According to a report by the Third Way, a Washington think tank, many colleges and universities with at least 25% Hispanic student population have had the greatest success in helping students achieve economic mobility.
The report was discussed at Tuesday’s panel by Excelencia in Education (a Latina-led nonprofit that measures and analyzes best practices in Latino college completion).
Three school leaders discussed the importance of Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), in helping Latino students achieve financial and professional success. The Department of Education defines Hispanic-serving Institutions as institutions that have at least 25% of full-time undergraduate students.
Nicole Siegel, Third Way’s deputy director of education, stated that, despite recent changes in the methodology of college rankings, certain characteristics like “selectivity”, “historical prestige” and “selectivity” are still more influential than what she considers a better metric, student outcomes.
Siegel stated that “if the primary purpose for postsecondary education should be to catalyze an increased economic mobility for students,”
According to the Third Way report, the schools that have the highest economic mobility outcomes are concentrated in California and Texas — states with significant state funding for public higher education. Excelencia in Education claims that these schools have positive outcomes for students because they offer a faster return on investment than other institutions, and enroll less wealthy students.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranks fourth in this report. It enrolls more students who are eligible to receive Pell grants. This is a federally funded scholarship that provides financial aid for undergraduates. For students with incomes up to $125,000, the university recently increased its tuition advantage grant to cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees.
Magdalena Hinojosa is senior vice president for strategic enrollment at Texas Rio Grande and student affairs. She said that the Third Way report allows us to “look at our institutions in an entirely new way” and “show off who we are as institutions.”
Hinojosa stated, “You don’t need to be a well-known institution in order to have students who are successful.”
The United States has 559 HSIs, most of them public. They make up 18 percent of all higher-education institutions. According to Excelencia in Education’s latest estimates, HSIs are responsible for enrolling two-thirds (or more) of all undergraduate Latino students. Despite enrollment declines among Hispanic students, and the fallout from pandemic, 10 schools saw a decrease in Hispanic-serving institutions in 2019.
Deborah Santiago, chief executive officer of Excelencia in Education, stated that the panel and Third Way report were focused on “looking more overtly upon institutions that are disproportionately bearing the weight of providing added value.”
Santiago stated that institutions are more important than ever, and not only because of geography and demography, but also because of intentionality and impact. What are they doing to ensure that students are well served?
California State University system is home to six of the top ten schools that provide the highest degree of economic mobility for their students. The top two spots are held by Los Angeles and Dominguez Hills campuses.
Alam Hasson, interim provost at CSU-Fresno (ranked seventh in the report), stated during the panel that economic mobility was “in the DNA” of the California State University System.
Hasson stated, “It’s about the alumni that tell the story the best and the impact that their education has had on them.” “That’s what we really rely upon to tell our story.”
Lehman College is a Bronx public college that is part of City University of New York. It has experienced increased demand for certain academic disciplines. This highlights the school’s ability, President Fernando Delgado said, to help students get well-paying jobs after graduation. He said that the school’s nursing program “continues just to burst at seams” and that there is a growing interest in STEM fields.
He said that many of our students have difficulty making decisions about travel, food and school. This is a difficult environment for students to attend. It is important for them to realize that their investment, their time, their resources, and their talent to get there will result in social and economic mobility.
