2018 Outstanding Staff Performance
Berenecea Johnson Eanes, Ph.D.
California State University, Fullerton
Vice President for Student Affairs
Major Accomplishments:
- Helped develop and implement new Strategic Plan for Cal State Fullerton
- Created 27-member task force to address food and housing insecurity among students
- Established the Diversity Initiatives & Resources Center, the Male Success Initiative to support historically disadvantaged men of color and was instrumental in opening the Titan Dreamers Resource Center
- Collaborated with partners to establish Bias Incident Response Protocol
Berenecea Johnson Eanes, Ph.D., has achieved transformative results in her role as a member of the President’s Cabinet and as vice president for the Division of Student Affairs at California State University, Fullerton — an institution with a diverse population of over 40,000 students.
Dr. Eanes joined Cal State Fullerton in 2012 as vice president and immediately made an impact on the university. In partnership with campus colleagues, she helped implement the university’s new Strategic Plan, resulting in a 30 percent improvement in six-year graduation rates and a 65 percent improvement in four-year graduation rates for first-time freshmen. During this time, the achievement gap has also been cut in half for first-time freshmen and eliminated for transfer students. Dr. Eanes, similarly, collaborated with students to re-engineer programs through the Student Success Initiative, providing stronger academic advising, improved course availability, expanded library hours, improved technology across the campus, and upgraded classrooms and student spaces. In sum, she has advanced a culture of collaboration among deans, the Division of Student Affairs, the President’s Cabinet, and the entire senior leadership team, and empowered Titans to make significant contributions in the classroom and the community.
An advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion, Dr. Eanes worked with key campus partners to create a Bias Incident Response Protocol, and to establish the Diversity Initiatives & Resources Center — the department that oversees five identity-based resource centers on campus — and the Male Success Initiative to support historically disadvantaged men of color. She was also instrumental in opening the Titan Dreamers Resource Center.
"My belief is that higher education will be one of the most important social justice issues of our time," says Dr. Eanes. "My entire career has been dedicated to serving on collaborative teams as a faculty member, staff and/or administrator who is willing to work actively and in a purposeful way to increase the number of students able to receive degrees."
In 2017, continuing the mission of supporting student wellness and success, Dr. Eanes created a 27-member food and housing insecurity task force and is now spearheading the division’s efforts in basic needs initiatives.
Dr. Eanes received her Ph.D. in social work from Clark Atlanta University, her master’s degree from Boston University and her bachelor’s degree from Dillard University.