Tool URL: NA

Institution URL: http://www.csulb.edu

In addition to the posted link on the CSULB web site, which will likely not last forever, this work has been described in the Winter 2015 edition of Public Purpose, the publication of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and in a Spring 2016 issue of Change Magazine.

Large, very diverse, urban, public, comprehensive, Master's university in southern California

Student success and degree completion with first generation, underrepresented universities in large, public, poorly funded universities.

• Improving retention and completion overall and for all student ethnic, gender, income, and major subgroups
  
• Reduce achievement gaps between underrepresented students and others
  
• Maintain and improve degree quality.

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) received the 2014 national award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) for Excellence and Innovation in Student Success and Completion, recognizing record high graduation rates, significantly above comparable institutions. To achieve gains, CSULB implemented a full range of institution-changing strategies, not just a few student success measures. Gains occurred with cohorts that entered during major budget cuts, benefitted all ethnic and gender groups, and low-income students, and occurred with cohorts that were far more diverse and far more low-income compared to earlier cohorts. With a national conversation asking why sizable student success gains are elusive, especially for underrepresented students, the CSULB experience suggests a key reason: improvement requires changing many aspects of the institution, not just a few, and this can be difficult.

• HVDI utilized a broad set of strategies to accomplish gains. Some were typical: learning communities, advising, tutoring. Others were less commonly discussed in connection with student success: strategic planning, budget planning and enrollment management. The keys were a collaborative, all-institution approach; a sustained, unwavering focus; and strong and committed leadership.
  
• Planning: HVDI utilized the existing annual strategic planning process to establish campus goals for degree completion. Discussions created a venue within which efforts of Academic Affairs could link with Student Affairs and with Administration and Finance (which housed Enrollment Services). Student success eventually became a super-ordinate goal for all divisions, which was a useful way to resolve differences between vice presidents about resource allocation.
  
• Communication: Prior to 2005, student success was rarely a topic of conversation among CSULB leaders. As student success became a super-ordinate goal, success language began to make frequent appearances in campus communications from presidents, provosts, and other campus leaders. Three successive presidents used signature slogans (“I have three priorities: students, students, students;” “Graduation Begins Today;” “We kno
  
  FEATURES:
  

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  PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
  
  • Graduation rates
    
  • Achievement gaps
  
  
  ACHIEVED OUTCOMES:
  

  Graduation rates rose 14% (53% to 67%) in five years. Achievement gaps closed from 12% to 8% in five years. Graduation rates rose 41% (26% to 67%) in 15 years. All ethnic and gender groups benefited from these gains. Low income and "remedial" students benefited.

  
  
  IMPACTS:
  

  Over 6,000 students graduated in the past decade who would not have graduated at earlier,lower campus graduation rates.

  
  

• Student success requires a whole institution approach.
  
• There is no magic bullet. A student’s path through a large university is complex with many potential roadblocks. Isolated interventions may not be effective.
  
• Some important strategies are often overlooked: leadership, budgetary commitment, enrollment management, curricular streamlining, tenure track hiring, and data capabilities. Without these success efforts will only be marginally effective.
  
• Without data, it is nearly impossible to have productive conversations about student success. With data, it becomes harder to deny that problems exist. Data demonstrating achievement gaps will often lead to consensus more quickly.
  
• Managing a large university to optimize success requires a skilled, collaborative, responsive leadership and managerial team.
  
• Leadership is critical.
  
• Facu
  
  RESOURCES AND COSTS NEEDED:
  

  RESOURCES NEEDED

  Leadership was the key ingredient along with a whole institution approach. It was necessary to prioritize resources to support students -- especially schedule of classes, advisors, and support programs -- in order to achieve gains. However, gains occurred during the worst budget crisis in the history of California higher education, the "Great Recession" of 2007-10. There was no large infusion of resources that made this possible; rather it required a disciplined prioritization of budget.

  
  

  COSTS

  • Prioritizing costs of instruction off the top of the university budget each year
    
  • Prioritizing costs of expanding advisors even during a recession and budget cuts
    
  • Prioritizing costs of adding supplemental instruction and tutoring even during a recession and budget cuts
  
  

Further innovations are planned. A student success center will open. E-advising and predictive analytics will become pervasive as well as deeper uses of data. Digital learning and high impact practices will be expanded. First-year experiences will be changed and improved while graduate programs will be reinvigorated.

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David Dowell 
Provost 
California State University Long Beach 
Long Beach, California 90840 
Phone: 562-985-4128 
David.Dowell@csulb.edu

David Dowell 
Provost 
California State University Long Beach 
Long Beach, California 90840 
Phone: 562-985-4128 
David.Dowell@csulb.edu