Celebrating a decade of gains for undergraduate student success

Last year, the California State University closed the books on Graduation Initiative 2025 — a decade-long initiative to increase graduation rates for undergraduate students while eliminating opportunity and achievement gaps. 

San Diego State University as a whole exceeded systemwide goals. And numbers recently shared by SDSU Analytic Studies & Institutional Research (ASIR) show that the College of Education was one of the university’s top performing colleges.

From 2015-2025, COE saw the following gains:

• The 4-year graduation rate for first-years increased from 52.2% (Fall 2012 cohort) to 75.1% (Fall 2021 cohort).
• The 6-year graduation rate for first-years increased from 75.7% (Fall 2010 cohort) to 86.8% (Fall 2019 cohort).
• The 2-year graduation rate for upper division transfers increased from 43.1% (Fall 2014 cohort) to 73.7% (Fall 2023 cohort).
• The 4-year graduation rate for upper division transfers increased from 83.4% (Fall 2012 cohort) to 90.3 (Fall 2021 cohort).

While the numbers speak for themselves, one question remains — how exactly did the college manage this? Sarah Garrity, who oversees student support initiatives in her role as Senior Associate Dean, has an idea.

"We love our students and we care about our students,” Garrity explained. “We just wrap our arms around them and really are invested in making sure that they're successful.” 

That metaphorical warm embrace begins in COE’s Office for Student Success on the second floor of Lamden Hall. The office, under the leadership of former longtime SDSU faculty member Paul Justice, houses advisors who further the academic and personal trajectories of students from three undergraduate majors — liberal studies, child development and leadership studies. 

COE undergraduates who enter as first-year students receive advising for all four years of their bachelor’s degree.

The advising team of Alison Sternal, Tanner Wilson and Jesse Ortiz is unique for its deep understanding of the fields to which COE students aspire. All three are former K-12 classroom teachers who later transitioned into higher education roles.

"Whether we're working with students who want to be teachers or not, we do have a great grasp of the education system and careers in education," said Sternal, who has been with OSS since 2018. "I think for all our majors, leadership included, what students are doing in their undergrad is very wrapped up with their career preparation. We have to know what's possible for students and help them realize possibilities. 

“We want students to be successful and we want students to know what their potential is."

In recent years, the advising team has also worked closely with faculty such as former department chair Sascha Longstreth and current department chair Hsien-Chang Lin from the Department of Child and Family Development; Associate Professor Chris Brum, who coordinates the liberal studies major; and Leadership Studies coordinator Lisa Gates to streamline prerequisites and academic pathways.

"I would say that being able to work with the faculty the way we do is unique,” Sternal said. “They actively want to know what we think and they take into consideration what we share from student experiences and undergraduate policy. It's not just problem solving a schedule for a student, it's advocating for students on a systemic level." 

Both Sternal and Garrity also said COE’s efforts were boosted by the College's participation in Data Champions, a university-wide research initiative led by ASIR in the late 2010s that identified equity gaps and areas where student service can be improved.

"Data Champions made us really poised to do that kind of work,” Garrity said. “We disaggregated the data to figure out where we were doing well and where we could improve. It helped us refine our curriculum and realize what students really needed. So, when GI 2025 came, the advisors were used to doing that kind of work."

Garrity also praised Patricia Lozada-Santone, assistant dean for student affairs, for her tireless advocacy on behalf of students as well as the collaborative efforts of Longstreth, Lin, School of Teacher Education Chair Lynne Bercaw, former ARPE chair Charles Degeneffe, current ARPE chair Marissa Vasquez and others.

“They're real problem solvers,” Garrity said of COE’s entire student success team. “They love to solve problems with individual students, but also systems-level problems. They invest time in reflecting on our practices to ensure there's a seamless program of study for our students."