Fresno State has received a $1.75 million allocation from the California State University Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Student Achievement Program. The funding, provided by the State of California, will be distributed in increments of $350,000 over five years to support culturally responsive services for Asian and Pacific Islander students as well as other underrepresented groups on campus.
The funds are intended to enhance educational experiences and promote higher education success for low-income, underserved, first-generation students from these communities. Her Saychou and Dr. Jenny Banh, an anthropology professor and coordinator of the Asian American Studies Program at Fresno State, previously secured $360,000 in the program’s initial round of funding last year. This earlier grant led to the creation of the Bulldog Scholars Program, the Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders Student Leadership Conference, and support for additional programming and events.
With this year’s allocation, staff and faculty plan to expand existing programs and introduce new services. Saychou expressed intentions to hire more staff and students to assist with operations. She also aims to launch a mentorship program for incoming freshmen. Dr. Banh will focus on recruitment efforts and curriculum development for a new Asian American and Asian Studies major that began this fall.
Oversight of the allocation will be managed by a campus team including Dr. Bao Johri (vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer), Max Tsai (director for planning and digital transformation), Marie Tongson-Fernandez (senior survey specialist in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness), and Simran Nagra (research technician and data analyst in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness). The team plans to use institutional data to identify student needs, evaluate program effectiveness, and support student retention, persistence, and completion.
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