A high priority for many higher education institutions is the commitment to increase graduation rates, especially for students from traditionally underrepresented communities. This is particularly true for diverse institutions like Cal State Northridge. The effectiveness of such efforts, however, must also be backed up by hard evidence.
I’m pleased to report that the Education Trust—an organization that promotes high academic achievement for students and is committed to closing the gaps in opportunity and achievement that exist for young people, particularly those from low-income families or traditionally underrepresented groups—recently singled out Cal State Northridge for its success in closing the graduation gap between minority and non-minority students.
The recognition appeared in the Trust’s recent January 2010 publication, Top Gap Closers in Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities, which can be downloaded in its entirety here. The report uses our success as a case study of how the University’s efforts have made a difference and yielded clear positive results. Covering the period 2002 to 2007, the report demonstrates our success in improving overall graduation rates across the board while cutting the graduate gap between minority and non-minority students significantly, from 16.9 percent in 2002 to 9.3 percent in 2007.
This success was not accomplished overnight: it has required a concerted decade-long effort across campus, and it has been driven by leadership at all levels, diligence, focus, and hard work. We should particularly take pride in the fact that we were able to achieve our success without compromising the University’s standards (indeed, the paper shows we actually made some academic policies more stringent when the data showed that existing processes only served to delay progress) and while becoming a more diverse campus.
Of course, our work is not done and we cannot be satisfied until such gaps disappear altogether. But we should take great pride in the recognition of our efforts and in knowing that our hard work is paying off.
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The Miscellaneous section of the campus budget FAQ has been updated. A question and answer have been added about whether the Governor’s recommendation to reduce the number of paid holidays for state workers would apply to University employees.
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Today we celebrate Presidents Day.
While the University is open today and officially observes President Lincoln’s and President Washington’s birthdays later in the year to ensure that the University provides an adequate number of instruction days to fulfill its mission, I hope each of us will take a few moments to remember the achievements and legacies of the nation’s presidents.
For more than 200 years, we have been fortunate as a nation to have enjoyed a relatively stable and peaceful election and transfer of power every four years—even in time of war—and to have democratically-elected presidents who, regardless of political affiliation, have all shared a commitment to advancing the strength and security of the nation and its people. Each in his own way has exhibited vision and uncommon courage in leading the nation, and has provided a role model for the young women and men who we, as a University community, are charged with educating, and who will serve as our next generation of citizens and leaders.
Happy Presidents Day.
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As noted at my January 28 blog, Cal State Northridge was visited by a peer review team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) on February 3–5, as part of the second phase of the University’s reaccreditation.
My email to the campus community with details about the results of the visit has been posted and can be found here. As noted in the message, the peer review team was very complimentary of Cal State Northridge and we should be very proud to have the good work we are doing here affirmed by a group of our peers. The message includes appreciation for everyone who contributed to the success of the visit.
We now await the team’s written draft report. I will continue to keep everyone informed of the re-accreditation process as it continues to move forward.
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The campus budget FAQ has just been updated here, regarding previously received Federal Stimulus Funds that has just been released to CSU campuses.
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I had the privilege of addressing this year’s annual faculty retreat and, in keeping with the meeting’s theme of “Educating Through Uncertain Times,” I spoke about “Dialogue Through Uncertain Times.” Though the text of my remarks is available online, it was originally composed for a faculty audience. Given the uncertainties we still face as a campus community primarily because of the budget—which I expect will continue to affect many members of the broader campus community at work and on a personal level in the coming year—I thought there was value in discussing this topic in a broader way at this blog.
Many observers of culture and society have noted the changing norms of dialogue and communication in society. We seem to live in a more polarized world in which talk show hosts and commentators present dogmatic views and opinions as fact without any accountability or proof, or with what we in the academic community would consider reasoned logic after a careful consideration of the data and evidence. And while some may consider entertaining television shows that feature guests who shout at each other without listening or responding directly to other legitimate points of view, it should not serve as a model for how people deal with each other, particularly when it comes to problem-solving the serious challenges and setbacks that threaten the well-being of a community.
With this in mind, as we move forward as a community in dealing with the uncertainties of the coming year, I hope we can continue relying on the strengths and characteristics that have historically distinguished academia and, more specifically, Cal State Northridge. Many of us are attracted to higher education because of our love of ideas, the joy of sharing those ideas with others, and the sharpening that comes through having those ideas challenged. Engaging in discussions and debate—which can be vigorous and passionate while remaining civil and respectful—is critical to the learning process.
A contemporary and rich lay definition of dialogue that I found online captures, I think, the value of true “dialogue” for a community: “Dialogue is a shared exploration towards greater understanding, connection, or possibility” (http://www.co-intelligence.org). The goal of greater understanding and possibility is a core aspiration of academic study, and the key to Cal State Northridge being able to achieve its objectives and fulfill its destiny even in a time of uncertainty.
As we look forward and prepare to address the difficult challenges that lie ahead, I hope that all members of the Cal State Northridge community will continue to emphasize and strengthen our use of dialogue to both sustain us and to problem solve. I hope, too, that as a community committed to learning and growth, we will each strive to nurture ourselves to be active and informed listeners and to engage in dialogue around campus. In my remarks at the faculty retreat, I provide a list of concrete suggestions to help achieve this goal which you can read here; these include active learning, true engagement, the candid exchange of ideas, the learning of facts, and respecting the realities and points of view of others.
At Cal State Northridge, we have done well in sustaining dialogue over the past year and have the advantage of many positive models of dialogue that already exist on campus—such as the Faculty Senate, Associated Students, and a tradition of shared governance and consultation—that have served the University well over the years. As a higher education institution, all of us inherently share a commitment to dialogue and a commitment to hold ourselves to the highest standards of dialogue because it is our responsibility to lead by example—by modeling what we hope to receive from and see in others, particularly the students we are charged with educating.
Thus, for the benefit of our students and the continued excellence of our University community, I ask each of you to be an active participant in the ongoing dialogue at Cal State Northridge.
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