A case study that used the Institutional Transformation Assessment (ITA) tool at Cal State San Bernardino has been published by the Gardner Institute, a leading national student success nonprofit organization.
“Rooted in the Region, Driven by Purpose: Leveling the Playing Field for Students at California State University, San Bernardino,” by Kelly Campbell, CSUSB vice provost, is included in the Gardner Institute’s “Transformation Powered by the ITA,” a collection of six case studies. The CSUSB study can be downloaded as part of the larger PDF; it begins on page 43.
“The six featured case studies represent a diverse set of institutions that used the ITA as part of their transformation journeys, each to varying degrees of success,” wrote Andrew K. Koch, CEO of the Gardner Institute, in the publication’s introduction. “All are currently engaged in the Gardner Institute’s broader transformation efforts, while also connecting ITA-guided strategies to other institutional priorities and partnerships. …
“These include Title III work at Fairmont State University, collaboration with Complete College America and Louisiana Meauxmentum at Louisiana State University Shreveport (LSUS), alignment with Growing Inland Achievement at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), and engagement with Achieving the Dream at Queensborough Community College,” Koch wrote.
“Taken together, these case studies illustrate the ITA’s central role in driving meaningful change across contexts. By diagnosing perceptions of systemic barriers and providing a shared framework for action, the ITA enables campuses to align efforts, build capacity, and achieve measurable gains in student success,” Koch wrote. “Collectively, they demonstrate how transformation powered by the ITA can turn aspiration into sustainable impact.”
The CSUSB study described how the university “embraced transformation to address declining enrollment, budget cuts, and student needs amplified by regional disparities,” Koch wrote. “Using the ITA and Readiness, Willingness, and Ability assessment alongside its own strategic plan, CSUSB aligned transformation efforts with institutional priorities rather than treat them as separate initiatives.”
Institutions included in the publication with CSUSB are Fairmont State University; Louisiana State University, Shreveport; Queensborough Community College, The City University of New York; Columbia College, Chicago; and Mary Baldwin University.
Since 2023, CSUSB has been part of an inaugural cohort of colleges and universities in the Gardner Institute’s national initiative, Transforming the Foundational Postsecondary Experience. The Foundational Postsecondary Experience initiative aims to transform the critical first two years of college education during which students create the foundation of ultimate success and degree completion. The effort will help institutions focus on inequitable performance gaps and take action to improve student learning and success.
The initiative has been made possible in part through the support of Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ECMC Foundation, and The Kresge Foundation.