CSUB celebrates opening of Black Student Success Center

Hub aims to give Black students more academic support, sense of belonging

By California State University, Bakersfield

April 22^nd, 2025

Black students at California State University, Bakersfield now have a new space on campus to call their own.

The university celebrated the opening of its Black Student Success Center in Dorothy Donahoe Hall Room 101K during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday. The space — officially named the Dr. Thomas D. Wallace Student Success Center in honor of the retiring vice president for Student Affairs — serves as a hub for students where they can get access to resources, receive mentorship and build connections with other students, faculty and staff.

“The center gives our mission a home base, a physical foundation where the most essential ingredient for the transformation we seek can be found – and that is, of course, human connection,” said President Vernon B. Harper Jr. “I have spoken to many alumni who said that they walked this campus and did not feel that this campus was their own, and part of the reason for this center is to correct that in every way that we possibly can.”

The goals of the center are to foster a sense of belonging for Black students on campus and to give them more academic support to help them reach the graduation stage.

“The center’s mission is clear — to make it easier for Black students to build meaningful relationships with faculty and staff, to be supported academically and culturally and to feel affirmed in their identity,” said Director of Special Programs and Student Retention Initiatives Natasha Harris. “The center shall become the cornerstone for Black student success, a space where academic gaps will be closed, graduation rates will rise and Black excellence is not only expected but is celebrated every day.”

During Monday’s ceremony, it was revealed that the space has been formally named the Dr. Thomas D. Wallace Student Success Center in recognition of Dr. Wallace's advocacy for creating a space for Black students on campus.

“We would not be here and not think of ourselves as `Runners on this campus and in this community without the extraordinary and excellent service of Dr. Wallace for the past 13 years,” Dr. Harper said. “He has brought a sense of optimism and inspiring vision of how this university should serve students that it did not have when he arrived.”

The center is being funded through the California State University system’s Black Student Success initiative. The CSU allocated $175,000 to CSUB last year to fund efforts aimed at providing support for Black students.

The grant also supported the creation of the SANKOFA Scholars program for Black women and outreach efforts at middle and high schools.

“This is a collective effort. This is about us coming together as an entire community,” said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Student Services Dr. Markel Quarles. “When students feel like they belong and are valued on campus, they do well. They thrive. We know that as an institution, that’s our collective responsibility.”

CSUB celebrates opening of Black Student Success Center

'A legacy we can all be proud of'

Fitzgerald Graves, who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in public policy and administration and holds a bachelor’s in psychology from CSUB, is excited to finally see the center open.

Having advocated for Black students at both Bakersfield College and at CSUB, where he served as president of the Black Student Union, he said the new space marks a turning point for the university.

“It’s important for us to celebrate, but it’s also important for us to support the Black Student Success Center — not only because of the cultural relevance and historical impact, but because it’s vital to all of us succeeding,” he said. “We strive for a legacy we can all be proud of; a legacy that goes beyond the CSUB walls but back into the community so that those future `Runners know they have a place here and they don’t have to leave the community to find it.”

When Graves first began attending Bakersfield College in 2010 as a non-traditional student, he said he initially felt like he didn’t belong on campus.

“I had this idea that everything would work smoothly, that I would be accepted in striving for the goal of higher education and everyone supports that,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, and we’re forced to try to find a network of people who understand our plight not only culturally but academically.”

Graves grew to be more comfortable at BC as he developed relationships with other students, faculty and staff over time. He got involved with student government and was one of the founding members of the college’s African American Mentoring Program. He continued with those kinds of advocacy efforts after he arrived at CSUB in 2017.

“The impact on me from Bakersfield College to CSUB was only because I found a space I belong, only because there was a group of people that supported me,” he said. “Student success can be measured by more than just outcomes; it can also be measured by relationships, how they are built, how long they last and what return you see in the community.”

While the new center is primarily focused on supporting Black students, all are encouraged to take advantage of the space. Dr. Harper hopes it will serve as an inviting space where students of all backgrounds can feel acknowledged and accepted.

“Today, there are forces in this world that seem intent on dividing us. Critics might say that we at CSUB should not open a center like this at such a time. And of course, they are wrong,” he said. “Every single Roadrunner who studies at CSUB is welcome here.”