1. Division of Student Affairs Latino Resource Center April 21, 2009

2.  Latino Resource Center: An Overview  Benchmarking Process  Results  Best Practices  Implications

3.  Mission: Our mission is to recruit Latino/a students to NIU, increase the retention rate of Latino/a students, and provide cultural, social, and academic programs that enhance the quality of life of all NIU students.  Vision: The LRC strives to be nationally recognized for its level of commitment to students and the surrounding community, as well as providing multi- disciplinary collaborations.

4. Review current practice in serving Latino students across the country Identify best practices and examples Identify gaps and possible areas for improvement

5. Areas of benchmarking:  General Information  Staff  Initiatives  Services/Resources  Partnerships/Collaborations  Financial Information  Assessment Methods

6. General Information  What is the percentage of Latinos on your campus?  Does your department fall under Academic Affairs or Student Affairs?  What is the mission/goal of your center? Staff  What is the total number of employed persons at your center?  What type of training do you mandate for your employees?  What is the organizational structure of the center?  How many graduate students are employed with your center?  How many undergraduate students are employed by your center?  How often are staff meetings held, and what is reviewed at the meetings?  What committees or boards are incorporated with your center?

7. Initiatives  What retention programs does your center offer?  What kinds of functions or events are held/hosted by your center?  What type of involvement or service does your center contribute to the community? Services/Resources  In what ways does your center offer academic support?  What kinds of workshops are held in your center?  How does your center offer financial assistance for Latinos (scholarships)?  What types of campaigns or civic engagement are promoted through your center?  What kind of paraprofessional development is offered by your center?

8. Partnerships/Collaborations  What other centers/departments does your institution collaborate with?  Which campus resources assist your center in serving Latinos?  Does your center collaborate with other universities? (If yes, which universities do you work with, and what projects do you collaborate on?)  What Greek and non-Greek student organizations work collaboratively with your center? Financial Information  What is the budget of your center?  What type of organization funding does your center receive? (Federal v. State)  Does your center receive any financial assistance from grants?

9. Assessment Methods  How is the work progress of the staff evaluated at your center?  Does your center use pre/post evaluations of its programs?  How does your center analyze its success?

10. Benchmarking Partners:  Big 10 - University of Iowa-Latino Native American Cultural Center (LNACC) Purdue University- Latino Cultural Center University of Minnesota-Hispanic/Latino/Chicana Learning Center  MAC - Western Michigan University-Multicultural Center (MCC) Ohio University- Multicultural Center Ball State University- Multicultural Center  Other - UC Santa Cruz -The Chicano Latino Resource Center Claremont University -The Chicano/Latino Student Affairs Center University of Connecticut- Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center (PRLACC) Tufts University- Tufts Latino Center Chicago State University- Latino Resource Center

11.  All the centers fall under the Division of Students Affairs

13.  What type of training do you mandate for your employees? Staff professional development and diversity training.

14.  What retention programs does your center offer? Mentoring programs

15.  In what ways does your center offer academic support? Tutoring programs

16.  Which campus resources assist your center in serving Latinos? Admission office, resource centers, and academic units.

17.  What is the budget of your center? Budget for programming: $4,000.00-$30,000.00

18. Surveys, attendance rates, and student feedback.

19.  UC Santa Cruz Internship program  Claremont University Academic support programs Events and workshops for cultural, social, and leadership development  Purdue University Academic support Paraprofessional development  University of Minnesota Community involvement Academic support

20.  Continue to work on improving the retention and graduation rates of Latino students by further developing the F.R.E.S.H. tutoring program which is designed to enhance student academic performance.  Collaborate more closely with Career Services to increase the number of Latino students receiving internships and possibly develop an internship program.

21. Questions

22.  The Benchmarking Book by Michael J. Spendolini, 1992