By looking at the success of Hispanic-serving institutions, other colleges and universities can find ways to support the growing number of Hispanic college students nationwide, according to a report released Wednesday by the higher education policy group Excelencia in Education.
The report, “Modeling Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): Campus Practices that Work for Latino Students,” focuses on the best access and retention practices of 12 successful HSIs, including community colleges and public universities, that are among the nation’s leaders in Hispanic enrollment and degree completion. These schools boast 25 percent or more Hispanic undergraduate enrollment.
“What was particularly impressive was how these student-rich and resource-poor institutions have increased results for Latinos under increasingly tight economic constraints,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, in a statement.
The report listed eight guidelines practiced by these institutions. One guideline suggested sharing data about Hispanic students’ progress with faculty, staff and students at least once a year to encourage all parties to become engaged and active in institutional efforts.
Other colleges highlighted in the report offer courses that prepare students for college-level work, while some have even created free summer or winter immersion programs to prepare students for placement exams.
El Camino College, a community college in Torrance, Calif., for example, offers a First Year Experience class which has led to student persistence and pass rates that are 10 to 30 percent higher for enrolled students than for students who did not participate in the class, the study reports.
Dr. Diana Natalicio, president of the University of Texas at El Paso, one of the 12 institutions singled out for recognition, said part of UTEP’s success can be credited to the university’s “heavy investment” and relationship with the K-16 schools in the region. About 83 percent of the institution’s 20,000 students are from the El Paso area. This has helped the institution build a “smooth pathway” from kindergarten onward, thus helping Hispanic students be prepared to pursue collegiate-level work, she said during a conference call to announce the report’s findings.
