Campus Technology Insider Podcast June 2021
Listen: How Tech Is Keeping California State University's Student Success Goals in Sight
00:13
Rhea Kelly: Hello, and welcome to the campus technology insider podcast. I'm Rhea Kelly, executive editor for campus technology and your host.
In 2015, California State University launched Graduation Initiative 2025, an ambitious plan to increase graduation rates and eliminate equity gaps in degree completion across the system's 23 campuses. Then halfway through that work, COVID hit — and all those student supports and services had to shift online. For this episode of the podcast, I spoke with Dr. James Minor, assistant vice chancellor at CSU and leader of the Graduation Initiative, to find out how CSU kept students on track despite the challenges of the pandemic, the technologies and infrastructure that were needed to support students remotely, and what will remain in place going forward. Here's our chat.
Dr. Minor, welcome to the podcast.
James Minor: Thank you. It's great to be here.
Kelly: So I know that California State University is right smack in the middle of a 10-year student success initiative, working to increase graduation rates across the whole system. So what was it like to be immersed in that work — and, you know, I assume you were making good progress toward those goals — and then be hit with all the challenges that come with a global pandemic?
01:41
Minor: Yeah, it's a great question. And what I can tell you right away is that when we started this initiative, we knew that the road would be difficult. But I can assure you, none of us accounted for a global pandemic for the ages. And on a good day, student success work, retention work, closing equity gaps, it can be pretty challenging and difficult work. And now add to the mix a global public health crisis — it has been extraordinarily challenging. But I must tell you, I am both impressed and inspired and encouraged by the community of educators and professionals who figured out a way to, on one hand, manage a public health crisis, and with the other hand, figure out how to maintain the opportunities for students and to keep pathways open and alive for students to continue to pursue their degree. So it has been challenging for sure. But I am extraordinarily proud of the work that the CSU has been able to do in terms of providing opportunities for students to stay on path, stay on the track to pursue their educational goals.
03:07
Kelly: Have you needed to reevaluate the goals of the Graduation Initiative at all, or, you know, change any milestones, nudge the finish line, or anything like that?
03:17
Minor: So this is a great question and the short answer is no. I can tell you that there was quite a bit of pressure. Because the goals are ambitious. You have to remember our effort centers on dramatically improving graduation rates both at the four- and six-year level, for first-time students and for transfer students. And the other goal is to completely close equity gaps across different demographic groups in our student population. So not only are the goals aggressive, but it's challenging, and you must believe that surely we heard, you know, "My goodness, there's a global pandemic. You know, nobody knows about the budget, it's really uncertain. Surely, you can't continue to hold and maintain these targets and these goals that you've set not only for the system, but also for individual campuses." And pre-pandemic, I will tell you that the Graduation Initiative — as articulated by the then chancellor, Timothy White, and the board — was our number one priority. And even during the pandemic, we made lots of concessions in a lot of places. But our student success goals was not one of the goals that we were willing to compromise or give up. Because it was just too important. And we all collectively know what's at stake, right? So the CSU, for example, graduates a little more than 100,000 students a year. And so that's a number. That's a statistic. But what we have to remember is that each percentage point represents a little more than 1,000 students. And those are faces. Those are families. Those are individuals who rely on the CSU, to not only accomplish their educational goals, but also accomplish their goals economically in terms of their career, and what that means for those individuals and their families. Right? It's just too important to go backwards on our goal. So I'm very happy that in the face of some pretty intense calls to reconsider the goals, that the decision was made to stay the course.