A pair of San Diego community colleges has joined a big, ambitious effort to boost the comparatively small and declining number of Black students who enter and graduate from California’s vast network of colleges and universities.
City College and Mesa College are among 31 schools statewide that were recently designated as Black-Serving Institutions, or BSI, under a new law that highlights campuses that excel at helping these students.
The law took effect on Jan. 1 and created a governing board mostly composed of representatives of the University of California, California State University and California community colleges, as well as private, non-profit schools.
The board named its initial 31 BSIs in early December, making California the first state to have this designation. At the moment, the program doesn’t come with state or federal money. But schools are hoping that will change so they can come to resemble the national Hispanic-Serving Institutions program.
City College in downtown San Diego drew attention for creating a barber shop that offers free cuts for students who have enrolled in at least one class and filed for financial aid. The program is primarily meant to appeal to Black and Latino men. And it’s meant to serve as the sort of social center that has attracted Black people since the 19th century. Students can get guidance counseling while they wait.
Mesa College in Claremont has hustled to help students learn how they can transfer to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs for short, to continue their education. Only one of the 107 HBCUs is located in California. But Mesa guides in applying for the distant schools and to get the financial aid they need.
The Public Policy Institute of California says that only 55% of Black high school students in California enroll in college within a year of graduating. The percent for Hispanics is the same. But the number is 13 points higher for Whites and 30% higher for Asian students.
About two-thirds of Black students attend California’s community colleges. Only 35% transfer to a university within six years, according to CalMatters, a non-partisan research and news organization based in Sacramento.
There are many factors involved, including an ongoing decline in the number of students of all backgrounds who graduate from California high schools each year. Racial reasons are also cited. Mesa says on its homepage, “Black and African American students (on campus) are more likely to experience economic hardship due to structural racism and historical legacies of discrimination in San Diego.
“This results in barriers to education access and decreased persistence once enrolled.”
These pressures led to the creation of the new BSI. To qualify for the designation, Black students must represent at least 10% of a school’s enrollment. Or the school must have at least 1,500 students who are Black.
City College and Mesa met the second criterion.
The program “tells Black students that they belong here …” said Ricky Shabazz, president of City College. “We have Black faculty and employees, which shows our student population that we mirror each other.”
The sentiment was echoed by Mesa President Ashanti Hands, who said, speaking broadly, “Many students will go through their entire (college) career and not see a faculty member that looks like them.”
BSI status isn’t necessarily permanent. Schools get it for five years then have to apply for renewal, proving that they have enriched the ways they recruit and retain students, guided them to associate’s degrees, and made it possible for them to transfer to universities.
Mesa is approaching the matter in various ways. It’s been raising money to help subsidize students as they do internships in their field of interest. The school also says it’s working harder to help student athletes — many who are Black — to find scholarships to pay for college.
Similar things are occurring at City College, which says it’s expanding its student food pantry, mental health services, and programs aimed at connecting students to alumni who can provide guidance. It is also sharpening its focus on the college’s growing presence of Somali immigrants.