Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Nelsen: Record Fall Enrollment Of 30,023 At Sacramento State

  •  Ed Joyce 
Thursday, August 27, 2015 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
  

The new president of Sacramento State delivered his Fall Address Thursday in which he listed his top priorities.

President Robert S. Nelsen also had a special announcement. 

Before his prepared speech, Nelsen asked the standing-room only crowd in a campus ballroom to applaud senior Anthony Sadler - who was not present.

Sadler is one of three Americans credited with stopping a gunman on a French train August 21.  

#FallAddress @sacstate @PrezNelsen announces campaign to pay for senior #AnthonySadler's education. pic.twitter.com/w2cqZoKrPX

— Ed Joyce (@EdJoyce) August 27, 2015

After the applause, Nelsen said the school is "launching a website to collect funds to pay his tuition this year and to help pay off whatever loans he may have." 

Nelsen also announced the fall enrollment has reached a record 30,023. 

In his address, Nelsen outlined a 9-point work plan. 

Among his initiatives are improving graduation rates. 

"A 9 percent graduation rate for four-year students is unacceptable," says Nelsen. "A 46 percent graduation rate for six-year students is not acceptable either."

Nelsen says to improve those rates, the school will hire a "Graduation Initiative czar or czarina to coordinate and oversee our efforts. We will also be adding additional professional and faculty advisors."

"And we are enhancing support centers for our Dream Act students and for our African American students while continuing to support our Full Circle Project for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders," Nelsen told the audience.

Reducing the time it takes a student to get a degree is another priority.

"We have important work to do to increase freshmen and transfer graduation rates, decrease time to degree and close the achievement gap," says Nelsen. 

He also says it's "98 percent certain Sacramento State will get a new science building" but an official announcement is not expected until September. 

Nelsen has only been on the job for a couple of months but he says there's a "mantra" he's heard from everyone. 

"The word that I've heard most often here at Sac State, by both faculty and students, is 'bottleneck,'" says Nelsen. "We have bottlenecks everywhere, whether it is with registration, the absolute lack of courses or extremely difficult gateway courses."

Nelsen says the "graduation czar or czarina will be charged to identify and conduct an inventory of those bottlenecks and to work with the faculty, the deans, the advisors, the chairs - with everyone at the university - to eliminate those bottlenecks."

"Once we eliminate the bottlenecks and once we have the classes available that students need, we will give the students a $500 credit, a true financial incentive, toward the next semester for every semester that they take 15 hours," says Nelsen.

He says for those students not able to take 15 units during a semester, there is another option. 

"Hence, for those students who are only capable of taking 12 units, we will offer them a $1,000 incentive/credit for taking an additional six hours in the summer," Nelson said, as the audience applauded.

Nelsen says the school is launching a capital campaign, "the first capital campaign for Sac State."

"We are finalizing the agenda for the campaign, focusing on the new buildings identified in the campus master plan and on scholarships for our students."

As he wrapped up his first Fall Address, Nelsen said his goal was "for you to get to know me."

An opportunity for audience questions followed the address. Nelsen concluded with saying, "I am honored that you came, I am humbled by this job, thanks for your support and help me raise some money."

The comment about money referenced his ninth initiative in his work plan, which is fundraising.

Students return for the Fall semester at Sacramento State Monday, August 31.

The conclusion of Fall address given by @PrezNelsen : "We're number one! #stingersup !" #hornetpride #hornetnation pic.twitter.com/VWnzu5ZIZo

— Beth Lesen (@bethlesen) August 27, 2015

Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Wikipedia / Creative Commons

    Sacramento State Gets Grant To Help Migrant Farmworker Students

    Monday, August 1, 2016
    A $2.3 million federal grant will be used to help migrant farmworker students at Sacramento State.
  • Sacramento State/Jessica Vernone

    Sacramento State Makes Downtown Sac Move

    Tuesday, May 17, 2016
    Sacramento State has bought a building in downtown Sacramento to use for the planned School of Public Affairs. And, it has 75 parking spaces.
  • Ed Joyce / Capital Public Radio

    Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen Addresses Low Four-Year Graduation Rates

    Thursday, January 28, 2016
    Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen joins us to discuss the university's low four-year-graduation rate, campus diversity and other challenges facing the new president.
  • Sacramento State / Courtesy

    Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen Updates 'Work Plan'

    Thursday, January 21, 2016
    California State University, Sacramento President Robert Nelsen plans to talk about the progress made to improve graduation rates at the school during his first spring address.
  • California College Police Get New 'Tools' For Investigations

    Monday, January 4, 2016
    California college and university police departments will have the authority to use "pretext phone calls" and body-cameras, starting January 1, 2016.
  • Courtesy of Sacramento State

    Sac State Winter Grads Entering Better Job Market

    Friday, December 18, 2015
    Sleep Train Arena will be filled with pomp and circumstance Friday and Saturday for Sacramento State's Winter Commencement ceremonies. Nearly 3,500 students are graduating. And many of them already have jobs lined up.
  • Sacramento State Continues Expansion With $91 Million State-Of-The-Art Science Facility

    Thursday, November 19, 2015
    Sacramento State has announced plans to build a state-of-the-art education building that will include high tech teaching labs for the Biology and Chemistry departments.
  • Wikipedia / Creative Commons

    Cal State University Faculty Group Authorizes Strike

    Wednesday, November 4, 2015
    The group representing more than 26,000 California State University faculty and other employees on the 23 campus system have authorized a strike if negotiations fail.
  • Wikipedia / Creative Commons

    CSU Faculty Strike Vote Results Expected Wednesday

    Tuesday, November 3, 2015
    Results of a strike authorization vote by California State University system faculty are expected to be announced Wednesday at San Jose State University.
  • Ed Joyce / Capital Public Radio

    Sacramento State Finds More Parking For Students

    Monday, August 31, 2015
    A record Fall enrollment of 30,023 students means more people are driving to Sacramento State this week than a year ago.
  • Pascal Rossignol / Reuters/Landov/NPR

    Sac State Student 1 Of 3 Americans Hailed For Subduing Gunman On Train In Belgium

    Saturday, August 22, 2015
    An Air Force serviceman, a U.S. National Guardsman and a Sacramento State student brought down the gunman. Sacramento State senior Anthony Sadler, 23, a kinesiology major, was hailed as a hero by Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen.
  • Tobacco Ban On Hold At Sacramento State

    Wednesday, July 29, 2015
    Sacramento State had planned to ban all tobacco use on campus this fall. But those plans are now on hold.
  • First Day On The Job For New Sacramento State President

    Wednesday, July 1, 2015
    Robert S. Nelsen, Sacramento State's new president, started his first day on the job Wednesday.
  • Ed Joyce / Capital Public Radio

    UC Davis, Sacramento State Increase Water Conservation

    Tuesday, June 23, 2015
    Two Sacramento-area colleges have ramped up water conservation efforts in this fourth year of drought.
  • Smoking Ban Ahead For Sacramento State

    Friday, December 13, 2013
    Sacramento State is taking steps to ban smoking on campus.

 educationemploymentsacramento stateCalifornia State UniversityCSUanthony sadlerFall AddressRobert S. Nelsen

Ed Joyce

Former All Things Considered Anchor & Reporter

Ed Joyce is a former reporter and All Things Considered news anchor at Capital Public Radio. Ed is a veteran journalist with experience in a variety of news positions across all media platforms, including radio, television, web and print.   Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Russell Stiger Jr. / Sacramento Observer

Black educators in California say state budget reaffirms Black students don’t matter

February 7, 2023

Alex Wong/Getty Images

COVID test kits, treatments and vaccines won't be free to many consumers much longer

February 8, 2023

Chris Nichols / CapRadio

Paul’s Place provides ‘path forward’ for unhoused residents in Davis

February 8, 2023

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: Las Vegas airport reports record passenger volume in 2022

Black educators in California say state budget reaffirms Black students don’t matter

Paul’s Place provides ‘path forward’ for unhoused residents in Davis

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: Las Vegas airport reports record passenger volume in 2022

Black educators in California say state budget reaffirms Black students don’t matter

Paul’s Place provides ‘path forward’ for unhoused residents in Davis

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a News Tip
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.