2021 Seal of Excelencia: Ten Institutions Recognized for Best Practices in Serving Hispanic Students

The 10 recipients of the 2021 Seal of Excelencia announced by Excelencia in Education are diverse in location, size and composition but unified in their unwavering commitment to intentionally serve Latino students.

Excelencia in Education co-founder and CEO Deborah Santiago commends the deliberate and clearly articulated mission of these institutions in accelerating Latino student success. “They are having measurable impact in changing the face of higher education,” she says.

Beginning in 2019, three core areas lead to receiving the Seal of Excelencia: (1) data, (2) practice and (3) leadership must show evidence of effectiveness in institutional practices serving Latino students. This includes positive momentum, dedication to creating an environment in which Latino students can thrive and leadership strategies that demonstrate institutional focus on Latino student success.

Even during the pandemic and time of racial reckoning, these institutions have sustained their mission, says Excelencia co-founder and president Sarita Brown. “We are proud that, by creating the Seal of Excelencia, we have catalyzed a transformation in higher education,” says Brown.

Here are the 2021 recipients presented in alphabetical order:

Situated in California’s San Joaquin Central Valley, an agricultural region, 55% of Fresno State’s 19,000 undergraduates are Latino and 67% are first-generation. The four-year institution charges the lowest fees in the Cal State system.

The university’s Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP), with about 70% Latino participants, seeks to address the region’s critical need for qualified teachers by allowing aspiring teachers to complete their first two years at one of three local community colleges and then enter an accelerated two-year program at Fresno State.