SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State University President Dr. Robert Nelsen is retiring after eight years, and this week, he’ll be named "Champion of the Year" by the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce.
"That the Black Chamber would give me this opportunity to say 'thank you' to them is really something very special,” said Nelsen.
As far as why Nelsen earned the recognition, it's all in the numbers. In his eight year tenure, the overall four-year graduation rate at Sacramento State has increased 212%. The graduation rate for Black students has increased 15.6%.
“Many of the students at that time, if they couldn’t finish on time, they had to drop out because they couldn’t afford to go on. So that was his goal, and he’s done it. I’m so proud of him, and so when we started looking for our Champion of the Year, it was a no brainer,” said Azizza Davis Goines, president of the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce.
Nelson said they increased the number of classes offered, reworked classes with high failure and withdrawal rates and improved student advising over the last eight years.
“It’s been a remarkable achievement," said Nelsen. "The faculty have worked so hard to make sure that they met the students where the students are at. The students have done the work to make sure they are able to graduate on time. We saved our students millions…literally $60 million in the last couple of years in money that they would have spent if they had stay around and gone for six years.”
Goines said it’s fitting that the now sold out event honoring Nelson and other community leaders will help fund the chamber’s Youth Leadership Collaborative program. It provides mentorship and entrepreneurship training for youth ages 16 to 23.
“It’s a pretty expensive endeavor because we have never charged our scholars for the program," said Goines. "It runs around $5,000 per scholar, and that doesn’t include the scholarships they get if, in fact, they complete the program.”
Even in his planned retirement, Nelson is continuing to help fuel positive results for youth throughout the community.
“It has been an honor to be here in Sacramento. It has been an honor to serve Sacramento,” said Nelsen.
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