California State University, Sacramento (Sac State) has submitted a strategic application to become a designated “Black-Serving Institution,” laying out a plan to boost Black student enrollment to 5,000 by 2030. The application includes a wide range of race-specific initiatives such as mandatory faculty microaggression training, culturally relevant curriculum reviews, and the establishment of a “Black Honors College.”
The June 2025 application outlines a goal of raising Black/African American enrollment from around 10% to at least 15% within five years. To meet this benchmark, Sac State plans to implement a system of annual audits to evaluate syllabi for “inclusivity and cultural relevance.” Additionally, all new faculty would be required to complete anti-microaggression training to ensure compliance with the school’s revised academic and cultural standards.
The university has also introduced a “Black Student Success Dashboard” designed to track enrollment, retention, academic performance, and graduation rates among Black students. To support this pipeline, Sac State is establishing partnerships with local community colleges that would prioritize transfer opportunities for Black students into targeted programs.
Despite claims from university officials that these efforts align with California’s non-discrimination laws, critics argue the plan promotes unequal treatment based on race. Education watchdogs warn that mandatory ideological training and identity-based programming may undermine academic neutrality and lead to increased division on campus. They also raise concerns about the precedent such models could set for other public institutions receiving taxpayer funding.
This initiative places Sac State at the center of a broader national debate on whether public universities should focus on equity-based identity programming or maintain a commitment to equal opportunity through merit and universal academic standards.
