Cal State Fullerton awarded a record-breaking number of degrees to underrepresented students in 2019-20, according to the university’s Office of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness.
The overall number of degrees awarded to Latinx students (4,357) reached a new high, including new records for bachelor’s degrees awarded to both Latinas (2,461) and Latinos (1,454) and for master’s degrees awarded to Latinas (301). The records set are part of the steady increase in Latinx graduates that has taken place over the last few years. This is a welcome trend as the university continues to serve as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.
The achievement is part of CSUF’s larger success in conferring more degrees than ever before to underrepresented students (see Figure 1), including students who have identified their race/ethnicity as Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.
Figure 1. Total Degrees Awarded to Underrepresented Students* at Cal State Fullerton
*Students who have identified their race/ethnicity as Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.
President Fram Virjee praised the successes and the people who made them possible.
“We celebrate the many Titans — faculty, staff and students — whose efforts went into the rising graduation rates and shrinking opportunity gaps that are reflected in this year’s numbers. At the same time, we should equally and as often celebrate the Office of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness professionals who work year-round to deliver that data in ways that enable us to shine as a top public comprehensive university in our state and nation. My Titan blue and orange cap is off to both our OAIE staff who generate the numbers along with all the diverse Titan educators who breathe life into them.”
In U.S. News & World Report’s August 2020 rankings for the Western region, Cal State Fullerton ranked No. 4 among public schools, No. 5 for most innovative schools, No. 3 for Best Undergraduate Teaching Program and No. 9 in the social mobility category. The increase in the number of degrees awarded contributes to the latter, as degrees allow for upward mobility for generations to come.
Degree data are collected and updated every year by OAIE. Data from the last 11 years are available via the dashboards on the OAIE website and can be used for grant applications, Program Performance Reviews and more. Cal State Fullerton faculty and staff can access even more disaggregated data using the university Tableau internal dashboards.
For questions or more information, contact the Office of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness at data@fullerton.edu.