Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Latino Promise and Hispanics Achieving College Education Recognition programs provide mentorship and leadership training.
Created in 2005 by Excelencia in Education, Examples of Excelencia is a national initiative that recognizes institutions and nonprofit organizations that identify, aggregate, and promote evidence-based practices that improve Latinx student success in higher education. The four entities recognized this year span a diverse geographic area, but they share the mission of uplifting their communities while also creating a broader impact in terms of education and the workforce. Those entities are in the following categories: associate level, baccalaureate level, graduate level, and community-based organization. Following is a profile of the institution recognized as an Example of Excelencia at the associate level: Latino Promise and HACER at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU).
FDU's Latino Promise Program, which was launched in 2007, offers students with English fluency personalized support and resources for academic success. It also facilitates connections to FDU’s Latinx community at the Metropolitan and Madison campuses in New Jersey.
The Hispanics Achieving College Education Recognition (HACER) Program, launched in 2015, provides Spanish speakers the opportunity to learn English with free ESL courses and earn college credits on FDU’s Metropolitan campus. FDU belongs to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
The four key ways that Latino Promise impacts participants are through personalized learning that includes one-on-one advising, tutoring and counseling, bilingual professors and staff, access and affordability, and inclusion of family. Bilingual professors and staff are also a hallmark of HACER, which provides students with a program tailored to their individual needs. This includes bilingual financial aid workshops.
“We go into local high schools and give presentations,” says Irene Oujo, executive director of FDU’s Hispanic Center, which houses 12 programs, Latino Promise and HACER among them. “They apply and we interview every single student. … That’s where we do our analysis of the student’s needs. For us, it’s important for the student to feel they’re not a number.”
Both programs maintain close relationships with high school counselors, teachers and school administrators to keep them informed about the programs so they can guide students through the application process. They offer workshops for school counselors and make presentations at churches and community organizations.
