Cal State system devotes $10 million toward 'Black Student Success'
The California State University system recently announced a $10 million increase in funding for black student advancement at its 23 campuses across the state.
The CSU system cited 'instances of microaggressions, microassaults, microinvalidations and systemic and individual racism' as part of its rationale for the new funding.
The California State University (CSU) system recently announced a $10 million increase in funding for black student advancement at its 23 campuses across the state.
“To have a vote of confidence from our Chancellor’s office, that … they’re going to commit a $1.3 million permanent investment in terms of housing the central office here at Sacramento State to be able to help support our peers across the system, is humbling,” said Luke Wood, president of Sacramento State University. Wood has also been charged with overseeing advancement efforts at all 23 campuses.
“For Sacramento State, our response to this was the establishment of the Black Honors College, which pulled from a bunch of the different recommendations from the report,” he added. “We’ve set aside 13,000 square feet of space on campus … and we have 17 faculty members who have a demonstrated record of success teaching and serving Black and African-American students [who will] be teaching in this program.”
The program, which will begin this fall, is aimed at “students who are interested in Black history, life, culture, and contributions” and meet admission requirements.
The funding increase, spread across three academic years, is intended to drive several initiatives outlined in CSU’s Black Student Success report.
The document begins with a number of “Assumptions and Affirmations” that “guided [CSU’s] work and are reflected in the following pages and narratives,” including the belief that “the environmental ambiance on some campuses characterized by perceptions of less than welcoming experiences as well as instances of microaggressions, microassaults, microinvalidations and systemic and individual racism can be addressed with greater measures of accountability on faculty, staff and senior administration.”
“For too many of our elders and others within our community today, the environment we have created for our students is exactly what we wanted and needed decades and generations ago,” said Tonika Green, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University.
As part of the Black Student Success initiative, each campus named three “action items,” which include “[embedding] Black student success and equity into the tenure and promotion process for faculty, staff and administrators” at the San Luis Obispo campus.
The plan also includes “[expanding] the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence’s work and create more inclusive and equitable classroom experiences through ongoing professional development for faculty that specifically addresses classroom racial climates and anti-Blackness” at the Pomona campus.
Campus Reform has reached out to the California State University system and Luke Wood for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.