Publication Date

Spring 5-8-2021

Document Type

Action research project: Open access

Degree Name

MA Higher Education Leadership

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

This study highlights Latinx student experiences, through storytelling, to identify existing services and resources aiding Latinx academic success at the University of San Diego (USD), while also exploring what additional resources are needed to aid Latinx scholars’ belonging and mattering at a Catholic, predominantly White institution (PWI). Latinx student enrollment rates at colleges and universities have increased nationwide, leading institutions to consider the Hispanic -serving Institution (HSI) federal designation to gain access to discretionary grant opportunities. For HSI designation, institutions must have at least 25% of their student population categorized as Hispanic, and 50% of Hispanic students must be Pell grant eligible. Naturally, USD has become an emerging HSI with increasing Latinx scholar enrollment rates. With this demographic change, this research is guided by the following questions: what resources, policies or practices has USD implemented to support Latinx students? Which existing resources are aligned with the expressed needs of Latinx students? In what areas can USD improve on to better support Latinx students? My findings reveal how multifaceted the concept of Latinx comunidad is, explores a refinement of existing resources, and uplifts HSI commitment to be Latinx-serving instead of Latinx-enrolling.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a CC BY License.

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