critical element of higher education and our society at large. While we aspire to be a color blind society, I do not belive that we have gotten there yet. Too many markers from the days of intentional, invidious discrimination remain in our society. Our systems of higher education can hopefully serve as a catalyst to move our global community towards a place where the residual effects of discrimination and irrational intolerance are no longer obvious.

How do you use your platform as a CSU trustee to effect change in the African American community?

All I, or anyone, can do—in my opinion—is to live according to the values that we would like to see in the world. If we want a system that is fair, open and just, then each of us should try to apply those values in our day-to-day dealings. As I make decisions that affect the CSU, I will try to act according to the values I was taught by my family and by the many mentors I have been fortunate to learn from during my lifetime.


Lateefah Simon

Lateefah Simon
MEMBER, CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES​

Lateefah Simon is a 25-year veteran organizer for racial justice in Oakland and the Bay Area. She has been the president of the Akonadi Foundation since 2016. That same year—driven by the death of Oscar Grant—she ran for and was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors—of which she now serves as president. Simon received the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award in 2003—making her the youngest woman ever to receive the award—in recognition of her work as executive director of the Young Women's Freedom Center.

Previously, Simon served as program director at the Rosenberg Foundation, where she launched the Leading ​Edge Fund to seed, incubate and accelerate bold ideas from the next generation of progressive movement leaders in California. She also held the position of executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, where she launched successful community-based initiatives, including the Second Chance Legal Services Clinic. Simon also spearheaded San Francisco's first reentry program, a highly effective anti-recidivism youth services division under the leadership of then-District Attorney Kamala Harris. Previous to serving in this role, Simon became—at the age of 19—the executive director of the Center for Young Women's Development (now named the Young Women's Freedom Center), a position she held for 11 years.

Simon’s other numerous awards include the California State Assembly's "Woman of the Year;" The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "40 Under 40: Young Leaders Who Are Solving the Problems of Today and Tomorrow;" the Jefferson Awards for Extraordinary Public Service; and Inside Philanthropy's "Most Promising New Foundation President." She has also been honored by the Ford Foundation, the National Organization for Women, Lifetime Television and O Magazine.


The CSU partners with African American communities to increase the college preparation, enrollment and graduation rates of students across the state of California. Learn more about these efforts.

Cultivating Potential
CSU-Statement-on-CFA-Vote-to-Ratify-Union-Contract.aspx
  
2/19/2024 12:54 PMThropay, Janessa2/19/20242/19/2024 12:45 PMOn February 19, the CFA announced that its members had voted in favor of the tentative agreement reached with the CSU in January. Collective BargainingPress Release

Today, the CFA announced that its members had voted in favor of the ​tentative agreement reached with the CSU in January.


The following statement can be attributed to the California State University Office of the Chancellor:​

“The California State University (CSU) is pleased with the results of the California Faculty Association's (CFA) ratification vote. This agreement provides for a 10 percent general salary increase to all faculty by July, with a raise in salary minimums for the lowest-paid faculty that will result in increases—some as high as 21 percent—for many of them. It also addresses issues that the CFA identified as extremely important to its members, such as increased paid family leave from 6 to 10 weeks and a process for making gender-inclusive restrooms and lactation spaces more easily accessible. We look forward to the CSU Board of Trustees Committee on Collective Bargaining ratification of the agreement in March and to continue working in partnership with the CFA and its members to carry out our mission in service to our students and the university."


A link to the tentative agreement can be found on the CSU Labor and Employee Relations website under Tentative Agreements. ​



​About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom. 

Dumke Auditorium with the copy "News Update" across it.
CSU Statement on California Faculty Association Vote to Ratify Union Contract
CSU-Engages-Faith-Based-Partners-for-Super-Sunday-Outreach-in-February-and-Beyond.aspx
  
2/19/2024 10:17 AMThropay, Janessa2/19/20242/19/2024 8:25 AMAnnual statewide events seek to inspire a college-going culture among African American youth.Student SuccessPress Release

The California State University (CSU) has partnered with a number of predominantly African American churches throughout California to present the 19th annual CSU Super Sunday on February 25, 2024. CSU system leaders, campus presidents, administrators and students will visit places of worship—both in person and virtually—to share personal stories and important college-related information with congregants to advance access, opportunity and success for Black and African American students.

“CSU Super Sunday remains a key element in our year-round efforts to engage with local faith-based communities to share a message of access and opportunity, and to provide prospective students and their families with important information about college preparation and admission," said Dilcie Perez, deputy vice chancellor of CSU Academic and Student Affairs and Chief Student Affairs Officer. “As we collectively work to advance Black student success across our university system, we want to build lifelong relationships and make sure every one of our Black students attains the life-changing benefits of a CSU degree."

After Super Sunday services, outreach directors and staff will provide information on the CSU application and admission process, as well as scholarships and financial aid available to Cal State students.

Since its launch in 2005, more than a million people have participated in this signature awareness event for CSU's African American communities. The CSU remains committed to closing equity gaps and ensuring all Californians have access and support in achieving a high-quality college degree as part of Graduation Initiative 2025. In 2022-23, more than 3,800 African American students earned CSU bachelor's degrees and more than 750 earned CSU graduate degrees.

The CSU's Black and African American community engagement extends beyond Super Sunday. The university plans to hold additional faith-based outreach events in the spring and fall to continue to build upon the message of Super Sunday. In addition, the CSU is creating a systemwide steering committee with faith-based leaders to provide support and share best practices to promote Black student success. The CSU has made elevating Black excellence on its universities an urgent priority and has developed a 13-point action plan as part of its June 2023 report on Black student success. In addition, the university has committed $10 million over three years to advance these priorities. 

With 23 universities across California, the CSU offers more access to diverse higher education pathways than any public university system in the United States. Nearly one-third of CSU students are the first in their family to earn a degree, more than half are from traditionally underrepresented communities and nearly half of undergraduates receive the Pell Grant. And, more than half of CSU bachelor's recipients in 2022-23 graduated with zero student debt.

To find a CSU Super Sunday church location near you, visit the CSU Super Sunday website. Learn more about the CSU's ongoing work to elevate Black excellence at the Black Student Success website.



About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom. 

Three Black students side-by-side for a picture at graduation.
CSU Engages Faith-Based Partners for Super Sunday Outreach in February and Beyond
CSULB-Alumna-Caitlin-Dickerson-Pulitzer.aspx
  
2/19/2024 8:19 PMRuble, Alisia2/19/20242/19/2024 8:00 AMAward-winning journalist Caitlin Dickerson shares how her CSU education inspired her career.AlumniStory

​Curious. Driven. Trailblazing.

Cal State Long Beach alumna Caitlin Dickerson ('11) is a fierce defender of democracy who uses investigative journalism as a check against inequality. Through deep research and powerful storytelling, Dickerson reports on urgent issues impacting American life and brings light to injustices hiding in dusty files and dim detention centers. She also travels the country to deliver a powerful message to the next generation of reporters about the essential role journalism plays in upholding the democratic values of transparency and accountability.

Over the course of more than a decade in journalism, she has earned numerous awards for her writing and reporting, including an Edward R. Murrow Award and a George Foster Peabody Award for a series on secret World War II mustard gas testing that grouped subjects by race. That reporting prompted the first official government acknowledgement of the experiments and a law that was passed providing better access to disability benefits for the remaining living veterans who were exposed to mustard gas.

A Merced, California native, Dickerson has reported on immigration, history, politics and race across four continents and dozens of American cities. She served as a producer and investigative reporter for NPR and as a reporter for the New York Times before becoming a staff writer for The Atlantic in 2021.

In 2023, Dickerson earned a Pulitzer Prize—arguably the top honor for a journalist—in the explanatory reporting category for​​​​ her “deeply reported and compelling accounting of the Trump administration policy that forcefully separated migrant children from their parents, resulting in abuses that have persisted under the current administration."​​

​​

​​​​Caitlin Dickerson (right) accepts her 2023 Pulitzer Prize for​ Explanatory Writing. Photo courtesy of Diane Bondareff/The Pulitzer Prizes.

Dickerson credits much of her success to her CSU education. She says she struggled academically before arriving at CSULB, but passion for her coursework and the supportive campus communities she joined helped her harness her potential. She ultimately graduated Magna Cum Laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest academic honor society in the United States. 

“I had a fantastic experience at Cal State Long Beach," Dickerson says. “Honestly, I chose CSULB because I needed to attend an affordable college and I loved the Southern California weather. I had no idea how much I would ​relish my educational experience until I arrived at CSULB and dug into my coursework, but once that happened, I knew I had made an excellent decision."

We sat down with Dickerson to learn more about her work and discover how her time at “The Beach" influenced her career.​


How did it fee​l to win a Pulitzer Prize, and what do you accredit your success to?

Winning a Pulitzer Prize was surreal. By the time I started working on the article for which I won the prize, which was in 2021, many people had encouraged me to move on from its subject matter because the family separation policy that I investigated was several years old by that time.

But my gut told me that a full accounting of how that policy had come to be and who was responsible for it was essential from an accountability perspective. That the Pulitzer Board ultimately agreed with me was extremely gratifying—it felt like a powerful gust of wind at my back telling me to trust my instincts and keep going, which I have. 

It's hard to attribute [my success] to any one thing. My parents were both extremely hardworking people—often to a fault—and I definitely inherited that trait. But I think more than anything else, my passion for journalism and the mission-driven approach that I take to my work comes through in the final product.

Tell me about your role as a staff writer for The Atlantic.

My job is to discover and write about urgent issues that are impacting American life. These stories take many forms—some are investigations that I conduct relying on large troves of public records and confidential sources, others are feature stories that chronicle moments in a single person's life in granular detail. My work typically centers on immigration and immigration policy, which has become my area of expertise during the last half decade of historic changes in global migration.

I travel a lot, both domestically and internationally, to research and report these stories. After they're published, I often appear on television and radio programs to expand on them even more. And, I will occasionally participate in documentaries and other video projects.​​

​​

​​​​Caitlin Dickerson (left) and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro at the Atlantic Festival 2023. Photo courtesy of Jason Crowley/BFA.com.

What inspired you to pursue a career in journalism?

My CSULB degree in international studies played a major role. When I was a student, we were required to read a lot of news in order to apply to the present day the academic concepts and theories that we were learning about. (Hopefully this is still the case—I loved it!) While working toward that degree, I started to realize how much I enjoyed consuming journalism. I became fascinated with how my favorite journalists synthesized complicated stories using vivid and accessible language, and at their ability to make readers care about important issues.

At the same time, I was also coming to understand the importance of a robust free press in any functioning democracy—journalism is essential, in my view, to the democratic values of transparency and accountability. From there, journalism became a kind of mission for me. I knew that I wanted to help inform the public through deep research and powerful storytelling.​​​​

​What milestones have defined or altered your career path?

I've covered so many stories that have taught me powerful lessons, which I then apply to future work. My first big investigation looked at secret experiments with mustard gas that the U.S. military conducted on thousands of American troops during World War II. Initially, I was reporting on how the Department of Veterans Affairs was systemically denying those veterans disability payments to help pay for chronic health issues they had developed as a result of their exposure to mustard gas—a worthy story in its own right. But while reporting it, I discovered records in the National Archives in Maryland showing that the military had also conducted a set of race-based experiments on U.S. troops that had never previously been reported on by news outlets. Those records led me to conduct a separate investigation into the race-based tests.

In the end, the investigative series that I published prompted the first official government acknowledgement of the race-based experiments and a law that was passed providing better access to disability benefits for all of the remaining living veterans who were exposed to mustard gas. The experience taught me to keep an open mind until the very end of the reporting process because if not, you might miss important revelations. 

Less glamorous but still very impactful was my first real journalism job as an intern on the Washington Desk for NPR during the 2012 election cycle. I spent most of that internship doing two things: Transcribing interviews for the reporters on the desk and analyzing campaign finance disclosures. To some people, this work might have been viewed as tedious, but I loved it, and it laid the groundwork for everything I've achieved since.

Listening to hours and hours of interviews conducted by my journalistic heroes taught me how to conduct my own interviews, and analyzing campaign finance records from small races that few people were paying attention to taught me how to work with complex datasets. I use these skills constantly in my current work. It's important that students and aspiring journalists remember that those early jobs that sometimes feel menial can really pay off in the future, so they should draw as much from them as possible.​​

​​

​​​​Caitlin Dickerson delivers the commencement address at a University of North Texas at Dallas 2023 commencement ceremony​. Photo courtesy of UNT Dallas.

 ​Tell me about your time at CSULB. What are some of your favorite memories?

I had a fantastic experience at CSULB. I loved the international studies program, then led by Dr. Richard Marcus. Another one of my favorite professors was Julie Weise, a historian of immigration, whom I still contact a couple of times each year to talk about immigration stories that I'm working on and to find out what she's up to. I was active in the International Studies Student Association and joined the Learning Alliance as an incoming freshman, which was massively helpful. The program taught students how to navigate college life, and as an added bonus, it helped me make friends in school as soon as I arrived. Many of those in my cohort remained close through graduation, and I benefited a lot from the mutual support in the group.

What advice do you have for current and future college students and/or aspiring journalists?

I would encourage future college students and aspiring journalists to be proactive when they get to college, and to make adjustments to their internships and courses based on what they grow a passion for, rather than passively accepting what is put in front of them. Though it may sound like I was always on a path to journalism, the reality is that while I was in college, I explored the possibility of pursuing a number of different careers. That period of exploration helped me determine what steps to take after graduation. 

My second piece of advice is to keep in mind that there is no one correct answer to the questions you may have about your future. As a student, I often felt like my job was to solve an impossibly difficult riddle about what career path I should ultimately take. Though I am deeply grateful for my career as a journalist, I now recognize that I could have also been happy and fulfilled as a teacher or university professor, or as a lawyer, which I thought for many years I would become. Hopefully bearing in mind that most people can find fulfillment in a number of different professions lessens the pressure to make the “right" choice.

 

The more than 4 million alumni of the CSU are making an impact across the globe and are leaders in every industry. Meet more CSU alumni like Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Caitlin Dickerson.​

caitlin dickerson
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Alumna Brings News Stories to Life
CSU-statement-teamsters-vote-ratify-2024.aspx
  
2/16/2024 6:48 PMKelly, Hazel2/16/20242/16/2024 5:15 PMThe following statement can be attributed to the California State University Office of the ChancellorCollective BargainingPress Release
The following statement can be attributed to the California State University Office of the Chancellor:  

“The California State University (CSU) welcomes the outcome of the Teamsters vote and looks forward to the CSU Board of Trustees Committee on Collective Bargaining's ratification of the agreement in March. CSU's skilled trades employees are critical to meeting our educational mission and this agreement will bring much-deserved salary increases to our Teamsters and movement toward a salary steps program."  
 
For more information about Teamsters Local 2010's vote results, visit Teamsters2010.org

A link to the tentative agreement can also be found on the CSU Labor and Employee Relations website under Tentative Agreements.  

 

About the California State University 

The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 450,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are people of color, and nearly one-third of them are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 23 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 127,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom​​. 


CSU Statement on Teamsters Local 2010 Vote to Ratify Union Contract
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2/23/20242/23/2024 1:00 PM​California State University students who work on-campus jobs under the student assistant classification have voted to join the California State University Employees Union.
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2/7/20242/7/2024 8:40 AMThe California State University has extended the intent to register deadline for fall 2024 for new first-time, first-year admitted students in response to the further delays in FAFSA.
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1/22/20241/22/2024 10:35 AM​The California State University will be providing regular updates during the strike. All CSU campuses are open during the strike.
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1/9/20241/9/2024 8:00 AMCSU students and alumni make a significant impact on California communities through the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program.Service LearningStory
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Corps Strength
CSU-Scores-High-for-Social-Mobility-in-College-Rankings.aspx
  
1/3/20241/3/2024 9:25 AMThe California State University once again earned top marks for empowering students and promoting upward mobility.Social MobilityStory
CSU Scores High for Social Mobility in 2023 College Rankings
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