January 22, 2014
CSUN's considerable accomplishment of increasing graduation rates by nearly 100% during the 11-year presidency of Jolene Koester is the subject of an in-depth report released January 16 by the Education Trust. Leading Change: Increasing Graduation Rates at CSU Northridge details President Koester's vision and approach to solving what she identified in her inaugural convocation as an unacceptably low record of completion among first-time freshmen. One takeaway for university presidents looking for the secret to her success? Koester cites a deep level of identification and connection with the students she serves, but also emphasizes, "We had an institution where it wasn't just the president and a provost in student affairs. Everybody understood and accepted that [the graduation task force initiative] was important and stayed with it."