Presentation covers topics of Latino/as in higher education. Focus is on community college, four-year institutions, and graduate school. Talks about enrollment and retention strategies.

1. 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

2. Latin@s in Community Colleges
Ignacio Hernandez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Research & Administration
Fresno State University
2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014

3. 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)

4. 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%
Community
College
Other
Higher
Education

5. 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

6. 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/Man
agerial
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)

7. 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
2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014

8. 2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014
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

9. 2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014
Developing a mentality of success rather
than one of just access
• 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

10. 2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014
Developing a mentality of success rather
than one of just access
• 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

11. 2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014
Developing a mentality of success rather
than one of just access
• Success strategies
• Summer bridge
• Pre-orientation program
• Peer mentoring program
• Leveraging student groups
• Latin@ role models
• Welcoming atmosphere
• Early intervention alert system
• Maintain affordability

12. 2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014
Developing a mentality of success rather
than one of just access
• Success strategies
• Continually review data
• Campus climate
• Course taking patterns
• Cultural events
• Resource offices to provide support
• Bias incident response protocol
• Volunteering

13. Latino Experiences in
Graduate School
Michelle M. Espino, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Counseling, Higher Education, & Special
Education University of Maryland, College Park

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.”

18. The Struggle Continues…
• General Themes
–Persistence
–Individual determination
–Relied on networks to navigate obstacles
–External fellowships

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

20. 2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014
Contact Information
• Dr. Joel Pérez jperez@spu.edu
@deanspu
• Dr. Ignacio Hernández Jr. ihernandez@csufresno.edu
@nacho_phd
• Dr. Juan Guardia J-Guardia@neiu.edu
@juanrguardia
• Dr. Michelle Espino mespino@umd.edu

21. 2014 NASPA Annual Conference * Baltimore, Maryland * March 15-19, 2014