CITY Scholars: Advancing Transfer Equity for Students of Color

Lead Organizations

Sacramento City College

Who engaged in this project?

Sacramento State University, Davis Campus of Sacramento City College, Sacramento City College, Sacramento County Office of Education, Schools First Credit Union, CCC-CSU Transfer Collaborative.

Total Funding Received

$237,049.37 (Partial Funding)

Type of Funding Received

Workgroup Proposal

Who were the intended beneficiaries?

Students of Color, low-income learners, and first-generation learners.

Launches a cohort program supporting African American and Latino students with culturally responsive teaching and support to boost transfer success and equity.

How is this project reaching high-priority or underserved student populations?

This project will reach disproportionately impacted students—specifically Black, Latinx, Native, and Pacific Islander first-time-in-college students—through college affinity group outreach, high school counselors, family and community events on and off the Sacramento City College campus, and targeted outreach to areas of academic study with dual enrollment students. Incoming students will be engaged directly beginning January 2026.

Progress towards goals

Our funded work commenced on July 1, 2025. Thus far, we have invested in staffing to lead and implement the initiative, including hiring a Student Success Coach and a Clerk Assistant to host Student Listening Sessions that gather student input on program development based on need. We will soon hire a Counselor/Academic Advisor, and our team has participated in culturally responsive professional development conferences to inform the infrastructure of City Scholars.

Having these resources in place has been a positive shift from idea to implementation. The team is coming together, and we now have measurable action plans for next term. Thanks to this funding, we are poised and ready for the Student Success Coach to begin outreach in January 2026, recruiting students into the program from local high schools.

Looking Ahead

Lean into the relationships your colleagues may have already nurtured with outside partners instead of starting from scratch. Engage your colleagues first to let them know what your objectives are and ask for their expertise and referrals.

We have identified the need for one or more faculty leads as part of the initiative, to provide input on curriculum design and to help build a community of practice for instructors. We will incorporate this into the budget going forward.