Texas State cited for efforts to serve Latino students

Posted by University News Service

Feb. 9, 2010

 

Texas State University-San Marcos was among four institutions cited in a recent report that examines how U.S. colleges and universities are adapting their educational practices and policies to better serve the needs of Latino students.

 

The report "Emerging HSIs: Serving Latino Students" issued Monday, Feb. 8, by Excelencia in Education with support from the TG Public Benefits Program, reveals that emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) -- institutions that enroll 15-24 percent undergraduate full-time equivalent Hispanic students -- are not waiting for official HSI status to enact policies to better serve Latino students. A university receives the federal HSI designation when its enrollment is 25 percent Hispanic.

 

Texas State was highlighted in the report along with Loyola Marymount University, Palm Beach Community College and Metropolitan State College of Denver.

 

"We can learn from these emerging colleges that are producing successful results," said Deborah Santiago, report author and Vice President for Policy and Research at Excelencia in Education. "As the number of college-going Hispanics and HSIs continue to grow, it's important to understand what it means to serve Latino students well, and we can look to these colleges as models."     

 

Regarding Texas State, the report stated that:

           

∙ It is very close to attaining HSI status with Hispanic enrollment steadily approaching the 25 percent level.

            ∙ The university’s explicit 10-year goal of achieving HSI status by 2012 was critical to achieving the milestone.

            ∙ Texas State’s recruiting efforts in heavily Latino South Texas have played a large role in meeting its goals.

            ∙ Texas State’s goal of diversifying its faculty and staff also has played a key role in meeting the HSI goal.

 

Michael Heintze, associate vice president for enrollment management and marketing at Texas State, said, “Achieving HSI status will enable our faculty and staff to compete for research and student support grants that will further enhance the academic experience of all Texas State students.

 

The report cited all four universities for presidential leadership, efforts to improve enrollment, retention and completion, and creating or adopting promising practices.

 

The report may be read and downloaded here: www.edexcelencia.org/research/emerging-hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis-serving-latino-students

 

Excelencia in Education is a Washington, D.C.,-based non-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate Latino student success in higher education.