CSUSM's Journey towards the Seal of Excelencia

The Seal of Excelencia is a designation offered by Excelencia in Education awarded to institutions who meet Excelencia in Education’s rigorous standards in demonstrating the impact of their programs and services in supporting the success of Latinx students as supported by institutional data. The CSUSM Seal of Excelencia institutional application will be submitted in June 2024, and addresses our campus’ strategies and practices across six key areas:  

Seal Action Team

Under the leadership of Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Viridiana Diaz, a CSUSM Seal Action Team was formed to gain familiarity with the Seal of Excelencia framework and develop an inventory of promising practices at CSUSM to inform the institutional Seal application. The Seal Action Team members included:

• Dr. Erik Ramirez, Director of Student Affairs Initiatives and Partnerships  
• Cameron Stevenson, Sr. Director of Institutional Planning & Assessment 
• Alan Brian, Director of Student Affairs Planning & Assessment  
• Norma Larios, AVP of Student Affairs Divisional Operations 
• Christiana Moen, Director of New Student & Family Programs 
• April Ibarra Siqueiros, User Experience Librarian

Seal Advisory Team

In addition to the numerous individuals across campus who provided data and content for the CSUSM Seal of Excelencia application, the CSUSM Seal Action Team was supported and guided in their efforts by an advisory team which included: 

• Dr. Patricia Prado-Olmos, Chief Community Engagement Officer 
• Dr. Ronald Ramirez, Dean College of Business Administration 
• Miguel De Jesus, Director of Business Development College of Business Administration 
• Dr. Carmen Nava, Associate Dean of Curriculum, Academic Programs & Student Success CHABSS
• Dr. Rebecca Lush, Faculty Center Director

Technical Assistance Institutes

To inform and guide their work, the CSUSM Seal Action Team participated in four technical assistance institutes offered by Excelencia in Education during the 2023-2024 academic year: 

• Leveraging Data to Intentionally Serve Latinx Students Institute 
• Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Institute
• Aligning Data, Practice and Leadership Institute
• Faculty Development Institute 

Serving Institutional Transformation Assessment

The Seal Action Team also participated in Excelencia’s Seal Serving Institutional Transformation Assessment (SSITA) fall cohort. The SSITA is a tool to help prepare institutions for their journey to serve Latinx students and build campus support among faculty, staff, and administrative leaders more intentionally. SSITA facilitates institutional opportunities to: 

• Identify preliminary data, evidence-based practices, and leadership efforts that can inform a more student-centered approach to Latinx student success. 
• Conduct a self-analysis to identify institutional successes, challenges, and gaps to intentionally serve Latinx students.
• Initiate a preliminary plan of action for further development of institutional resources, commitment, and strategies as part of a community of common cause for Latinx student success. 

HSI Summit

The CSUSM Seal of Excelencia project also partnered with the HSI Summit Planning Committee to embed the Excelencia framework as the central theme in the Fall 2023 CSUSM HSI Summit to help build awareness among our campus’ faculty and staff. 

Selected Strategies

The following practices were included in our 2024 CSUSM Seal of Excelencia application to demonstrate our institutional commitment to serving Latinx students in alignment with Excelencia’s criteria. The selection of practices was based on their demonstrated impact on Latinx student success, supported by data provided by CSUSM Institutional Planning & Analysis and the program leads who collaborated by providing details about their programs and evidence of effectiveness listed below. These chosen practices advance our strategies in the following areas:

• Enrollment of Latinx students
  • The Alliance to Accelerate Excellence in Education
    • Scott Hagg, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Services
  • Talent Search and Upward Bound Pre-College Programs 
    • Lia Mauga, Director TRIO Pre-College Programs
  • College Assistance Migrant Program
    • Maria Venegas Escobedo, Director, College Assistance Migrant Program

    • Melissa Mejia Cantoran, Administrative Assistant, College Assistance Migrant Program

• Retention of Latinx students
  • Success Coaching
    • Jennie Ruiz, Director Success Coaching
  • Academic Recovery Course (UNIV 100A)
    • Dr. Adam Petersen, Assistant Dean Office of Undergraduate Studies  
    • Marnie Eldridge, Director First-Year & University Programs
    • Dr. Ashley Gragido, UNIV Recovery & Resiliency Faculty Coordinator
  • Cougar Care Network
    • Donna Davis, Director of Cougar Care Network
    • Antonio Hernandez Rodriquez, Student Service Specialis
• Transfer in and out of Latinx students
  • Transfer Student Success Course
    • Dr. Matthew Atherton, Associate Professor Sociology
  • Educational Opportunity Program Transfer Bridge
    • Marylou Gonzalez, EOP Retention Counselor 
    • Norma Larios, Interim EOP Director
  • Tau Sigma Transfer Student Honor Society
    • Christiana Moen, Director New Student & Family Programs
• Financial support for Latinx students
  • State University Grant
    • Julie Lindenmeier, Director Financial Aid
    • Brenden Brisker, Associate Director Financial Aid Systems
  • ASI Student Emergency Fund
    • Ashley Fennell, ASI Associate Executive Director
    • Annie Macias, ASI Executive Director  
  • Addressing Basic Needs
    • Antonio Hernandez Rodriquez, Student Service Specialist
    • Donna Davis, Director of Cougar Care Network
    • Patty Diaz, Student Outreach & Referral Coordinator
• Latinx representation in faculty, administration, and staff
  • Inclusive Hiring Practices
    • Lisa McLean, Senior Director Human Resources
    • Michelle Hunt, Associate Vice President of Faculty Affairs 
    • Jessica Halsey, Faculty Personnel Coordinator 
  • Cluster Hires
    • Dr. Rebecca Lush, Faculty Center Director
    • Cheryl Landin, Office of Inclusive Excellence Director of Strategic Initiatives
    • Ariel Stevenson, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer
  • National Latino Research Center
    • Dr. Konane Martinez, Faculty Director
• Degree completion of Latinx students
  • Faculty Mentoring Program
    
    • Dr. Rebecca Lush, Faculty Center Director
    • Sonia Perez, Faculty Mentor Program Coordinator
    • Dr. Cynthia Melendrez, Faculty Mentoring Program Fellow
  • First-Year Experience Seminar (GEL 101)
    • Marnie Eldridge, Director First-Year & University Programs
    • Dr. Ashley Gragido, UNIV Recovery & Resiliency Faculty Coordinator
  • Degree Planner
    • Scott Hagg, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Services 

Additional Programs & Initiatives

The following programs and initiatives were highlighted in our Seal of Excelencia application for their significant contributions to Latinx student success. The details provided by program leads helped illustrate CSUSM’s dedication to serving Latinx students: 

• College is For Me Conference

  Justin Lewis, Director of Readiness and Success Services  

• College of Business Administration Senior Experience Seminar

  Roger Hezler, Director of Business Community Project Operations  

• College of Business Professional Development Program

  Michelle Tillman, Director of Student Success in College of Business Administration  

• Cub Tours & Tailored Campus Tours

  Elizabeth Wright, Campus Visits Coordinator  

• Innovation Hub

  Scott Gross, Associate Vice President of Industry Partnerships  

• Latinx Center

  Jacky Villalobos, Assistant Director  

• Summer Scholars Program

  Dr. Jackie Trischman, CSTEM Dean 

• TRIO Student Support Services

  Heather Northway, Director of TRIO SSS 

Timeline

The timeline for the CSUSM Seal of Excelencia Project included the following milestones: 

• Fall 2022
  CSUSM Seal Action Team identified through campus-wide call for interested parties.
• Spring 2023
  CSUSM Seal Advisory Team identified and onboarded. 
• Spring 2023 - Fall 2023
  CSUSM Seal Action Team participated in Excelencia in Education’s technical assistance institutes to gain familiarity with their framework. 
• Summer 2023 - Fall 2023
  Inventory of promising practices from across the campus were developed in partnership with CSUSM Seal Advisory Team. 
• Fall 2023
  CSUSM Action Team participated in Excelencia’s Seal Serving Institutional Transformation Assessment (SSITA) as a first step towards application development. 
• Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
  CSUSM Seal Action Team drafts institutional application. 
• Spring 2024
  Draft application reviewed by CSUSM leadership for feedback. 
• Summer 2024
  CSUSM Seal of Excelencia application submitted to Excelencia in Education.
• Fall 2024
  Anticipated notification of application outcome.