Serving Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Students in the Midwest: A Practitioner's Perspective

• In Event: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–Serving Institutions: Honoring the Past, Examining the Present, and Imaging the Future

Abstract

Our focus and contribution to the proposed panel is derived from our experiences as professionals and scholars who are currently directing funded AANAPISI programs on our respective campuses – where one is a two-year community college and the other a four-year university – both of which are located in the Midwest.

More specifically, from the perspective of a community college based AANAPISI program director, we will share our promising practices that focus on:
● Addressing the double bind for the lack of AAPI women in computer sciences
● Building institutional capacity with the creation of a theoretically guided and culturally relevant professional development curricula for faculty and staff
● Improving the quality of statistical information on AAPI students that more accurately reflect variations that exist between AAPI ethnic subgroups and degree-attainment rates.

And from the perspective of a four-year university AANAPISI program principal investigator, we will share our promising practices that focus on:
● Developing culturally-responsive academic support, life skills education, community engaged experiential learning
● Strengthening the partnership between the academic program and cultural center to provide holistic educational opportunities for AAPI students
● Institutionalizing efforts to hire and retain new AAPI staff on campus

Additionally, we will offer the differing perspectives on the challenges that community colleges and four-year universities face as they seek federal AANAPISI funding. This also includes discussions on solutions to successfully implement interventions on campus. In doing so, we will yield meaningful implications for future research that could benefit the work of AANAPISI professionals, as well as policy solutions that would inform the work of legislators and other federal officials, in order for AANAPISIs to enhance their ability to serve and support AAPI students.

Authors

• Karen Su, University of Illinois at Chicago
  Presenting Author

• Dear Aunaetitrakul, Oakton College
  Presenting Author