By Adwoa Akyianu, Communications Coordinator, Network
As the California State University (CSU) system continues to advance its commitment to Black student success, campuses are being called to examine not only outcomes, but the conditions that shape student experience. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in instruction, student affairs, and institutional effectiveness, Dr. Robert “BJ” Snowden, Executive Director of the CSU Central Office for the Advancement of Black Student Success, brings a systemwide perspective to this work through his leadership on Black– Serving Institution certification and equity– centered policy development.
In this Q and A, Dr. Snowden reflects on what authentic servingness looks like in practice, the leadership mindset required to move beyond entrenched institutional norms, and how campuses can align culture, accountability, and student support to better serve Black students across the CSU.
Adwoa Akyianu (AA): To begin, can you share your journey into leading the Central Office for the Advancement of Black Student Success, and how your experiences shaped the perspective you brought to our Convening panel?
Dr. Robert “BJ” Snowden: I love a question like that because it allows me to reflect. I usually go back to undergrad because that is a logical place to begin. I am from Sacramento and went to Florin High School. I had a nontraditional high school experience. I had an internship my junior and senior year that allowed me to work four hours a day and still earn high school credit, so I did not complete the traditional A through G requirements. College was not really on my radar at that time.
I ended up getting accepted to Sac State and kind of figured it out on my own. During my first semester, my grades were mailed home. My dad opened what he thought was a tuition check and instead it was my 1.13 GPA and a letter saying I was on academic probation. That was a moment where I really had to figure out what my future was going to look like.
I dual enrolled at a community college, changed my major four or five times, and eventually figured it out through persistence and with the help of people who advocated for my success and showed me which doors to open. I transferred to San Jose State, graduated, and went to grad school. While substitute teaching to pay the bills, I fell in love with education and shifted my entire pathway toward becoming a teacher.
I later became a tenure track professor at around 25 years old and taught for 14 years, doing everything from writing curriculum to serving as department chair and leading the academic senate. Over time, I realized I wanted to make a broader impact beyond my own classroom and campus. That led me to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, where I helped implement legislation that allowed community colleges to teach college courses inside state prisons and county jails. Taking legislation and turning it into real, on– the– ground change was transformative and exactly the kind of work I wanted to do.
I eventually returned to campus leadership roles, serving as an instructional dean, center dean, interim vice president for student services, and later as associate vice president of research and equity and chief diversity officer at American River College. I oversaw Black Student Success efforts, affinity centers, professional development, and equity focused research.
In 2024, I attended CSU Juneteenth and reconnected with colleagues who shared that Sac State would serve as the hub for the Central Office for the Advancement of Black Student Success. It felt like a culmination of more than 20 years of experience, from implementing SB 1348 statewide to supporting campuses in serving Black students while honoring both systemwide goals and campus level needs.
All of those experiences, as a CSU graduate, lecturer, faculty member, and system leader, really brought me to this role. The work we are doing now is truly groundbreaking in terms of systemwide Black serving efforts, and it feels like a perfect fit.
AA: During the convening, you spoke about the layers that shape servingness for Black students, from belonging and identity to the implicit bias that is still present within campus interactions. From your vantage point, what does authentic servingness look like in practice and what are the gaps that campuses most often overlook?
Dr. Snowden: You know, I think what it means to be authentic in serving Black students starts with a mirror. Campuses really need to take a deep look, not where they think they are or want to be, but honestly through the data, where they actually are. If campuses are hearing from Black students and Black employees that there are challenges, a lack of belongingness, or that Black students are not as successful as other student populations, that is the literal starting line.
From there, it is incredibly important not only to create space for Black students and employees to share their experiences, but to create methods and processes for accountability in how institutions respond. Where we get into trouble is hearing all the things that need to change but never changing them, often using bureaucracy or history as an excuse for why it is challenging or even impossible to implement changes or pilot approaches that research and practice have already shown to be effective.
That mirror is such an important element, and it is challenging if leadership is not ready to take a hard look. Leadership really matters here. There are leaders who lead from an allied perspective and want Black students to be successful, and then there are leaders who lead from a personal connection to the work and to the communities served by these institutions. When it is personal, it becomes easier to look in the mirror without seeing it as an affront to leadership, but instead as a snapshot in time.
Just because things are a certain way right now does not mean they have to be that way forever. If we are serious about preparing the next generation of leaders, we have to be comfortable recognizing that shifts and evolution may be necessary. Authentic servingness looks like holding that mirror up, understanding the gaps in how leadership is engaging with the work, and being willing to recognize where improvement is needed.
AA: You also noted that if we get our house in order and tell students’ stories authentically through data, we can influence practices statewide. How do you see campuses building the capacity to use data in ways that honor students’ realities and drive systemic changes?
Dr. Snowden: I think there are two ways that come to mind immediately. The first is getting students interested in the data themselves. Data should be part of the normal higher education journey. When students engage with data that is local to the campus or community they are living in, it becomes real. It is not just understanding data, but understanding the language around data and how to analyze it in context.
I remember matching what I was seeing on campus with the data and realizing that the eyeball test and the data test mattered together. When campuses incorporate institutional data into courses like ethnic studies, history, sociology, psychology, communication, or statistics, students become more curious and take more ownership of the institution they are part of. They are better able to understand the information being shared with them.
I do not think campuses are ignoring data, but it is often marketed internally to answer pre– asked questions about enrollment, retention, persistence, and graduation. The question is: who actually knows these data are being released? Are campuses celebrating both the good and the bad? Are they making it known when reports are published or when climate surveys need broad participation?
If administrators treated data as critical infrastructure, like running water, we could better communicate its importance to everyone else. At American River College, one thing I took pride in was creating data snapshots for each affinity center so information was naturally available rather than constantly routed through analysts. We used data to allocate resources, recognize gaps, and clearly document how decisions were made. That creates opportunities to tell better and more honest stories.
Celebrating data is important, even when it is uncomfortable. Reviewing the Black Student Success report showed both where campuses were excelling and where they were just beginning. That kind of transparency matters.
Another important piece is investing in faculty to do research. Faculty bring expertise that can connect research, equity, and student experience. At Sac State, Inclusive Excellence partnered with Geography to create cultural maps at the campus and community level. These maps highlight resources like faith centers, student services, grocery stores, and community organizations. We are doing similar work with Black student mapping. It is equity work, research work, and it is shared with the campus in a way that feels positive and meaningful.
In a previous role, I worked with a sociology professor to research employee cultural competence rather than tasking analysts. Faculty used their skills, students were involved through coursework, employees were engaged, and the work was celebrated because it was created in-house. It reduces strain on analysts and builds a shared culture of ownership.
Even without new funding, campuses can prioritize servingness by using existing data thoughtfully, providing context, and rounding out stories without creating new reports. Servingness becomes embedded in everyday work, in curriculum, programming, and student services. Leadership sets the tone by modeling priorities and making decisions that reflect them.
When students see their experiences reflected in data and action, it strengthens belonging., Ttransparency, faculty engagement, and celebrating both progress and gaps are what allow data to honor students’ realities and drive systemic change.
AA: How do campuses working with little to no dedicated funding ensure that servingness remains a priority when guiding decisions?
Dr. Snowden: I think there are definitely things campuses can do for free that are part of the servingness model and ecosystem. Being considerate of the differences and experiences of others in decision making matters. Campuses can also utilize the input and data they already have, without generating new reports, to provide more context and round out stories. The more context you have, the more layered the problem becomes, and the easier it is to explain why certain decisions were made.
Seeking external funding is also a huge opportunity. Campuses will likely never be funded at the level needed to do everything they want to do, and that is part of being a state institution. We have the benefit of state backing that keeps tuition affordable and allows us to serve the state well. At the same time, it is not a bad thing to adopt a more entrepreneurial or enterprise mindset in higher education.
That means empowering faculty and administrators to seek external funding and being very transparent about the process. It should not be just a few people who figure it out and keep going back to the well. It needs to be part of the culture, with encouragement for tenure track faculty, lecturers, and part timers to participate, while following local processes. It is about transparency, building interest, and —-when funding is secured, —- showing what was actually accomplished and sharing that back through data.
So then being properly funded to do that extra work is so supportive of the whole ecosystem.
At the same time, it is imperative that this is not done as, “If you want it done, go find the money.” As a leader, you have to be incredibly conscious of how you are delivering the opportunity. There still needs to be some investment by the institution, and intentional communication and collaboration between the institution and those interested in the work, so it is done together.
AA: Reflecting on my experience as a former Black Student Union (BSU) president and now working in communications and storytelling, I often think about how campuses prepare Black students not just to succeed academically, but to feel affirmed and ready for the workforce in life after college. I’m curious how institutions can better support students through that transition while acknowledging the complex lived experiences that they carry?
Dr. Snowden: Oh man, that’s a hundred thousand dollar question. The more exposure students can get in the industries they may matriculate into post graduation, the better. I had three or four internships in college and had been interning since high school, so it made sense for me to figure out how to get hours in the industry I was thinking about.
That real world exposure, whether paid or unpaid, mattered. Those internships counted toward graduation. They were not an extra. I had been given the game that you could earn units, gain experience, and make connections that benefit you after graduation.
There are gold nuggets everywhere. We just are not always told to look for them. Speaking as a Black student, the message was often to get the degree and get out. College helped me slow down and really see what the institution had to offer me.
I became a Sally Casanova pre– doctoral scholar because I saw a flyer that said, do“Do you want thirty thousand dollars to help pay for your doctorate degree?”. That program was just sitting there. If we do not encourage students to take advantage of what already exists, we are doing a disservice.
Those experiences gave me the confidence that no matter what happened after graduation, I would figure it out. Black students have the right to enjoy their college experience. It is not just about the piece of paper at the end. It is about the journey.
AA: During our convening, you challenged us to interrogate the mindset of, “We’ve always done it this way.” What does it take for institutions to move past comfort, to redesign practices and create environments where Black students can really thrive without needing to navigate harm?
Dr. Snowden: Courage is the first one. I hate to sound like I’m the Wizard of Oz, right. But you gotta find some heart, because these conversations are going to disrupt things people have spent a long time keeping close to their vests. It is not the responsibility of Black people in higher education to fix higher education for Black people. We are already dealing with enough being in the system. We will contribute, but we are not responsible.
Beyond allyship, because allyship is good but conditional. As long as you feel good about it, you’re in the fight. The moment it no longer aligns with your feelings, it can be abandoned or evolve. What’s stronger than allyship? A fundamental understanding that the system is flawed. Even if it’s working for you, recognizing flaws and being active in evolving the system benefits everybody.
AI is a fantastic example. We cannot expect students not to utilize it. I was watching policies three years ago that were completely anti… “Ban it. Can’t use it. No, no, no, no, no. You’re cheating if you do it.” Then instructors asked, “Well, if they’re not going to not do it, how can we teach them to use it in a way that still improves the educational experience?” That’s where the evolution has gone.
We saw this come into higher ed. It shone a light on parts of our institutions that were cracked or less than polished, rather than covering it up. We became more active in the restoration process. When everyone gets on board, not just those directly impacted, that is the catalyst to move institutions forward. Where I’ve seen change happen, leadership has led from that lens and perspective.
AA: Looking ahead, what gives you hope about the future of servingness for Black students across the CSU, and what actions would you most like to see campuses take in the next year to advance this work with intention?
Dr. Snowden: I think the thing that is most inspiring right now about the Black-serving institution work is that it’s encouraging campuses to recruit and retain Black students. Strategic enrollment plans across the system have been happy to recruit students in general, maybe for a particular major or region. But I don’t know if we’ve given ourselves permission to say that we want more Black students, or more Latinx students, or more Asian students, because we believe the diversity they bring makes the institution better.
The same applies to recruitment of employees. Bringing on folks who are committed and feel like they belong ultimately makes the institution a better place.
Campuses [may] need support in creating spaces where Black students can quite literally be right, where it is normalized for them to be. I’m not saying it has to be a Black space, but it has to be spaces where being Black is normal. Classrooms, residence halls, campus events—when Black students are integrated among everyone and feel part of the overall campus community, it’s amazing.
There are cultural and community benefits to being collective, and that should continue. But when a campus is truly aligned in servingness and representing the Black-serving designation, being Black is normalized, a point of pride, and elevated by the campus. That’s where I really love the messages I’m getting from campuses across the state.
Dr. Snowden’s reflections underscore that servingness is not a checklist or a designation, but an ongoing institutional practice rooted in honesty, accountability, and shared responsibility. He emphasizes using data to tell students’ stories accurately and sharing that information transparently. Together, these practices offer campuses a clear pathway beyond symbolic commitments and toward meaningful change. As campuses look ahead, this conversation affirms that Black students are entitled to the same access, safety, affirmation, and representation as their peers. Advancing Black student success is not about minimizing harm alone. It is about creating institutions where Black students can fully experience higher education as a place of possibility, dignity and belonging. Doing so requires courage from leadership, sustained investment, and a willingness to evolve systems so that equity is reflected not just in values, but in daily practice.
This Q&A has been edited for readability and punctuation.