Enrolling and Graduating in an Hispanic Serving Institution Dina Gonzalez-Pina, Assistant Dean for Multicultural Ministries Steve Varvis, Provost WASC ARC, 2014

Valley Hispanic Students High percentage first generation Poverty, field workers High Pell Grant recipients High(est) Cal Grant recipients Many—English is second language Brookings Institute: “concentrated poverty,” Fresno County and Region: “this Appalachia” Expectation: not private institution, low(er) academic success

16 Year History (Traditional Undergraduate)

Student Success: Fall to Fall Retention (FT/FT)

Graduation Rates (FT/FT) 4 Year (50)5 Year (60)6 Year (63) 2006 All47%56%59% Hispanic All Hispanic All4960 Hispanic All48 Hispanic49

Top 10 HSI Graduation Rate “FPU has been ranked 10th nationally among Hispanic-Serving Institutions in graduating Hispanic students by The Chronicle of Higher Education. According to the Chronicle’s Almanac, FPU’s overall graduation rate for first-time, full-time students is 57.1 percent in six years (based on 2011 figures). The rate for Hispanic students is nearly identical at 55.2 percent. (FPU Press Release, September 6, 2013)

Beginnings Intentional Hire, Admissions, 1993 Institutional Mission Admissions Director meets Vicente Fox Staff and Faculty Commitment Financial Aid—Cal Grant (and return of), Pell Grant, academic aid, need based—using every resource available—affordability

Dynamics of Student Success From Admissions to “Multicultural Ministries” Family Trust; Trusted Mentors Meeting with families in their homes Residences, financial aid, registrar, university bureaucracy Counseling Encourage academic discipline

Dynamics of Student Success Service learning; purpose, goals Relevance, contextual learning Clubs: Cultural Awareness and Knowledge Enrichment (CAKE) Amigos Unidos, La Fe, Colors of India, Asian Flavor, Images Conferences and International Travel (academic credit) Validate culture, Central America Conferences of Hispanic students Graduate studies

Samaritan Scholars Undocumented Students Elementary and Secondary; not College High School Counselors—No Options Outreach/Diversity  Admission Director  Dean  President  Board Chair 2/year to 8; later academic aid added

Stories of Samaritan Scholars and Others Nayely—deportation and US Senate Javier--Graduate studies and return to rural area as Physician’s Assistant Dulce—PhD Physics Maribel--PhD Clinical Psych Miguel--MBA Edgar--Mexican Consulate Siro—CPA Lubia—Forensic Scientist, Dept of Justice Mennonite Central Committee—legal assistance

Explanations and Developing Program Administration’s questions Program and needs Cross-cultural understanding Difficulty of measuring Financial Aid Samaritan housing—tuition or full cost? Work-study, internships/research Questions from other schools Research and analysis

Recognition of Importance Multi-cultural Ministries— A place to be, work, learn, serve Cal Grant Day, Sacramento—President Attends Latina Action Day Former Admissions Director/current board member now co- chair Latina faculty and staff attend Advocacy

STEM Partnership Title V: College of the Sequoias/FPU School of Natural Sciences Public/Private partnership Creative Leadership: former Provost, Dean of Natural Sciences Summer Bridge/Parents Learning Communities Sense of place GE Core and Math/Sciences Supplemental Instruction Educating the entire campus

STEM: Hispanic/Latino Supplemental Instruction/Learning Comm.

Further Work Development of Learning Communities Network of Latino alumni Other Ethnic Groups African-American, Southeast Asian Deepening understanding on the campus Mentoring of young staff/faculty leaders Hiring of staff and faculty