“More than half of all the new workers joining the American labor force are Latinos and Latinas. So, it follows that our economy cannot be as competitive in the global economy without us having more opportunities to not only better educate Hispanic new generations, but to really put them in those fields where the national needs are greater,” says Antonio Flores, Ph.D., president and CEO, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
Antonio Flores, Ph.D., president and CEO, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (Photo: HACU)
Flores says there are 569 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For membership in HACU, “Hispanic-Serving Institutions are defined as colleges, universities, or systems/districts where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25% of the total enrollment.”
HSIs are a microcosm of American diversity, says Flores. He notes, “HSIs are home to two-thirds of 3.8 million Hispanic college students across the country. But they also serve one of every four African Americans in college today and about 42% of all the Asian Americans in higher education today. We have a good number, about 15 to 20%, of non-Hispanic whites who are attending college.”
The pandemic has been hard on HSI students, according to Flores. Health issues and difficulty moving to online learning has had a deep impact. “We don't yet have the data to assess. But my sense is that we're going to see significant regression in educational attainment when the data are out there. We'll see that those groups that were, to begin with, at the bottom of the educational ladder finding themselves farther down.”
Despite COVID-19, Flores expresses optimism about the pathways that institutions will provide going forward. “Community colleges tend to be more nimble. So, I can see that they will have a tremendous role in the years ahead to bring up the many millions of new workers that we need for all the jobs.”
‘We Never Lost Focus’
Luke Dowden, Ed.D., chief online learning officer and associate vice chancellor for academic success (Photo: Alamo Colleges District)
One HSI is the Alamo Colleges District, located in south central Texas. It consists of five community colleges with a student population of about 70,000.
Echoing the thoughts of HACU’s Flores is Luke Dowden, Ed.D., chief online learning officer and associate vice chancellor for academic success at Alamo Colleges District.
“We never lost focus in the pandemic of who we were trying to serve. The untold story about Alamo is that we continue to innovate. We pivoted to remote. Had the highest course completion rate in a 10-year span, highest course completion rate in the peak of the pandemic, right? Kept going and kept innovating.”
With a large number of students who are food- and housing-insecure, Dowden adds, “We've partnered with our local nonprofits. We have food pantries, clothing pantries, emergency loans, financial literacy training. You name it, it's fully scaled at all five of our colleges. It's essentially critical.”
‘It Only Takes One Generation’
“We're making progress on getting our students out of poverty. With this educational opportunity, they can go to Alamo Colleges and change the lives of their family,” says George Railey, Jr. Ed.D., vice chancellor for academic success.
George Railey, Jr. Ed.D., vice chancellor for academic success (Photo: Alamo Colleges District)
“But most importantly, it only takes one generation. One student, who is many times here in our organization, is the first one who finishes with a certificate, who finishes with a degree. That generation paves the way for the next generation.”
Railey speaks from experience. “I can tell you from someone who is the son of slaves, the son of sharecroppers, that's what happened in my family. I was the first to graduate from high school, college, get a bachelor's, get a Master's, get a doctorate.”