SDSU's Super Sunday outreach aims to empower the futures of African American students

Tonika Green knows what it’s like to be lonely and lost on a college campus. She left her Virginia home to pursue a doctoral degree in Indiana; a leap from a city surrounded by family to a stranger in a small rural town with no resources of her own. Seeking support, comfort, and connection to her faith, Green turned to a church near campus.

“Every Sunday, I knew if I had a hard week I was going to that church to get not only physically fed but spiritually fed,” says Green, professor in San Diego State University's Department of Counseling and School of Psychology and associate vice president for campus community affairs.

Green’s faith-based community helped nourish her hope of finishing her education and achieving her dream career. She’s now embracing the opportunity to share her own story with SDSU’s prospective students and their families. 

In 2022-23, 396 African American students earned SDSU degrees, a 35% increase from nearly a decade earlier (2013-14), according to SDSU’s Analytic Studies & Institutional Research. Some 62 of those degrees were graduate degrees, a jump from 46 in 2013-14.

While the data show marked improvements in enrollment and graduation rates of Black and African American students, eliminating equity gaps remains a priority for California State University and SDSU leaders. Nearly one-third of CSU students are the first in their family to earn a degree, more than half are from traditionally underrepresented communities and nearly half of undergraduates receive the Pell Grant.

One area of focus for SDSU is outreach targeting Black and African American faith-based communities through CSU’s Super Sunday initiative.

"Our students are made up of several different backgrounds and have several different ways that they experience life, some of them spiritual," says Green, SDSU’s Super Sunday coordinator. "We are making an effort to meet the whole student...and that support results in academic success," she says.

Now in its 19th year, the Super Sunday initiative partners the CSU’s 23 campuses with predominantly Black and African American faith-based organizations throughout the state to cultivate relationships with the community and raise awareness of higher education.

Starting this Sunday, Green and other CSU campus leaders — including SDSU President Adela de la Torre — will be visiting local churches throughout the state where they will provide information about CSU schools. The group will take questions and talk about college readiness and the application process to scholarships and financial aid available to students. 

“Super Sunday is such a special event each year and it’s an honor to be welcomed by so many within the Black and African American faith communities into their houses of worship,” said de la Torre. “Our message for them this year is very clear: not only do college degrees unlock doors to bright futures, but also that SDSU is firmly committed to providing this opportunity – and personalized support – to every student who walks on our campus.”  

Gospel Fest

She believes Gospel Fest has an opportunity to become SDSU’s African American Initiative signature event. Green says the April 13 event will be a part of Harambee Weekend, which is an overnight event for admitted Black and African American students and their families. The event will include parent workshops, panel discussions, performances, food vendors and campus open houses.

"Growing up, I attended church every Sunday with my family. Church was an experience that included music, fellowship, food, and community," Green says. "All of those things combined, I think, really touch the soul in a special way."

The CSU says it will be creating a systemwide steering committee with faith-based leaders to provide support and share best practices to promote Black student success.

“If we know that there are students who are starving to be connected to their faith-based community to help them recharge and get them through this academic journey, it's important for us to make that happen.”

More than a million people have participated in CSU's African American Initiative since its launch in 2005, according to CSU representatives. The CSU remains focused on improving equity and has developed a 13-point action plan as part of its June 2023 report on Black student success. In addition, the university has committed $10 million over three years to advance these priorities. 

IF YOU GO

Super Sunday
Feb. 25

• Mesa View Baptist Church, 13230 Pomerado Rd., Poway. (858) 485-6110
• Grace Covenant Christian Church, 2885 Clay Ave., San Diego. (619) 531-0901
• New Creation, 3115 Altadena Ave., San Diego. (619) 584-5460
• Dominion Church, 9679 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. (619) 549-3839
• City of Hope International Church, 4999 Holly Dr., San Diego. (619) 266-2626
  
  

Gospel Fest
April 13, 3 - 6 p.m.
SDSU Campus