Improving Recruitment and Retention among Latina/os

Major Demographic Shifts

• Disproportionate growth of Latino population

• Latinos are engine of population change

• The projected growth in the U.S. population in the coming decades will depend disproportionately on Latino population– A very youthful population

Ratio of Births to Deaths among Latinos and Whites, 2000-2004.

Ratio of Births to Deaths among U.S. Latinos and Whites, 2000-2004.

8.0

1.21.0 1.0

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

Latinos Whites

Ratio

Births

Deaths

Disproportionate Underrepresentation of Latinos in Societal Institutions

Quote from Crowding Out Latinos: Mexican Americans in the Public Consciousness (Marco Portales, 2000)

“Hispanics…have traditionally been ignored and continue to be disregarded, in spite of considerable talk about the professed value of “cultural diversity” and “multiculturalism.” Indeed, if we pay close attention, we will observe that Hispanics are oddly missing from or only tangentially included in most dialogues about diversity, even when the needs of “minorities” are being discussed. When referencing Hispanics what we have, and one cannot soften the nature of the “oversight” much, is a vast and pervasive national unwillingness to acknowledge almost everything that is Hispanic. Other than Taco Bells, Taco Cabanas, and other corporate entities that are now capitalizing on selling Mexican American food, the concerted disregard toward Hispanics that we see across American cultural life, amply covers all facets of Hispanic life in the United States” (pg. 54).

Continued Underrepresentation of Latinos in Education at All Levels

• Pre-K

• K-12

• Higher Education

• Graduate and Professional Schools

• Post-doctoral Fellows

• The Professoriate

Task of Panelists

• Experience in recruitment and retention of Latina/o students

• Strategies/best practices in the recruitment and retention of Latina/o students

• Making the recruitment and retention of Latina/os students a larger part of the national agenda on diversity in higher education

• Closing advice on the successful recruitment and retention of Latina/o students

Panelists

• Raquel Marquez, University of Texas at San Antonio (Department Chair)

• Jaime Chahin (Dean)

• Gloria Gonzalez-Lopez (Associate Professor)

• Rogelio Saenz (Professor)