The May 2022 report examines the correlation between SLiCE participation and persistence to 2nd fall, 3rd fall, and 4th fall. This report focuses only on full-time fall and summer starts in cohorts FA16-FA20. It finds that SLiCE participation in a given academic year is associated with a 1.5 to 3 percentage point higher likelihood of persisting to subsequent fall – once controlling for a set of student demographics and achievement measures – among first-time (New) students to CSU. Among Transfer students, SLiCE participation in students’ third academic year is associated with a 5 percentage point higher likelihood of persisting to 4th fall term, controlling for student characteristics. Importantly, this analysis shows correlational rather than causal relationships. Still, it highlights the potential for SLiCE programming to provide additional support, and perhaps even act as a “tier three” support, as part of CSU’s larger student success strategies.

July 2021 report is the first one to describe the demographic characteristics of CSU students who participated in Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE) programming between Fall 2008 and Spring 2020. SLiCE serves as an umbrella program over 475 student organizations, student leaders, and student volunteers that allow students to enrich their academic and social experiences while at CSU.

The report finds that overall program participation from FA08 to SP20 includes 38,293 student-program-term observations and ranges from 46 to 4,804 participants per term, for a total of 17,121 unique students. Students within SLiCE report higher prior achievement in high school rank and high school/transfer GPA compared to the reference group. They are also more likely to be first generation, Pell, and/or racially minoritized compared to the reference group. SLiCE participants are most likely to be upperclassmen – particularly seniors – and to be affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Health and Human Sciences.

 Female-identifying, Pell, first-generation, and racially minoritized students are overrepresented among community service SLiCE programming relative to leadership programming. Senior-level students are overrepresented among leadership, while sophomores are overrepresented among community service programming.