Technical Assistance Opportunities for Institutional Capacity

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Excelencia in Education’s mission is to accelerate Latino student success in higher education. We are committed to significantly increasing the number of Latino students earning college degrees by 2030 in partnership with institutions.

To support and reinforce institutional capacity to more intentionally serve, Excelencia has created a technical assistance strategy to meet institutions where they are in their transformation journey. Excelencia’s technical assistance offers institutional teams the time and space to learn and share strategies that further institutional efforts to align data, practice, and leadership as a community of learners and practice committed to more intentionally SERVING their Latino students. The learning and knowledge gained through Excelencia's technical assistance builds momentum for change as institutions transform into learning environments where Latino, and all, students thrive. 

As a trusted and respected convener, Excelencia's technical assistance opportunities offer institutional teams of five members:

• Interactive sessions by subject matter specialists, policy makers, researchers, and leaders in higher education;
• Asset-based discussions on data, practice, leadership, and policy with a Latino lens;
• Learning and networking environments with other teams to share practices, strengths, and opportunities;
• Dedicated time and space for teams to reflect and develop tactical action plans for campus-wide implementation; and
• Continued engagement, learning, and sharing on journey to more intentionally SERVE Latino students with peer teams as part of a network of institutions at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up sessions after each institute.

For 2024, Excelencia offers the following technical assistance institutes to build and support institutional capacity for the journey to more intentionally SERVE Latino students, while serving all students:

• Data Institute: 2-day in-person institute on April 30 and May 1.
• Evidence-Based Practices Institute: 3 virtual modules on June 4, 11, and 18.
• Data Virtual Institute: 3 virtual modules on August 6, 13, and 20.
• Aligning Data, Practice and Leadership Institute: 2-day in-person institute on November 6-7.

Each of the Institutes will have three virtual follow-up sessions at the 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month milestones after each Institute.

For institutions exploring how to authentically and intentionally SERVE their students by deconstructing the “S” as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) or emerging HSIs, Excelencia is offering cohort-based opportunities to self-assess with a Latino lens using our Seal Serving Institutional Transformation Assessment (SSITA):

• Spring Cohort: virtual sessions on April 16 and May 21
• Summer Cohort: virtual sessions on July 10 and August 2
• Fall Cohort: virtual sessions on October 17 and November 19 

A SSITA Intake form and additional information can be found here.

For institutions who have previously engaged in Excelencia TA institutes and completed a self-assessment/study, Excelencia is offering support to prepare for Seal of Excelencia certification in 2024:

• Seal of Excelencia Certification Application Webinar: virtual on March 1
• Seal of Excelencia Certification Application Plática Series: 4 virtual conversations on April 3, 10, 17, and 24.

More information on support for institutions pursuing Seal certification in 2024 can be found here.

For more information or for any questions, please contact the Institutional Capacity Team at TechAid@EdExcelencia.org or visit our TA webpage.

Leveraging Data to Intentionally SERVE Latino Students Institute
Choose from two options:

• 2-day in-person | April 30 and May 1 @ 8-5pm CST each day | at MSU Denver | Application due date: March 11, 2024
• 3 virtual modules | August 6, 13, and 20 @ 1-5pm EST each day | Application due date: July 1, 2024

The Data Institute provides institutional teams opportunities to engage in collaborative learning to identify strengths, needs, and opportunities in leveraging disaggregated data to intentionally SERVE Latino students. With data foundational to the Seal of Excelencia framework and core to institutional transformation, the Institute is highly beneficial for institutions beginning their journey of intentionally serving Latino, and all, students. This Institute is key to shifting ideology from Latino student enrollment to Latino student success.

Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Institute
3 virtual modules | June 4, 11, and 18 @ 1-5pm EST each day

Application due date: May 6, 2024

The Institute offers guidance to institutional teams on incorporating quality, equity, and evidence of effectiveness into practices to more intentionally advance and accelerate Latino, and all, student success, drawing on Excelencia’s experience of 20 years with evidence-based practices that work for Latino students.

Aligning Data, Practice and Leadership to Intentionally SERVE Latino Students Institute 
2-day in-person | November 6 and 7 @ 8-5pm EST each day | at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)

Application deadline: September 16, 2024

Institute offers cohort-driven and interactive engagement to learn about different approaches, models, tools, and self-assessment strategies for examining institutional efforts to more intentionally SERVE Latino students by aligning data, practice, and leadership.