In February, President Morales spoke to members of the Immanuel Praise Fellowship church in Rancho Cucamonga about the importance of preparing young African-Americans for college starting at preschool and continuing through elementary school, middle school and high school.
His talk was part of California State University’s Super Sunday higher education initiative, which encourages students to pursue college. CSU leaders, trustees, campus presidents and alumni visited 100 African-American churches across the state to talk about preparing for college.
CSU Super Sunday began more than a decade ago as a collaboration between the CSU, its campuses and predominantly African-American churches throughout California.
President Morales was a panelist at the Goodwill Southern California Inland Empire Breakfast Forum, “Tapping the Talents of Unique Populations,” on Feb. 28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Ontario.
The panelists were asked to focus on disconnected youth, military veterans, individuals with disabilities, the re-entry population, the homeless and those living in poverty, and how their talents can be tapped to contribute to the region’s workforce and meet its employment needs.
President Morales presented to the audience the CSUSB programs that assist students who face these challenges, and how the university helps them succeed.
The financial services organization TIAA interviewed President Morales about his work with low-income and first-generation students. More than 80 percent of the students at Cal State San Bernardino are the first in their family to earn a degree. “I have spent my entire career working with low-income students,” Morales said. “The biggest challenge is to provide the leadership that creates institutions that are responsive to the unique needs of first-generation and low-income students. They often are underprepared academically, especially in math. We must ensure that they’re prepared when they enter college.” Morales said he’s been driven by the desire to increase CSUSB’s graduation rates since he became president in 2012. “By working with school districts to improve college readiness,” he said, “we’ve increased our graduation rates during the past 10 years."