The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

Got a tip? Have something you need to tell us? Contact us

Loading Recent Classifieds...

Access to Excellene CSU plan offers hope

In February over 170 students, faculty and administration joined together to have a campus discussion on Access to Excellence, a California State University plan designed to enhance the level of education within the community.

During the discussion, participants took advantage of the opportunity to talk about five different domain discussions, all focusing on Access to Excellence. Keith Boyum, associate vice chancellor of academic affairs, said the goal is to determine the strategic direction for California, now, and for the next ten years to come. This new plan is an update to the CSU Cornerstone Report that came out in 1996.

The dominant discussion focused on the broad role of the CSU system, and how it relates to the community, and its power to make higher education appealing to potential students in the community. The dialogues focused on how the CSU system should not only help community members receive a higher education, but succeed in their prospective fields. Solutions for appealing to the prospective college community include placing more of an emphasis on services like financial aid, mentoring, student empowerment and tutoring. The focus also centered on how to improve preparation of students enrolled for their baccalaureate degree.

Domain two dealt with the CSU’s connection with community colleges and Pre K-12 Schools. Participants in this domain specifically discussed CSUN’s role in K-12 education.

Fulfilling commitments to multiple stakeholders, internal and external, was the discussion for domain three. CSUN stakeholders include current students, past and future students. Stakeholders also include CSUN employees. The participants discussed the university’s need to have residents of the San Fernando Valley use CSUN as a place that can be of meaning to them.

Domain five, Faculty and Staff Excellence to Provide Students Success, also focused on the importance of student success, and how it could be enhanced if faculty and staff simply took more initiative to contribute to the professional well-being of the student body.

This new plan will not be finalized until mid May said, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Harry Hellenbrand. Since Access to Excellence has not been finalized, there isn’t a set-funding amount.

“Most of it probably can be done by internal work within the university setting,” Hellenbrand said.

Campuses were asked to discuss issues pertaining to access of academic preparation, and concerns with the CSU’s mission, Boyum said. The discussions centered on “ways of assuring access to people that are near by geographically, ensuring access on basis of expense and ensuring access on the basis that students in high school get a good education to prepare them for the CSU,” Boyum said.

Based on campus discussions the CSU will be hosting system-wide meeting next week on Tuesday April 24 and Wednesday April 25 in Newport Beach.

More to Discover