CollegeNET, a provider of on-demand technologies for higher education, recently released its ninth annual Social Mobility Index. The SMI lists 1,400 four-year institutions and is led by California State University (CSU) San Marcos. Seven other CSU schools ranked in the top 20.
CollegeNET recognizes schools advancing social mobility through various programs. The SMI benchmarks four-year U.S. colleges and universities according to how they hold the line on tuition, enroll students from low-income backgrounds, graduate those students into good jobs, and apply their promotional messaging to solve social mobility problems.
For the first time, SMI incorporates a metric that measures how schools’ real messaging and communications teach their students and the public about the institutional mission and the value of a college degree.
SMI praised CSU San Marcos and the other leaders of the SMI for conscientiously addressing the national emergency around social mobility and thereby teaching families and students the arrow of responsibility behind both institutional mission and the pursuit of a college degree.
Each year, CollegeNET presents the Social Mobility Innovator Awards to student success leaders at the Social Mobility Summit — a forum on economic inclusion and best practices for student success held in Portland, Oregon.
CollegeNET has also published an e-book that describes best practices from student success professionals pioneering innovative programs that support underserved and underrepresented students’ academic, personal and financial needs. Further, CollegeNET sponsors regional conferences to debate and discuss social mobility issues.
Lehman—included on CollegeNET’s 2021 index—ranked No. 18 in 2022, near the top one percent of higher education institutions in the nation.
Lehman College president Fernando Delgado said in an online statement that CollegeNET’s SMI ranking “validates Lehman’s broader mission as a socioeconomic catalyst in the Bronx and its role in a city where educational opportunity can lift all boats: reducing unemployment, raising household income, increasing civic participation, and improving health and wellbeing across diverse communities.
“Because we’re an urban institution that serves predominantly low-income, first-generation college students, one of the best gauges of our success is the social and economic mobility of our graduates, measured from before they set foot on campus through where they are today,” Delgado added. “I’m incredibly proud of our ranking on this index—it reflects the quality of our academic programs, our commitment to degree completion, and our support of the whole student from enrollment through graduation and beyond,” he added.
CSUSM has been recognized as the nation’s leader in social mobility, ranking No. 1 out of more than 1,400 schools in the annual Social Mobility Index by @CollegeNET.
Learn more here: https://t.co/dPdKcMMMTQ pic.twitter.com/IlnCJrMVbM
— Cal State San Marcos (@CSUSM) November 4, 2022
“I’m thrilled that the 2022 Social Mobility Index recognizes the critical work we’re doing in this area,” Cal State San Marcos President Ellen Neufeldt said in a statement. “We’re building upon CSUSM’s reputation as an escalator of social mobility. At a time when the value of higher education is being called into question, CSUSM stands out as a beacon of hope and opportunity. This recognition reflects the incredible work of our entire campus community to put our students and our region first in all that we do.”
The Top 20 SMI Schools for 2022 are:
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