STILL LEFT OUT: HOW EXCLUSION IN CALIFORNIA’S COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES CONTINUES TO HURT OUR VALUES, STUDENTS AND DEMOCRACY - January 2024

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Executive summary and acknowledgements for a report examining racial and gender exclusion in California’s public colleges and universities. The document presents updated analysis of representation by race/ethnicity and gender across community college and public university faculty, academic senate bodies, college leaders, and governing boards. It finds leadership representation remains dominated by white men despite some increases in certain segments since an earlier 2018 report, undermining equity and inclusion outcomes for students and democracy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Acknowledgements

State and Student Demographics

California Population by Race/Ethnicity

California Public Undergraduates by Race/Ethnicity, 2021-2022

Updated Analysis of Representation in Leadership

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY STILL LEFT How Exclusion In California’s Colleges & Universities Continues To Hurt Our Values, Students, and Democracy January 2024 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We want to express our sincere gratitude to our funders for their support in making this report and our efforts possible, including: The Angell Foundation, Ascendium Education Solutions, Inc., The Ballmer Group, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The California Community Foundation, The College Futures Foundation, The ECMC Foundation, The Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, The Kresge Foundation, The Leonard Hill Charitable Trust, The Lumina Foundation, The Marin Community Foundation, The Morris and Mayer Kaplan Family Foundation, The Molina Family Foundation, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Sobrato Philanthropies, Southern California Edison, The Stuart Foundation, and The Skyline Foundation. Their investment in the Campaign for College Opportunity has allowed us to make a significant impact in ensuring all Californians have an equal opportunity to attend and succeed in higher education. The Campaign for College Opportunity is grateful for the involvement, expertise, and guidance of our reviewers Dr. Estela Bensimon and Dr. Edward Bush. To the students, faculty, and college administrators who shared their insights on the question of leadership in California’s public colleges and universities, and the impact that our 2018 report had in raising attention to this conversation on their campuses, thankyou for your encouragement and support for this update. We are especially grateful to Dr. Luke Wood and Dr. Frank Harris whose complimentary brief, Equity-Minded Faculty Hiring Practices: Promoting Fairness, Inclusion and Faculty Diversity that Support Student Success in Higher Education, provides college leaders with the necessary tools to advance a more equitable hiring process. We would also like to thank David Drummer and our team of graduate research fellows, Douglas H. Lee, Idalys Perez, Brianna Ramirez, Lupe Salome Renteria, Stephanie Sowl, Kendall Wulbrun, Paula Nazario, Jennifer Nazario, and Jose Aguilar, who provided critical research assistance, examining thousands of websites and membership rosters to collect, validate, and analyze the data for this report. A special thank you to Colleen Moore, Jessie Ryan, and Molly McGuire, who provided a review of statewide funded investmentsand initiatives to increase diversity in our public higher education systems. Vikash Reddy, Ph.D., was the primary author of this report with significant contributions and support from Michele Siqueiros. 2 Still Left Out • The Campaign for College Opportunity • January 2024 STILL LEFT OUT: HOW EXCLUSION IN CALIFORNIA’S COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES CONTINUES TO HURT OUR VALUES, STUDENTS AND DEMOCRACY Home to the nation’s largest Latinx (15 million), Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI)(almost 7 million), and the fifth largest Black (2.8 million) populations, California is our nation’s most diverse and populous state. Today, Latinx, Black, Asian American and NHPI, and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) Californians account for 61% of our state's population and 67% of our undergraduate student body, and that share is projected to grow 1 This diversity is one of the state’s greatest assets, yet, as Dr. Estela Mara Bensimon notes in her preface to the full report, representation of racially and ethnically minoritized faculty in California’s colleges and universities is “embarrassingly low, particularly in comparison to the racial composition of the student body.” Nearly two in three Californians are Latinx, Black, Asian American and NHPI. Figure 1. California Population by Race/Ethnicity. Other 5% White 35% Asian American and NHPI* 15% 5% Latinx 39% *Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2021 Still Left Out • The Campaign for College Opportunity • January

FAQs

What is the core purpose of this report?

The report reexamines representation in leadership across California’s public colleges and universities, focusing on how exclusion continues to affect values, students, and democracy.

How does the report connect state diversity to leadership representation?

It contrasts California’s racial/ethnic diversity and student body composition with the low representation of racially and ethnically minoritized faculty and leadership.

What changed since the 2018 report, according to the document?

Some progress occurred in representation at almost every level across UC, CSU, and community colleges, but system and institutional leadership still remains dominated by white men.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys