About the Program

The Runner Scholars Mentor Program was created in Fall 2021 at California State University, Bakersfield to increase retention and graduation rates and eliminate the Equity Gap for our students.

Mentors in this program are faculty and/or staff who have volunteered their time and who are committed to student success. The Graduation Initiative as outlined by the CSU Student Success Dashboard was created to “facilitate our students” path to a high-quality college degree”. Mentor programs have consistently been listed as a best practice to foster success.