Cal State San Marcos has received national recognition for the innovative student coaching program that it launched last year, partly in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
CSUSM has been selected to receive the 2021 AASCU Excellence and Innovation Award for Student Success. AASCU is the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, an organization based in Washington, D.C., of nearly 400 state-supported colleges and universities throughout the country.
CSUSM is being honored for its Office of Success Coaching, which started in the summer of 2020 with a goal of providing equitable and personalized student support services to all newly admitted students for one year. The coaching program was chosen by the awards committee for its outstanding results and potential to influence and serve as a model for other institutions.
The official recognition will come on Nov. 7 during the hybrid annual meeting of AASCU, with winners invited to attend virtually or in person at Clearwater, Fla.
“The Office of Success Coaching was honored to receive such a prestigious award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities,” said Valita Jones, who directs the office at CSUSM. “We know that our students benefited from the personalized support, especially in a pandemic world. Our students have shared that they felt valued, supported, and were motivated to achieve their best.”
Last year, amid the pandemic, CSUSM created the success coaching program from scratch, reassigning almost 20 staff members and training them so that they could assist and proactively connect with 1,550 students for the 2020-21 academic year.
Success coaching is an innovative, scalable program focused on connecting students at the beginning of the student life cycle with recruitment, onboarding and student engagement, retention, and applied learning, ultimately leading to student success.
Success coaches act as part personal (as opposed to academic) advisers and part cheerleaders. They are focused on eliminating equity gaps, promoting persistence, and supporting retention efforts from a student-centered perspective.
AASCU’s Excellence and Innovation Awards recognize the exemplary work undertaken by member institutions in the areas of teacher education, civic learning and community engagement, international education, leadership development, student success, regional and economic development, and sustainability and sustainable development.
“I am honored to recognize these Excellence and Innovation Award winners, who demonstrated immense creativity, resilience and dedication during an incredibly difficult year,” AASCU President Mildred García said.
About California State University San Marcos
Building on an innovative 30-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 306-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange counties.
The university enrolls more than 16,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. For more information visit csusm.edu.
