PrintFourteen colleges and universities earned a national distinction this year for their efforts to enroll and retain Latino students in higher education.to institutions of higher education that “demonstrate intentionality and impact in serving Latino students while serving all.” The designation is for three years.
“How do we help students reach their goals and meet them where they are? This is at the heart of the next phase of higher education,” Excelencia in Education co-founder and CEO Deborah Santiago said Tuesday in an interview with NBC News. Institutions have to return to this core focus, she emphasized.that found Latino students struggle to remain in college more than those of other races and ethnicities.
Another newly certified institution, California State University, Los Angeles, has a student body that is over 75% Latino, 55% first-generation students and 64% Pell grant recipients. Its Educational Opportunity Program serves first-generation, low-income students — 81% are Latino — through summer programs, counseling, peer mentorship and supplemental instruction.