Latinos’ postsecondary educational attainment has not kept pace with their growing representation in the U.S. population. How can Latino educational attainment be advanced? This monograph presents relevant contemporary research, focusing on the role of institutional contexts. Drawing particularly on research grounded in Latino students’ perspectives, it identifies key challenges Latino students face and discuss various approaches to address these challenges. Because so many Latino students are enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), it also specifically explores HSIs’ role in promoting Latinos’ higher education access and equity. As a conclusion, it offers recommendations for institutional, state, and federal policies that can foster supportive contexts. This is Volume 39 Issue 1 of the Jossey-Bass publication ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

"The purpose of this book is to examine Hispanic women/Latinas' experiences and perceptions about their journey to leadership in higher education, the barriers they encounter, and their access to and acquisition of resources needed for their success"--

This is the first book to exclusively address Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), filling a major gap in both the research on these institutions and in our understanding of their approaches to learning and their role in supporting all students while focusing on Hispanic students. Born out of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1992 and are classified as such if their enrollment of Latino students account for a quarter of their undergraduate enrollment, the number of HSIs and their impact in higher education is growing. Today there are approximately 370 HSIs, 277 emerging HSIs, and their numbers are steadily increasing. Given the projected growth of the Latino population, and HSIs’ record of advancing the success for Hispanic students in STEM fields, as well as of graduating nearly a third of all Hispanic bachelor’s degree recipients, their work has important implications for higher education at large.Written by leading and rising scholars on HSIs, this book offers insight into the complexity of these institutions. It not only addresses historic policy origins, but also describes the experiences of various student populations served, faculty issues (i.e., governance, diversity, work/life experience, etc.), the impact of student affairs in advancing student development, and considers funding and philanthropy efforts. The book also critically examines challenges that many of these institutions face – disjointed mission statements regarding support of their Latino/a student populations, governance structures that support the status quo, and the financial incentive to achieve HSI designation that may not correlate with enhancing the climate for Latinos. This book touches on the many facets of HSIs, painting an organic mosaic of institutions in position to advance Latino postsecondary progress, both chronicling the contemporary challenges that these institutions face while also looking to their future.

How can striving Hispanic-Serving Institutions serve their students while countering the dominant preconceptions of colleges and universities? Winner of the AAHHE Book of the Year Award by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)—not-for-profit, degree-granting colleges and universities that enroll at least 25% or more Latinx students—are among the fastest-growing higher education segments in the United States. As of fall 2016, they represented 15% of all postsecondary institutions in the United States and enrolled 65% of all Latinx college students. As they increase in number, these questions bear consideration: What does it mean to serve Latinx students? What special needs does this student demographic have? And what opportunities and challenges develop when a college or university becomes an HSI? In Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Gina Ann Garcia explores how institutions are serving Latinx students, both through traditional and innovative approaches. Drawing on empirical data collected over two years at three HSIs, Garcia adopts a counternarrative approach to highlight the ways that HSIs are reframing what it means to serve Latinx college students. She questions the extent to which they have been successful in doing this while exploring how those institutions grapple with the tensions that emerge from confronting traditional standards and measures of success for postsecondary institutions. Laying out what it means for these three extremely different HSIs, Garcia also highlights the differences in the way each approaches its role in serving Latinxs. Incorporating the voices of faculty, staff, and students, Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions asserts that HSIs are undervalued, yet reveals that they serve an important role in the larger landscape of postsecondary institutions.

Latino Change Agents in Higher Education offers college and university leaders a practical guide for meeting the challenges of educating the burgeoning population of Latino students. The contributors, a stellar group of experienced leaders in higher education, clearly show that the changes to higher education needed to ensure Latino student success will benefit all students.

Hispanic Leadership in Higher Education addresses a persistent gap that inhibits Hispanic professionals from reaching leadership positions within academia. Led by Dr. Elsa Villarreal, Dr. Jose Parra, Dr. Melissa Arrambide, Dr. LaVelle Hendricks, and Dr. Dimitra Smith, a panel of distinguished scholars presents this book as a guide for catalyzing change. The volume delves into the experiences and strategies that propel Hispanic professionals forward, dissecting policies in Hispanic-serving and predominantly White institutions. It not only uncovers barriers but also provides practical solutions for recruitment and leadership development, reshaping the academic landscape for Hispanics. Geared toward faculty, administrators, students, researchers, and academicians, the book redefines scholarship, advocacy, and practical implementation. Readers gain insights into the challenges faced by Hispanics in academia, fostering inclusivity and reshaping the academic landscape into one where Hispanic leaders can flourish. The narrative promotes resilience, aspiration, and change, enriching higher education immeasurably.

Latino Educational Leadership acknowledges the unique preparation and support for both Latinx educational leaders and Latino communities needed throughout the education and policy pipeline. While leadership in communities exists for educational purposes, this effort focuses on the institutional aspect of Latino Educational Leadership across K-12 schools and university settings. The purpose of this book is to create a greater collaborative focus on Latino Educational Leadership by inviting scholarly contributions and insights from both established and up-and-coming scholars. Latino Educational Leadership also advocates for the preparation of all leaders as well as the preparation of Latinx educational leaders, to serve Latino communities. Our impetus on Latino Educational Leadership primarily stems from the changing demographics of our country. As of Fall 2017, Latinx student enrollment in K-12 schools reached an all-time high, with Latinxs comprising 26.8% of the nation’s public school enrollment. Postsecondary level Latinx student enrollment has also improved; rising from 25% in 2005 to 37% in 2015. Given this growth, particularly at the K-12 level, there has been an increasing urgency to prepare and support more Latinx educational leaders. Their rich cultural and linguistic connections to communities help them more readily understand and meet the needs of Latino students and families. Aside from enrollment growth, Latinxs have made record strides in postsecondary attainment; between 2003-04 and 2013-14, bachelor's degrees more than doubled from 94,644 to 202,412, master's degrees conferred rose from 29,806 to 55,965, and doctoral degrees rose from 5, 795 to 10,665. Despite such promising gains, concern has not waned over how to best address the challenges this diverse student population continues to face in accessing, persisting, and matriculating across the P-20 Pipeline. There is still work to be done, as only 11% of all bachelor’s degrees, 9% of all master’s degrees, and 7% of all doctoral degrees were awarded to Latinxs in 2013-14. In particular, there is increasing urgency to address how higher education institutions can better prepare, develop, and retain Latinx leaders and scholars, who will serve and meet the needs of Latinx college students to ensure their academic success. Thus, the purpose of this book is to advance the knowledge related to serving Latino communities and preparing Latinx leaders.