CSULB defines its core academic purpose as “graduating students with highly-valued degrees,” a mission that deliberately embraces parallel commitments. In recent years, the university has sought to become more student-centered, emphasizing the shared responsibility of students, faculty, and administration for our students’ careers through to degree completion. At the same time, the university has increasingly emphasized the academic quality of CSULB degrees and the value placed on those degrees by graduates, employers, parents, and the community. For this WASC review, the campus chose to focus on two areas which together provide a broad vision for student success: Student Learning Outcomes Assessment—in the majors, in General Education, and in distance education —and Student Success, Retention, Progress toward Degree and Graduation—improvement, achievement gaps, and success efforts.
