WASHINGTON - Elected officials and higher education leaders from across the country joined Excelencia in Education at the U.S. Capitol today to announce the 2012 Examples of Excelencia. The annual Celebraciòn de Excelencia event honors top programs that increase academic opportunities and improve achievement for Latino students at the associate, bachelor, and graduate level. The accompanying release of "What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education" is part of a portfolio of hundreds of evidence-based practices that institutions and policy makers can draw on to improve Latino student success.
Latinos will have to earn 5.5 million college degrees by 2020 for America to achieve President Barack Obama's goal of American world leadership in college degrees by 2020.
Over the past seven years, Excelencia in Education has systematically reviewed more than 500 programs to identify and recognize over 100 programs and departments that demonstrate with evidence that they effectively boost Latino enrollment, performance and graduation. Top honors this year went to programs run by Valencia College in Orlando, Fla., California State University Bakersfield, and The University of Texas, El Paso. Sixteen other programs were recognized as national finalists.
"America cannot become the world leader in college degrees, nor will it have a globally competitive workforce in the future, if it does not focus on improving Latino college completion," said Rep. Charles Gonzalez, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who spoke at today's event.
"Today's Examples of Excelencia and finalists are at the forefront of meeting the challenge of improving higher educational achievement for Latino students," said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education. "With 2020 quickly approaching, we have accumulated a significant portfolio of evidence-based practices that institutions and policy makers can and must put into action."
For the 2012 Examples of Excelencia review, 159 programs were nominated at three academic levels: associate, bachelor, and graduate.
Associate Level Example of Excelencia: Valencia College's DirectConnect
At the associate level, the DirectConnect program at Valencia College was introduced in 2006 as a partnership between the University of Central Florida and four Central Florida colleges: Valencia College, Brevard and Lake-Sumter Community Colleges, and Seminole State College. Open to all students, this transfer initiative places emphasis on the student experience, smooth transition from college to the university, shared-use of facilities, and strong academic programs and services. Latino students in Valencia's DirectConnect comprised fully 35 percent of all Latino transfer students to UCF in the 2010-11 academic year. Half of undergraduate minority students who started at UCF in 2010-2011 were Valencia transfer students.
"In DirectConnect, we have built educational pathways to the bachelors degree and beyond for thousands of Hispanic students, creating the most productive two plus two higher educational partnership in the U.S.," said Dr. Joyce C. Romano, vice president for student affairs at Valencia College. "Through DirectConnect, Valencia graduates have literally changed the faces of the UCF bachelors degree graduates."
"If you don't use DirectConnect, when you get here, you're going to be short something, and you're not going to have all the information and it will be difficult," said Hector Perez, a Valencia DirectConnect graduate finishing his bachelors degree at UCF. "But with DirectConnect, it cuts everything out of the way and it makes it simple."
Baccalaureate Level Example of Excelencia: California State University Bakersfield's
School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering
At the bachelor level, the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering at California State University Bakersfield set out to increase the number of students earning science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees, with a specific focus on increasing the number of under-represented minority, and particularly Latino, students.
"We have vigorously engaged in increasing the number of students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for the last six years," said Dr. Julio R. Blanco, dean of CSUB's School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering. "Our goal is that our graduating class parallels the demographics of our community. We've succeeded in increasing Latino participation, which is currently about 40 percent of the students in STEM. The addition of engineering has added a new pathway to well-paying jobs in our region."
Through targeted recruitment and retention efforts, including integrating student support services into STEM degree pathways, CSUB's School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering has successfully improved Latino STEM enrollment. Their Latino STEM enrollment has grown from 670 students in 2006 to 1039 students currently, of which 40 percent are Latino. This is a 55 percent increase in overall enrollment and an 88 percent increase in Latino enrollment.
"My mother is a single mother who was always working really hard, and I had an older brother and younger brother who each dropped out of high school. Now I will be the first in my family to graduate from college," said Jose Anastacio Ochoa, a physics major at the School of Natural Sciences, who is applying to graduate school. "I transferred to CSUB from community college and felt welcomed. Hispanic students will be surprised they can love and succeed in science. Here, they inspire me always to do better, to do greater. If I'm stuck on a particular problem, they go out of their way to make sure I understand the concepts so I can get the problem solved."
Graduate Level Example of Excelencia: University of Texas, El Paso's
Master of Business Administration
At the graduate level, the Master of Business Administration program at the University of Texas, El Paso offers degree formats that are accessible to full-time students and working professionals alike. By creating academic and co-curricular opportunities that lead to student success, the UTEP MBA program expands students' cultural and professional capital, which is key to degree completion and securing career opportunities.
"The UTEP MBA program is guided by the fundamental principle that talent is everywhere and that all talent should have an equitable opportunity to be realized. That principle is reflected in the efforts and outcomes of our students, alumni, faculty and staff," said Laura M. Uribarri, assistant dean for MBA programs, University of Texas, El Paso. "It is an absolute honor to have our efforts and outcomes recognized by Excelencia in Education."
"It's just a point of pride for my family and as a Hispanic and as a woman. I'm the first person in my family pursuing a graduate degree," said Neyda Reed, a current UTEP MBA student.
"I can say it with some certainty that I wouldn't have been able to apply and been accepted to work at Amazon if I didn't have the MBA from UTEP," said Eli Pabon, a 2011 UTEP MBA graduate. "They were impressed with the type of program we have here."
"What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education"
To download "What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education," which includes detailed information about all of the programs recognized today, visit www.EdExcelencia.org.
"This compendium is a central component of the Examples of Excelencia initiative," said Deborah Santiago, vice president of Excelencia in Education and author of the publication. "By sharing what works, we hope to prompt educators and policymakers to challenge the current status of Latino achievement in higher education and inspire these decision makers to work to increase Latino student success."
The keynote speaker at today's event, Elsa M. Núñez, president of Eastern Connecticut State University, underscored Excelencia in Education's role in recognizing and leveraging effective strategies for Latino student success. In 2009, Excelencia in Education recognized how ESCU had used its Dual Enrollment Program to accelerate greater Latino student academic achievement. Subsequently ESCU was selected as one of 20 institutions to receive a $50,000 Walmart SEMILLAS grant which Núñez and her team grew into a multiple award-winning endeavor empowering Latino students to complete their degrees. Excelencia in Education helps institutions and communities maximize modest amounts of money to accelerate Latino student success at institutions across America.
As part of today's program, the Lumina Foundation joined Excelencia in Education to announce its new Lumina Latino Student Success project, through which Lumina is providing a total of $11.5 million over four years to 13 different partnerships. The partnerships will leverage community leaders across key policy, education, business and nonprofit sectors to build, implement and sustain college preparation, access and success strategies for Latino students.
"Lumina Latino Student Success grew out of our mutual efforts to leverage the untapped potential of Latino students to move America toward world leadership in college degrees," said Brown. "This is a natural partnership for us, and we look forward to being a trusted resource and serving as the intermediary for the Lumina Latino Student Success sites and our national partners throughout the implementation of this shared vision."
Examples of Excelencia is the only national initiative to systematically identify and honor institution-based programs and departments that demonstrate with evidence that they effectively boost Latino enrollment, performance and graduation. It is supported by ACT, USA Funds, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Southwest Airlines, EduK, Univision Communications, College Board, California State University System, Latinos In Higher Education and New Futuro.
Excelencia in Education is a national, non-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate Latino student success in higher education.
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2012 Examples of Excelencia Honorees
Associate Level: DirectConnect, Valencia College, Orlando, Florida
Bachelor Level: School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering, California State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield, California
Graduate Level: Master of Business Administration Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
2012 Examples of Excelencia National Finalists
Associate Level
- Green Science and Technology Curriculum Project, East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park, California
- Math Jam, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, California
- Puerta al Futuro - Gateway to the Future, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey
- Reverse Transfer Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
- Transitional Bilingual Learning Community, Harry S Truman College, Chicago, Illinois
Bachelor Level
- Academy for Teacher Excellence, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Bilingual/Bicultural Education Students Interacting to Obtain Success (BESITOS) Scholarship Program, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
- Computer and Information Sciences Department, The University of Texas at Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas
- Encuentro Hacia El Exito (Encounter to Excellence), California State University, Dominguez Hills, Dominguez Hills, California
- The Mathematics and Science Academy, The University of Texas at Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas
- Multicultural Student Mentor Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
Graduate Level
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences Doctoral Program, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model, Sistema Universitario Ana G. Mendez, Orlando, Florida
- Master of Bilingual Education Program, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
- Ph.D. in English, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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