Several local stakeholders discussed higher education challenges and issues, especially those endemic to the Central Valley, to an audience of board members of the Kresge Foundation, a philanthropic foundation based in Michigan.

William Moses, managing director of the Kresge Foundation’s education program, moderated a panel March 6 at Fresno State that featured:

The Kresge Foundation works to expand equity and opportunities in America’s cities by investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and place- based development. The panel at Fresno State was part of a two-day visit to Fresno by board members, from March 5 to 6.

The foundation’s work and funding focuses on communities and cities — primarily in Michigan, California, Tennessee and Louisiana — to improve systems and advance equitable policies nationwide. Fresno is one of several cities the foundation works closely with.

“We want places that are emblematic of their regions,” Moses said. We pick places with large populations and large numbers of students. We focus on access and success for first-generation students and underrepresented students, particularly African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans.” 

Low-income students in the Valley face significant challenges in accessing and completing higher education, including unaffordable housing, insecurity around basic needs and family responsibilities. Support, such as summer programs and workshops, can help these students navigate the college application process and succeed academically.

Foundational early education is equally important, which is why collaboration between all levels and supporting organizations is so crucial.

“Creating a strong post-secondary access system also requires attention to what’s happening in early education and grades K-8 — investments to ensure there is on track third and eighth grade math and reading levels is critical for the success of all Fresnans,” Vue said. 

The conversation at Fresno State, which included questions from board members in attendance, covered a variety of topics:

  • Demographics of Valley students: Fresno State’s student population is 58.5% Hispanic and 11.6% Asian (a majority of which are Hmong/Southeast Asian). Fresno State is a designated Asian American-Native American-Pacific Islander- and Hispanic-serving Institution and in 2021 earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia. About 64% of Fresno State’s overall student body are first generation college students. More than 65% of Fresno State students are eligible for Pell grants, which are awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need.

  • Food insecurity: Jiménez-Sandoval and Goldsmith discussed how basic needs are addressed in an innovative way at Fresno State through programs like the Amendola Family Student Cupboard, and by the State Center Community College District, empowering students who need these resources and eliminating the stigma of accepting food, a fundamental element to their academic success.

  • Social mobility: Jiménez-Sandoval talked about how Fresno State — located within the ninth most diverse city in the United States where 120 languages are spoken —  approaches social mobility and diversity with intentionality: “We’re not just teaching them because we are being altruistic or charitable. We’re teaching them because we believe in the power that these specific demographics have in leading the future of California and becoming leaders of our country. That has to be articulated.” Fresno State ranked No. 14 out of 1,198 schools nationwide in the 2023 Social Mobility Index by CollegeNet, a provider of web-based on-demand technologies for higher education.

  • Bulldog Bound: Jiménez-Sandoval talked to the group about Bulldog Bound, a new partnership between Fresno State and participating districts in the region that commits to guaranteed admissions to Fresno State for students who meet the minimum California State University requirement. A key component in the success of Bulldog Bound will be engaging parents and families in the journey to prepare for college. “We want the parents who have the basic tools that they need to help their son or daughter succeed at Fresno State,” Jiménez-Sandoval said.

  • California’s A-G requirement: To be eligible to enter a four-year public college in the CSU or University of California systems, incoming freshmen must meet a series of high school course requirements called A through G (A-G). Jiménez-Sandoval said data from National Student Clearinghouse regarding Fresno Unified School District shows that 50% of the students who meet those requirements don’t go on to college at all.

  • Complex family dynamics of students: Jimenez-Sandoval explained, “When I have a student here, she, he or they are not the traditional student who says I’m a professional student and I’m just at school. They are responsible for a brother, a sister, a mother, a father, whoever back at home, and they feel a major responsibility to contribute to the home economy. So when they tell me, ‘I can’t continue with my degree in plant science,’ many times they do so because they have to work in order to help this home economy specifically, and my students are forced to drop out and to become part of the workforce.” 

“We’re changing the culture,” said Goldsmith, a Fresno State alum, “because in our Valley, we’re so impoverished, it’s about survival. And higher education has always been seen as a luxury. And we have to change that.”

Jiménez-Sandoval identified what he sees as the three most significant challenges for post-secondary access:

“No. 1 is the value of a four-year degree. What’s the relevance of Fresno State within the region? Many don’t realize the essential importance of Fresno State to the region’s success and this is translated into our youth who don’t continue on to pursue a degree in higher education.

“The second one would be a sense of belonging to our institutions. How is it that we promote a sense of belonging to all of our constituencies right now? This belonging starts with an exploration, which develops into saying ‘I belong here,’ but what we really want to do is take them to articulate and feel: ‘Fresno State belongs to me.’

“And No. 3 is the economy. In California, we find ourselves in a situation in which the CSUs are left on a discretionary budget. The [University of California] has constitutional autonomy, K-14 has 45% of the legislature’s budget through Proposition 98. And at the end, we [the CSU system] are left with an undefined space without secured funding. We are not the community colleges. We are not the high-end research institutions. … So I think the biggest challenge for us as a system and Fresno State is how do we clearly articulate our impressive contributions to California’s economy, and as a crucial cornerstone to the future success of California and our Valley region.”