ANTHONY PLASCENCIA

“I achieved more as a direct result of the Male Success Alliance at CSU Dominguez Hills.”

Anthony Plascencia was still 17 when he moved 368 miles from his hometown of Sacramento, California, to attend CSU Dominguez Hills, about 40 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. While he'd always dreamed of going to college in L.A., it wasn't long before homesickness set in.

“I didn't know anybody and I was still a kid," says the first-generation college student. “I had to grow up really quick." After spotting a flyer for CSUDH's Male Success Alliance (MSA) on campus his junior year, Plascencia attended a meeting and decided to join the group. Historically, young men of color earn degrees at lower rates than their counterparts. Programs such as the MSA, which are part of the CSU's Graduation Initiative 2025, are working to change this. The alliance improves access, retention and graduation rates of men of color by providing academic support, professional development and mentoring.

Though Plascencia once thought he'd never go to college, in May 2019, he received a bachelor's in criminal justice and hopes to start work in Sacramento County in November as a probation officer. And he credits the MSA with providing the guidance to make it possible.

“I felt like I did it, but I also feel this isn't the end," he says. “There's still much more impact to make in the community. I'm going to keep going."

Learn more about Anthony's story and about the CSU's Graduation Initiative 2025, which strives to increase graduation rates for all students while eliminating opportunity and achievement gaps.

Anthony laughs with his pastor in front of a church.

“When I came to Dominguez Hills, it was difficult. I was far from home. I called my pastor, Diego Muñoz [shown at right], every day frantically to let him know I was going through a dark time. We would talk about my day and he gave me advice, to remember that at the end of the tunnel, there's that degree. I knew there was a purpose for me in this process."

Anthony’s Male Success Alliance graduation stole.

“The Male Success Alliance was founded to help men of color navigate a pathway to educational, personal and professional success. It taught me to be organized and professional. It definitely made me feel part of the campus. I believe I achieved more as a student as a direct result of being in the alliance."

Anthony poses with a group of his MSA brothers on a hike in Palos Verdes.

“We had general [MSA] meetings once a month and everyone had to wear a suit. There were events like speakers and game nights, and there's a study room where everyone could study and talk. The brothers of the Male Success Alliance and I hiked at Palos Verdes as a rite of passage."

Anthony performs an ice breaker game for new students during a campus tour.

While leading tours of the CSUDH campus for prospective students, Plascencia liked to use icebreakers to loosen things up.

“When I came in as a freshman, I was very shy, but once I joined the alliance it made me come out of my shell. I was exposed to more crowds and my public speaking got sharper. Eventually, I got a job as a campus tour guide. My last day of work, my supervisors and coworkers gathered to tell me goodbye and wish me luck. They bought me a sweater and card and took me to lunch. That really touched my heart."

Anthony reads a criminal justice textbook.

“My criminal justice professor at Dominguez Hills, Dr. Shari Berkowitz, talked a lot about social injustice and racism and showed us the 'Central Park Five' documentary. When I saw that, I was like, 'Wow, I really want to help kids of color.' That class navigated me to become a probation officer."

Anthony holds up a photo from his graduation with his mother.

“I came from a broken home. My father didn't think I was going to make it to high school, but my mom always told me I was going to be something in life. She's extremely proud of me, especially how quickly I graduated college. Right now I want to settle into my probation officer job, take a year off and achieve my master's—maybe at Sac State."

Check out more programs around the CSU that improve retention and graduation rates for men of color:

Cal State Fullerton's Male Success Initiative

CSUN's Black Male Initiative Organization

Cal Poly Pomona's Project SUCCESS

STORY: MICHELLE MCCARTHY

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Record and courtesy of Anthony plascencia

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Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Years of Educational Excellence

Over the past six decades, the CSU has transformed the face of higher education in California.

On the surface, it was merely a signature: Pat Brown. California’s then-governor had put pen to paper countless times to enact law. But this one was special. Its impact would be far-reaching and ripple throughout generations. Signed into law on April 27, 1960, the Donahoe Higher Education Act changed California forever. That master plan gave birth to the California State University and was the culmination of a bold vision put forth by the Golden State’s legislators, educators and civic and business leaders. It unified the California State Colleges into a single, solidified system with a mission to elevate its students through equity and social mobility.

The CSU has since grown to become the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with campuses spanning from Humboldt in the north to San Diego in the south. San José State University serves as the oldest campus (1857), while California State University, Channel Islands is the newest addition (2002). Each year, the CSU awards more than 127,000 degrees, producing job-ready graduates who are essential to California’s workforce and economy. While the CSU welcomes the changes time inevitably brings, one element has remained constant: a deep commitment to student success.

Take a look at this collection of historical images to view how our campuses have transformed over the years. (Due to current circumstances, we were not able to include photos from every campus. Check back soon to see future additions.)

Bakersfield

April 11, 1969
Then-Governor Ronald Reagan speaks at CSUB’s groundbreaking ceremony.

1973
Students shop for textbooks in the CSUB bookstore.

CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE

CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE

1974
Senator Margaret Chase Smith (center), Glenn Dumke, Ph.D. (right, Chancellor of the CSU from 1962 to 1982) and James Cleary, Ph.D. (left, president of CSUN from 1969 to 1992) at CSUN’s commencement. Senator Smith received the Award of Honorary Doctor of Law at the ceremony. She was the first woman to serve in both houses of the United States Congress.

1976
Fifteen years after being organized as a separate system of higher education, the 19 campuses of the California State University and Colleges acquire a permanent headquarters in the building at 400 Golden Shore, Long Beach. The 6.4-acre site was donated by the City of Long Beach. In TK, it moved across the street to its current location at 401 Golden Shore.

CHANNEL ISLANDS

1999
California State Assembly members Nao Takasugi and Jack O’Connell reveal the official campus road sign to be placed along the 101 Freeway in Camarillo.

2008
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 137,000-square-foot, threestory John Spoor Broome Library.

CHICO

2016
Gayle Hutchinson speaks with students at her 2016 inauguration, making her the campus’s first female president.

2008
Chico State hires Rachel McBride-Praetorius as director of Tribal Relations, a first for the campus and the CSU.

DOMINGUEZ HILLS

1971
President Leo Cain stands with administrators and campus visitors in front of the new library’s framework. Left to right: Gilbert Smith, Polly Watts, Assemblyman Leon Ralph, President Cain.

1983
Professor John Goders (right) examines an art table containing a clay sculpture in progress by an art student (left).

EAST BAY

The university was originally named the State College for Alameda County when it was officially established by the California State Assembly in 1957. The first academic year began in 1959 at Sunset High School in Cherryland with 25 faculty and 293 students. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the current Hayward Campus were held in February 1961, and the college moved to its permanent location in fall 1963.

The university changed its name to California State University, East Bay in 2005 to reflect its new regional positioning. The university’s three campuses—named the Hayward campus, the Concord campus and the Oakland Center—reinforced the regional influence of the university.

FRESNO

Fresno

April 1968
Two months before his assassination, Robert F. Kennedy brought his presidential campaign to the Amphitheater.

2013
Chancellor Timothy P. White and former campus winemaker/alumnus John Giannini (left) at Fresno State Winery. Fresno State became the first university in the U.S. fully licensed to produce, sell and bottle wine in 1997.

Fullerton

William Langsdorf, founding president of CSUF, at the construction site for the campus’s first structure, the Letters and Science Building.

Students decompress in their CSUF dorm.

Humboldt

A muddy tug-of-war was a highlight of Lumberjack Days, a campuswide celebration held annually from the 1950s through the 1990s.

1930
Botany class.

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES

1960s
Dance party on campus.

Cal State LA alumnus Billie Jean King plays tennis on campus.

CAL MARITIME

CAL MARITIME

July 1995 Former CSU Chancellor Barry Munitz presents former Cal Maritime President Dr. Mary Lyons with the proclamation stating the campus officially joined the CSU.

September 1994
The U.S.N.S. Maury, an Ocean Survey ship that was slated to go out of service, was transferred to the academy as its new training ship. The 500-foot vessel was renamed T.S. Golden Bear III, the Academy’s fourth training ship in its history.

MONTEREY BAY

December 5, 2008
Opening celebration for Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library.
Photo by Randy Tunnell Photography

1995
Former President Bill Clinton on stage at the CSUMB Inauguration Ceremony.

NORTHRIDGE

1970s
Students take a respite on the lawn of CSUN’s National Center on Deafness.

1994
A police officer stands in front of parking structure C (now East Field and SRC Field), which sustained extensive damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

POMONA

October 1966
The Trustees of the California State Colleges formally established California State Polytechnic College, Kellogg Campus as the 16th state college, separate from San Luis Obispo. Enrollment was 5,500. Instructional divisions were now called schools.

March 1982
The Bronco women’s basketball team wins the Division II national championship with a 93-74 victory over Tuskegee Institute. It’s the first of five national titles (1982, 1985, 1986, 2001, 2002).

SACRAMENTO

The current location of Sacramento State opened in 1952. Between 1947-1951, the campus shared facilities with Sacramento City College.

In 1971, Sacramento State became the first university in the U.S. to offer a degree in Women’s Studies.

SAN BERNARDINO

September 1965
California State College San Bernardino President John M. Pfau welcomes students to the first day of classes.

December 2019 The No. 1 ranked Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team completes a historic season as it wins the NCAA Division II National Championship and finishes with a perfect 33-0 record. The Yotes claimed the first team national championship, any sport, in Cal State San Bernardino school history, and became just the third team in NCAA DII Volleyball history to go undefeated.

SAN DIEGO

1960
Students study on the lawn of the Main Quad behind Hepner Hall.

June 6, 1963 Former President John F. Kennedy speaks at SDSU’s 65th commencement.

SAN FRANCISCO

November 6, 1968 The Black Student Union at SFSU leads a coalition of other groups in a campus student strike, demanding a more diverse and less Eurocentric university. When the strike ended four and a half months later (the longest campus strike in U.S. history), the strikers’ demands resulted in the creation of San Francisco State’s College of Ethnic Studies, the first such college in the nation.

1984 Students gather in the SFSU Quad.

SAN JOSÉ

SAN JOSÉ

An undated photo shows students in the quad of an art department building.

1902 “Box and Cox,” the first production put on at SJSU.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

SAN LUIS OBISPO

1977 Members of Cal Poly’s Mustang Band perform a distinctive tradition known as “Georging,” wild, spontaneous-looking dancing that is a carefully choreographed part of the show.

1967 Cal Poly SLO and Cal Poly Pomona have teamed up each year since 1949 for a unique Learn by Doing experience: designing, building and driving the only student-built float in the world-famous Rose Parade, which happens every New Year’s Day in Pasadena. In 1967, the entry, “A Child’s Fantasy,” earned the parade’s Mayor’s Award.

SONOMA

1966 Freshman Theresa Dunn of Cotati rides her horse from her home to campus Tuesdays and Thursdays for physical education classes.

1968 SSU in the distance as seen from Indian Valley Farm.

Stanislaus

1998 Stanislaus State President Marvalene Hughes applauds while General Colin Powell takes the podium as keynote speaker for the 1998 Stanislaus State Leadership Forum.

1998 President Marvalene Hughes (center) is joined by Stockton Center Dean Cynthia Morgan (left), Provost Richard Curry (right) and others at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the university’s Stockton Center facility at San Joaquin Delta College.

ANTHON​Y PLASCENCIA

“I achieved more as a direct result of the Male Success Alliance at CSU Dominguez Hills.”​

Cal State Fullerton's Male Success Initiative

CSUN's Black Male Initiative Organization

Cal Poly Pomona's Project SUCC​ESS

STORY: MICHELLE MCCARTHY

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Record and courtesy of Anthony plascencia

Share this story

Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Years of Educational Excellence

Over the past six decades, the CSU has transformed the face of higher education in California.

Bakersfield

Bakersfield

CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE

CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE

CHANNEL ISLANDS

CHANNEL ISLANDS

CHICO

CHICO

DOMINGUEZ HILLS

DOMINGUEZ HILLS

EAST BAY

EAST BAY

FRESNO

Fresno

Fullerton

Fullerton

Humboldt

Humboldt

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES

CAL MARITIME

CAL MARITIME

MONTEREY BAY

MONTEREY BAY

NORTHRIDGE

NORTHRIDGE

POMONA

POMONA

SACRAMENTO

SACRAMENTO

SAN BERNARDINO

SAN BERNARDINO

SAN DIEGO

SAN DIEGO

SAN FRANCISCO

SAN FRANCISCO

SAN JOSÉ

SAN JOSÉ

SAN LUIS OBISPO

SAN LUIS OBISPO

SONOMA

SONOMA

Stanislaus

Stanislaus

ANTHONY PLASCENCIA

“I achieved more as a direct result of the Male Success Alliance at CSU Dominguez Hills.”

Cal Poly Pomona's Project SUCCESS