UNC earns federal designation
GREELEY>> The University of Northern Colorado is the state’s newest Hispanicserving Institution after receiving notification from the U.S. Department of Education this week, capping a decades-long effort to support Latino students.
UNC earned the designation more than 18 months sooner than expected, according to a news release from the university.
In 2020, UNC formally began its five-year plan to become a Hispanic-serving Institution by fall 2025. UNC is now one of 19 such institutions in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
Aims Community College and Colorado State University are among the other.
“This ambitious vision is fundamental to our future,” UNC President Andy Feinstein said in the news release.
“It aligns with our commitment to put students first and create an inclusive environment where all individuals — students, faculty and staff — feel welcomed and supported.”
Feinstein said the university has had two goals since initiating its work toward its Hispanic-serving Institution designation. UNC wanted to meet and exceed the enrollment threshold requirements set by the U.S. Department of Education. UNC also aimed to foster a “sense of belonging” for Latino students as well as their families and the broader community.
The U.S. Department of Education defines a Hispanic-serving Institution as an institution of higher education with an undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment of at least 25% Latino students. UNC said its enrollment of Latino students in fall 2023 was at an all-time high of 26.3%. In fall 2022, the number was 25.5%.
UNC established a Mexican-american studies program in 1969 before the federal designation was established.
Tobias Guzman, vice president of the division of diversity, equity and inclusion, said in an email Thursday evening a variety of factors went into the university reaching the designation ahead of schedule.
UNC was able to submit documentation during the application process to demonstrate work to support educational opportunities for low-income students who are also educationally disadvantaged. Guzman said multiple initiatives are included in this list of opportunities: the university’s new Tuition Promise program, TRIO Student Support services, the Cumbres Teacher Preparation program and the AIMS2UNC program.
“The fact that we were able to reach this goal earlier than planned is a testament to the commitment of our university community to implement programs and create resources that put student success at the forefront of our planning,” Guzman added.
The designation does not guarantee additional funding for UNC, but it makes the university eligible for the competitive process to receive money. Grants could be worth $100,000 to $3 million or more, Guzman said.
He added his hope is for UNC to receive close to $5 million annually for “at least the first three to four years.”
“We will also be looking to better understand what ‘problems’ exist on our campus or the state or region and seek out funding that can provide solutions to those issues,” Guzman said.
The Colorado Department of Higher Education reports Latino individuals have the lowest average educational attainment and lowest college enrollment rate of any ethnic group in the state — despite representing the largest and fastest-growing demographic.
Colorado’s population was 5,841,039 in 2022, and 22.5% or 1,314,233 were of Latino origin.
Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit interested in Latino student success in higher education, reported that in Colorado 28% of Latinos over 25 years old earned an associate degree or higher in 2021, compared with 59% of white adults.
The organization also said that at four-year institutions, the graduation rate of Latino individuals was 15 percentage points lower than their white, non-latino peers in Colorado (44% to 59%).
As a Hispanic-serving Institution, UNC will aim to help Latino students graduate and try to minimize the equity gap that exists in graduation rates, Guzman said.
The university still has work to do on behalf of prospective students and families and students who might attend UNC decades into the future, according to Guzman. That work includes continuing to be a student-first campus and examining current policies, practices and systems to help students succeed.
“We will continue to hire more faculty and staff of color and other marginalized backgrounds, dismantle barriers that may impede student success, we continue to train our faculty and staff on cultural and identity inclusive practice,” Guzman said.