SUMMARY
At this event, leading scholars presented research findings documenting the impact of fiscal cutbacks on the opportunity for higher education in the California State University system. CSUs educate a greater number of Latino and African American students, enroll a much larger undergraduate student body than the University of California system overall, and many CSU students are first-generation college students struggling to get an education in difficult times. Representatives from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, California Senate, and Postsecondary Education Commission respond to the researchers and open the discussion to attendees. Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) Director David Plank introduced the event.
PRESENTERS:
Patricia Gándara and Gary Orfield, Co-Directors, The Civil Rights Project at UCLA
Kimberly King, Assistant Professor, California State University, Los Angeles
RESPONDENTS:
Steve D. Boilard, Director of Higher Education, Legislative Analyst’s Office
Kathleen Chavira, Principal Consultant, CA State Senate, Education Committee
Stacy Wilson, Senior Researcher, California Postsecondary Education Commission
Research from the series, The CSU Crisis and California’s Future, which was designed to analyze the impact of fiscal cutbacks on higher education opportunity in the California State University system, was presented.
See the article on the research series in Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
The discussion included:
- Impacts to students and the future of the state: students are struggling to finish college as tuition soars, class offerings shrink, and families are devastated by the economic turndown. This situation impacts college opportunity and threatens California’s college graduation needs.
- Improving access by removing barriers to CSU education: reductions in outreach and recruitment department will be felt mainly by Latino and African American students, impeding their educational progress. Policies and procedures surrounding academically underprepared students are impacting success and retention rates.
- Meeting the financial needs of aid-eligible students: college affordability in California is at risk and particularly impacted are Latino and African American students. More students need paid employment to pay college costs, which ultimately impacts retention and graduation rates.
- Understanding the impact to CSU faculty and staff: faculty and staff are experiencing increased workloads, larger class sizes, reductions in resources and salaries, and have less time available for students and projects.
To view a video of the event, go to our YouTube channel HERE.
For more information about this research, please see A Note on the Series.