Latino college enrollment and completion efforts include raising awareness of Hispanic culture, analyzing student pathways, and using related evidence to support retention
While other demographic groups have recently dropped in higher ed enrollment, the percentage of Latinos continues to increase, and by 2025 will constitute one-fifth of all college students, according to National Center for Education Statistics data. To serve that growing population, higher ed institutions continue to eagerly recruit and work with Hispanic students.
Part of that effort includes celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15). Texas Southernmost College, Mercy College in New York, and Texarkana College and Texas A&M University at Texarkana are among the schools with special Hispanic-themed and Latino cultural events.
Latino U College Access (LUCA), a nonprofit organization aimed at increasing college enrollment and completion among first-generation Latino youth, offers a variety of programs to students and partners with three school districts in New York. “I truly believe in the transformative power of an education and I believe in the incredible potential and contributions that Hispanic youth and community can bring, not only to our universities but to our community and our country,” Shirley Acevedo Buontempo, LUCA’s founder and CEO told Diverse Issues in Higher Education.