CSULB
graduates more women than men
By Gina Ponce
On-line Forty-Niner
Across
the country, women consist of almost two-thirds
of the college student population.
In fall 2001, Cal State Long Beach had 60
percent female students and 40 percent male
students. CSULB also awards more degrees
to women than men because of the difference
in enrollment numbers, said Van Novack,
director of Institutional Research.
The average time it took for a student to
graduate last year was 5.73 years.
Women took 5.58 years and men took 6.04
years to graduate. On average, half of the
freshman class will graduate at CSULB. Six
percent more women stay to receive their
degrees.
Higher education has changed, Novack said.
The white male used to dominant universities.
But, within the last five years, CSULB has
shown rising enrollment and increased graduation
rates among women.
When asked how this may affect today’s working
world, Novack said, “I can only guess. One
of the few reasons fewer men attend college
is it’s easier for them to get a job right
out of high school. As far as jobs that
require degrees, women are definitely at
an advantage.”
Investigations are underway to show why
that is happening, but there are not a lot
of answers, Novack said.
“This campus isn’t doing anything to recruit
women or men, that’s just who applies and
consequently who gets in,” he said.
Mike Hostetler, associate vice president
for Student Services and dean of students,
said, “We are seeing a very significant
increase in the number of women that want
to come to college and earn a degree.
They see a degree as a sign of independence
to guide their own destiny.” He said
at the beginning of the ’80s and ’90s, women
saw a degree as liberating and this causes
them to take it more seriously.
When entering college as freshmen, men and
women share the same test scores and grade
point averages from high school, but women
are becoming increasingly more successful,
Hostetler said.
It is a national trend that fewer men are
electing to come to college and a higher
percentage of men are dropping out. This
trend is very pronounced in the East and
conferences have been held to focus on where
all the men are, Hostetler said.
The increased enrollment of women in college
is systemwide in the California State University
program with 58 percent women and 42 percent
men, said Colleen Bentley-Adler, director
of public affairs at the CSU Chancellors
Office.
Surrounding CSU campuses were consistent
in that more women are obtaining degrees.
In 2001 Cal State Dominguez Hills granted
1,703 degrees, 1,246 went to women and 457
went to men. Cal State Fullerton awarded
4,517 degrees, 2,774 went to women and 1,743
went to men. Cal State Los Angeles
awarded 2,489 degrees, 1,562 went to women
and 927 went to men. Cal State Northridge
granted 4,387 degrees, 2,679 went to women
and 1,708 went to men. The only change
in results was with Cal Poly Pomona.
They awarded 2,763 degrees, 1,304 went to
women and 1,459 went to men. Bentley-Adler
said both Cal Poly schools have traditionally
had a higher enrollment of men but that
is slowly changing.
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