September 29, 2023 - Chico State Earns National Recognition for Graduate Program to Support Latinx Success

Dear Campus Community,  

I’m thrilled to announce that Chico State’s Graduate Equity Fellowship Program has been recognized as a 2023 Examples of Excelencia award winner. The award comes from Excelencia in Education, the nation’s leading authority on efforts to accelerate Latinx student success in higher education. Our program was named the winner of the graduate category and is just one of four programs out of more than 100 nominations to be honored.  

If you aren’t familiar with the program, its mission is to assist students from historically underrepresented groups in overcoming academic and social barriers to complete graduate degree programs at Chico State. Students in the program have access to intensive faculty-mentored research assistance, writing workshops, doctoral program exploration, and application support. To minimize financial burdens, students are offered funding for two years to cover 100% of their tuition. 

This is but one of many programs on campus that serve and support Latinx students and is a true example of our dedication and commitment to close equity gaps and fulfill our mission as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Congratulations to Sharon Barrios and the entire Office of Graduate Studies on this prestigious honor and thank you to all the faculty and staff involved in the program who have worked so hard to help grad students be successful.  

Also, Teresita Curiel has been charged with leading the next step in Chico State’s engagement with Excelencia in Education—the Seal of Excelencia framework. This will be a cross-divisional effort that engages with departments throughout campus. We will be examining our institutional strategies and practices and need to show evidence of their effectiveness backed by data.    

Teresita will host an informational meeting on Tuesday, October 10 at 11 a.m. in Colusa 100B. I highly encourage you to attend.   

You can read more about the Examples of Excelencia award on Chico State Today. What fantastic news to end the week and the month. I hope you all have a great weekend. Go Wildcats!  

Thank you,  

Steve Perez