With the graduation of the Class of 2021, the CSU reached the milestone of 4 million living alumni. To honor this achievement, the California State Assembly and State Senate each passed a resolution this summer to join the CSU in celebrating the Class of 4 Million, its global network and its broad impact on California. The Assembly adopted HR 53 on July 15 and the Senate adopted SR 44 on September 1.
“The 23-campus California State University system is the pride of California. Its 4 million graduates have been the driver of the state’s economy and the nation’s vitality for more than 50 years,” said former CSU Trustee and current California Senator Steve Glazer (D-Contra Costa). “Students from all walks of life—first-generation, immigrants, working parents—are able to fulfill lifetime goals by attending and graduating from these high quality and affordable universities. Today, the State Senate salutes the campus and system leaders who are making a remarkable difference for their students. As a proud CSU alum [San Diego State ’79], I am honored to join in recognizing this historic milestone.”
While the CSU’s alumni have spread out across the globe, about 84 percent of them remain in California, with one in 10 of all workers in the state holding a CSU degree. And one in every 20 Americans with a college degree earned it at the CSU, making the CSU’s alumni network larger than the population of 23 individual U.S. states. Together, CSU alumni are working at all levels to serve their communities, grow the economy and lead California to a better future.
“The California State University is an educational powerhouse that propels California’s culture and economy,” said California Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-Marin County). “My path to the California State Assembly would not have been possible without my extraordinary California State University, Northridge education [’96]. I’m proud to be among the first 4 million graduates and cannot wait to see where the next 4 million lead California in the future.”
Both the Assembly and Senate resolutions praised the CSU as an unparalleled engine of social mobility with students receiving a high-quality education that propels them into higher economic strata. They also recognized the university’s critical role in the state’s economy and the creation of California’s workforce by awarding nearly one-half of all bachelor’s degrees in the state each year. In addition, the resolutions acknowledged that the CSU’s graduation rates have increased to an all-time high under Graduation Initiative 2025, helping to meet California’s need for degreed workers.
Meet some of the four million remarkable CSU alumni making a difference in the lives of the people of California and the world.
