Using Data To Enhance Decision Making: Graduation Initiative 2025

Abstract

The California State University launched its Graduation Initiative 2025 in January 2015 with a clear goal to increase graduation rates for our 475,000 students across all 23 campuses. The Graduation Initiative 2025 will add 100,000 more baccalaureate degree-educated citizens to California over the next ten years and begin to meet workforce demands. Increasing graduation rates, particularly for first-generation students, requires a strategic, data-driven approach. California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) faces particular challenges as 81% of our undergraduate population are first-generation college students, 63% receive Pell Grant, and 56% of incoming first-year students require some form of developmental coursework in English, math, or both. Data-driven decision-making must be used to focus graduation efforts. CSUSB organizes data regarding college readiness, and enrollment characteristics as preparedness have a direct influence on time to degree. Data on persistence and progress towards the degree are also important to track when examining graduation rates as it helps identify areas to improve. Finally, data on completion and post-graduation are indicators to track the progress of the initiative and meeting workforce demands.