Resources are required to achieve big goals. Historic goals. Goals that move the needle.
We have challenged ourselves—and been challenged by our state leaders—to get more students to degree sooner, ensure students earn a quality degree of substance, build pathways from preschool to career, provide fair compensation for our world-class faculty and staff, and restore academic facilities.
We strive to meet these goals in order to power California’s economy and society.
Specifically, the CSU aims to redouble our efforts on Graduation Initiative 2025, increasing degree completion rates and eliminating achievement gaps while maintaining academic rigor and quality. Through this initiative, the CSU aims to graduate more than one million students with baccalaureate degrees between 2015 and 2025. To achieve our 2025 goals, we must lay the foundation now.
The 2017–18 Support Budget plan will focus on:
- Accomplishing the ambitious goals of Graduation Initiative 2025
- Sustaining access for California high school graduates and community college transfer students
- Fulfilling existing commitments while providing fair compensation for all employees
- Covering mandatory costs, including health and retirement benefits
- Addressing critical infrastructure needs across the CSU
Students, faculty and staff are critical partners in the university’s ambitious goals. We must ensure adequate investment and support for their efforts.
California realizes a clear return for every dollar invested in the people of its university. Eighty-five percent of the CSU’s 3.3 million alumni work and live in California. This means that around one in ten professionals in this state earned a degree through the CSU. These are California’s teachers, nurses, engineers, business leaders, artists and innovators.
So much has already been achieved, yet the CSU does not intend to rest on its laurels. The 2017–18 Support Budget request allows the CSU to aggressively pursue reduced degree completion times, increased access and more efficient operations.
The California State University is where opportunity leads to transformation, leaving a lasting impact for our communities, state and beyond. Continued and increased investment from the state will ensure that this tradition of inclusive excellence continues for the
next generation of Californians.
