supporting latinos in higher education

2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014

Dr. Joel Pérez, Seattle Pacific University

@deanspu

Dr. Michelle Espino, University of Maryland

Dr. Ignacio Hernández Jr., Fresno State University

@nacho_phd

Dr. Juan R. Guardia, Northeastern Illinois University @juanrguardia

Transforming the Higher Education Landscape: A Focus on Supporting Latina/o Students,

Administrators, and Faculty

Latin@s in Community Colleges

Ignacio Hernandez, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

Department of Educational Research & Administration Fresno State University


Latin@s and Community Colleges

• The scope and role of community colleges in U.S. higher education is expansive (Nevarez & Wood, 2009)

• Community colleges enroll the largest proportion of Latin@ students than any other sector of higher education (Snyder & Dillow, 2012)

• Community college leadership preparation is structured around competencies (Eddy, 2010)

While ignoring the intersections of race and gender (Ospina & Foldy, 2012)

• Latin@s hold ~4% of community college presidencies (AACC, 2010)

As a proportion of all undergraduate students

Community college as a disproportionate access point

Latin@s in Higher Education

Source: Digest of Education Statistics, 2012 (Table 238)

3

14%

86%

Latina/os

All Others 51%

49% CommunityCollege

OtherHigherEducation

The Community College Leadership Landscape

• Identifying the distribution of leadership by gender, race, and educational level (AACC, 2011)

– By gender: 72% male

– By race: 81% white

– By education: 86% with doctorates

• Increasing the diversity of community college leadership is goal endorsed by both the AACC and the Association of Community College Trustees (Boggs,

2010)

5

Latina/o Leaders in Community Colleges

5.95% 6.34%

7.04%

4.32%

5.31% 5.48%

4.07% 4.28% 4.86%

Fall 1997 Fall 2003 Fall 2009

Total

Executive/Managerial

Faculty

Employees in public 2-year institutions by race and employment status

Source: Digest of Educational Statistics, Table 256 (2010), Table 224 (2005), Table 226 (2000)

Developing a mentality of success (graduation) rather than one of just

access (recruitment)

Joel Perez, Ph.D. Dean of Students for Community Life

Seattle Pacific University @deanspu



Developing a mentality of success rather than one of just access

• For the first time, a greater share of Latin@ recent high school graduates are enrolled in college than whites.

• The Hispanic high school dropout rate continues to fall.

• The number of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics enrolled in college increased by 324,000 students between 2011 and 2012, marking the third straight year of increases.

• Hispanics now make up one-fourth of all public school students—a new demographic milestone.

Source: Pew Research Center



• Despite these recent milestones, Latinos continue to lag other groups when it comes to earning a bachelor’s degree.

• In 2012, 14.5% of Latinos ages 25 and older had earned one. By contrast, 51% of Asians, 34.5% of whites and 21.2% of blacks had earned a bachelor’s degree.

• Hispanic college students are also less likely than whites to enroll in a four-year college, attend a selective college, and enroll full-time.

• The need for a commitment at the top!

Source: Pew Research Center

http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2012/ASEC Table3_2012.xls

http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2012/ASEC Table3_2012.xls

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/05/09/hispanic-high-school-graduates-pass-whites-in-rate-of-college-enrollment/










• Access strategies

• Partnerships with Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

• Developing a profile of current Latin@ students

• Set targets and strategies based on data

• Scholarships

• Spanish speaking enrollment staff

• Undocumented student strategy



• Success strategies

• Summer bridge

• Pre-orientation program

• Peer mentoring program

• Leveraging student groups

• Latin@ role models

• Welcoming atmosphere

• Early intervention alert system

• Maintain affordability



• Success strategies

• Continually review data

• Campus climate

• Course taking patterns

• Cultural events

• Resource offices to provide support

• Bias incident response protocol

• Volunteering

Latino Experiences in Graduate School

Michelle M. Espino, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Counseling, Higher Education, & Special

Education University of Maryland, College Park

Background

• Graduate Degrees

– 28% of graduate students are students of color

• 8% are Latina/o

– 44% Latinas/os enrolled in Education and Business

– 13% Latinas/os enrolled in Engineering, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences

– Between 1997 and 2007 Latina/o enrollment increased by 4% annually

– 50% attrition for all doctorates

Doctoral Student Experiences

Socialization, Mentoring, Attrition

Institutional Sorting Mechanisms

– Program selectivity

– Socialization

– Time-to-degree

– Lack of Latina/o presence in doctoral programs

Individual Challenges & Resilience

– Self-doubt and Imposter Syndrome

– High degree of self-efficacy

– Success

Participants

• 33 Ph.D.s of Mexican descent

– 25 Female; 8 Male

– Poor/Low-income (4); Working Class (15); Middle Class (13)

– 15 Institutions

– Arts and Humanities (3); Education (9); Life Sciences (1); Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering (5); Social and Behavioral Sciences (15)

– Faculty (22); Researchers/Analysts (6); Student Affairs Administrators (2); Secondary School Administrators (2); Therapist

• 101 interview hours

Doctoral Student Experiences

Making the U-Turn: “I think deep inside me…it was like, “No, that’s too

much, I’m not that smart”

Weeding them out: “You’re never gonna get a Ph.D.”

Hitting the Wall: “Pero tú éres Mexicana y lo que tú haces reflects on

your whole community.

The Hustle: “Everyone wanted to be my friend.”

The Struggle Continues…

• General Themes –Persistence – Individual determination –Relied on networks to navigate obstacles –External fellowships

Audience Discussion

• In what ways can we improve the pipeline of Latino leaders in community colleges?

• What are some institutional examples of successful Latino graduation initiatives?

• How do we encourage Latina/os to pursue a doctoral degree?



Contact Information

• Dr. Joel Pérez [email protected]

@deanspu

• Dr. Ignacio Hernández Jr. [email protected]

@nacho_phd

• Dr. Juan Guardia [email protected]

@juanrguardia

• Dr. Michelle Espino [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]






