Over the course of the year, we highlighted our dedicated faculty, hardworking staff and inspiring students as they strove for the betterment of their campuses and communities. Take a look at some of their stories.
1. All Access: Go Behind the Scenes of CSU Commencement
See what CSU commencement is like from the perspective of those putting on the event.
2. The Great Outdoor Classroom
Learn more about some of the CSU’s field experiences.
The Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum helps strengthen literacy skills for hundreds of thousands of California high school students.
Courtesy of Jason Halley/Chico State
For 20 years, the CSU-led Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (ERWC) has prepared high school students for college and their future careers by helping them develop critical thinking and rhetorical literacy skills.
Implemented in about 1,000 high schools across California, the English language arts curriculum for 11th and 12th grades is designed for A-G approved English classes and prepares students for college-level writing courses.
“When students take ERWC in high school, they are better academically prepared to succeed at the CSU,” says Zee Cline, executive director of CSU Educator and Leadership Programs. “The focus is on expository, or nonfiction writing, and really teaching students how to cite evidence for a claim and be more analytical in their reading skills.”
To encourage students to think critically and deeply, teachers incorporate ERWC modules from a variety of topic categories into their classes. The 12th grade curriculum includes Shakespeare drama, full-length books and contemporary issues while the 11th grade curriculum features American foundational documents, American drama, full-length books, research and contemporary issues.
Chris Street, an ERWC trainer and professor of secondary education at Cal State Fullerton says, “I used to teach first-year writing courses at San Diego State, and I wished my students then had had an ERWC to prepare them for that course because that would’ve been such a bonus for them if they’d had that kind of a high school experience.”
The curriculum—developed by CSU faculty, staff and K-12 educators, including Street—is guided by a set of key principles, such as interactive reading and writing processes, deep engagement with texts, materials and themes that interest students and classroom activities that develop active readers and writers, among others.
“We try and build a curriculum around the interests of students,” Street says. “So, there are modular units (we call them modules) on things like fast food, cell phones and juvenile justice, and all these topics that are timely and important for kids. The curriculum engages students with high interest readings.”
The ERWC faculty consistently work to improve and expand the program. For example, the curriculum was recently expanded and revised to align with the California Standards for English Language Arts and English Language Development. In addition, ERWC now includes English Language Development modules for grades 9 through 12, and faculty recently developed a full ERWC curriculum, along with English Language Development modules, for grades 7 through 10.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education recently announced a $15 million grant for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools to work with the CSU on the development of an ERWC year-long curriculum for grades 9 and 10.
To help schools implement ERWC in their classrooms, the CSU offers free professional learning workshops for teachers, available in-person, in a hybrid format and online. Teachers who complete the workshops get free, lifetime access to instructive curriculum materials through the ERWC Community website.
The U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has recognized the program as effective in meeting its highest evidence-based standards, after reviewing the 2022 report, “Expanding the Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum: An Evaluation of an Investing in Innovation Validation Grant.” WWC also cited the ERWC in a practice guide on proven strategies for helping secondary students to write effectively. Other studies on the program found that high school students who participated in the 12th grade ERWC curriculum scored higher on standardized tests than other students.
“The ERWC has been proven to be successful now for two decades,” Street says. “We’ve had a couple generations of kids going through this. It started small and was successful because teachers enjoyed seeing how engaged their kids were with the curriculum. And that reason for the sustained success of the program is really the same. It’s just a very engaging curriculum, and it works. It works to get kids ready—especially for college-level first year writing courses.”
Schools interested in adopting the yearlong course may submit a two-page application to the CSU. Once implemented, the class can be added to the school’s list of UC-approved “A-G” courses.
Visit the EWRC website to learn more about the curriculum, apply, find workshops and access teacher resources.
The Puerto Rican Heritage Award recognizes individuals who are advocating for higher education and leadership development of Puerto Rican and Latinx youth.
CSU Chancellor Mildred García (center) with Puerto Rican Heritage Award presenters retired Hostos Community College President Dr. David Gómez (left) and Comité Noviembre Chairwoman Teresa A. Santiago. (Photo courtesy of Comité Noviembre)
CSU Chancellor Mildred García, the first Latina in the nation to lead a four-year public university system, received the Puerto Rican Heritage Award from Comité Noviembre at its annual benefit.
The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated an unconditional commitment and dedication to the preservation of Puerto Rican culture and history, and who serve as advocates for higher education and leadership development of Puerto Rican and Latinx youth. The committee cited Chancellor García’s personal and professional trajectory in creating a legacy that will leave a unique cultural imprint on the Puerto Rican community and beyond.
Chancellor García, whose parents migrated to New York from Puerto Rico before she was born, calls herself a “proud Nuyorican,” reflecting her diverse cultural influences. The first in her family to earn a degree, Chancellor García has devoted her career to ensuring students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to earn a life-changing college degree.
Comité Noviembre is a nonprofit organization that commemorates and pays tribute to the contributions Puerto Ricans have made to the United States. Its mission is to create educational opportunities for youth through college scholarships, as well as promote, acknowledge and create awareness of the importance of young people knowing their rich culture, language and history.
Comité Noviembre is the only collaboration of its kind in the U.S. that brings together the collective talents and resources of some of the oldest and most prestigious Puerto Rican organizations including ASPIRA of New York, Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños Hunter College/CUNY and El Museo del Barrio.
The California State University once again earned top marks for empowering students and promoting upward mobility.
Photo courtesy of Matt Brown/CSU Dominguez Hills
Story Update January 3, 2024
In December, CollegeNET released its 2023 “Social Mobility Index” (SMI), which ranks colleges and universities on their affordability, enrolling students from low-income backgrounds, graduating students into good paying jobs and messaging around advancing social mobility.
CSU Dominguez Hills captured the top spot in the 2023 SMI, with eight other CSUs ranking in the top 20: Cal Poly Pomona (3), Cal State Long Beach (7), Cal State LA (8), CSUN (9), CSU Channel Islands (13), Fresno State (14), CSU San Marcos (16) and Sacramento State (20).
“Our university’s stellar performance on the ‘Social Mobility Index’ is a testament to both the academic and co-curricular mission of the Dominguez Hills campus, and the dedication and commitment of our faculty and staff,” CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham said in a university article.
“We don’t judge our worth by selectivity ratios, but rather by how many lives we can positively impact,” he continues. “Topping this list confirms that we are indeed transforming lives and communities here at CSUDH. Our efforts continue to yield dividends years after students graduate—the education they receive here changes the economic and social trajectory of their lives and their families. I could not be more proud of this ranking.”
As the largest system of four-year higher education in the country with 23 universities spanning San Diego to Humboldt, the California State University is a force for transforming the lives of its students and their communities. This year’s national college rankings demonstrate the power of the CSU to uplift its students and drive upward mobility.
“The CSU’s students represent the new majority of America—the first-generation, the low-income, the students of color, the adults—and we educate them not only so that they can succeed professionally, but so that they will be educated citizens in our democracy, go out into the community, be leaders and thrive in a global world,” Chancellor-select Mildred García said during her July 2023 introductory remarks to the CSU Board of Trustees. “They obtain their careers because of the CSU, and the CSU provides them with the social and economic independence that we all aspire to.”
This year, five CSUs earned top spots among national universities promoting social mobility in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Colleges Rankings, with Cal State Long Beach taking the first slot. Other CSUs in the top 10 included Cal State Fullerton (2, tie), Cal State San Bernardino (4, tie), Fresno State (8, tie) and San Francisco State (8, tie). These social mobility rankings measure how well universities empower students, namely those who are first-generation or receive Pell Grants, to improve their socioeconomic status.
“This distinction points to the life-changing power of a Beach education, especially for an institution where more than half of our undergraduates are first-generation students,” CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said in a press release. “As we continue to maximize opportunity for all students, we take great pride in the success of our alumni and their ability to positively impact their communities.”
U.S. News & World Report also ranked CSU Monterey Bay (2), Stanislaus State (3), Cal Poly Pomona (4), CSU Channel Islands (7, tie), Cal State LA (7, tie) and San José State (7, tie) among the top 10 regional universities in the West promoting social mobility.
In addition, the criteria for the U.S. News & World Report general rankings were reworked this year to place a greater emphasis on social mobility, which caused CSUs to significantly improve their standings within the overall best universities rankings. For example, Frenso State’s ranking improved by 64 spots, San Francisco State’s by 55, Cal State Long Beach’s by 32, and Cal State Fullerton’s by 32.
The Wall Street Journal and College Pulse also recently released their 2024 Social Mobility Rankings, with nine CSUs ranking in the top 20: Cal State LA (1), CSUN (5), Fresno State (6), Sacramento State (10), Cal Poly Pomona (11), Cal State Long Beach (14), CSU Monterey Bay (15), CSU San Marcos (17) and San Francisco State (19). These rankings take into account a university’s affordability, graduation rates, number of students who come from low-income backgrounds and impact on post-graduation salaries.
Similarly, the Economic Mobility Index from thinktank Third Way, which was first introduced in 2022, assesses universities on the proportion of their students who come from low-income backgrounds and the quality of education they provide to those students. The 2023 Economic Mobility Index scores eight CSUs in the top 20 best performing universities: Cal State LA (2), Cal State San Bernardino (3), CSU Dominguez Hills (4), CSU Bakersfield (8), Stanislaus State (9), Fresno State (10), CSUN (15) and Sacramento State (18).
The CSU likewise dominated the top 20 spots on Education Reform Now’s 2023 Social Mobility Elevator Rankings, with Cal State LA coming in first. The other CSUs in the top 20 are CSUN (4), Cal State San Bernardino (5), Fresno State (6), CSU Dominguez Hills (7), Cal State Fullerton (8), Sacramento State (9), Cal State Long Beach (10), Cal Poly Pomona (11), Stanislaus State (13), San Francisco State (19) and CSU Bakersfield (20).
As shown in these rankings, the CSU remains committed to providing a quality education to all students and helping them achieve upward mobility. Since its inception in 2015, Graduation Initiative 2025 has helped bring the university’s graduation rates to all-time highs. And, to ensure all students no matter their backgrounds are on a sure path to graduation, the CSU introduced five GI2025 priorities to close opportunity gaps.
But behind these rankings are the stories of the CSU students and alumni who have built a better life for themselves and their families on the foundation of a CSU education.
A biology degree from Cal State San Bernardino is life-changing for recent graduate Ally Bledsoe, a first-generation college student. During her first two years at CSUSB, she worked four jobs to pay for school and help her mother pay the bills as well as cared for her grandmother with dementia. Receiving the Inland Empire Community Foundation’s S.L. Gimbel Foundation Scholarship—created for low-income students enrolled at certain CSUs and valuing $10,000—twice allowed her to save for her future medical school plans. But she still woke up at 3:30 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays to catch the 5:20 a.m. bus to campus.
The California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) is seeking qualified individuals to serve on the California State University (CSU) systemwide and campus-based Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Implementation and Oversight Committees to guide the CSU’s compliance of federal NAGPRA and state CalNAGPRA laws. The application period for nominations to the CSU systemwide committee has been extended to February 2, 2024. Each of the universities in the CSU system is also seeking nominations for their respective campus-based committee, and those nominations will be accepted on an ongoing basis.
NAGPRA is a federal law that acknowledges the fundamental human rights of Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians to their ancestral remains and cultural items and requires agencies and institutions that receive federal funds to repatriate ancestral remains and cultural items in their possession to the appropriate lineal descendant or Tribe through a consultative process. CalNAGPRA is the California repatriation law requiring state agencies and state-funded institutions to comply. It also recognizes California Tribal Nations that do not have federal designation.
The CSU is committed to fully implementing the spirit as well as the legal requirements of NAGPRA, CalNAGPRA and the recently passed AB 389. The formation of these committees will be essential to laying the crucial infrastructure that will accomplish repatriation in a timely and truly consultative manner.
The systemwide NAGPRA Implementation and Oversight Committee will provide the CSU with expertise concerning repatriation in accordance with the NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA laws and makes recommendations to the CSU chancellor on matters of compliance and best practices. The committee will also establish systemwide directives and guiding principles for all CSU campuses. In addition, each campus with ancestral remains and cultural items will form a campus-based committee to help guide its repatriation efforts.
The systemwide and campus committees will include majority representation from Native American Tribes, with preference given to California Indian Tribes. Qualified individuals may include CSU staff/faculty representatives with five years of experience within a field of study as outlined in the eligibility requirements. Candidates will be reviewed by the Native American Heritage Commission, with appointments made by the CSU.
Those interested in applying or nominating a candidate are encouraged to submit an application by February 2, 2024. However, applications will continue to be accepted after that date until positions are filled.
To apply or submit a nomination form, visit the Committees page of the CSU CalNAGPRA/NAGPRA website at http://nagpra.calstate.edu/csu-committees.
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 students and alumni make a significant impact on California communities through the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program.
Cal State San Bernardino College Corps fellow Juliana Garcia (left) with California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday (center) and CSUSB College Corps fellow Kenia Castaneda.
Now in its second year of operation, the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program provides college students with meaningful work experience and helps them pay for their education while forging more equitable communities across California. The first program of its kind available to AB540-eligible Dreamers, the initiative connects students with service opportunities in fields like K-12 education, food insecurity and climate action.
California Volunteers launched the program in early 2022 in partnership with AmeriCorps and 45 colleges and universities statewide, including 16 CSUs. Through College Corps, students can earn $10,000 for completing 450 hours of service to their community. About 1,300 CSU students have participated in the program each year of its operation—making up more than half of the total number of fellows and contributing up to 1,170,000 hours of service.
“Valuable, life-changing experiences shaping the leaders of tomorrow are at the center of the partnership between the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program and the California State University system,” says California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. “Because CSU is a world-class institution, we are able to create models like College Corps to lift up all our communities and inspire the next generation of leaders.”
College Corps aligns with the CSU’s mission to graduate compassionate, civic-minded leaders and enables students to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to benefit their communities, strengthen their leadership and public speaking skills and gain valuable career training.
Read about their experiences.
Encouraging a College-Going Culture
Rizarri and her College Corps fellows help organize virtual and in-person professional development workshops, engineering competitions and fun activities to encourage STEM exploration. They also host regular meetings they call “College Corner” to provide an open forum for their students to ask questions about college, and often visit their partner schools to connect with students and foster a college-going culture.
The most rewarding part, Rizarri says, is being able to pass along the knowledge and skills she has learned at CSUEB and beyond to provide the students with resources they can use in school and in their personal lives. She says the schools she works with are in underserved communities where many students don’t have the means to pursue higher education and even fewer pursue STEM degrees.
“A lot of the students from these schools need more attention because they don’t really have mentors or see themselves represented in STEM fields,” Rizarri says. “So, it’s been nice to be that person for them. I want them to think, ‘If she can do it, I can do it, too.’”
The Antioch native transferred to CSUEB from Los Medanos College with plans to become a nurse, but says she is becoming more interested in pursuing a career in health administration or advocacy so she can make a more positive impact on the community.
“I’ve been learning so much at CSUEB about public health policy, how to make new policies and improve on existing ones,” Rizarri says. “Through College Corps I have really improved my public speaking skills and grown as a leader, and I want to take on a bigger role in public health advocacy.”
The California State University (CSU) announced today that it will be providing all instructional faculty, librarians, counselors and coaches with a general salary increase of 5% effective January 31, 2024, concluding contract negotiations and exhausting the state’s impasse process. This decision was made after the latest round of negotiations with the California Faculty Association (CFA) failed to yield an agreement that would provide faculty salary increases while still allowing the CSU to best serve students within the limits of its resources.
Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses — including layoffs — that would have jeopardized the CSU’s educational mission. In addition to the general salary increase, the CSU will be increasing department chairperson pay and allowing for modest parking fee increases.
“With this action, we will ensure that well-deserved raises get to our faculty members as soon as possible,” said Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources. “We have been in the bargaining process for eight months and the CFA has shown no movement, leaving us no other option.”
The 5% salary increase is consistent with agreements the CSU has already reached with five of its labor unions.
“Our overriding responsibility is to manage a systemwide budget in a fiscally sustainable manner,” said Freedman. “We are committed to paying fair, competitive salaries and benefits for our hard-working faculty members, who are delivering instruction to our students every day and are the cornerstone of our university system. But we must also operate within our means to protect the long-term success and stability of the university, our students and our faculty.”
Without a change in bargaining position by CFA, this concludes bargaining on their contract reopener. The CSU and CFA can now begin successor bargaining on the full contract. The CSU remains committed to the collective bargaining process.
For more information, view the CSU Labor and Employee Relations 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.
The CSU Transfer Planner is now available to any California Community College student.
The California State University (CSU) has launched the free online CSU Transfer Planner to help streamline the transfer process for the more than 90,000 community college students seeking to earn their four-year degree at one of the 23 universities in the CSU system.
“The CSU Transfer Planner is a must-have for any student interested in transferring to the CSU,” said April Grommo, CSU assistant vice chancellor of Strategic Enrollment Management. “This new user-friendly tool allows community college students to enter their classwork and track how their progress aligns with the CSU’s general education and major-specific requirements. We want students to feel empowered to start planning their future at a California State University campus.”
Part of the CSU’s continued efforts to increase the number of bachelor’s degrees attained by California college students, the CSU Transfer Planner helps students create a centralized resource to track their community college coursework and maximize time to degree completion.
Learn more about any of the 23 California State Universities, their programs and transfer-admission requirements
Save degree programs of interest to their online account
Log their community college coursework to track general education progress and compare their current GPA against the transfer-admission requirements
Receive helpful tips about how to efficiently transfer to their chosen CSU campus
The CSU Transfer Planner was developed specifically for the CSU by Liaison, the enrollment management technology company that designed the Cal State Apply platform.
Eligible students interested in a guaranteed spot at a CSU campus can also use the Transfer Planner to enroll in the Transfer Success Pathway dual admission program—announced earlier this year.
Future plans for the Transfer Planner include developing an integration with the Cal State Apply platform to create a seamless transition of data and application experience for students.
“The California Community Colleges are a primary access point and launching pad for CSU undergraduate students, particularly those who are low-income, first-generation or from historically underrepresented communities,” said Grommo. “More than 40% of CSU undergraduate students started their higher education journey at a community college, so the Transfer Planner will help thousands of students to proactively engage in mapping their higher education success.”
Whether they are planning to transfer or just beginning their college journey, all students are encouraged to create their free CSU Transfer Planner account today at https://csutransfer.myliaison.com. For additional information, visit the CSU Transfer website.
Founding president of Cal State San Marcos passes away at age 85.
Photo courtesy of the University Archives, California State University San Marcos Special Collections, University Library
The California State University (CSU) remembers the life of former California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) President Bill W. Stacy, who passed away January 8, 2024, at the age of 85. Appointed in 1989 as CSUSM’s founding president, Stacy presided over the establishment of CSU’s first new campus since 1965 and the nation’s first new state university in more than two decades.
“Dr. Stacy was a bold leader and a true visionary,” said CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “He combined a keen intellect, creativity and fierce determination with a compassionate heart and an unwavering commitment to the students he served. These qualities made him the ideal founding president of Cal State San Marcos, and his leadership set the university on a steeply upward trajectory that continues to this day. Dr. Stacy’s positive impact – to CSUSM and to the CSU more broadly – will span generations. He will be deeply missed by all who had the honor to work with and know him.”
Stacy led CSUSM through its foundational years. Within the first year of his presidency, CSUSM hired a dozen founding faculty members, developed a curriculum for nine degree programs, and welcomed the first incoming class of approximately 450 students. He also oversaw the planning of the university’s permanent campus in its current location, which opened in 1992 with three buildings. When Stacy left in 1997, CSUSM was educating a student body of almost 4,500 and offering 19 bachelor’s degrees, 15 teacher credentials and eight master’s degrees.
“Dr. Stacy’s inspiring leadership as the first president of CSUSM paved the way for the university we are today – a model of student success, academic excellence and exemplary community engagement,” said CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt in a letter to her campus community. “I’m grateful for his vital contributions to our university and extend my deepest condolences to the Stacy family on behalf of everyone at CSUSM.”
Following his departure from the CSU, Stacy became the chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he served until 2004. He continued his career in education as the headmaster of the Baylor School, a prep school in Chattanooga, until his retirement in 2009.
Stacy is survived by his wife Sue and their three children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
The following statement can be attributed to CSU Chancellor Mildred García:
“The California State University (CSU) recognizes the state’s current fiscal challenges due to a severe revenue decline, yet remains committed to improving student success and addressing our state’s workforce demands.
Governor Newsom’s January budget proposal for 2024-25 provides a restructured approach that includes a one-year funding delay for the CSU, to be later backfilled with one-time and ongoing funding by the state. Given the state’s economic circumstances, the governor’s plan endeavors to both acknowledge the financial commitment to the CSU and our students and takes steps to resolve the budget deficit.
This proposal would deliver the same level of funding per fiscal year as originally outlined in the compact, although with additional risk to the CSU if the state’s budget condition further erodes and the state cannot fulfill this restructured commitment.
Recognizing this, the CSU will honor and work toward fulfilling the goals outlined in the original multi-year compact. We will explore our funding options to advance compact-related goals during the one-year delay and will proceed with financial prudence as we review the impacts and implications of this budget proposal.”
On January 10, 2024, Governor Newsom proposed a state budget that would defer the 2024-25 CSU compact funding commitment of approximately $240 million by one year—until fiscal year 2025-26—to help address the state budget shortfall. Reiterating his commitment to the CSU and to advance compact-related goals, the governor proposes to reimburse the CSU with a one-time payment of approximately $240 million at the start of fiscal year 2025-26, in addition to resuming ongoing compact funding.
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.
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