Seal of Excelencia Framework

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Excelencia in Education established the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally SERVE Latino students.

To support and reinforce institutional capacity to intentionally serve, Excelencia developed a framework that integrates essential components of transformation into a comprehensive institutional strategy for SERVING students. This framework represents learning from over 20 years of working with higher education institutions.

Excelencia is committed to working in partnership with institutions to share and learn strategies that align data, practice, and leadership as a community of learners to accelerate Latino student success. Further, we recognize that developing the ability to serve Latino students enhances the capacity of institutions to serve all students.

The Seal of Excelencia framework has three core components:
data, practice, and leadership.

DATA

Institutions have accurate data and positive momentum among six key data areas:

1. Enrollment of Latino students;
2. Retention of Latino students;
3. Transfer in and out of Latino students;
4. Financial support for Latino students;
5. Representation of Latinos in administration, faculty, and staff to further model success; and,
6. Degree completion of Latino students.

PRACTICE

Institutions that intentionally implement and advance evidence-based programs and policies in six key practice areas to achieve desired results for Latino students include:

1. Enrollment of Latino students;
2. Retention of Latino students;
3. Transfer in and out of Latino students;
4. Financial support for Latino students;
5. Representation of Latinos in administration, faculty, and staff to further model success; and,
6. Degree completion of Latino students.

LEADERSHIP

Institutions demonstrate leadership impact and how the institution aligns data and practice to improve Latino student success according to the following five leadership areas:

1. Mission and strategy – where aspects of the institution’s mission and strategy are articulated and implemented to intentionally include Latino students’ success.
2. Data and practice – how disaggregated data (by race and ethnicity) and institutional practices are aligned to inform initiatives that improve Latino student success.
3. Human resources – how recruitment, onboarding, and professional development (especially for faculty) prioritize serving Latino students and the institutional community.
4. Communications – where internal and external communications are leveraged to share information making the intentionality to serve Latino students clear. This can keep momentum building toward goals set by the college and across the institution and community.
5. Institutional culture – how the institution articulates authentically its intentionality in SERVING Latino students, including how it is cultivated and supported.