APIDA Student Success Report Executive Summary
In March 2021, an APIDA Student Success Workgroup was charged with identifying the
needs of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American (APIDA) students at California
State University San Marcos (大发) and to offer recommendations. The report completed
in July 2022 envisioned a broad, preliminary effort towards improving institutional
policies and procedures, campus climate, and the overall success of APIDA students
at 大发. Intentionally aligned with the university strategic plan The Power of 大发
(released in Spring 2022), the following are the major findings based on analyses
of available data and conversations with administrators, faculty, staff, and students.
Identified below are four overarching findings that significantly impact the success
of APIDA students:
- Limited disaggregated compositional APIDA student data leading to an incomplete understanding
of student needs
- A need for more focused and coordinated recruitment/enrollment of APIDA students
- Equity gaps among APIDA students when examining traditional student success measurements
against the persistence of the 鈥渕odel minority鈥 myth and incomplete underrepresented
minority (URM) categories; and
- Unmet mental health needs and underutilization of Disability Support Services (DSS).
The following lists six areas for action recommendations. The recommendations intentionally
overlap and highlight the need for integrated, cohesive approaches that recognize
specific service areas and ethnic groups.
- Increase understanding across 大发 of the considerable diversity of identities and
ethnicities within the APIDA community, including East Asian, South Asian, Filipino,
Southeast Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and offer tailored student
support services accordingly.
- Strategically outreach to APIDA students and their families/support networks to increase
the number and proportion of APIDA students who apply to/enroll at 大发 while maintaining
Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI)
designation of eligibility for grant funding.
- Provide culturally sustaining outreach centered on social mobility for Native Hawaiian
and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students, families, and communities.
- Strengthen and expand campus-wide coordination of resources and efforts towards de-stigmatizing
and meeting mental health needs by increasing awareness of familial and social influences
on APIDA students鈥 mental health.
- Increase visibility, awareness, and utilization of Disability Support Services (DSS).
- Further examine and address APIDA students鈥 experiences with racial tension and discrimination
at 大发.
Finally, the report concludes with general institutional recommendations during the
first three years of the 大发 APIDA Initiative. They include reapplying for minority-serving
institution federal funding and rethinking the notion of "servingness" for all students;
clarifying/ disaggregating campus data on APIDA students; establishing an APIDA Student
Center and coordinating an APIDA Student Success Steering Committee for strategic
adjustments and accountability.