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KTLA: California Department of Corrections, CSU Dominguez Hills Unveils Graduate Program for Inmates

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Woman doing work on a computer.
Image courtesy of CDCR

Source: KTLA

Incarcerated students in California can now pursue a master’s degree through a new partnership between the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Beginning in the fall, incarcerated students can obtain their Master of Arts in Humanities degree through the HUX program, a joint project between the College of Continuing and Professional Education and the College of Arts and Humanities, a news release said.

This is the first time CDCR has formally partnered with a state university to offer a graduate program.  

“CDCR is proud to partner with CSUDH to further the department’s commitment in expanding ‘grade school to grad school’ opportunities and also strengthen collaborative efforts with California’s public higher education system,” CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber said in a statement.

CSUDH’s president shared similar remarks, saying that the university was proud to embark on this historic partnership.

The fall cohort will include 33 students who will spend two years learning about different topics related to their choice of study. Students in the program can choose to focus on one of the four areas of study.

  • Religion, Morality and Spirituality
  • Perspectives on Punishment
  • Urban Development
  • Expanding Horizons

Any incarcerated person within CDCR can apply for the program if they have already obtained a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and earned a GPA of at least 2.5.

The program, however, isn’t free, with tuition costing $10,500, and students are responsible for paying the sum. CSUDH and CDCR will offer financial assistance, such as scholarships and grants, to eligible students, according to the news release.

The coursework would be completed independently via correspondence with the college.

Research shows that incarcerated individuals who take steps to advance their education are more likely to find good-paying jobs once they are released, among other benefits.

The HUX program has been at CSUDH since 1974 and was approved to join the California state prison system’s infrastructure in April.

EdSource: A First for California’s Incarcerated Students – Now They Can Earn Master’s Degrees

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Exterior photograph of San Quentin State Prison

Source: EdSource

Achieving a college degree in prison is rare, but now a select 33 incarcerated people in California can earn their master’s degrees. 

California State University, Dominguez Hills, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced a partnership Thursday to launch the state’s first master’s degree program for incarcerated people. Corrections Secretary Jeff Macomber said the partnership furthers the state’s prison system’s goal to expand “grade school to grad school” opportunities. 

“These efforts are vital, as education serves as a powerful rehabilitative tool,” Macomber said. 

Research shows that prison programs reduce recidivism rates and help formerly incarcerated people find jobs and improve their families’ lives once they are released. Those studies show that incarcerated people are 48% less likely to return to prison within three years than those who didn’t attend a college program in prison. 

All 33 of the state’s adult prisons offer the ability for the system’s 95,600 incarcerated people to earn community college degrees; about 13.5% are enrolled in a college course. The state has been expanding its offerings of college in prisons. Eight partnerships with state universities have begun since 2016 to offer bachelor’s degrees to incarcerated people. About 230 are enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program for the current semester.

The new Dominguez Hills program will allow all people in all 33 prisons who have already earned a bachelor’s degree and have at least a 2.5 GPA, to earn a Master of Arts in humanities. The students will participate in two years of courses, including urban development, religion, morality and spirituality. The classes will take place over Zoom or through written correspondence. 

Tuition for the program is about $10,500 and students or their families will be responsible for covering the costs. However, the corrections department said that it may provide some assistance. The university is also accepting donations to go toward incarcerated students’ tuition. Because these are post-bachelor’s degree courses, the incarcerated students do not qualify for the state’s Cal Grant or federal Pell Grant programs.

“Our mission is firmly anchored in social justice,” said Thomas Parham, president of Cal State Dominguez Hills. “This historic partnership between California State University and CDCR benefits students — and ultimately their families and communities — by distinguishing between what people did and who they are at the core of their being, and recognizing their potential, cultivating their talents and preparing them to thrive in their paths moving forward.”

Parham said it was important for the university to provide advanced learning opportunities in prisons because the campus is focused on “transforming lives.” 

The 33 students in the new master’s program reside in 11 different state prisons across the state including Avenal, Chuckawalla Valley and San Quentin state prisons and Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. 

Toro Volleyball Ready to Bounce Back

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Toro women's volleyball players pose in the CSUDH gym.
Toro volleyball players (L-R) Kayly Pau, Kilyn Hayes, and Shelby Saporetti.

After a disappointing 2022 season, this year’s Toro women’s volleyball team is looking to turn the corner and return to winning ways. Head Coach Jennifer Adeva is confident that her squad has what it takes to put last season’s struggles behind them.

“We’re looking for improvement across the board,” she says. “We’ve got a good mix of experienced returning players and newcomers, and team chemistry is getting better daily.”

The team got off to a decent start last season, and had a 4-5 record when their season got derailed by a 10-game losing streak in the middle of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule. They ended up with a 6-19 record overall, with a 4-14 mark in the CCAA.

“We had a really young, inexperienced team last season,” says Adeva. “With nine first-year students and two transfers, we knew it would be a learning year for us. There was a lot of growth for that team from the beginning of the season until the end, and we’re looking to build on what we started.”

Adeva’s goal this season is to rack up enough wins to qualify for the postseason. The team brings back 14 players from last year’s team, including senior Shelby Saporetti, who joined the Toros as a first-year student in 2019, but transferred to Fresno City College (FCC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Saporetti returned to the Toros last season after helping FCC win the state junior college championship.

“Shelby really helped our team last year,” says Adeva. “I think her leadership, experience, and maturity are going to be keys to our success this season.”

Adeva also points out Ava Hurry, an All-CCAA Honorable Mention choice in 2022, and Bailey Fuches, who earned the same honor in 2021, as players she expects to have a major impact this year.

The Toros lost five players from last year’s team, but Adeva and her staff are excited about the six student-athletes who they’ve recruited for 2023. “I really like the players we brought in this year. They’re all great, hard-working young women who will help build the culture and bring some experience along as well.”

Bringing the most experience among the transfers is Kayly Pau, an outside hitter who spent the last three seasons competing in Division I as a member of the Boise State Broncos. Adeva expects her to make a positive impact on and off the court.

As the team rebuilds itself into a competitive powerhouse, Adeva encourages CSUDH students to come out to the Torodome and support the squad. “We’ve got a competitive, determined, and enthusiastic bunch of young players out there. Their fellow Toros will be proud of their fight and tenacity this season. It should be a lot of fun to watch!”

The CSUDH women’s volleyball team opens their home schedule against Stanislaus State on Friday, Sept. 15, at the Torodome. Their complete schedule is available at https://gotoros.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule.

CSUDH and CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Launch Master’s Degree Program

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Students using computer inside a prison facility
Image courtesy of CDCR

Starting this fall, incarcerated people across California will have the opportunity to earn a fully accredited Master of Arts in Humanities degree from CSUDH.

The groundbreaking program, called HUX, is a partnership between CSUDH and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). It will be the first time CDCR formally partners with California’s public higher education system to offer a graduate degree exclusively for incarcerated students.

CSUDH first established HUX as a correspondence program in the early 1970s. Its subject-matter breadth and affordability helped it become one of the most popular and accessible humanities-based graduate degrees in the country—for both incarcerated and non-incarcerated students—until it ended in 2016.

In 2020, the CSUDH College of Arts and Humanities and College of Continuing and Professional Education began the process of rebooting HUX with a mission to help incarcerated people pursue their academic goals with support from CDCR.

“We wanted to bring back a legacy program that had a proven track record in distance education and tied in with CSUDH’s commitment to social justice,” said Matthew Luckett, program director of HUX. “We recreated this program to be a beacon and a leader within incarcerated education.”

The first HUX cohort will begin in September and includes 33 students across multiple facilities. Students commit to two years of coursework, focusing on subjects within the field of humanities that reflect their own interests and goals. Students work independently, completing coursework through secure laptops and working with faculty through video call and/or written correspondence. Whenever possible, professors will bring together students in the program for discussions and collaborative work.

Under CSUDH and CDCR’s interagency agreement, any incarcerated person within CDCR can apply for HUX if they have already obtained a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and have earned a grade point average of at least 2.5 in past coursework. Before the agreement, students pursuing a graduate degree would have to do so completely independently, via correspondence college, and through out-of-state institutions.

“CDCR is proud to partner with CSUDH to further the Department’s commitment in expanding ‘grade school to grad school’ opportunities and also strengthen collaborative efforts with California’s public higher education system,” said CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber.

“These efforts are vital, as education serves as a powerful rehabilitative tool—studies show that incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional education are 48% less likely to return to prison within three years than those who didn’t take advantage of these opportunities.”

CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham echoed the importance of providing advanced learning opportunities in correctional settings.

“Transforming lives is what we do at CSUDH,” Parham said. “Our mission is firmly anchored in social justice, and HUX reaffirms our commitment to providing accessible, transformative education.

“This historic partnership between California State University and CDCR benefits students—and ultimately their families and communities—by distinguishing between what people did and who they are at the core of their being, and recognizing their potential, cultivating their talents, and preparing them to thrive in their paths moving forward.”

Tuition for HUX is approximately $10,500, with opportunity for scholarships and grants via the CSUDH financial aid office. In some instances, CDCR may provide assistance not covered by comparable benefits. CSUDH also accepts donations to support the program’s greatest needs to help ensure student success.

“Few programs, academic or otherwise, have as high of a return on investment as prison education programs,” said Luckett. “Our students don’t just stay out of jail—they become leaders in their communities.”

To learn more about HUX and how to apply, contact Matthew Luckett.

CDCR’s ‘grade school to grad school’ commitment

CDCR partners with California’s public higher education system to offer associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the California community colleges, the California State University, and the University of California. About 13.5% of the entire incarcerated population are enrolled in college courses. HUX expands the partnership to include the master’s degree, providing increased opportunity for incarcerated students to continue their education.

Toro Women’s Soccer Looks for Turnaround

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Toro women's soccer players
Toros (L-R) Kylie Yuzon, Alicia Covarrubias, and Katie McDermott are eager to kick off the 2023 season.

The 2022 season didn’t go as planned for the CSUDH women’s soccer team, but Interim Head Coach Danielle Jones is ready to turn the page.

“We had a good group of young women last year, but we just didn’t click as a team like we had hoped,” says Jones, who is in her first year in charge of the squad. “We’re looking forward to changing that this year.”

Despite starting last season with high hopes, the losses quickly began to add up. The team ended the season with a disappointing 1-13-4 record. “It was a rough, rough go,” admits Jones. “But we have a good opportunity now to rebuild the program. The assistant coaches and I have had a lot of time to think about all the things that we want to do in the future. I think we’ve put together a really good culture and a solid plan for what we plan to do this year.”

When Jones brought the team together for spring practice, the emphasis was on recapturing the joy of playing soccer. “We wanted the players to start having fun again,” says Jones. “We just let them play—they did small-side games, worked on fitness and technical things, and just let them be college athletes.

“I think that really helped. I saw a lot of growth from so many of them being able to find their voice or their playing style.”

The squad returns only ten players from last season’s team, but Jones and her staff have bolstered their ranks through a whirlwind recruiting process. Overall, the team is bringing in 21 new players from the junior college and high school ranks. “We did a lot of work to bring this squad together, and our roster is pretty stacked now,” says Jones.

Jones has spent the off-season meticulously planning for this year. “I feel like we’re starting from the ground up, in a very positive and methodical way,” she says. “I have all my practice sessions planned for months!”

This season will be one of transition, as the team adapts to new coaching and looks to get the program headed back in the right direction. “I’ll measure success as how we change the culture,” says Jones. “Is everyone bought into what we’re doing? Is everyone competing? As long as we’re competing every day and everyone comes in with intensity, that’s going to be a positive step.”

Jones knows that wins will be hard to come by in the ultra-competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), but wants her team to embrace the challenge. “There are never easy games in our conference,” says Jones. “It’s high-level competition, and that’s what we’re trying to build here. This year, I just want our players to enjoy their experience, have fun, and be competitive. I think it’s going to be a turnaround season for us.”

She encourages Toro students to come out and support the squad as they rebuild a winning culture. “We’re going to be fast, aggressive, brave in the air—I’m very attack-minded and the team will always be looking to go forward. We’re definitely going to give you a show. We’re building something new and can use all the support we can get from the students!”

The CSUDH women’s soccer team plays their home opener against Concordia University Irvine on Friday, Sept. 8 at 5:00 p.m., at Toro Stadium. Their complete schedule is available at https://gotoros.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule.

Toro Men’s Soccer Aims to Build on Success

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Toro men's soccer players Zane Baumgardt, Sebastian Ascensio, and Ndifor Ginyui.
Toros (L-R) Zane Baumgardt, Sebastian Ascensio, and Ndifor Ginyui are ready to make their mark.

The 2022 CSUDH men’s soccer team may have won the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title and reached the third round of the NCAA Division II Championships, but head coach Eddie Soto can’t help but think about what might have been.

“There was a lot to be very, very proud of last season,” says Soto. “But in the end, we came up short. We missed our expectations, to be honest. We had a team that could have gone further. We all felt that way.”

The team’s dreams of reaching the Elite Eight were dashed with a third-round tournament loss to Northwest Nazarene University. Despite dominating most of the match and scoring a go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute, the Toros were beaten by a pair of very late goals. The 3-2 loss sent the Toros crashing out of the tournament earlier than expected.

“We were six minutes from the Elite Eight, and here we are ready to start a new season and that bad taste is still in my mouth,” says Soto, who heads the United Soccer Coaches (USC) 2022 West Region Coaching Staff of the Year. “I think it’s the same with the guys. I’m not taking anything away from what our players and our team did. It was great, we had a fantastic year, and we’re back on the national map, which is great.”

“But they had two goals in 58 seconds! You tip your hat to the other team. They were very resilient, they came back and beat us, but I think at the end of the day, we beat ourselves. I think everybody feels that way.”

Soto is determined that the squad learn from its mistakes last season. One of his favorite catchphrases is “Complacency Hinders Progress,” and the coach believes that was part of the Toros’ undoing in the tournament loss.

“I think our guys were thinking that the game was over,” says Soto. “They were already thinking of the Elite Eight, and then in one minute we lose the game. It was a tough lesson to learn, but I’m a big believer that you learn a lot from losing. Hopefully, we’ve learned that we can never feel complacent or comfortable with where we are.”

The Toros start the 2023 season with renewed expectations, and were voted tenth nationally in the annual USC preseason poll—the highest-ranked team in the CCAA. Soto doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, though. He knows that the CCAA is a minefield to traverse over the course of the season.

“It’s always tough,” he says. “We’re the ACC of Division II. It’s the toughest conference in the country. I don’t see it being any different from last year. Every game is going to be a battle. That’s why recruiting is so important. You can’t rely on what you’ve done in the past, it’s always about here and now. On any given day, any team can win in our conference. You can’t underestimate anyone.”

The Toros lost several key contributors from last season’s squad, including CCAA Male Athlete of the Year Sulaiman Bah, who transferred to Cal State Fullerton along with fellow Sierra Leone native Alpha Sowe. Replacing them won’t be easy, but Soto and his staff have had a great recruiting year and expect many of the new Toros to make a big impact.

“Depth is going to be very important, especially in the CCAA, where the season takes a toll on guys—physically, mentally, and emotionally,” says Soto. “Our number one goal when we were recruiting was to improve our depth. I feel that we’ve done that in every position. We have a lot of talent on the team. Now it’s about who’s going to adapt, to compete, to be consistent, and at the end of the day, who’s going to produce?”

Soto has big expectations for the squad this season, but stresses that the Toros can’t get ahead of themselves. “For us, it’s about who are we playing on that given day, and all our concentration and focus is on that. That needs to start with me and my staff, we’re not going to look ahead. We can’t. We’ve got to focus on the moment.”

The team and coaching staff are excited to get the season started and see how far they can go. “We have some really dynamic and athletic guys who are also technically skilled,” says Soto. “I’m really excited to see if we can put all the pieces together. That’s the hard part.”

The CSUDH men’s soccer team plays their home opener against Azusa Pacific University on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6:00 p.m., at Toro Stadium. Their complete schedule is available at https://gotoros.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule.

CalMatters: $33M to Ease Preschool Teacher Shortage

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CSUDH student doing educational activities with children.

Source: CalMatters

California needs 11,000 more pre-kindergarten teachers by 2025, as lawmakers embark on a huge expansion of free early education in California. 

Could $33 million in donations to two California State University campuses, announced Wednesday, increase the pipeline of educators for these little learners? 

The larger of the two gifts, $22 million, is the biggest-ever donation for Cal State Dominguez Hills. The grant is from the Ballmer Group, a limited liability company and philanthropy co-founded by Los Angeles Clippers owner and billionaire Steve Ballmer. The group also gave $11 million to nearby Cal State Long Beach for much of the same programming. The gifts will be doled out annually at roughly equal amounts for six years; both campuses got their first allotment in June.

The two schools educate a large share of low-income students. The campuses will spend about 80% of the money on scholarships for aspiring teachers and the rest on hiring personnel and expanding teacher training.

While most students at Cal State get enough financial aid from state and federal sources to avoid paying tuition, “the issue is that becoming a teacher is a lot more expensive than just being an undergraduate student,” said Jessica Zacher Pandya, dean of the College of Education at Dominguez Hills.  

Students aspiring to be teachers must pay hundreds of dollars in licensure exams and commit to 600 hours of student teaching. The Ballmer Group scholarship will help students cover those fees, work fewer hours and borrow less so they can focus on completing their studies and teaching credentials.

Dominguez Hills plans to support roughly 1,200 students over a six-year period starting this spring, Pandya said. Students will get awards of $2,500 to $10,000, the largest amount reserved for those fulfilling their student-teaching hours. Some of that scholarship money will fund students who plan to teach in schools with large numbers of Black students, including in high schools, Pandya said.

The university is also developing a credential that will focus specifically on early grades, pre-kindergarten to third grade. The Ballmer Group money will help pay for faculty to develop that curriculum. Right now, the standard credential is for teaching grades kindergarten through eighth grade. The new credential is “much more developmentally appropriate” to teach younger students, Pandya said.

And as the Los Angeles area and California shift more of their early education from private institutions to school districts that pay higher wages, the Dominguez Hills campus hopes to graduate more teachers specifically trained to educate those young kids.

The campus hopes to attract current early-education instructors, who are typically women and people of color, into its programming, Pandya said.

EdSource: New Grants Support Early Childhood Educator Training

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CSUDH student teaching children at an educational event.

Source: EdSource

California State University Long Beach (CSULB) and California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) today announced $33 million in funding from the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic organization, to support programs designed to address the shortage of early childhood educators (ECE). These grants are intended to help close the emerging ECE teacher gap as well as provide living wage jobs for these educators.

California school districts need an estimated 12,000-15,000 credentialed ECE teachers to drive California Gov. Newsom’s expansion of early childhood education such as TK, or transitional kindergarten, experts say.

CSULB and CSUDH both have key programs that train early childhood educators, a profession long dominated by women of color in California. Whereas preschool teachers often exist on meager wages, TK teachers are paid the same as K-12 teachers. That’s why these programs should increase the economic mobility of ECE teachers who can use their new credentials to access jobs with better pay and benefits.

CSUDH to Bolster Racially Diverse Educators with $22 Million Gift from Ballmer Group

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Teacher doing building activity with young children.

The historic gift marks the largest donation ever given to CSUDH.

More than 1,000 new teachers of preschool and early elementary school grades will start work in the Golden State over the next six years thanks to two new programs being launched at CSUDH, following a transformative gift announced today.

Ballmer Group is committing a historic $22 million to CSUDH over six years, marking the largest donation ever given to the university. The majority of the gift will fund scholarships for students through the university’s Toros Teach L.A. program, which will help address California’s severe shortage of early childhood educators by preparing, graduating, and placing culturally competent, racially diverse teachers and leaders in schools across the Los Angeles region.

“This program, supported by a generous gift from Ballmer Group, will have an outstanding impact on communities with a high need for credentialed preschool and early childhood educators,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham.

“It will support communities of color by creating a pipeline of teachers working and staying in the area, and improve those educators’ ability to create positive outcomes for their students through the use of culturally competent pedagogies.”

California’s early education workforce faces a serious shortfall of teachers, with some estimates putting the need at nearly 10,000 educators as the state expands access to transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds by the 2025-26 school year. CSUDH’s Toros Teach L.A. program will include two initiatives to address this need: Early Childhood Excellence and Black Educator Excellence. Through these, the university will build equity-embedded credentials, help districts recruit and support their Black educators and all educators of Black children, and enable educators to forge successful teaching careers with less debt and improved career retention.

“We are excited to work with Ballmer Group toward educating and mentoring culturally responsive teachers for the preschool-3rd grade classrooms of the Los Angeles region,” said Jessica Zacher Pandya, dean of the College of Education at CSUDH. “With this generous gift, we can offer this training to more future teachers, who can then serve the communities they come from while helping to alleviate this critical need for the state.”

The grant supports scholarships for up to 1,200 students, allowing them to earn bachelor’s degrees and PK-3 or K-8 teaching credentials. The program also includes training and upskilling for current teachers, including new units needed for the PK-3 credential once it becomes available and certificate coursework for current teachers who want to improve their ability to teach ethnically diverse learners.

“This significant, impactful gift accelerates our rollout of the new PK-3 credential, while also fostering a diverse pool of future educators,” said Mi-Sook Kim, dean of CSUDH’s College of Health, Human Services and Nursing, which houses the Department of Child Development. “Our Child Development program will also support current teachers looking to upgrade their learning and earn a new credential to progress in their career.”

Ballmer Group’s grant to CSUDH was paired with a gift of $11 million to California State University, Long Beach, to support similar programs on that campus.

“Early education is a game-changer for giving kids a fair shot in school and life,” said Kim Pattillo Brownson, Director of Strategy and Policy for Ballmer Group. “Teachers are vital to this work, and CSUDH and CSULB will now be able to support LA’s future early educators through scholarships, degree programs, and partnerships to support our children’s learning.”

Connie and Steve Ballmer co-founded Ballmer Group in 2015 to focus on improving economic mobility and opportunity for children and families in the United States who are disproportionately likely to remain in poverty. Ballmer Group directs its philanthropy to help ensure that a person thrives through a healthy birth and stable family, a safe childhood and adolescence, a good education, and a career that can support a family.