A Conversation with CSULB President Jane Close Conoley
The Committment To Latino Student Success at CSULB
By Antonio Ruiz
The commitment to Latino Student success is an on-going work in progress at California State University, Long Beach. The Latino numbers are significant in a student population of nearly 36,000 students. “I think we’re at 37 percent now. So we’re Hispanic serving. We’re also Asian, Pacific Islander, serving so we have a very diverse campus. But as a group, that’s our largest group.” There’s no majority group anymore, according to Jane Close Conoley, President of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)
“ We are a majority of minorities” is how Conoley describes the diversity of the student population.
The numbers also reveal some of the challenges, especially for students who come from low-income families. “52% of our students are Pell eligible, meaning they qualify for Federal support and if I were to look at the Latino group specifically, I think the percentage would be higher.”
Conoley points out that, “Many of our Latino students come with the typical stuff associated with poverty.” She states the obvious, “They’re obviously bright kids. They’re in the top third of their class but they often come from neighborhoods with high schools that have not offered them all the bells and whistles that kids in better zip codes can count on.”
More than One Challenge
Getting them in the door is a challenge but keeping them there at CSULB is another challenge. “We’ve been increasingly successful at the persistence rate between freshman and sophomore year, sophomore and junior year.” According to the CSULB President, “The drop out rate has historically been higher for Latino and African-American kids.” But the University has put in place programs she describes as hi-tech and hi-touch. “Link kids up with advisors, bridge programs in the summer, we have electronic advising.”
CSULB’s support for Latino students starts long before they ever decide whether they’re going to CSULB. “We do tremendous outreach to area schools, especially in Long Beach, where there is a tremendous amount of Latino students.” The college brings middle school students to the campus where they can see students like themselves on campus and see the CSULB campus is welcoming to them.
Working for Latino Student Success
We asked President Conoley to look into that crystal ball on her desk. “We got a little more state money this year so we’ll take 700 more students next year. We turned down 24,000 students this year. I don’t know what percentage of those were Latinos but I’m going to assume they’re high given the percentage of Latinos we have here.” Investment by the state, she adds, is vital.
And “If I looked into my crystal ball, I would want more Latino faculty members. Now, it’s about 10% versus 36%. We want Latino parents to know that if their students came here, they would be coming into an environment that is committed to their child’s success.”
Credit CSULB Website: http://www.csulb.edu
For more information on California State University, Long Beach, visit their website at www.csulb.edu
Hear our conversation with CSULB President Jane Close Conoley:
