CBU receives $3 million grant to enhance Hispanic student success

Riverside, Calif. (Oct. 18, 2023) – California Baptist University is the recipient of a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the launch of a new program aimed at improving higher education outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students.

Preparados para el Exito, which means “Prepared for Success” in Spanish, is a five-year program that will provide support to the university’s growing Hispanic student population, half of whom are commuters, to improve retention and degree completion rates.

“CBU’s goal is to create conditions for success,” said Dr. Charles D. Sands, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “Through the development of additional support and engagement opportunities, we can improve success rates among Hispanic students and begin to close equity gaps in student learning and success.”

Preparados para el Exito will concentrate efforts on two student areas: commuter student engagement and pre-nursing student success. By doing so, CBU aims to improve enrollment, retention and graduation rates for Hispanic and low-income students.

A Commuter Engagement Center and a Peer Mentorship Program will provide commuter students with academic and wraparound services to integrate them more fully into the life of the university.

One of the largest groups of commuter students at CBU are pre-nursing students. In the fall of 2022, more than half of pre-nursing students were Hispanic and 70 percent were commuters. Due to the rigorous demands of the pre-nursing degree, the program experiences a higher rate of dropouts and migrations to other majors during the first two years of study. With the help of the grant, CBU will establish comprehensive support services including a summer bridge program, academic success coaches, tutoring and advising to support pre-nursing students.

“At CBU, we believe every student has a purpose, and the funding secured from the Department of Education will significantly contribute to Hispanic and low-income students completing their degrees and going on to impact the world,” said Paul Eldridge, vice president for University Advancement. “We look forward to the outcomes of this program on the futures of these students, especially those within the nursing degree, for which there is great demand in our region.” 

The objectives of Preparados para el Exito align with the CBU Assessment Strategic Plan 2025. The goals in this plan include closing equity gaps in student learning and success; obtaining funding to address the Hispanic student achievement gap; implementing faculty training and resources; and increasing under-represented minority students’ perceptions of belonging on campus.

CBU was designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in 2011, and in fall 2022, more than 40 percent of the student population was Hispanic.