California State University East Bay (CSUEB), opened in 1959 with 300 students on one campus. Since then, it has grown to serve over 14,000 students on three campuses. The motto of our university is “Per Aspera Ad Astra”, or “Through Adversity to the Stars”. This is an apt motto given that our university is the most racially and ethnically diverse campus in the continental United States (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2014), and 61% of our undergraduate students are the first in their families to earn a college degree (Office of Institutional Research, personal communication, March 9, 2015). Our students are also highly diverse in terms of age, ability status, parenting experience, immigration background, sexual orientation, gender, religion, and much more. Though the diversity of our campus provides ample opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to be exposed to multiple perspectives, we have learned that intentional efforts are required to build an inclusive, accessible, and responsive community.
This article describes strategies we have employed over the past five years across three broad areas: (a) support for student learning, engagement, and retention; (b) professional development; and (c) policies around inclusion and access. Preliminary evaluation of these efforts suggests that we have made significant progress in building an inclusive campus that supports student learning, respects all members of the campus community, and facilitates our continuing engagement in this work.