By Kaya Do-Khanh | Special To The OBSERVER
Against the backdrop of Black History Month, Sacramento State is launching its own visionary, history-making program – inspired by the legacy of historically Black colleges of the South and Northeast – to boost the success rate of its own Black students.
The first-in-the-nation Black Honors College opens at Sacramento State this fall. The college is specifically designed to serve students of all races who are interested in Black history, life and culture, and to support Black and African American students. Equally important, the university expects it to improve the retention and graduation rates of its Black students.
“We cannot be a Historically Black college or university because of when we were founded,” said Sacramento State President Dr. Luke Wood, a university alum and its first African American president in 45 years. “We can be everything but the historical part and create an institution within the institution that serves our people.”
The college has its own academic advisors, counselors and other support staff. It provides the opportunity for specialized coursework, scholarships, research, creative arts, and specialized residential living and learning.
The California State University 2023 report, which focuses on advancing Black student success, serves as a guide post for the initiative, Wood said. The report found that of the Black students in class of 2022 – meaning those who enrolled in fall 2016 as first-year students, full-time and part-time students – only 48% across the state university system earned their degree in six years.
Black student enrollment and retention continues to decline, according to the report.
“Currently there’s less than a 50-50 chance Black students will graduate from the CSU,” the June report read. “We don’t like those odds.”
In his spring address Jan. 18, Wood stated that Sacramento State enrolls more Black and African American students than any other college in the CSU system but that graduation rates among those groups are low. The new Black Honors College aims to increase Black student graduation, enrollment and retention rates.
“Part of why we wanted to do this was to send a message to the larger community, colleges and universities across the country that Black people demonstrate Black excellence and are some of the most intelligent people we have,” Wood said.
Dr. Boatamo Mosupyoe is serving as the college’s inaugural dean of students and chief administration officer. For almost 10 years, she has served as the director of the Cooper-Woodson College Enhancement Program at Sacramento State, which is a program focused on educational equity and Pan-African student retention. She was also the first woman to serve as the chair of the ethnic studies department.
“I’ve always been committed to student success and excellence,” Mosupyoe said. “The position gives me the opportunity to provide students with the necessary academic, professional and social skills to become advanced, productive contributors to society.”
In the selection of faculty for the new college, she said she is seeking out members who have expertise as well as different methods of delivery and approach to reach different types of students.
“We’re identifying faculty who have a demonstrated record of success, who have historically been effective in teaching and serving Black students, so that the students are in an environment where they have people who know how to teach Black people, care about Black people and believe in Black people,” Wood said.
That, in essence, captures the spirit of HBCUs, which produced many of the most prominent Black leaders in all walks of life and have been the catalyst for educational, economic, cultural and societal gains for African Americans and, to a degree, the rest of the nation and the world.
Mosupyoe’s goals as the dean of students is to include more specialized classwork and weekly seminars that will economically empower students and improve their self-determination. She intends to look for policies for them and negotiate with different textbook providers for affordable options.
The university has set aside 6,000 square feet in its library for the college, which includes its own seminar room, office suite and student center. Wood said that they chose the college’s location because the library represents one of the core functions of an academic environment.
Wood described the college as a “multimillion-dollar investment.”
“Black students represent a very high population at Sacramento State, and so we have a responsibility to make sure that the tuition fees that our students are paying are going to create the best possible experience that they deserve,” Wood said.
Currently 1,900 Black students attend Sacramento State, 6.3 percent of the total student body of 30,000.
The program will accept 70 students into its first class this fall and another 50 students in the spring. The plan is to enroll around 500 students in the program, Wood said.
Eligibility for the new honors college is based on an application process, which includes letters of recommendation and a GPA of at least 3.5 to qualify, with some exceptions.
Kayla Anderson, president of the Black Student Union at Sacramento State, said that she appreciates the university for setting the standard and providing an exciting new program that can pave the way for this to become the norm at other campuses. She said that she already knows of members of the Black Student Union board and other peers who are interested in applying to the Black Honors College.
“It’s a big step that needs to be taken in order to impact, inspire and ultimately effect change in other schools,” Anderson said.
The university will provide more information to the public about the new college during a community meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19, in the University Library, room 11.
“We should have a sense of pride that we’re creating something new and something that should have been done a long time ago,” Wood said. “I also think there’s a sense of responsibility that in doing that, we have to do it right. We have to do it in a way that truly transforms lives and elevates our community.”