Welcome to the Black Student Success Initiative Website! California State University, Northridge (CSUN), from recommendations of the Black Student Success Council and with the support of President Erika D. Beck and Cabinet, launched the Black Student Success Initiative (BSSI) in 2022. This initiative is guided by commitment to fully support every student in their academic journey, in becoming the fullest expression of their unique selves, and in preparing them to succeed in an increasingly diverse and global world. The BSSI work team, comprised of various campus stakeholders, is partnering with Dr. Damon Williams and the Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership and Social Innovation (CSDLSI) to assess and recommend modifying, scaling or enhancing current policies and practices, proposing new initiatives, as well as assessing the university’s capacity to implement a Black Student Success plan that is also aligned with the findings and recommendations of the California State University, Black Student Success Report.
In 2023, the BSSI Consultants initiated their work on campus. Following the in-depth analysis and a series of presentations late last Spring 2024 by Dr. Williams and his team, the final written report was completed:
Overview of Initiative
This initiative includes several concurrent components:
- Listening, Dialogue, and Community-Building Sessions designed to gather and analyze insights on the lived experiences of CSUN students, staff, administrators, faculty, and alumni.
- A Comprehensive, Culturally Relevant Review of key university policies, programs, and initiatives.
- BSSI Institutes and Forums designed to inform and educate the campus about the progress of the initiative while creating opportunities for community-building and discussions on Black student success and academic achievement.
- Strategic Benchmarking Research, including a general review of the institution’s DEI infrastructure, analyzing trends in academic achievement data, and identifying examples of best practices contributing to Black student academic achievement taking place at CSUN and at other institutions.
- Developing a CSUN Black Student Success Insight-to-Action Strategic Roadmap with monitoring criteria, scheduled for implementation in 2024 and informed by these data and information-gathering efforts.
CSUN BSSI Contact Information
Upon reviewing these materials, if you have questions, please reach out to Black Student Success Initiative Work Team (bssi@csun.edu)