Spotlight on Diversity

Cal State East Bay’s diverse student population is topping national rankings’ lists — including The Chronicle of Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report and Diversity magazine — and the university is being honored for the third year in a row by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine with a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.  

“Diversity is essential to our academic excellence at Cal State East Bay,” said President Leroy M. Morishita. “We are dedicated to reducing any barriers to success that come from race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, religion, linguistic diversity, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, geographical region, personality, learning styles, life experiences and other human characteristics ... Cal State East Bay is an institution where exploring the diversity of thought and opinion is valued as a means of enriching knowledge and thinking critically.”

CSUEB is the most diverse campus in the CSU system and was previously recognized as one of the most diverse universities in the U.S. by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. However, new data released by U.S. News and World Report confirms Cal State East Bay as the second-most diverse university in the country and first in the continental states.

Both U.S. News’ and The Chronicle of Higher Education rankings determine colleges where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from racial or ethnic groups different from their own. According to U.S. News, this year, CSUEB was second only to the University of Hawaii-Hilo.

Cal State East Bay was also recently noted in five different categories in Diverse magazine’s 25th annual “Top 100” issue, which looks at the top degree-producing institutions for minority ethnicities across bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. For undergraduate degrees, the university ranked No. 29 in Asian American graduates, No. 65 for Hispanics and No. 55 for overall minority bachelor degrees. For master’s degrees, Cal State East Bay ranked No. 44 for Asian American graduates and No. 86 overall.

The HEED Award is the only national recognition honoring colleges and universities that exhibit outstanding efforts and success in the area of diversity and inclusion, according to INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity in higher education publication. CSUEB is continually expanding its diversity programs, particularly those focused on the needs of first-generation and lower socioeconomic-status students.

Some of the university’s recent additions include Sankofa, an Afrocentric program to support transfer students; Kaleidoscope, a mentoring program for first-year and transfer students; and Gaining Access ’N Academic Success (GANAS), which assists Latino/a transfer students. The university has also focused on gender needs by increasing the number of gender-neutral restrooms on campus; establishing gender-neutral locker rooms in its Recreation and Wellness center; and student housing has offered gender-inclusive housing since 2011.

“It’s wonderful to have CSUEB’s successes and achievement in diversity, inclusive excellence and social justice recognized,” said Dr. Dianne Rush Woods, the university’s diversity officer. “I’d like to thank the many departments, students, staff and faculty who embrace our strategic commitment to diversity and who have made [these acknowledgements] possible. We endeavor to screen our campus climate on a regular basis to ensure that we provide best practices and an exceptional learning and transformative experience for our students.”