State University | Public 4-year
California State University, San Bernardino
Improving Policies, Refining Processes, and Supporting Outcomes
Download Full Case Study (PDF)Reducing Barriers Linked to Financial Holds at California State University, San Bernardino
The Problem
California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is a public university located in San Bernardino, California. Established in 1965, CSUSB enrolls approximately 20,000 students each year. Known for its commitment to student success, diversity, and community engagement, CSUSB serves a diverse student population and has the second highest African American and Hispanic enrollments of all public universities in California.
The Action
CSUSB started its efforts by assembling a team of subject matter experts representing divisions that support students. Participants in this initiative were willing to explore more deeply the implications of financial processes on student outcomes. The initial charge to the group was focused on the identification of strategies to improve enrollment and specifically on efforts to improve retention or re-engage students who had unpaid account balances that resulted in a hold. These financial holds blocked students from registering for classes. Through the development of a standard student account balance report and the revision of guidelines for debt forgiveness linked to a commitment to reenroll, register, and attend classes, CSUSB forgave close to $2M in support of the reenrollment campaign. The initiative decreased the university's accounts receivable (AR) balances.
The Results
“This resource and our improvement project helped us realize what is possible when we work across departments toward the same goal. We plan to use this tool to determine new initiatives and evaluate the performance of existing ones.”
Maria BadulisUniversity Controller, Finance and Administrative Services
