CSUSM Earns Prestigious Seal for Serving Latinx Students

Cal State San Marcos has earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment and more intentionally serve Latinx students.

The honor was announced Tuesday by Excelencia in Education, the nation's premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latinx student success in higher education.

CSUSM is one of only 17 colleges and universities to earn the Seal of Excelenciain 2024. In 2018, Excelencia introduced the seal to certify colleges and universities for their efforts to become learning environments where Latinx, and all, students thrive. This year marks the organization's 20th year of service to accelerate Latinx student success in higher education.

The Seal of Excelencia frameworkrepresents a rigorous assessment of certified institutions' intentionality and impact in improving outcomes such as retention, financial support and degree completion for Latinx students by aligning efforts across data, practice and leadership. Seal certification remains valid for three years, after which institutions can recertify progress.

"I am incredibly proud that CSUSM earned the Seal of Excelencia, a testament to our commitment to Latinx success," CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. "This recognition reflects the collective efforts of over 40 campus partners, and I'm deeply grateful to our students, faculty and staff for their dedication in making CSUSM a truly Hispanic-serving institution.

Neufeldt was set to join other higher education, business, philanthropy and government leaders in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to recognize CSUSM and the seven other institutions that earned the Seal of Excelencia for the first time, as well as nine institutions that earned recertification. The announcement was part of Excelencia in Education's National Policy Forum, focused on innovating policies to accelerate Latinx degree attainment and strengthen America's civic leadership and workforce.

"The colleges and universities that earn the Seal of Excelencia lead the charge in meeting our nation's degree attainment goals," said Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelenciaof Education. "They demonstrate commitment to Latino student success through impact and ongoing self-assessment."

CSUSM joins a collective of 46 colleges and universities that have earned the Seal of Excelencia. Together, they represent less than 1% of all institutions but enroll 17% and graduate 19% of all Latinx students nationwide.

Along with CSUSM, the seven other newly certified Seal of Excelencia institutions are Cal State East Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, Cerritos College, Hartnell College, Pima Community College (Tucson, Ariz.), San Francisco State and Sul Ross State (Alpine, Texas).

The nine recertified Seal of Excelenciainstitutions are Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, Miami Dade College, San Diego State, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, UC Merced, UC Riverside, University of Central Florida, Wilbur Wright College (Chicago).

Before CSUSM earned the Seal of Excelencia, Neufeldt made the decision to join Excelencia'snational network of Presidents for Latino Student Success (P4LSS). The network comprises over 200 higher education leaders committed to making their institutions learning environments where Latinx students thrive. Institutions in the P4LSS network are eligible to apply for the seal.

CSUSM has made significant strides since achieving federal Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status in 2010 with 27% Latinx enrollment. Latinx students now comprise 52% of CSUSM's undergraduate population, with 54.5% of undergraduate students being the first in their families to pursue higher education and 46% being Pell Grant recipients.

Among CSUSM's programs and practices that promote Latinx student success are:

• College Assistance Migrant Program(CAMP), which serves first-year students from migrant/seasonal farmworker backgrounds and enrolls nearly 50 Latinx students annually while recruiting hundreds more through outreach efforts.
• National Latino Research Center, which advances knowledge of Latinx populations through nationally recognized initiatives serving immigrant, migrant, farmworker and bilingual communities. It helps attract and retain Latinx faculty, administrators and staff while offering internship and research opportunities to students.
• Cougar Pantry, which provides free groceries weekly, including nonperishable goods, produce, dairy products and personal hygiene items. It supports thousands of Latinx students and their families each year.
• Latinx Center, which works to promote equity, a sense of belonging and cultural empowerment.
• Spanish-speaking family orientations, which welcome incoming Latinx students and their parents.

CSUSM will celebrate its achievement of the Seal of Excelencia when it holds its annual HSI Summiton Tuesday, Nov. 12. Open to the campus community, the hybrid event will include a presentation on the university's journey to earning the seal and a fireside chat with campus leadership.

Learn more about CSUSM's Seal of Excelencia application process and other campus efforts supporting Latinx students here.

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