The California State University elevates lives, families, communities and
our state through the transformative power of higher education. The
steadfast commitment of donors like you advances that mission in myriad
ways. For that reason, I am thrilled to share the stories of donor support
during the 2022-23 fiscal year—and offer my heartfelt gratitude and
deepest appreciation for your generosity.
A life-changing CSU degree empowers our students from all backgrounds—
America’s new majority—to pursue their dreams and obtain social and
economic independence. In fact, and thanks in large part to donor support, our
universities consistently dominate every national ranking for social mobility.
As you’ll see highlighted in this report, your generosity reverberates
through all areas of the CSU and its extended community—from bolstering
affinity centers to providing degree programs for incarcerated individuals to
supporting scholarships that target vulnerable populations.
Social mobility is the CSU’s story, and it is my personal story. I am a first-generation
college student—the daughter of humble and proud parents who
migrated to Brooklyn from Puerto Rico. I grew up in a poor but beautifully
diverse neighborhood near the factories where my parents worked. But while
my neighbors were diverse, their dreams were the same: to create a better
life for future generations. My family instilled in me, La única herencia que
una familia pobre le deja a sus hijos es una buena educación—the only
inheritance a poor family can leave its children is a good education. Thanks to
my parents’ vision and sacrifice—and to the undeniable power of a college
degree—I have benefited from that inheritance, and I have lived that dream.
Social mobility is my professional story as well. Throughout my career,
it’s been my highest honor to play a part in uplifting the lives of countless
students. And now, I have the profound privilege and extraordinary
opportunity to serve as the first Latina to lead the nation’s largest, most
diverse and most influential four-year university system.
This year’s gifts will play a key role—an essential role—in educating our
state’s and nation’s future leaders, positively impacting their families and
communities and helping to drive the economic and social prosperity of
our great state.
Again, thank you for your extraordinary commitment to the CSU and
its mission.
Mildred García, Ed.D.
Chancellor
The California State University