Inventing Hispanic Serving Institutions: The Basics

A Forum  — March 9, 2006

Co-hosted by the American Youth Policy Forum and Excelencia in Education

Background

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are institutions of higher education with a full-time, undergraduate enrollment that is 25% or more Hispanic. Unlike Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) whose principal mission is to provide higher education for African Americans, HSIs are defined by their Hispanic enrollment, not their mission. HSIs represent 6% of all postsecondary institutions and enroll almost 50% of all Latinos in higher education.

Latinos are currently the fastest-growing segment of the American population, yet they graduate from high school, enroll in college, and earn bachelor’s degrees at lower rates than other groups. While there is substantial research on Latino high school dropouts, there is little information on HSIs. Presented at this forum was Inventing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): The Basics, a new report from Excelencia in Education on the history of HSIs, their institutional characteristics and how they contribute to Latino student success.

Sarita Brown, President, Excelencia in Education, opened the forum by introducing Excelencia in Education as a new nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating achievement for Latinos in higher education by applying knowledge to public policy and institutional practice. She expects this report to be the first in a series of reports on HSIs.

Congressman Rubén Hinojosa asked what can be done to help the 75% of Latinos who do not go to college. He urged more investment in HSIs, saying that “when you invest in infrastructure in any neglected area, nothing but good happens. Educational levels go up, this leads to higher income which leads to more educational opportunities and higher purchasing power.” He believes education is the way to harness the $1 trillion in Latino purchasing power in the United States.

When Rep. Hinojosa arrived on Capitol Hill ten years ago, he became chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Education Task Force. One of his top legislative priorities has been strengthening the federal investment in HSIs along with Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico who championed the cause in the Senate. In 1998, Title V, Part A was added to the Higher Education Act, which was entirely dedicated to HSIs. As a result, federal financial support for HSIs grew from $10.8M to $95M.

Advanced degrees as drivers of economic growth

Congressman Hinojosa said it is now time to look for ways to improve Latino participation in advanced graduate education. In 2001, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported that Hispanics earned 6% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 3% of PhDs and 5% of professional degrees. In 1999, Hispanics represented 3% of the full-time higher education faculty, a figure unchanged since 1992. Hinojosa said HSIs are in a unique position to close that gap.  Legislation has been proposed to provide support for graduate programs at HSIs, but the outlook for that legislation is unclear.

Deborah A. Santiago, who authored Inventing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): The Basics, outlined the information in the report. At 13% of the population, Hispanics are the second largest ethnic group in the United States, but they are the most undereducated ethnic group in the country. Santiago said 12% of Hispanics age 25 and over have a bachelor’s degree compared to 32% of Caucasians and 30% of African-Americans.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions are defined in federal law as accredited and degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with at least 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent student enrollment.

HSIs are catalogued by various organizations, including the Office of Civil Rights, US Department of Education, the Title V Developing HSIs Program in the Higher Education Act, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), although each list has different criteria. In 2003-4, 236 institutions met the basic federal definition of an HSI, and their number is growing. More than 75% of HSIs are in California (68), Puerto Rico (52), Texas (37) or New Mexico (23), although there are now two HSIs in the state of Washington, and one each in Massachusetts and Kansas. These institutions awarded 40% of associate’s or bachelor’s degrees to Latinos in the United States. Almost half of HSIs (46%) are public two-year institutions, 8% are private two-year institutions, 20% are public four-year institution, and 26% are private four-year institutions. Of all HSIs, 60% have an open admissions policy, meaning they will admit anyone that applies. HSIs are typically more affordable than other institutions.

Santiago says further research is needed to determine what these institutions are doing well that can be modeled and replicated. Excelencia in Education has several related projects including the Latino Student Success Network supported by the US Department of Education, focus groups funded by the Ford Foundation called “A Closer Look at Latino College Student Choices,” and “Case Studies in Institutional Leadership,” funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education. 

José Jaime Rivera, President of Universidad Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico, said the university was created to meet the needs of the Puerto Rican community, similar to the creation of HBCUs. The University has 20,000 alumni generating wealth in Texas, New York, California, Florida and elsewhere in the United States, but being an HSI in Puerto has unique challenges. The territory has the lowest salary level for professional jobs, the highest percentage of people below the poverty line, the lowest spending per pupil in education, and no corporate contributions or tax incentives for universities.  Rivera added that there are also fewer research dollars at universities in Puerto Rico and less funding for infrastructure or technology, yet these institutions are educating a bilingual population.

“We need to move HSIs into the mainstream of higher education in America,” said Rivera.  Hispanics represent an increasing percentage of the workforce, yet the country is applying arithmetically-growing resources to an exponentially-growing population. The quality and profile of the workforce depend on educational choices. Investments must be made to promote access to high quality educational experiences. “We need to develop wealth in the knowledge department,” says Rivera. “Investing in HSI infrastructure and graduate and undergraduate resources will contribute to the wealth of this nation.”

Ricardo Fernández, President of Lehman College of The City University of New York (CUNY), described Lehman College as a typical HSI. Its mission is to provide access to affordable, quality higher education. Students come from all the boroughs of New York plus 70 different countries. Half the students are Hispanic, but 30% are African American, 4% are Asian, and 16% come from a variety of ethnic White groups. Out of 10,500 students, 80% are undergraduates and 20% are graduate students in fields such as computers, education, and health science. Tuition is $4,000 per year and fees are $275. Federal and state financial aid totals $20 million.

Fernández explained that CUNY started open admissions in the 1970s.  During the 1990s, the policy changed when the four-year colleges within the CUNY system eliminated remedial courses. Lehman currently admits 27% of students who apply. Fernández believes this is a reflection on the lack of preparation at the high school level, but he noted that he witnessed the same problem while he was at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He says Lehman College is now working closely with the New York Department of Education to address remedial issues before college. Fernández echoed earlier concerns about the lack of doctorally-prepared faculty, especially in Lehman’s nursing program. He said Lehman has just started a program to train more faculty at the PhD levelPolicy implications

Rivera urged that a new section be added to Title V of the Higher Education Act (HEA) to support post-graduate programs for Hispanics. Too many underfunded HSIs cannot offer advanced degrees. He also called for expansion of student financial aid and work-study opportunities, so that students have enough income to attend college full-time. Hispanics currently are the least likely to attend college full time. While 85% of White and African American college students attend full time, only 74% of Hispanics are full-time students.

Fernández called for continuation of a Title V HEA provision that sets aside federal money to match locally-raised funds for endowments and scholarships. Lehman raised $425,000 from the private sector which was matched federally and used for a permanent scholarship fund. Fernández said it was a challenge to raise the funds, but the federal match provided a stimulus.

Fernández also stressed the importance of improving communication between universities and the K-12 education system to avoid the need for extensive remediation by two- or four-year institutions. “We need to understand the math expectations of colleges,” said Fernández. He said college math professors across CUNY meet regularly to exchange ideas and effective methods of instruction, but they really need to talk to high school math teachers. High schools may require four units of math, but that might not prepare students for the demands of a college math classQuestions were raised about the type of degrees being earned by Hispanic students. Santiago said that information will be posted online soon at the Excelencia website. The math department at the University of Texas was cited as an example of a university encouraging students to pursue careers in math, especially teaching. There was a reference to funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, but Rivera said if some of those funds are not targeted specifically to HSIs, there will not be progress in these fields.

Another questioner asked about immigrants accessing the higher education system. Santiago said in some states, immigrants are attending college in higher numbers than second generation students. She said it is difficult to gather data about undocumented immigrants, but Excelencia

is gathering case studies on first and second generation Hispanic college students.

Presenters

Congressman Rubén Hinojosa(D-TX) was elected to Congress in 1996 and is currently serving his fourth term as the representative of the 15th District of Texas. From the rich Mexican heritage and tradition of South Texas/the Rio Grande Valley to the distinct multi-cultural influences of the German, French and Polish immigrants in northern counties like Goliad and Bee, the 15th Congressional District is a culturally diverse district. Much of the region is rural, however Hidalgo County is part of the third fastest growing metropolitan statistical area in the country.

In Congress, Rubén Hinojosa is regarded as a champion for the disadvantaged and has distinguished himself as a strong advocate for education, housing and economic development. His primary goal in Congress has been to reduce the chronic unemployment rate in regions of the district. By focusing on developing a highly educated, well-trained workforce, modernizing the local infrastructure including roads and highways, and creating new job opportunities, Congressman Hinojosa has been instrumental in bringing unemployment rates to record lows.

Congressman Hinojosa serves on three House committees: 1) Committee on Education and the Workforce, 2) Committee on Financial Services and 3) Committee on Resources. He formerly served on the Committee on Small Business.

As a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee and Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Select Education, Congressman Hinojosa is widely recognized as a champion for investing in human capital through education. He is a powerful voice for the aspirations of communities traditionally left behind in America=s education system B low-income families, minorities, students with disabilities, English language learners and the children of migrant and seasonal farm workers.

As chairman of the Education Task Force for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressman Hinojosa ensures that federal education policy never loses sight of the youngest and fastest growing population in the country B Hispanic Americans. By focusing on a group of proven federal education programs that are critical to the Hispanic community, often referred to as the Hispanic Education Action Plan (HEAP), Hinojosa has helped to secure dramatic increases in resources that target Hispanic communities.

In higher education, Congressman Hinojosa has vaulted Hispanic-Serving Institutions to a position of prominence. In the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act, he succeeded in establishing a separate title of the Act dedicated to the development of HSIs. Since that time, funding for HSIs has grown from $12 million to nearly $95 million.

On the House Financial Services Committee, Congressman Hinojosa is widely recognized as a leader on issues affecting the underserved, from banking to housing. House Financial Institutions Subcommittee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) acknowledged Congressman Hinojosa for his Aefforts in ensuring that the underserved have access to our financial services system.

To address the plight of families in his district and across rural America, Congressman Hinojosa formed the Rural Housing Caucus to bring national attention to the scarcity of housing in rural areas. He introduced legislation to improve the situation and is working with his colleagues and advocates towards the Caucus's goal.

During the 108th Congress, Congressman Hinojosa was appointed to the House Resources Committee where he has been an effective advocate for increased water quality and better utilization. He successfully passed legislation to modernize a variety of irrigation systems throughout South Texas in order to save substantial water currently lost through evaporation and seepage. Over the years, he has obtained $7 million in federal investments to complete these critical upgrades.

In recognition of Congressman Hinojosa's achievements in Congress and service to his community, he has received numerous awards and recognitions including the naming of two new elementary schools and the Rubén Hinojosa Highway and the Industrial Park in the Delta Region.

Prior to his election, Congressman Hinojosa served twenty years as President and Chief Financial Officer of a family-owned food processing company, H&H Foods. He earned a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Texas in Austin and in Edinburg, respectively. He is married to Martha Lopez Hinojosa and has one son, Ruben Jr., and four daughters Laura, Iliana, Kaitlin and Karén.

Sarita E. Brown, has spent more than two decades at prominent national academic and educational institutions and at the highest levels of government working to develop more effective strategies to raise academic achievement and opportunity for low-income and minority students. From the start of her career at the University of Texas at Austin, where she created a national model promoting minority success in graduate education, to her current post as founding President of Excelencia in Education in Washington, DC, Sarita has focused her work on expanding this country’s human capital through improving the quality of education.

As Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans in the Clinton administration from 1997-2000, Sarita led the effort to engage 26 federal agencies to better address Latino achievement in education and participation in the federal workforce. Her tenure included releasing the report, “Creating the Will: Hispanics Achieving Educational Excellence,” with recommendations to stakeholders from all sectors to close the Latino educational achievement gap from early childhood to graduate and professional education. From 2001-03, Sarita worked to expand federal support for Latinos in higher education, and helped the Hispanic Scholarship Fund establish a public sector affiliate by serving as founding President of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute. In 2003-04, she continued to focus on federal policy and Latino higher educational success as senior fellow at the Pew Hispanic Center while incubating Excelencia in Education a new nonprofit organization. Launched in June 2004, Excelencia aims to accelerate Latino success in higher education and links research, policy, and practice to serve Latino students and the institutions and programs where they participate.

Deborah A. Santiago, PhD., serves as Vice President for Policy and Research at Excelencia in Education and brings extensive her experience in education policy and research to the challenge of accelerating Latino student success.. As an analyst at the U.S. Department of Education she led components of the Department’s reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and was responsible for developing the agency’s initial budget for student financial aid programs. As Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, Deborah worked with 26 federal agencies to evaluate how their programs served Latinos, served as a liaison with Latino community-based organizations, produced multiple reports on the status of Latinos in education, including primary author of “Creating the Will: Hispanics Achieving Educational Excellence.”

While in Los Angeles Deborah shifted her focus to the K-12 level and served as Vice President for Data and Policy Analysis at the Los Angeles County Alliance for Student Achievement. She worked with community-based organizations in Los Angeles and throughout California to advocate on behalf of students in the second largest school district in the nation. As an Irvine Fellow at the Center on Educational Governance at the University of Southern California, Deborah studied charter schools and developed a model of multiple measures of accountability.

Her current research examines accountability, higher education policy, institutional practices, and Latinos in higher education. Recent publications include: “How Latinos Pay for College” and the soon to be released brief, “Inventing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): The Basics.” Deborah has a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in urban affairs, and a doctorate degree in education policy.

Ricardo Fernández is President of Lehman College of The City University of New York. Throughout his career, Fernández has focused on how to improve educational outcomes, especially on programs to provide the preparation and encouragement needed for more minority students to enter and succeed in college. His publications deal with the causes of Hispanic school dropout, the desegregation of Hispanic students, and bilingual education policy. From 1973 until 1990, he was affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he rose to the position of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of Educational Policy and Community Studies. Fernández is a Vice-Chair/Chair-elect of the Board of Directors of the American Council of Education (ACE) and is Past Chair of the Board of the American Association of Higher Education and of the Governing Board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). Other current affiliations include the boards of directors of the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) in San Antonio, TX, Multicultural Education Training and Advocacy (META), and the Hispanic Educational Telecommunication System (HETS), a national distance learning consortium of 18 colleges and universities. In 2003 he became a member of the Frito-Lay (North America) Latino/Hispanic Advisory Board. Fernández received a Bachelor's in Philosophy and a Master's in Spanish Literature from Marquette University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Princeton University.

José Jaime Rivera, Ph.D. is the President of the University of the Sacred Heart in San Juan, Puerto Rico since November l992. Throughout his thirty five years of experience in higher education he has occupied key administrative leadership positions, as well as faculty positions at universities in Puerto Rico and the United States. He has also served as consultant in academic development, institutional assessment, strategic planning and accreditation for universities in Puerto Rico, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Switzerland, Spain and the Dominican Republic.

Dr. Rivera is active in community and professional organizations. At present he presides over the board of directors of various initiatives such as the Alliance for Economic and Financial Education organized by USH and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; the Metropolitan Alliance for School Reform organized by USH and the Ford Foundation; and The Metropolitan Libraries Consortium established by USH and funded by a Title V Cooperative Grant. He co-chairs the Puerto Rico Center for Freedom of the Press established by USH and the newspaper El Nuevo Día and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of HACU. He has served as an elected member of the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; the Board of Governors of United Ways of Puerto Rico; the Association of Private Colleges and Universities of Puerto Rico; and on two Task Forces appointed by the Honorable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: one to Revise the Judges Code of Ethics and another on the Future of the Justice System of Puerto Rico. During the last seventeen years, the last three governors of Puerto Rico have also appointed him to numerous commissions, task forces and agency boards.

Dr. Rivera holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Puerto Rico (l967); a M.A. in Higher Education Administration from New York University (l972); and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Organizational and Administrative Studies from New York University (l98l).

Dr. Rivera has participated in the design of innovative academic programs and is also author of educational publications and collaborator in specialized publications. He has received numerous awards and recognitions the most recent of which are the Distinguished Alumni Award, by the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, Centennial Celebration in 2003; the Integrity Award, by the Better Business Bureau of Puerto Rico, 2002; and the Top 1% of NYU Alumni Distinction in 2000. He is a member of several professional associations in the fields of Economics and Higher Education

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