With generous funding from the US Department of Education's Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant program, Cal State LA has launched Éxito! Building Student Support and Faculty Quality, a project designed to improve student success, retention, and graduation and to close equity gaps among students.
Éxito Overview
Cal State LA's Title V grant, Éxito! Building Student Support and Faculty Quality is dedicated to improving the experience and success of Cal State LA’s undergraduates with a special focus on graduating more Latinx and BIPOC students. Funding supports expanding academic support services for students, particularly those in their first two years, redesigning lower-division gateway courses, and developing processes to support lecturer faculty, who teach 84% of our lower division courses. With the long-held commitment to access for all students regardless of ability to pay, Cal State LA is committed to supporting the academic success of all students by providing culturally relevant, student-centered instruction and related academic services and support.
This project’s strategies are driven by the following strong theory: student persistence, achievement, and graduation rates will be positively impacted through a systemic redesign of academic support services and along with faculty professional development. In alignment with Cal State LA’s strategic plan and institutional initiatives, the goals of Éxito! are to increase the persistence and graduation rates of first-year students and to achieve fiscal sustainability of Title V project strategies.
Over the five-year project period, Title V funding will position Cal State LA to reach the targeted 4-year graduation rate of 30%; an increase from the 2017-2018 baseline of 9.5%. Cal State LA is committed to fully institutionalizing grant activities. All proposed Title V strategies are predicated on the adoption of the philosophy and research findings related to student success within the context of timely academic interventions, faculty professional development, and data-driven decision-making.
Strategic Focus Areas
Institutionalizing processes for hiring, onboarding, and supporting lecturer faculty.
Delivering employer-informed career-relevant faculty development and academic support services.
Delivering culturally responsive faculty development and academic support services.
Improving financial literacy through on-line materials and peer coaching.
Redesigning lower division gateway courses to improve completion rates and eliminate equity gaps by taking a student-centered approach that emphasizes the strength and cultural wealth of our students.