Past Convenings

Our convenings are designed to spark conversation, answer questions, and enhance our community. Join us, because we learn best when we learn from one another.

Making the ReEnrollment Priority an Equity Strategy
October 6, 2023

This virtual conversation explored how middle leaders can create re-enrollment strategies that equitably support students once they come back to campus featuring guest speaker Samantha Mc-Auliffe-Raynor, Ed.D.

Your Power in Middle Leadership: What Does it Take to Create Equity-Focused Change?
September 8, 2023

This virtual conversation explored how middle leaders can move reforms, even on campuses without complete buy-in and from positions of constrained authority by examining strategies used by other campuses in the CSU, as well as the types of decisions leaders make throughout the change process.

The final session of our “Your Power in Middle Leadership” series.

Your Power in Middle Leadership: Building Equity-Focused Programs
March 2-3, 2023

From Evidence to Practice Series: This Convening is part of a series that focuses on how we as practitioners can use the literature on equity in combination with our campus data to support evidence-based, equity-minded practices in our day-to-day work.

Part two of a three-part series, this convening focused on implementing change and assessing the changes that have already been made.

Your Power in Middle Leadership: A Call for Evidence-Based Practices for Equity
October 11, 2022

From Evidence to Practice Series: This Convening is part of a series that focuses on how we as practitioners can use the literature on equity in combination with our campus data to support evidence-based, equity-minded practices in our day-to-day work.

Part one of a three-part series, this convening explored ways to facilitate campuswide change.

These Precedented Times: Crisis Management in the CSU 
March 4, 2022

This convening offered participants an opportunity to hear from faculty researchers who have been sounding the alarm that a crisis was coming, and to learn from a department chair who recently survived Hurricane Florence only to then face COVID, and a housing services practitioner who had to quickly move students in a fire. Together, we explored what can be done now to learn from what we’ve been through, and ways to prepare for the next crisis.

Navigating Uncertainty Together: A Virtual Conversation Series
November 10, 2021

This virtual convening explored ways in which staff, administrators, and faculty navigate the power structures on our campuses to continue to sustain ourselves and support our students, with particular attention to breaking down the barrier between faculty and staff and exploring how the expectations and requirements for both roles differed during the pandemic,.

Note: All Navigating Uncertainty sessions were self-moderated.

USC Race & Equity Center’s Equity Now! Series
September 10, 17, 24 and October 1, 2021

In partnership with the USC Race & Equity Center, the Network engaged in the workshop series Equity Now! – an equity-focused professional development series for CSU staff, faculty, and administrators. Workshop topics for this four-part series include Unpacking Internal and Institutional Racism, Skill-Building of Racial Literacy, Leveraging Racial Equity Data, and Taking Action for Racial Equity Now.

Data, Practices and Policies: Setting a Clear Institutional Agenda to Support and Engage Men of Color in the CSU
April 22, 2021

Our team was honored to partner with the USC Pullias Center for Higher Education for a workshop focused on creating a racially equitable campus ecosystem to engage and support men of color in the CSU system. During the workshop, campus teams were given the space to come together and explore research-based actions that support men of color and create data-driven action plans to improve services and support for men of color on their campuses.

Supporting and Engaging Men of Color in the CSU
December 11, 2020

For the first in this two-part workshop series, Dr. Adrian Huerta (USC Pullias Center for Higher Education) and his team presented research and data focused on creating a racially equitable campus ecosystem to engage and support men of color in the CSU system.

Exploring Growth Mindset and Sense of Belonging
October 25, 2019

With a focus on exploring the concept of growth mindset, this convening provided an opportunity for colleagues from across the system to discuss tactics that can be used inside and outside of the classroom to support student learning and close equity gaps within the CSU.

Supporting Regional Education Partnerships
November 9, 2018

Looking to answer the question “What do we need to know to support equitable opportunities and outcomes for students?”, this convening focused on helping participants from the CSU understand the types and foci of regional partnerships across the state, and ways to use information to strengthen their ability to close equity gaps.

First-Year Student Success in the CSU
April 13, 2018

This convening provided an opportunity to engage in data-driven reflection and sharing, with a focus on closing equity gaps in first-year student success. Participants used their own institutional data to critically examine outcomes across student groups with a particular eye towards students of color, Pell-eligible students, and first-generation students. Additionally, we explored strategies for conducting conversations about equity gaps on campus and provided opportunities to work with colleagues from across the CSU to strategize around concrete opportunities for improvement.

Using Data to Support Student Learning and Success: Opportunities and Challenges in the CSU
May 12, 2017

Campuses across the country and within the CSU are using data in new ways to understand where students are facing challenges and how institutions can better support student learning, engagement, progression, and completion. This meeting provided an opportunity to explore this topic through cross-campus, cross-role dialogue.

A Conversation about College Readiness in the CSU
March 6, 2017

This first CSU Student Success Network Convening offered an opportunity to take part in a problem-centered, cross-campus, cross-role conversation about college readiness efforts, needs, and challenges throughout the system.