FAQs: Request for Graduation Initiative 2025 (GI2025) Funding
General Questions
Are examples of previously funded proposals available for reference?
Beginning with this funding cycle, all division prioritized proposals under consideration will be made public. From the Spring 2019 review process, below are examples a proposals that received high scores:
What is Graduation Initiative 2025?
GI 2025 is the California State University (CSU) system’s ambitious multi-year initiative to increase graduation rates and eliminate opportunity and achievement gaps for all students. For more information, go here.
How much money is available for GI2025 in 2020-21?
Base (Ongoing) Funding: Depending on the level of state funding, Humboldt’s allocation is estimated to be anywhere from $0 - $3,500,000. As a planning baseline, we are anticipating an equivalent level to what we received in 2019-20, which was $1.1 million in ongoing funding. Base funding is not part of the call at this time. Please stay tuned for more information on how to engage with the process of allocation for base funding to which we will turn next.
One-Time Funding: We estimate $500,000 - $1,000,000 in one-time funding will be available for allocation in 2020-21, pending availability of funds. One-Time funding is the focus of the current funding call.
Are there any limits to GI2025 eligibility?
Graduation Initiative 2025 funding is a component of our Operating Fund (HM500) budget and is only available for state-supported functions. If you have questions about possible submissions, please contact budgetplanning@humboldt.edu.
What about the campus' other plans like the Strategic Plan or the Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, do they fit into this process?
Yes! In fact, those are appropriate places to start. The campus has already prioritized those activities by including them in these plans so please feel free to use them as the basis for your requests. They also have objectives and outcomes that fit easily into the rubric. In addition, the rubric has been updated to include an institutional impact section that directly references these plans as part of the scoring process.
What are the submission deadlines?
- MBU/College proposals due to Division: February 7, 2020
- Division prioritized proposals due to budgetplanning@humboldt.edu: February 26, 2020 at 11:59pm
What if I miss the deadline - is there an exception process?
No. The timelines are intentionally set to ensure the process completes in time for the president to announce to campus before end of spring semester.
If I have an idea, where do I submit it?
Proposals will be coordinated through the MBU/College, so please reach out to your MBU leadership if you have an idea.
How will requests be prioritized?
Proposals will flow through the campus organizational structure and be reviewed and prioritized at each level of the organization. Once prioritized at the division level, proposals will be combined for evaluation (rubric analysis will be conducted by the Student Success Alliance (SSA)) and student feedback (presentation at a February Associated Students Board Meeting). Results will be presented to the University Resources & Planning Committee (URPC) who, in turn, will make recommendations to the University Senate. Resulting recommendations will be presented to the President’s Cabinet /Administrative Team for review and recommendation. Ultimately, the President will make the decision on which proposals will be funded as part of the approved 2020-21 Budget.
What is the role of the MBU and Division in developing and prioritizing requests?
The process reinforces the important relationship between the goals and priorities of the University to the Divisions, Divisions to MBUs and MBUs to Departments. This starts with clear communication of key priorities from leadership levels throughout their respective reporting units, critical to ensure alignment. The MBU is the initiating unit of requests to enhance opportunities for coordination with and among departments to achieve MBU goals. The departments, as subject matter experts, are the most knowledgeable about their specific needs and resource capabilities and as such, a collaborative and iterative process is encouraged as MBUs work with their departments to develop requests. The division, then reviews the MBU level proposals collectively and prioritize and make a recommendation on which proposals to move forward for SSA consideration, based on the overall goals of the division.
Can I pre-score my request?
Yes! Requestors are strongly encouraged to self-score using the same rubric the Student Success Alliance (SSA) will be using. MBU and Divisional leaders can use this same rubric to assist in their review process. This helps to ensure you have provided the appropriate details to support your request. Please note: your self-score results may not be the same as the SSA scoring results. You can find the scoring rubric here.
How will smaller requests, such as a one-time low-cost software purchase, be scored against larger, more complicated initiatives?
All requests will be scored using the same rubric, providing equal opportunity to demonstrate alignment and preparedness for GI2025 goals.
If I have an idea, can I submit directly to the SSA for review?
No. Proposals will be coordinated and submitted from the MBU level to the Division level.
What if my proposal doesn’t get advanced to the next level?
Consult with leadership at the level where the decision was made.
My proposal made it to SSA for review but didn’t get funded - how do I appeal?
There is no appeal process. However, you can review your score as well as all other scored proposals. You can resubmit in a future GI2025 request cycle.
What are the definitions of Division, MBU and Department?
Division: An organizational unit comprised of various Major Budget Units (MBUs). The University has six divisions: President, Academic Affairs, Administrative Affairs, Enrollment Management, University Advancement, and University Wide.
Major Budget Unit (MBU): A reporting mechanism that signifies a major unit, such as a college, within a divisional structure and includes one or more departments. It allows for tracking and reporting at a more summarized level than the department level. (e.g. Facilities Management, College of Professional Studies, Information Technology Services)
Department: Represents a meaningful activity or function within the campus organizational structures. Identifies the “Who”: Who is being charged or responsible for the transaction? (e.g. Biology, Learning Center, Registrar’s Office). Departments roll up to Major Budget Units (MBUs), which roll up to Divisions.
How has GI2025 money been invested to-date?
Dashboards highlighting the exciting investments Humboldt is making with ongoing and one-time GI 2025 funding are available at https://hsu.openbook.questica.com/.
Request Form FAQ's
What are the six pillars of GI2025 and what are examples of activities that have been funded to date?
Academic Preparation: Creating a new approach to academic preparation through a series of academic and student support program
- Learning Communities
- RAMP
- Faculty fellows
- Tutoring and supplemental instruction
Enrollment Management - Enhancing the quality of the student experience and the alignment of course availability with student need (note: the pillar name is not synonymous with organizational structure)
- Professional advisors
- Transfer articulation specialist
- Online course development
Student Engagement & Wellbeing - Support campuses in the development of wrap-around services to address students' comprehensive care needs
- Support for student basic needs, such as activities that promote housing and food security
- CARE services support
- Check It program support
Financial Support - Investing in the expansion of financial support structures beyond traditional financial aid to ensure economic status does not stall students’ success
- Student employment opportunities
Data-Informed Decision Making - Using data at both the system and campus level to inform the development and advancement of effective student support programs
- Expand assessment capacity in Institutional Effectiveness
Removing Administrative/Academic Barriers - Modernizing administrative processes by discontinuing policies and procedures identified as impediments to student success
- Academic scheduling analyst
- Curriculog software
- Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) coordinator
What is Racial Equity?
Equity work at Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt) recognizes the historical and systemic disparities in opportunities and outcomes and provides resources necessary to rectify those disparities. Racial equity at Humboldt will be achieved when one’s racial identity no longer predicts, in a statistical sense, how one fares. Racial equity is one part of racial justice and works to eliminate policies, attitudes, and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race. For more information, check out the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website here.
What is Income Equity?
Providing access and opportunity for students who come from low-income (PELL eligible) families. For more information, check out the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website here.
What is Institutional Impact?
Existing institutional priorities can be found here:
Make a direct connection between your proposal and the components of the institutional priorities you plan to support. Be sure to include any prior assessment or data supporting the efficacy of your plans. In addition, include size of anticipated population served.
How do I find the data I need to support my needs analysis?
Sources can vary, depending on your request. Look internally for your own assessments: what data do you have, such as from current practices, results or plans that backs up the need for your request? What existing initiatives, such as the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) plan, the campus Strategic Plan or your college strategic plan, such as the CNRS Strategic Plan, are the foundation for your request? The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) website is an excellent source of data and Academic Program review dashboards. For data about rooms and other facilities data, check out Facilities Management’s FacilitiesLink system. Alternatively, what comparative data do you have from other institutions that demonstrate long-term positive impact over a defined timeline and how you are applying those results to your plans?
What are evidence-based practices?
These encompass activities, policies, and programmatic approaches to achieve positive changes in student learning and success in and outside the classroom. Evidence-based practices can be in three phases: promising, validated or exemplary phases. Promising practices are emergent or pilot practices where data collection is in process, but rigorous evaluation has not yet been completed. Validated practice is an evidence based practice that has documented positive student outcomes in an educational or similar setting. Exemplary practice is a validated education practice that has already been successfully replicated at multiple education settings with similar positive student outcomes. Examples are High Impact Practices (HIPs) like Learning Communities.
What are outcomes and objectives?
Outcomes are a related statement of fact that is a result of actions or steps taken. What does success look like?
Objectives are a related statement of commands (to ourselves), directives or action statements. How will we accomplish?
Some helpful hints on building effective outcomes and objectives:
DO: Keep it simple, relevant and manageable and DO keep resources in mind.
DON’T: Create more than 3 objectives per goal or per outcome and DON’T try to assess everything, every year.
What is an assessment plan?
The work of assessment endeavors to answer a simple question: Is what we’re doing working? Assessing how well you met your outcomes and objective requires measurements, otherwise you’re just guessing. Consider these questions when forming your assessment plan.
- What is being measured?
- Why choose that measure versus another one?
- How will it be measured?
- Who will be doing the measuring?
- On what timeline will measurement occur?
For more information on assessment, check out the Office of Institutional Effectiveness website here.
Do I have to complete the financial template in order to submit my request?
Yes. Completing the Financial Plan template will help ensure your request considers a variety of potential expense areas and provides additional background to support your request. Also important is to include in your proposal how the financial plan supports the achievement of your planned outcomes and objectives.
If you have questions about completing this form, your area budget analyst can help you. Or contact the University Budget Office at budgetplanning@humboldt.edu.
Where do I find the estimated costs for things listed in the financial template?
Your area budget analyst can help you. Alternatively, check with the folks you usually consult with for these types of costs, e.g. your Key Advisor for telephone and network costs, Facilities Management for space renovation costs, etc. Facilities estimates will be given priority attention; requests should be submitted through their regular Service Request website.
How much money can I request?
Ask for just what you need to make your project successful. Please do not over or underestimate.