Chapters of Student Success Annual Report 2025-26

CSULB’s Colleges of Health and Human Services and Engineering are proactively building pathways for local middle- and high-school scholars. Through initiatives such as the Sankofa Summer at The Beach Academy and the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative (sub-region: Long Beach), CSULB connects with the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College, and community partners to strengthen culturally relevant programming, dual-enrollment, internships, and transfer pathways. This work aims to reflect local student populations, close gaps in degree attainment, and support sustainable career options.

The Solutions

Cultivate a pathway of local scholars & professionals.

• Identify middle and high school students for early exposure to university experiences and career opportunities.
• Provide scholarship, mentoring, and exposure to CSULB's campus, labs, and student life.

Develop a community of practice & collaborative ecosystem

• Inter-group dialogue, inclusion workshops, internship coordinators, and expanded paid internships are part of the strategy to build an inclusive campus-to-career ecosystem.

Provide culturally relevant & engaging programming for youth

• The week-long Sankofa Summer at The Beach Academy engaged LBUSD middle school students in hands-on labs in kinesiology, recreation, social work, nursing, hospitality, criminology, and more.
• Programming emphasizes culturally responsive and sustainable practices.

Key Metrics (Approx. for AY 2023-24)

• ~80 middle school scholars participated in the Sankofa Summer Academy at The Beach and engaged in campus workshops and labs.
• $2.5M grant awarded to CSULB (HFCOE in collaboration with CHHS/LBCC/LBUSD) through the K-16 Collaborative to expand equitable workforce pathways.

NSCI-190A is a required, 1-unit, self-paced course that provides first-year CNSM students with coordinated, holistic support as they transition into science and mathematics majors. The course is integrated with the Beach XP Learning Hub and offers equitable access to academic, social, wellness, and professional resources.

The course's modular design combines required STEM foundation modules, elective CNSM and Beach XP learning options, and participation in CNSM workshops and events (i.e. the CNSM Thrive Series). Since all CNSM pre-major advisors and student support professionals serve as NSCI-190A instructors, the course functions as a coordinated support ecosystem focused on access and equity. Modules embed advising, peer learning, metacognitive skills, growth-mindset strategies, and STEM-focused belonging resources—reframing challenges as opportunities for growth.

By consolidating these efforts into one platform, NSCI-190A provides consistent, streamlined onboarding and serves as CNSM’s central hub for first-year student success—helping students thrive academically, socially, and professionally.

• ~900 students served in fall 2025.
• NSCI-190A strengthens STEM readiness by:
  • Introducing science-specific learning strategies.
  • Connecting students with advisors and peer learning centers.
  • Exposing students to research pathways, career resources, and basic needs support.

The Student Center for Professional Development (SCPD) in the College of Business supports students at every critical juncture of their academic journey. Its mission is aligned with the CSU Student Success Framework, which emphasizes equity, belonging, and holistic development. 

SCPD cultivates a sense of belonging through programs like the Business Professional Certificate, Community Scholars, Junior Mentoring, and Corporate Mentoring. These initiatives connect students with mentors and peers who help them navigate college and career pathways, and empowers them to persist, grow, and thrive.

Whether it’s securing internships, building lifelong mentorships, or stepping into leadership roles, SCPD prepares students to graduate with purpose and pride. It’s a shining example of what’s possible when equity, mentorship, and opportunity converge to uplift every student and strengthen the future of our workforce.

SCPD didn't just help me grow, it gave me direction, support, and the confidence to lead.

- Baron Lee Hayes, a first-generation transfer student

• 60% of program students identify as first-generation
• SCPD student data:
  • Hispanic/Latinx (47.7%)
  • Asian (21.9%)
  • White/Caucasian (16.1%)
  • Black/African American (7.1%)
  • Mixed Ethnicity/Race (6.5%)
  • Native American (0.6%)

Graduate Studies at The Beach supports graduate student success through targeted initiatives—including free Writing Retreats. Offered during fall, spring, and summer breaks, these retreats help students build writing confidence, strengthen self-efficacy, and make meaningful progress on major writing projects. With structured guidance, peer support, and dedicated writing time, participants can improve both the quality and efficiency of their work. The Graduate Center also provides snacks, meals, coffee, and access to the graduate writing specialist throughout the retreat.

64 graduate students responded in the post event evaluation survey. 70% rated the event's usefulness "Outstanding," and 78% were "Extremely Likely" to recommend the event to other graduate students.

Number of attendees:

• fall 2024 - 85
• spring 2025 - 73
• summer 2025 - 54

To better support their 3,500 students, comprised of one-third undergraduate and two-thirds post-baccalaureate credential/graduate students, in 2025 the College of Education (CED) transitioned from a fragmented advising model to a centralized Student Success and Advising Center (SSAC). This "one-stop shop" eliminates silos by integrating academic advising, credentialing, and graduate advising as well as campus services.

A key innovation was the "Generalist" advisor role, implemented through an iterative, joint process in which professional advisors engaged in cross-training, structured shadowing, and collaboratively designing workflows, ensuring the SSAC was equipped with the ability to provide basic advising to all CED students.

Data collection is ongoing to measure the long-term impact on student persistence and time-to-completion.

Impacts and Successes

• Streamlined Access: Created a unified entry point, significantly reducing the "campus shuffle" and student confusion.
• Enhanced Navigation: Advisors now model information-seeking behaviors, helping students navigate complex university tools and state credentialing requirements with higher confidence.
• Staff Empowerment: Fostering a culture of camaraderie with staff feeling empowered through shared leadership and cross-training.
• Cooperative Collaboration: Strengthened partnerships with other campus advising centers, reducing redundancy and integrating campus partners into the center. Students can access a Financial Aid Counselor and student mentors for wellness, academic writing, and career services.

Graduate Studies at CSULB increases access to the master’s degree via their Beach EDGE (Expedited Degrees in Graduate Education) programs. Beach EDGE programs are accelerated “4+1,” or blended pathways, that allow qualified undergraduate students to start working towards their master’s degree while a junior or senior. Beach EDGE students may take up to 12 units of master’s-level courses at the undergraduate price and can double-count those courses toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees, reducing the overall time and cost of pursuing the degree. With admission to a Beach EDGE program, students have a direct and seamless pathway into their master’s degree program without the need complete or pay for a separate Cal State Apply application.

A key component of the Beach EDGE student’s success is coordinated advising across academic levels. Students work with both undergraduate and graduate advisors while enrolled in the program, ensuring an intentional planning of course sequences that satisfy both degrees and a smooth progression through degree requirements. This integrated advising model helps students navigate curricular transitions, succeed in the programs, and align academic choices with professional and post-graduation goals.

CSULB began offering Beach EDGE programs in fall 2024, starting with only 10. Now, CSULB offers 20 Beach EDGE programs, and 11 additional programs will launch in fall 2026 across CHHS, CLA, CNSM, COB, and HFCOE. A total of 51 students are enrolled in these programs, with 39 in undergraduate status. The other 12 students have graduated from their Beach EDGE bachelor’s program and are now completing the master’s portion. 10 of those 12 graduate students will be our very first master’s graduates from CSULB’s Beach EDGE.

Beach EDGE’s well-charted and smooth academic journey culminating in a bachelor’s and master’s degree gives students an edge up in both degree completion and the job market.

CSULB Site Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education: ASCEND–AANAPISI Grant Part A.

In response to post-pandemic academic underpreparedness and reduced access to support resources, the College of Engineering secured ASCEND–AANAPISI funding to strengthen STEM student success through financial assistance and structured near-peer STEM tutoring.

Since 2024, ASCEND has provided 100+ awards across scholarships and academic interventions, including a required 10 session STEM tutoring model paired with financial support. Early results show strong impact: 90% of students who completed at least 10 tutoring sessions passed their course with a C or higher, earning 37.4% A’s, 26.7% B’s, and 28.9% C’s, and course grades closely reflected students’ term GPA's.

A Pearson correlation of 0.78 (p ~ 0.07) indicates a strong alignment between success in the tutored course and overall academic performance, which suggests that consistent academic and financial support contributes meaningfully to improved STEM student outcomes.

• 90% of students who completed at least 10 tutoring sessions passed their course with a C or higher.
  • A grade (37.4%)
  • B grade (26.7%)
  • C grade (28.9%)

CSULB ranks No. 1 in the California State University system for the completion of General Education Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning requirements, according to the 2026 CSU Legislative Report on Academic Preparation of First-Year Students.

Among students in the fall 2024 first-year cohort, Cal State Long Beach achieved the CSU’s highest percentage of students completing foundational mathematics by the end of their third semester.

This achievement reflects a decade of work by the Math GE Redesign Committee to develop new courses and strengthen the support structures that help students complete their general education mathematics requirements.

The committee includes:

• Mathematics and Statistics Department faculty Babette Benken, Ryan Blair, Jen-Mei Chang, Josh Chesler, Florence Newberger, Kagba Suaray, and Tianni Zhou.
• Mathematics leadership Outgoing Department Chair Will Murray, incoming Department Chair Tangan Gao, and Associate Dean Krzysztof Slowinski.

Africana Studies students had a great year.

Alyssa Rowland won 1st place in the National Council of Black Studies (NCBS) National Terry Kershaw Undergraduate Student Essay Contest with her essay “Between the Sacred and Spectacle: A Braided Framework for Black Women’s Erotic Labor.”

Rowland is attending Ohio State University this fall to begin her graduate program in Africana Studies. She received her award and was recognized at the NCBS Conference in March where she presented her paper on a panel with Africana Studies alumna and CSULB History master’s student Mikayla Winfery, who presented her paper “Black Ships Carrying Black Faces: American Cultural Imperialism and the Diffusion of Anti-Blackness to East Asia.”

Additionally, Winfery and fellow undergraduate students Mika Muyango and Daysia James presented at CSULB’s Student Research Competition on February 27th. In addition, Mr. Muyango presented at the McNair National Conference in March and will be starting a graduate program at UCLA this fall.

Lastly, this past summer undergraduate student Dani Williams published "The Obama Administration and Its Impact on Black People" in The Afrocentric Student Review: A Student Research Journal. 

All students were mentored by chair and undergraduate advisor of Africana Studies Dr. M. Keith Claybrook, Jr.

Genre, one of the oldest running journals at CSULB, is the Department of Comparative Literature’s student-run multimedia publication. Founded in 1966, the journal is composed of the Genre Editorial Collective, a team of copy editors, graphic designers, and marketing managers from various disciplines across campus.

By enrolling in CWL 495, the course that publishes Genre and can be taken as an internship, students receive valuable professionalization experience preparing them for careers in writing, editing, publishing, communications, marketing, and graphic design. In addition to acquiring expertise in copyediting, copywriting, social media, digital scholarship, and creative multimedia work using industry standard tools, students also benefit from durable skills such as interpersonal communication, community building and outreach, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and project management.

In spring 2026, with support from the University Library and the CSU Chancellor’s Office, Genre became the first at CSULB to pilot Open Journal Systems (OJS), an open-source platform for scholarly journals, giving Genre a streamlined approach to publishing electronically, as well as providing a solid digital infrastructure that elevates Genre’s workflow and ecosystem.

The Graduate Travel Fellowship (GTF), which is administered by the Graduate Center in the Office of Graduate Studies, provides up to $1,000 to CSULB graduate/post-baccalaureate students to defray the cost of attending academic or professional conferences – a high impact practice.

The funds can be used to cover both travel costs and conference registration fees for those students presenting at a conference. For those who seek to attend the conference but not present, the GTF covers the conference registration fees.

The goal of the GTF is to foster the professional and scholarly growth of CSULB graduate and post-baccalaureate students. By attending conferences, our graduate students can build networks, gain exposure to new ideas, stay informed about emerging trends in their field, strengthen their communication skills, share their work, and connect to their broader academic or professional community.

In the 2025–2026 academic year, 89 CSULB graduate and post-baccalaureate students across the CSULB colleges received the GTF. The majority of those students (65) presented at the conference. They attended conferences across 11 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico (totaling $54,159.85).

The following testimonials from graduate students demonstrate the value, importance, and impact of the GTF:

The Graduate Travel Fellowship enabled me to attend ETHGlobal New York 2025, where I collaborated with international developers and built a prize-winning blockchain project. This experience greatly enhanced my technical skills and expanded my professional network in the Web3 space.

The Graduate Travel Fellowship made it possible for me to present my research at the APHA 2025 Annual Meeting, where I shared findings on tuberculosis disparities and refugee oral health. This experience not only expanded my professional network but also strengthened my ability to represent CSULB and contribute to global health discussions on an international stage.