Hispanic Students Increasingly Successful at California State University, Northridge

Hispanic students are more likely to succeed academically at Cal State Northridge than at most state-supported schools throughout the U.S., according to a report released recently by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

The CSUN students also outperform national benchmarks in retention, and in closing the gap between white and Hispanic graduation rates, according to the “Hispanic Student Success Study.” The report – which uses the U.S. Census Bureau catchall term “Hispanic” for anyone with ancestry in a Spanish-speaking country – focused on 11 campuses, including Northridge, that were invited to participate in the study because they “retain and graduate Hispanic students at much better rates than their peers.”

At Northridge, where the demographic is more commonly referred to as “Latino,” the graduation rate for Hispanic students continues to rise, as does their percentage of all graduates. More than 34 percent of Hispanic students graduate within six years from CSUN, while barely 20 percent do so nationally within the same time frame.

The report attributed a 10 percent jump over five years in the Hispanic graduation rate to the leadership of CSUN President Jolene Koester. She has emphasized improving the completion rate for all students since her first university address in 2000. Her ongoing message is cited as motivating faculty and staff to take independent steps that are resulting in higher graduation rates across the board.

CSUN, long a popular campus for Latino students ranging from affluent, fifth-generation Mexican-Americans to disadvantaged newcomers from Central America, has often been recognized for success with this expanding demographic. When graded on how well universities serve Hispanic students, for example, Northridge ranked fifth in the nation among colleges and universities that award bachelor’s degrees in The Hispanic Outlook for Higher Education’s 2006 ranking of the top 100 colleges for Hispanics. Based on data provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, the magazine also ranked CSUN second in the nation in awarding degrees to Hispanics in Hispanic studies, third in psychology and in the visual and performing arts, sixth in area studies and in communications, seventh in English literature and ninth in business and marketing.

More Hispanic students who attend Northridge are also succeeding in the sciences, subject areas that traditionally attract fewer minorities, according to the college association report. Many who excel and go on to graduate school in those fields, the study said, are often participants in one of two programs: Minority Access to Research Careers or Minority Biomedical Research Support, which provide faculty mentoring and, when necessary, supplemental instruction.

The study cited as additional evidence of Hispanic success, the preponderance of Hispanic students in leadership positions at CSUN. The researchers also met with two leaders of a prominent Hispanic organization at CSUN, and both were enthusiastically involved in a pen pal project reaching out to fifth-graders and showing them that they, too, could aspire to college.

Noting the causes of the broad success of Hispanic students at CSUN, the study cited many factors such as “vividly inspiring” Hispanic faculty and staff – including some alumni – who go beyond their official positions to encourage student achievement. The report also described a variety of support services ranging from mandatory advisement to a freshman experience program and, if needed, access to tutoring and financial assistance that have helped Hispanic students.

The successes and the factors that influenced them are especially significant as the nation’s Hispanic population continues to increase rapidly, with the fastest growth among children under the age of 18, the pool from which future college students will come.

Despite that demographic surge, Hispanic students remain underrepresented on most campuses. Not at CSUN, where they represent 28.1 percent of the undergraduate enrollment, according to the report, reaching a “critical mass” capable of providing support and a feeling of belonging without isolation or stigma.

Cal State Northridge was also praised for developing connections with Hispanics of all ages in the surrounding community by reaching out via invitations to cultural events, by allowing use of campus facilities, through an active speakers’ bureau, and through programs that bring younger Latino students to CSUN or provide opportunities for Northridge faculty and students to work with them elsewhere. California State University, Northridge has 35,200 full- and part-time students and offers 62 bachelor’s and 50 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.”*

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