What Do We Know About Hispanic-Serving Institutions? The Politics of Acknowledgement in Institutions of Higher Education

• In Event: What Do We Know About Hispanic-Serving Institutions? The Politics of Acknowledgement in Institutions of Higher Education

Abstract

While the HSI designation plays a significant role in the historical trajectory of Hispanic education in the U.S., educators and policy makers are troubled by the dismal success rate of this ethnographic populace in education—ranging from disproportionate high school “push out” rates through low college graduation rates and even into the professoriate, with less than four percent of doctoral degrees being awarded to Hispanics. The practice of privileging HSI designated colleges and universities with additional competitive-grant-funding begs the question, how do these practices serve Hispanics in and out of higher education institutions? Examples of how resources are used include faculty development, funds and administrative management, development and improvement of academic programs, endowment funds, curriculum development, scientific or laboratory equipment for teaching, renovation of instructional facilities, joint use of facilities, academic tutoring, counseling programs and student support services. The HSI designation was created to compensate for existing educational disparities and recognize the educational achievement gaps of Hispanics. Educational inequality is a legacy of unfair practices such as unequal educational funding, unfair housing practices, and employment discrimination. The HSI designation is a call to action—it is not exclusively summoning Hispanics, it is a notice to higher education institutions. HSIs should bear a message and a mandate, a directive of inclusivity, of collectivity, of integration, representation, and accountability.

Authors

• Rudolfo C. Chávez, New Mexico State University

• Heather A. Oesterreich, New Mexico State University