December 2020
A panel of students moderated and presented at the opening session of the first annual statewide conference by the CSU Student Success Network, an independent network facilitated by EdInsights. Representing campuses from Northern,…
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CSU Faculty and Staff Share Strategies to Support Students Online
October 2020
CSU faculty, staff, and administrators are using a range of creative practices to increase student engagement, facilitate equitable remote learning, and broaden access to virtual student supports. In a series of online conversations hosted by the CSU Student Success Network in July and August, over 150 faculty and staff across 21 CSU campuses shared strategies and learned from each other about student-centered online practices. In the spirit of navigating this unique year together, we want to disseminate the ideas, tips, and practical strategies our colleagues shared during the sessions.
Supporting Leadership Development in the CSU: A Q and A with Susan M. Baxter
July 2020
Susan M. Baxter, Ph.D. , former executive director of CSUPERB (CSU Program for Education & Research in Biotechnology), joined the Advisory Board of the Student Success Network in 2016 and stepped down from the board when she retired from CSUPERB in May 2020. In this interview, Susan identifies why she stayed engaged with the Network, how it influenced her work at CSUPERB, and how it supports faculty and staff in the CSU.
Navigating Uncertainty Together
An Update on the Coronavirus [COVID-19] and its Impact on Upcoming Events
April 2020
The Coronavirus [COVID-19] has had an impact on all of our work, including our Network events. We are a team that is dedicated to gathering people together to share, learn, experiment, and build community. Toward those ends, we are rethinking and redesigning our meetings, including creating virtual gathering spaces. For those who are interested and able to participate, here is what we know about the future of our planned events.
Laying a Foundation for Equity Work on Campus: A Profile of the Chico State Team at the CSU Network’s Middle Leadership Academy
October 2019
When a team from Chico State arrived at the CSU Network’s Middle Leadership Academy in 2018-19, the team members had ambitious plans but no specific project to address equity issues on campus. At the Academy, they examined student data and began to focus on correlations between equity gaps in graduation rates and DFW rates during students’ first two years. They found that historically underserved students, compared with other students, were more likely to get a DFW, even accounting for incoming high-school grade point averages. Back on campus, they decided that their first step was to lay a broad foundation to support equity work.
Mathematics and Equity: The Transformation of a “Middle Leader” in the CSU
October 2019
Before David Zeigler became chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Sacramento State University, he had not considered how remedial education policies might be an impediment to student success.
“We had a very draconian system,” Zeigler said. “It was not friendly at all to students. The tragic story is that it was our system and so I supported it.”
Zeigler’s “enlightenment,” as he calls it, came about through a series of professional development experiences, research, and conversations with peers, including participating in the Middle Leadership Academy. As chair, he began to attend cross-disciplinary gatherings associated with teaching and learning generally. That’s when he began to shepherd the department through a major transformation in how it supports incoming students in math.
How Do CSU Advising Efforts Compare to National Approaches?
September 2019
Earlier this year, the CSU Student Success Network released the second report from Destination Integration, its series on academic advising. The studies explore the perspectives of students, advisors, and administrators on advising and advising reform on CSU campuses. In reviewing the authors’ findings, I am intrigued by how closely they mirror the conclusions of national studies of advising and student services, which means that the CSU is not alone in the challenges it faces in seeking to make advising a more integrated experience for students. And if the challenges are not unique to the CSU, then neither are the solutions.
How Learning Across Systems Supports Middle Leadership
July 2019
A new report by the Research and Planning Group (RP Group) of the California Community Colleges, struck a chord for several reasons. Not only was RP one of the inspirations for creating the CSU Student Success Network, the CSU Network’s Middle Leadership Academy is modeled after Leading from the Middle in the community colleges, and many community college colleagues generously helped get the CSU Network off the ground.
What CSU Students Say about Advising
May 2019
As large public universities, such as those within the California State University system, focus on increasing student success, efforts to improve student advising are front and center. As institutions endeavor to become more student-centered, it’s worth asking: do students perceive advising challenges and opportunities the same way as institutional leaders do?
This post draws from our two applied research studies on academic advising: Destination Integration.