"In the op-ed “Super HSIs: Recognizing a New Tier of Institutions,” Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox calls attention to the difference between institutions that intentionally serve Latino students and those that enroll large numbers to gain Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) designation and access funding without investing in support services for Latino students. He also highlights the continuing equity gap when a 25 percent enrollment threshold for HSI designation falls significantly short of market demographics in places like California, where 39.4 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino.
Using examples of UC Riverside’s programming over the last 50 years, Wilcox illustrates the importance of enduring commitment and a process of “culture-people-programs.” Examples of programs at University of Central Florida and advocacy from Excelencia in Education support the thesis and offer a path others might follow. Ultimately, the essay is a call to action: if an institution is receiving HSI funding, it should be intentionally supporting Latino students with that money.
The op-ed was published in Inside Higher Education (2.3M monthly visitors) and shared in their daily newsletter (215,000 subscribers). The essay was also shared through University of California’s daily news bulletin and UCR’s weekly newsletter. The American Talent Initiative shared via Twitter and several higher education leaders shared via listserv. UCF shared through their channels. And, most importantly, in the year since publication, institutions that qualify as “Super HSIs” doubled from five to 10."
From the Judges
Interesting and informative story on a topic that doesn’t get much national attention. Great supporting data provided by the author to make their points.
