SLCC as an Emerging HSI

SLCC Community,

Did you know that Hispanic students are SLCC’s fastest-growing demographic, that they account for more than 25% of all new students, and have increased over 126% since 2005? But Hispanic students also face challenges that significantly impact their graduation rates, are disproportionately represented in certain majors or programs, and come with varied backgrounds and life experiences. Last year SLCC launched a taskforce to organize our efforts around becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). On behalf of the executive cabinet and the HSI collaborative work team, I invite you to participate in SLCC 360, a hybrid event on Friday, February 25 at South City Campus from 9:30am-3:30pm. This year, the day will focus on SLCC as an “Emerging HSI.” While the federal guidelines for gaining this designation require that 25% of our full-time equivalent enrollment is by students who identify as Latinx, we acknowledge that there is more to authentically serving Hispanic students and providing an educational experience that affirms the identities of our underrepresented students.

SLCC 360 is an opportunity to explore what this means at SLCC, discuss how we can engage in this work, and learn from each other’s diverse perspectives. As our keynote speaker, we have invited Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, professor of Policy Studies at University of Pittsburgh and author of Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges and Universities. Dr. Garcia will also conduct an afternoon workshop to share best practices and examine how gaining this designation will benefit all SLCC students. In addition, SLCC faculty and staff will moderate a series of break-out sessions to allow us to dive deeper and engage in dialogue with one another.

Please take a moment read the description of each breakout and register before end-of-day Wednesday, February 23, 2022.