Student Success: The Ultimate Responsibility of All Universities

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) has received the inaugural Excellence and Innovation Award for Student Success and Completion by American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). CSULB is a large urban comprehensive institution with largely minority and low-income students. Additionally, the university is home to over 3,000 international students representing 95 countries from all over the world.

Inspired by the 2005 AASCU/Education Trust study of high performing institutions for underrepresented students, CSULB launched the Highly Valued Degree Initiative to increase completion for all student ethnic, gender, and major subgroups. Strategies have included (a) adopting student success as the main institutional strategic priority, (b) developing completion metrics that drill down to colleges, departments and demographic groups, (c) improving budget management to ensure funding for the schedule of classes, (d) infrastructure with cross-campus participation and accountability, (e) leadership commitment to provide resources despite budget cuts, and (f) learning supports for students.

Results have been dramatic. In just over a decade, six-year first time freshman graduation rates have risen from the mid-40% range to 67%, well above most comparable universities. Transfer rates have shown similar increases. Gains have lifted low-income and underrepresented students. Continued rises in retention rates indicate that gains are likely to continue. The campus has continued to innovate with changes in tenure track hiring to ensure faculty best suited for working with an increasingly underrepresented, first generation, and low income student population; a new admissions plan; and electronic advising; these changes are likely to lead to additional gains.

In recent years, a new incentive based budget model for reinvestment in international education has enabled CSULB to provide increased academic advising, student services, support more students to study-abroad, and internationalize our curriculum at the home front. New opportunities provided for faculty to conduct internationally focused research and collaborate with colleagues from overseas institutions has enabled us to realize our institutional global mission.

Author(s):

Dr. David Dowell    
California State University, Long Beach
United States

Dr. Jeet Joshee    
California State University, Long Beach
United States