PASO Among Finalists for Prestigious National Honor
By Eric Breier
Cal State San Marcos’ Pathways to Academic Success & Opportunities, commonly known as PASO, is one of 16 national finalists for Excelencia in Education’s 2019 Examples of Excelencia.
The winners will be announced at the Celebración de Excelencia in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 24.
Excelencia in Education received 166 program nominations, and one program will be chosen from each of four categories – Associate, Baccalaureate, Graduate and Community-Based Organizations. The final four will be chosen “based on evidence of their effectiveness to serve Latino academic achievement at their institutions and community organizations.”
Launched in 2004, Excelencia in Education’s mission is to “accelerate Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, conducting analysis to inform educational policies, and advancing institutional practices while collaborating with those committed and ready to meet the mission.”
PASO was launched through a Department of Education grant to expand educational opportunities and improve the academic attainment of Latino students.
Sigma Delta Pi receives honor
CSUSM’s Psi Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, was named an “Honor Chapter” for its outstanding activities in 2018-19. It was one of 15 chapters among 625 in the nation to earn this status.
Rankings
- CSUSM is 44th in Washington Monthly’s list of “2019 Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: West,” which includes more than 200 colleges and universities. It also was 66th on the list of “2019 Master’s University Rankings,” which included more than 600 schools.
- The university was 243rd in Money’s list of “The Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value,” which included nearly 750 schools. CSUSM was also 34th on its list of top 50 “Most Transformative Colleges.”
- CSUSM was ranked 45th in ASecureLife.com’s list of “100 Most Secure Campuses in the U.S.”
- The university was 176th in LendEDU’s list of top 250 schools with the lowest debt for students. CSUSM was also 106th among public universities.
Media Contact
Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314