01/07/2013 2012 A Year in Review by Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine

JANUARY 07, 2013

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VOLUME 23 • NUMBER 07

Also available in Digital Format

2012 – A Look Back

2012 Statistical Survey

2013 – A Look Forward

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® Editorial Board Publisher – José López-Isa Vice President & Chief Operating Officer – Orlando López-Isa

Ricardo Fernández, President Lehman College Mildred García, President California State University-Fullerton

Editor – Adalyn Hixson Executive & Managing Editor – Suzanne López-Isa News Desk & Copy Editor – Jason Paneque Special Project Editor – Mary Ann Cooper

Juán González,VP Student Affairs University of Texas at Austin Lydia Ledesma-Reese, Educ. Consultant Ventura County Community College District Gustavo A. Mellander, Dean Emeritus George Mason University

Administrative Assistant & Subscription Coordinator – Barbara Churchill

Loui Olivas,Assistant VP Academic Affairs Arizona State University

DC Congressional Correspondent – Peggy Sands Orchowski

Eduardo Padrón, President Miami Dade College

Contributing Editors – Carlos D. Conde Michelle Adam Online Contributing Writers – Gustavo A. Mellander

Antonio Pérez, President Borough of Manhattan Community College María Vallejo, Provost Palm Beach State College

Art & Production Director – Avedis Derbalian Graphic Designer – Pete Oliveri

Editorial Policy The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® is a national magazine published 23 times a year. Dedicated to exploring issues related to Hispanics in higher education,The Hispanic Outlook in

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Higher Education Magazine® is published for the members of the higher education community. Editorial decisions are based on the editors’ judgment of the quality of the writing, the timeliness of the article, and the potential interest to the readers of The Hispanic Outlook Magazine®. From time to time,The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® will publish articles dealing with controversial issues.The

Article Contributors Frank DiMaria, Marilyn Gilroy

views expressed herein are those of the authors and/or those interviewed and might not reflect the official policy of the magazine.The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® neither agrees nor disagrees with those ideas expressed, and no endorsement of those views should be inferred unless specifically identified as officially endorsed by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine®.

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Esquina E ditorial

elcome to our Year in Review issue. It features comments on the year just past, reprints of articles we think warrant a second look and projections as to what lies ahead. In the wake of the carnage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, it is really time to give serious thought to the questions Why? and How? Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the families, to the community, and our hope is that President Obama does something about gun control, as he promised these families, so no family has to go through this horrific ordeal ever again. The re-election of President Obama, which many Latino voters worked very hard to secure, will likely bring a continuation of his vision for education and of the high priority he’s given to restoring U.S. dominance in academia. Meanwhile, Republicans are targeting state legislatures – the level at which many decisions are made about funding higher ed – with considerable success. More Hispanics need to add their voices at state and local levels, as appointed or elected officials, committee members and trustees of education-related entities. Five years ago, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility noted that at the current rate, it would take more than 100 years for Hispanics to reach parity in the corporate boardroom. With so many Hispanics now going to college, surely we can do better than that in education! The Christian Science Monitor in late November ran a story by David Grant about the deportation deferrals authorized by Obama to help undocumented students brought here by their parents. By mid-month, one in four of those estimated to be eligible had applied – 300,000 people out of 1.2 million, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. About 17 percent had been accepted for deferral, and 3 percent denied, with some applications perhaps eligible for resubmission. The most applications were from people in California – a whopping 87,000, with Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois in the top five. ¡Adelante! We hope this New Year gives all of us a peace of mind, safety in our schools and success for our students! Suzanne López-Isa Managing Editor

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION All positions begin August 16, 2013 TENURE-TRACK POSITIONS Elementary Literacy Education, Assistant Professor Department of Curriculum and Instruction Counselor Education/School Counseling, Assistant Professor Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology and Counseling Higher Education Administration, Assistant Professor Department of Educational Leadership, Policy & Technology Studies Further information about The University of Alabama is accessible at http://www.ua.edu. Information about the College is accessible at http://education.ua.edu. Questions regarding these positions can be directed to Judy Lamon, jlamon@bamaed.ua.edu. Application P roce s s : Please apply online at https://facultyjobs.ua.edu. A letter of application, unofficial transcript(s) of all graduate level coursework, vita, up to three samples of professional writing, and names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three references is required to complete the online application process. Prior to hiring, the final candidate must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and submit “official” transcript(s) of all graduate level coursework. The University of Alabama is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Title XV, Section 504 ADA Employer.

touching lives

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR University Unions has a position available for an Executive Director. This position will be responsible for managing a dynamic student centric business and service enterprise while building community on a campus of over 50,000 students. University Unions is comprised of 5 Centers for Student Life: Hogg Memorial Auditorium, the Student Services Building, the Student Activity Center, the Texas Union and the premier student event planning center on campus: the Student Events Center. In order to be competitive, successful candidates should possess: a Master's degree and 10 years of experience at the director level of a student union facility on a university campus with a significant student population. Experience in strategic and budget planning; student development and engagement; business and food services; and, facility management. Experience working in a student programming environment. Experience using a personal computer and standard software. Experience writing proposals, reports and making presentations. Preferred qualifications include: Terminal degree. Experience at the director level of a student union on a campus with over 20,000 students. Excellent written, oral and interpersonal skills. Experience working with a large, diverse student, faculty and staff population. Experience in current student concerns and interests and higher education trends. Experience working with a student majority board of directors and alumni groups, such as advisory councils. Experience in a complex organization with key responsibility to integrate the curricular and co-curricular student experience. Please go to https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/hr/jobs/nlogon/search/0/ for a complete description and to apply for posting number 130107010457. The University of Texas at Austin is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, with a strong commitment to building a diverse and equitable work environment and campus community. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply.

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MAGAZINE® JANUARY 07, 2013

CONTENTS 10

2012 – The Best of Times and Worst of Times in Higher Education by Mary Ann Cooper More Hispanics Taking Out Risky Private Loans to Pay for College by Marilyn Gilroy Nontraditional Students:Time Isn’t Always on Their Side by Jeff Simmons

2012

Integrating Immigrants into U.S. Society by Michelle Adam Who’s Helping with Grad School Decisions and Scholarships? by Jeff Simmons Researchers Look at Women of Color in STEM Fields by Michelle Adam Taking the “Shock” Out of the Transfer Process by Marilyn Gilroy Pew Report on Hispanics and Identity Generates Hearty Response by Michelle Adam Is the Academic Recession Ever Going to End? Maybe ... Maybe Not by Thomas G. Dolan

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Boosting the Latino Vote by Jeff Simmons Helping Latinos Become College- and Career-Ready by Marilyn Gilroy Women and Hispanics Still Underrepresented as College Presidents by Frank DiMaria Undocumented Students and Education: 30 Years After Plyler v. Doe by Thomas G. Dolan

2012 Major Achievements, Appointments and Awards Page 48

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Hispanic Students: 2012 Statistical Survey by Marilyn Gilroy

2013 – A Look Forward by Mary Ann Cooper

Impact of 2012 Election on Education Policy “Enforcement” and Not Much Fun New Stuff by Peggy Sands Orchowski

Over-Protective Parents, Grade Inflation and Today’s College Student by Frank DiMaria

Online Articles Some of the above articles will also be available online; go to our website: www.HispanicOutlook.com.

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DEPARTMENTS Political Beat & Latino Kaleidoscope

Excerpts from the Best of Conde ... by Carlos D. Conde

Ten Best of Uncensored

2012 Statistical Survey

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

Hispanics on the Move

2012 Major Achievements, Appointments and Awards

2012 Book Reviews at a glance...

FYI...FYI...FYI...

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2013 – A Look Forward

Targeting Higher Education The 10 Largest Hispanic Groups in America by Gustavo A. Mellander (Online only)

HO is also available in digital format; go to our website: www.HispanicOutlook.com.

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Po lit

Excerpts from

by Carlos D. Conde

i cal Beat Politics Is the Great Aphrodisiac Herman Cain ran for president at the wrong time. He chose an era when it’s not about the female gender in presidential politics but about the macho factor in the White House. Macho as in skirt-chasing. History tells us the allure of femme fatale has been going on since George Washington’s days. Cain, the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO, was on the road toward a presidential bid when several women accused him of sexual indiscretions. Cain called it quits. Historians say John Adams used his vice president to procure the ladies. Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding supposedly kept paramours. Then there was John F. Kennedy. President Clinton got impeached for his distortions in the “Zippergate Affair” with “that woman.” Historian Merle Miller writes of some of LBJ’s episodes as a wolf. Once after a bedroom liaison at the 1960 Democratic convention, LBJ, in leaving, held out his hand to his partner and said, “Ah want to thank you for yore help to my campaign.” In Mexico, Better the Devil You Know There’s an old Spanish saying, “Mas vale el Diablo conocido que diablo por conocer,” which could be applied to the recent presidential elections in Mexico that returned the once impregnable Institutional Revolutionary Party

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(PRI) to the presidency after an unexpected 12-year hiatus. The proverb, known in English as “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,” takes on special significance in Mexican politics. In 2000, Mexicans booted the PRI out of power, ending its 71year dynasty. They elected as presidents members of a fledgling political party, the National Action Party (PAN), that promised a new political dawn. Voters send PAN to an early sunset in the July 2012 presidential elections and reconciled with the PRI in the form of a handsome political charmer who might not have an impressive political résumé but makes up for it with smarts and brio. Meet the new president of Mexico, the PRI’s Enrique Peña Nieto, 45, a one-term governor from the state of Mexico that surrounds Mexico City. His biggest challenge is governance that doesn’t depict the old ways of PRI. He says the demise of the party has been vastly overstated because “PRI knows how to govern.” In the PRI style, yes, and that’s what worries many of the Mexico people.

Spanish Aphorisms the Mexican Way Language is mankind’s greatest tool. There are about 5,000 languages spoken in the world today, a third in Africa. Today more than 500 million in the world speak Spanish. A majority are in Mexico and Latin America. I love its elegance and expressiveness. I am Mexican, and I speak Spanish in the Mexican vernacular, more precisely the Tex-Mex variety. Mexicans pride themselves as speaking proper Spanish, but they can also pull out the colloquial. If there is one word that is authentically Mexican, it’s chinga. It has countless meanings from praise to insult. Every Mexican can probably describe his life and that of others with that word, El mas chingon (the leader); el chinga quedito (a pest); Paso en chinga

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(He sped by); Vale una chingada (He’s worthless); Hubo chingasos (There was a fight); Vete a la chingada (Get lost); Hablar chingaderas (talk nonsense). There’s one word you never, ever want to utter to a Mexican because you have just bought yourself a fight. It’s chinga tu madre, and, well, you get the meaning. It’s Barack Obama, Stupid The Republican presidential contenders are out on the hustings killing each other while the incumbent, Barack Obama, is comfortably taking it all in and telling his constituencies, particularly Latinos, that his re-election is practically in the bag. President Obama considers Republican politics his path to a second term. In an interview with the Latino national network, Univision, President Obama said he’s looking forward to another four years in which he will take care of the issue that many Latinos have been yammering for, immigration reform. “First of all ... my presidency is not over,” he said when asked why he had not gotten it done during his first term as he said he would. “I’ve another five years (sic) coming up. We’re going to get this done,” he said. The immigration issue plays well for Obama politics since Republicans are not about accommodating the illegal population, predominately Latino, a rhetoric that energizes ethnic voters against them. The Politics of Immigration Reform Within four months of our presidential elections, we all are in a quandary on which way the Latino vote will go. The premise that it will be won or lost on the immigration issue is a specious argument for many, Latinos included. It requires more political currency than either side wants to expend. Meanwhile, President Obama, using his Executive Order powers,

announced a makeshift solution patterned after the DREAM Act for illegal immigrant youth that provides two-year reprieves renewable only if they meet certain conditions. It’s an illusion of the original bill and does not lead to permanent status as many Latinos have been led to believe. Even the president said it won’t. President Obama spectacularly failed to achieve immigrant reform in his first term as he promised. He indicts Republicans, who offered only “go back and get in line” solutions. The Obama administration in its first term has deported more illegal aliens – mostly Latinos and mostly Mexicans – than ever and broke up families while in its best demagoguery expressed compassion for their plight. The Pangs of War and Leadership An excruciatingly painful photo of two parents, each clutching an American flag, their tearful faces engulfed in grief as they buried their young Marine son, Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley Jr., was illustrative of war in a faraway place that for a growing number of Americans seems no longer justifiable after a costly and fruitless 11 long years. It’s the longest America conflict ever. Buckley had just turned 21 and was within a few weeks of returning home. His mother told The New York Times, “He was the most lovable, caring human being. He wore his heart on his sleeve, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.” Nothing could assuage his parents over their loss and the mother who cried out “our forces shouldn’t be there. It’s over. It’s done. If they want to kill themselves, let them.” The New York Times carried a front-page story of Buckley’s funeral and, in an inside-page spread, the photos of 1,000 of the over 2,000 American soldiers killed in a war that began with a United States invasion two months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

the Best of Conde ... As the Poll Said, There Is No Latino Leader Let’s see if I got this straight. Pew Hispanic Center, the pollster of Latino thought and opinion, conducted a survey on national Latino leaders, and one is Jorge Ramos, a news anchor on Noticiero Univision. Jorge who? It wouldn’t surprise me if you haven’t heard of him, unless you’re a Spanish network viewer and tune in to the national evening news in Spanish. Ramos is considered one of the top four Latino “leaders” not for his journalism but supposedly for being one of our public apostles, according to a Pew national survey in the Latino community on who it considers the most important Latino leader in the country today. Sixty-four percent said they didn’t know. Ten percent said no one. Those who ventured a guess placed Ramos among the top four, which, not to malign him, doesn’t say much about our supposed national Latino leadership. Latinos surveyed may have given a new meaning to the word “leader.” No wonder Pew titled its report National Latino Leader? The Job Is Open.

He issued pink undies to the inmates and told those griping about Arizona’s heat that our fighting men in Afghanistan were experiencing worse conditions and weren’t complaining so “shut your mouths.” Heaven Forbid! Nuns in Revolt I grew up in a Latino environment in which the Catholic Church was supreme, the clergy was inviolable and the nuns were subservient to the religious doctrine to which they had pledged their lives and their devotion. Their obedience and their piety to church elders and church law were fundamental to their existence and beyond question. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is pressuring church leaders to re-examine the role of the nun and introduce reforms that make their role more compatible with today’s realities. It’s giving the pope and his cardinals heartburn. If that weren’t enough, the church leaders have had to confront the saga of Sister Megan Rice, a peace activist who was arrested after breaking into Oak Ridge nuclear reservation in August to splash blood and erect anti-bomb posters to protest U.S. policy. Sister Rice is 82 years old and has a long rap sheet, but that’s another story.

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A Shooting and a Racial Divide All the facts and motives in Trayvon Martin’s death in a Florida gated community might never be totally known or accepted, but the racial implications are not likely to go away soon. It involves the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager by a half-Latino, half-Anglo resident with a yen for playing cop. The pulling of the trigger by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman that killed 17-year-old Martin reverberated all the way to the White House. It was also a racial indictment of Zimmerman, 28, who contended that a scuffle ensued after he challenged Martin’s presence and pulled his gun when he sensed Martin was reaching for a weapon. Under Florida’s controversial law “Stand Your Ground,” Zimmerman was legally within his rights to protect himself. They call Martin’s death a racial killing, but Zimmerman’s parents said it was absurd. Zimmerman’s mother is Peruvian.

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Sheriff Joe Says to “Shut Your Mouths” If you want to commit a crime, violate traffic ordinances or mock the law, you don’t want to do it in Maricopa County, Ariz. You certainly don’t want to do it if you are Mexican or look Mexican. You might have heard of “Sheriff Joe” Arpaio of Maricopa County. He likes being called “America’s toughest sheriff,” and – at least with the Latino population, predominately Mexican – some legal, some not – he doesn’t disappoint. Arpaio and his deputies, his critics say, like to drive around Phoenix, the county seat, picking on and picking up Latinos because they tend to look illegal or criminal or both. So much that two civil rights organizations and the federal government have filed class-action lawsuits for what The New York Times editorialized, “discrimination and harassment against Latinos and those who look like them.”

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You Can Go Home Again I returned in October to my dusty, decrepit hometown on the Texas-Mexican border, as I do every year, and for the first time in my life I had no home to go to. The last of my family, my mother, died almost two years ago, and my brother and I packed up our individual mementoes and sold the property. It was something akin to a chapter from Thomas Wolfe’s epic fictional book You Can’t Go Home Again. You can’t go home to your family, your childhood, to dreams of glory and fame, to the old forms and system of things which seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time. It suggested you can’t return to your place of origin without being deemed a failure. I never felt that way. On the contrary, returning to my hometown as I have done every year since I first left home to attend the University of Texas confirms my attachment to the community and to its people. I can go home again and again and again. I did, and I will in success or in failure because it calls to me.

Carlos D. Conde is an award-winning journalist and commentator, former Washington and foreign news correspondent.

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COMMENTARY

2012: The Best of Times and Worst of Times in Higher Education As

the year 2012 draws to a close, a higher education deadline articulated by the Obama administration looms at the end of this decade. The challenge discussed throughout the presidential campaign was to raise the number of college-educated Americans by the year 2020 so that the United States could regain its place as world leader in this area. During the course of this year, economic trends and new initiatives at the institution level and by government agencies point to mixed results in achieving that goal. But some say “green leaves” of hope are beginning to sprout. Over this decade, employment in jobs requiring education beyond a high school diploma are growing more rapidly than employment in jobs that do not; of the 30 fastest-growing occupations, more than half require postsecondary education. With the average earnings of college graduates at a level that is twice as high as that of workers with only a high school diploma, higher education is now the clearest pathway into the middle class. In higher education, the U.S. has been outpaced internationally. While the United States ranks ninth in the world in the proportion of young adults enrolled in college, it has fallen to 16th in the world in its share of certificates and degrees awarded to adults ages 25-34 – lagging behind Korea, Canada, Japan and other nations. The U.S. also suffers from a college attainment gap, as high school graduates from upper-class families are almost certain to continue on to higher education, while just over half of high school graduates in the poorest quarter of families attend college. And while more than half of college students graduate within six years, the completion rate for low-income students in that time period is around 25 percent. According to Excelencia in Education, an important part of increasing college success numbers is to set a goal of encouraging 5.5 million Hispanics to earn degrees by 2020. The first steps to that are to make sure Hispanics complete high school and are successfully transitioned into college. This year, Pew reported that the first part of the plan is beginning to take hold. According to its analysis of newly available census data, record shares of young adults are completing high school, going to college and finishing college. In 2012, for the first time ever, one-third of the nation’s 25- to 29-year-olds completed at least a bachelor’s degree. The conventional wisdom going into 2012 was that dramatic immigration-driven changes in the racial and ethnic composition of college-age young adults would produce a decrease in college enrollment and degree success. According to Pew, that has not been the case. In fact, the opposite occurred. Pew reports that college completion is now at record levels among key demographic groups: men and women; Blacks, Whites and Hispanics; and foreign-born and native-born Americans. Also, a record share of the nation’s young adults ages 25 to 29 (90 percent) has finished at least a high school education. And another record share – 63 percent – has completed at least some college. Some of the increases are undoubtedly due to the lack of job opportunities in the economic downturn of the last few years, but Pew says that their 2012 research shows that the current trend shows that more people

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now see the value of a college education. According to both Pew and the Gallup Organization, more than three quarters of the public saw college education as “very important” in 2012, as opposed to only 36 percent who shared that view in 1978. Pew points out that the nation’s college-age population is becoming more racially and ethnically diversified. In 2012, nonWhites made up only 44 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds. In 2013, changes in immigration policy enacted by President Obama in 2012 could add even more students to the college rolls. Under Obama’s directive, the Department of Homeland Security lifted the threat of deportation for offspring of undocumented residents who were brought into the United States as children. For the next two years, those individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety are able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization. Although it is not an amnesty program, a path to citizenship or a permanent fix, it unleashes a hidden demographic looking to achieve the American Dream. The enthusiasm for college did have some negative consequences in 2012, however. In 2012, more and more colleges were receiving record numbers of both applications and rejections. There is little to no money for these higher education institutions to expand in any significant way, so schools are left with two options – crowded classrooms or increased rejections. The trend now seems to be toward increased rejections. Another logjam in the system in 2012 was the new meaning of “wait list” for college hopefuls – or was it really a lack of meaning for this term? With the explosion of applicants, some schools like Duke actually have more applicants on their wait lists than on the list of those accepted into their institution. Like gas lines forming after a hurricane, the wait list and rejection numbers set off a panic down the line. Early admission requests by juniors rose in 2012 from students who thought getting a head start on admissions would help them. School counselors advised against it, but students and families have now become gripped by fear that colleges will turn them away like those on line being told that their service station has just run out of gasoline. The further emergence of for-profit colleges to fill the void made headlines in 2012, but these stories were tempered with cautionary tales of high tuition and broken promises of paths to lucrative careers. Several bills proposed by the White House and some members of Congress in 2012 targeted these schools for increased regulation and accountability in 2013. As Excelencia in Higher Education points out, there were some success stories in 2012 to advance the cause of more Hispanics entering and succeeding in the world of higher education, bringing the United States closer to its 2020 goal. Valencia College in Orlando, Fla., was given an award for excellence at the associate degree level for its DirectConnect programs that puts its energies into providing a smooth transition from community colleges to Florida universities, a program that benefits Hispanics, in particular. Here’s how the program works: Students attending Brevard Community College, Lake-Sumter Community College, Valencia College or Seminole State College are granted guaranteed admission to the University of Central Florida (UCF) when they sign up for DirectConnect to UCF. The program

helps students prepare for their bachelor’s degree program while attending community or state college with small class sizes and personalized advising. DirectConnect advisors guide students through the UCF admissions process, including orientation, transcripts, advising and financial aid. In 2012, Excelencia also recognized California State UniversityBakersfield (CSUB) at the baccalaureate level for efforts by the school of natural sciences, mathematics and engineering to increase the number of Latino students earning degrees in STEM fields. CSUB’s School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME) has 70 total faculty distributed into seven departments and offering 12 baccalaureate degrees and three graduate degrees. The school serves approximately 1,900 full-time equivalent students yearly and claims 1,349 majors in STEM. NSME STEM graduates typically enter the workforce as researchers, teachers or industry employees, or advance to graduate programs in top research universities nationwide. Dr. Julio R. Blanco, dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, is proud of its success in attracting Hispanics to its program. “We’ve succeeded in increasing Latino participation, which is currently about 40 percent of the students in STEM. The addition of engineering has added a new pathway to well-paying jobs in our region.” Also in 2012, Excelencia cited the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) for its Master of Business Administration program, which it says creates academic programs accessible to working professional and full-time students – a big plus for low-income, minority and Hispanic students. “UTEP’s Master of Business Administration program is at the forefront of meeting the challenge of improving higher educational achievement for Latino students,” said Sarita Brown, president, Excelencia in Education. “With 2020 quickly approaching, we have accumulated a significant portfolio of evidence-based practices that institutions and policymakers can and must put into action.” The UTEP MBA program is one of the largest AACSB-accredited producers of Hispanic MBAs in the country, educating more than 360 students annually, 59 percent of whom are Hispanic. “The UTEP MBA program is guided by the fundamental principle that talent is everywhere and that all talent should have an equitable opportunity to be realized,” said Laura M. Uribarri, assistant dean for MBA programs. “That principle is reflected in the efforts and outcomes of our students, alumni, faculty and staff.” Along with pilot programs springing up all over the country, the government took an active role in 2012 to make attending college easier for minority, low-income and Hispanic students. While the Obama administration in 2012 put forth some initiatives in higher education and immigration that were aimed at fulfilling the 2020 deadline, there’s not all good news on what has been implemented or is due to be implemented in 2013. This year, the administration raised the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,635 to take effect the 2013-14 award year – a $905 increase since 2008. The number of Pell Grant recipients has expanded by 50 percent. In addition, the administration’s “Pay as You Earn” plan expands incomebased repayment to enable 1.6 million students to take advantage of a new option to cap repayment of student loans at 10 percent of monthly income – an option that student borrowers can begin to use at the end of this year. Obama’s 2012 Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program invests in community college and industry partnerships that will provide more Americans with the skills they need to enter and succeed in the work force. The Obama administration has already committed $500 million to develop programs that provide pathways for individuals to secure quality jobs in high-wage, high-skilled fields including advanced manufacturing; transportation; health care; and science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and another $500 million in grant awards will go out in September. The administration says it will invest an additional $1 billion in this initiative over the next two years.

by Mary Ann Cooper With the winds of a successful re-election bid at his back, Obama has proposed reforms to federal campus-based aid programs to shift aid away from colleges that fail to keep net tuition down, and toward those colleges and universities that do their fair share to keep tuition affordable, provide good value, and serve needy students well. These changes in federal aid to campuses will leverage $10 billion annually to help keep tuition down. The object here is to keep tuition from spiraling out of control. He has also proposed incentives for states to maintain their commitments to higher education through a new $1 billion investment. The Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion challenge aims to increase the number of college graduates and contain the cost of tuition by rewarding states willing to systematically change their higher education policies and practices. Also on the president’s wish list is an investment of $55 million in a new First in the World competition, to support public and private colleges and nonprofit organizations as they work to develop and test the next breakthrough strategy that will boost higher education attainment and student outcome, while leading to reduced costs. In his 2013 budget request, Obama proposed the Community College to Career Fund, an $8 billion investment in community colleges and states over three years to partner with businesses to train workers in a range of high-growth and in-demand areas, such as health care, logistics, transportation and advanced manufacturing. Now a reality check. All the lofty proposals aside, the administration will have a difficult time maintaining the proposals already enacted, never mind the ones floating around Congress for approval. Although 2012 was the year of the Dreamers – not only in reference to the president’s executive order on immigration, but also his changes in higher education – cold hard pragmatism is hardening in some circles. Higher education programs and spending are on the chopping block as the new Congress continues to deal with spending and deficit issues. The new year will also be the time of reckoning for the $7 billion shortfall in the Pell Grant program that was expanded in 2012. While 2012 saw an easing of student loan rules and interest rates, by the summer of 2013 student loan interest rates are due to double. This year will reveal whether colleges and universities have built a temporary political house of cards of hope or will begin to build on a strong foundation to regain U.S. dominance in higher education worldwide. Right now, it’s impossible to predict.

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FINANCE

More Hispanics Taking Out Risky Private Loans to Pay for College by Marilyn Gilroy

increasing number of Hispanics are taking out private student loans to pay tuition bills, a strategy experts say is one of the riskiest ways to finance a college education. These loans typically have uncapped, variable interest rates that are highest for those who can least afford them, such as low-income, first-generation students. Private student loans also lack important consumer protections and flexible repayment options that come with federal student loans, such as unemployment deferments, income-based repayment, and public service loan forgiveness. A new report from The Project on Student Debt at the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) says many students who take out private loans could have taken out safer federal loans but did not do so for a variety of reasons, including not understanding the difference between the two types of debt. The report, Critical Choices: How Colleges Can Help Students and Families Make Better Decisions About Private Loans, shows that college financial aid offices can and should play a significant role in reducing their students’ reliance on private loans. “College financial aid offices have unique opportunities and responsibilities to help people make informed and affordable choices about student loans,” said TICAS president Lauren Asher. “Millions of students end up with risky and expensive private loans when they actually have safer options, and the financial consequences can be devastating and last a lifetime. We found that counseling and information at critical decision points can really help borrowers make smarter choices.” According to TICAS research, the percentage of Hispanic undergraduates who took out private loans more than doubled between 2003-04 and 2007-08, from 5 percent to 13 percent. During this time period, overall private loan volume grew substantially, from $6.5 billion to $17.1 billion. African-American undergraduates registered the highest percentage increase, which quadrupled from 4 percent to 17 percent. These figures are based on the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, which

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is conducted every four years. The advantages of federal loans begin with interest rates that can vary from 3.4 percent for subsidized Stafford loans to 8.5 percent for loans targeted at graduate students, known as Grad PLUS. Private loans can carry interest rates as high as 19 percent. Another advantage of federal loans is that repayment terms can be modified to an income-based plan. This means if a borrower is unemployed or working in a low-

Matthew Reed, program director, TICAS

wage job, the monthly payments are structured so the debt is more manageable. But even though the terms of borrowing obviously favor federal loans, there are several reasons why an increasing number of Hispanics and other students are gravitating to private loans. Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, examined why student borrowers take out private loans instead of the cheaper federal loans that have better repayment plans. He found that more than half of undergraduates who borrowed from the private sector cited the complexity of the federal student loan application process, which requires the submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. In addi-

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tion, some students think their families earn too much to qualify for federal student loans when, in fact, there is no income limit. “Students who believe that they will not qualify for federal grants and who want loans might prefer an application process that takes just a few minutes to one that requires hours of work, despite the lower cost and better repayment terms of federal education loans,” Kantrowitz wrote in a recent analysis of borrowing patterns. Although the FAFSA form has been simplified in recent years, it still can be an obstacle for some Hispanic students because of their family immigration status. The Project on Student Debt report said that one of the most common reasons that financial aid administrators hear from students about why they apply for private loans is that they do not want to give personal information to the government. This can be the case for Hispanic students who were born in the U.S. but have parents who are undocumented immigrants. The students themselves are eligible for federal student aid but might be reluctant to apply because of their parents’ status. However, many of the reasons for the increase in private loans for college are based on widespread misinformation. Some of the misleading information comes from marketing techniques for private loans that use ease of application to appeal to students. Teaser ads on many Internet sites promise a simple application process and fast decisions, sometimes as fast as three minutes or less. They also attract borrowers by touting initial low interest rates. “The marketing doesn’t tell the whole story,” said Matthew Reed, program director, TICAS. “They might have an initial low rate, but those rates are often variable. If you are paying the loan over a 10- or 20-year time period, the interest rate could go up significantly.” Some experts predict that if interest rates do rise on thousands of loans, it could lead to a huge default problem down the road, much like what happened in the subprime mortgage market. Reed says that even fixed rate private loans are not safe because they have none of the usual consumer protections that come with credit card

Students Toward Cheaper, Safer Loans The Critical Choices report documents promising practices used by a variety of financial aid offices to help prospective borrowers avoid debt that is risky and costly. It also identifies key opportunities in which colleges can guide students’ and parents’ borrowing decisions. In interviews, the financial aid administrators shared the broad consensus that students who want to borrow should use a “federal first” approach, but their practices varied considerably. The most promising practices involve some form of counseling for students who apply for

private loans, particularly those with untapped federal loan eligibility. In these cases, financial aid officers intervene by phone, letter, or e-mail, to influence students during the decision-making process about what type of loan to use. The outreach includes financial literacy counseling, making sure that students understand debt management and default risks. For example, Loyola University of New Orleans requires students applying for private

mitted to educating students about their options regarding private loans, and we are optimistic that this approach will help students avoid being overwhelmed with unmanageable loan debt.” Matthew Reed hopes that more institutions will adopt these types of policies and become proactive in helping students tap into their federal loan potential. He would like colleges and universities to dispel the myth that getting access to federal money is a long and cumbersome process.

and bank loans. Despite these cautions, there are other factors that drive Hispanics to choose private loans, and it all starts with where they enroll in college. Many Hispanics go back to school as adult students and attend school part time while also supporting other family members. For this reason, they need a nontraditional pathway to a degree and choose to enroll in expensive, forprofit colleges, the higher education sector in which students are the most likely to borrow. When they apply for financial aid, the school sends a letter outlining a package of assistance. “One of the most problematic practices is how loans are packaged,” said Reed. “Some for-profit institutions send electronic notifications regarding financial aid which includes federal grants, loans and private loans. It looks like the institution is giving tacit approval to these loans, which might keep families from looking to other places.” In other cases, Hispanic students who attend two-year colleges might be forced to turn to private loans because some of the colleges do not participate in federal loan programs. As the Project for Student Debt says, these students are “between a rock and a hard place.” According to the project, there are more than one million students in 31 states enrolled in colleges that block students’ access to federal student loans. Many of these colleges have opted out of federal loan programs because of their concern about students’ ability to repay the loans and that a high cohort default rate could affect the college’s reputation and access to other federal grants. Of Hispanic students in community colleges, 8.5 percent are enrolled in nonparticipating colleges. In California and Texas, two states with significant Hispanic populations, the number of Hispanic two-year college students without access to federal aid is higher, at 11.2 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. If these students want to borrow, they must either use credit card debt or private loans to pay for their college expenses.

student loans who have not completed a FAFSA to sign and return a form acknowledging the choice to not file for a federal loan or indicate they will now file a FAFSA before continuing their pursuit of a private loan. Colorado State University contacts students and has a phone conversation about the advantages of federal loans over private loans before certifying a private loan. At San Diego State University, in which approximately 30 percent of the student body is Latino, students must complete an online “alternative loan counseling process” before the school will certify a private student loan. These strategies have been successful. At schools that tracked the impact of their intervention policies, about half or more of students contacted changed their borrowing plans. Chris Collins, associate director in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at San Diego State University, says his area generates annual reports to determine if private loan use is increasing or decreasing, and to provide insights into the effectiveness of existing programs. “Private loan borrowing decreased markedly after we implemented alternative loan counseling as a requirement, and we will be considering additional enhancements to our private loan approach in the future,” he said. “We are com-

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“The federal loan process has become faster,” he said. “The whole application and review is more streamlined and some financial aid officers say students can see the fund credited to their account within a week’s time.” Efforts to steer students toward federal student loans got a boost when one of the biggest complaints regarding private loans gained the attention of Congress. At issue is the fact that private loans currently enjoy the same protection as federal loans in that neither can be discharged during bankruptcy. However, federal loans, which are backed by taxpayer money, need that protection to make it difficult for students to avoid paying the loans. Many believe that private loans, which are very profitable, do not deserve this protection and should be treated like credit card loans, which can be discharged during bankruptcy, thus making it undesirable for lenders to make risky loans. Three senators and four U.S. representatives have introduced legislation that will eliminate unfair protection for private student loans. “By repealing special treatment for private lenders, we will hold banks accountable, protect young people from abusive lending practices and provide relief for graduates trapped by loans that can too often carry high interest rates and unfair terms,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., one of the sponsors of the bill.

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REPORTS

Nontraditional Students:

Time Isn’t Always on Their Side by Jeff Simmons

The

message was as clear as the title emblazoned on the cover of the report: Time Is the Enemy. For so many nontraditional students, time hasn’t always been on their side. What this groundbreaking report found was that these nontraditional students were more likely to drop out the longer they spent in college. And this group traditionally has included large numbers of Hispanic students, who were taking more time, and were more likely to be headed for the exit door before graduation. “The core message is: the longer students take to graduate, the less likely they are to graduate,” said Stan Jones, president of Complete College America and former commissioner of higher education, longtime state legislator, and senior advisor to the governor in Indiana. “They need to start to go to college right after high school. They need to go in a deliberate way and graduate on time, and they need to go full time as much as possible,” Jones said. The two-year-old, nonprofit Complete College America, which is based in Washington, recently issued the 242-page Time Is the Enemy as part of NBC’s Education Nation Summit. Besides finding that nontraditional students who spent too long trying to earn a degree were more likely not to be around come graduation, the report determined that many students who needed remediation were failing to even show up for class. Complete College America requested information on public college and university graduation rates from all 50 states, and 33 elected to share their enrollment records. “It was huge,” Jones said of the response from states. “It’s the first project that’s ever been

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done. And, I think we were initially hoping to get 10 or 15 states. Thirty-three states doing this was pretty significant.” Collectively, more than 10 million students enroll in public institutions annually in the states that participated in the study, a clear majority of

American students in public colleges and universities today. “The significant number of students represented means that the most alarming trends can be traced across all of the states represented in these findings,” the report stated. The report centered on five troubling findings: First, nontraditional students are the new majority on college campuses. The report pointed out that nearly 75 percent of students seeking a certificate or an associate

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or bachelor’s degree were part-time college commuters who were often juggling families, work and classes. Additionally, 25 percent of students attended full time at residential colleges; and if they attended part time, the federal government did not even track their success, as if they were “invisible.” Second, part-time students rarely graduated even if they had twice as much time to reach that goal. Third, graduation odds were especially low for students who were Hispanic, African-American or poor. Even though there were more of these students than ever before enrolling in college, too few ended up with certificates or degrees. The report found that 46 percent of full-time Hispanic students earned a four-year degree in six years, and that an alarming 17 percent of Hispanic students earned their diploma in six years. That’s better than AfricanAmerican students – with 40 percent of those enrolling in a full-time program having earned a diploma in six years and 14 percent of parttime ones having earned a degree in six years – but substantially worse than White students. Fourth, many students were wasting time on excess credits, taking too much time to earn a degree and decreasing their chances of graduating by staying in school longer. And finally, too many students needed remediation, but too few succeeded when they got it. Nearly 50 percent of students who started at a community college and 21 percent of those who started at a four-year college need remediation, which the authors call the “Bermuda Triangle” in higher education. About 30 percent of students in remediation classes failed to show up on the first day of class, the report stated. Simply put, remedial students are much less likely to graduate than

breakdown allows more personalized advocacy nonremedial ones. “Obviously, we have to figure out a way to by geography. “It was pretty much developed in help students who need to catch up academical- such a way that you could get all of the imporly, but the way we are doing it right now is tant information on one page that a policyastoundingly ineffective,” said Hilary Pennington, maker needed to understand.” The statistics were less than glowing in director of postsecondary success, U.S. Program, at the Bill & Melinda Gates many states. For example, in California, the average Cal Foundation, which along with the Lumina Foundation and others financed the founding of State student took between 5.2 years to 5.7 years to graduate with a degree that should normally Complete College America. “That is a lot of the focus of the Bill & take four years to complete. Only 9.8 percent of Melinda Gates Foundation. We are very focused Hispanic students attending full time in pursuit on trying to crack the code and ask how would of a bachelor’s degree graduated on time, 43.9 percent within six years and 53.7 percent within you improve the system,” she said. Overall, the report found that just over half of eight years. Utah witnessed some of the longest periods students who sought a bachelor’s degree on a full-time basis completed their education in six years, and such completion rates remained relatively stagnant despite a 35 percent college-enrollment growth over the last four decades. “The findings have been received with a lot of shock,” Pennington said, noting how it questioned a number of myths. “Most people believe that if you start college in America, you finish, but that’s not true. It’s shocking how hard it is for part-time students to finish, and part-time students are the majority of college students.” A sizeable portion of today’s college students might be going to school part time, but part-time students have substantially lower graduation rates than full-time ones, and often because of obstacles they face juggling multiple responsibilities, the report stated. Experts considered the report “landmark” because of the way in which its data have been studied, noting that the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System does not analyze graduation rates of nontraditional students. Jim Applegate, vice president of program development at the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation “The data have not been collected,” Jones said. “The federal government is the only good source of data, and they for degree completion: Full-time students gradudon’t have graduation rates on all students, such ated in an average 6.7 years while part-time stuas part-time students. This information has been dents took nearly eight years to finish school. In rather spare, and so that’s why this is the first the state, of every 100 students who enrolled in a public college, 71 chose a community college, report of its kind.” “To me, one of the best things of the report 45 enrolled full time, and 26 enrolled part time. was about how incredibly user-friendly it is,” But after four years, only 14 of the full-timers Pennington said, noting how the state-by-state and one of the part-timers had graduated.

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Of full-time Hispanic students seeking associate degrees in Utah public colleges, only 2.6 percent graduated on time, within two years, 8.4 percent graduated within three years, and 11.5 percent graduated within four years. The report noted that those on a part-time schedule fared much worse: only 1.2 percent graduated within three years, and 3.6 percent graduated within four years. In Arizona, 5.5 percent of Hispanic full-time students seeking associate degrees in two years graduated on time, 11.9 percent took three years, and 16.8 percent took four years. Among those seeking bachelor’s degrees, 24 percent of full-time Hispanic students graduated on time in four years, 53.7 percent graduated within six years, and 59.3 percent graduated within eight years. In Texas, of every 100 students who enrolled in a public college, 79 began at a community college – yet only two received a two-year degree on time. More time didn’t necessarily yield better results: after four years, only seven had graduated. And of the 21 of those 100 who enrolled at a four-year college, five graduated on time, and after eight years, only 13 earned their degree. Hispanic graduation rates were troubling, with only 2.4 percent of full-time Hispanic students in Texas public colleges earning their associate degrees on time in two years, 7.2 percent within three years and 11.3 percent within four years. As far as bachelor’s degrees, only 15 percent of Hispanic students on a full-time track at public Texas colleges earned a degree on time in four years while 44.7 percent earned degrees within six years, and 52.9 percent earned degrees within eight years. There’s no easy fix, but there are solutions that need to be embraced on both local and national levels, recommending a new system of scheduling, embedding remediation into regular curricula, and reducing class time. “Part of addressing the issues concerning Latinos is that higher education has to become more productive, has to become more efficient and effective, and that means quality,” said Jim Applegate, vice president of program development at the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation. “Everybody has to get on board and

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start asking the tough questions about why its taking so many credits and so long for students to get to a success point.” He added: “We know the students who come from the poor high schools. We know who they are, and they tend to be students of color and low-income students, and we need to create a system where we put them on the escalator toward success and degrees.” The report sets forth a blueprint of five “essential” steps that states should take immediately – in essence, a complete reshuffling of priorities. Jones said, “There need to be substantial changes in the way colleges are structured. We’ve got great leadership, great faculty and great college and university presidents, but the system is broken. They are not really designed for these students.” Initially, they need to strengthen reporting. For instance, states should count all students, set stateand campus-level goals, and uniformly measure progress and success. The report’s authors note that by even providing data, the 33 states already proved that it is possible to count the success of each student. And the 29 governors who pledged to fulfill the commitments of membership in the Alliance of States are clearly setting goals and reinventing higher education to create the conditions for higher achievement, the report noted. “More states should do the same,” it read. “And the federal government should try to catch up by filling damaging gaps in the national database, raising the standard of measurement, and counting every student in our country.” Additionally, there needs to be a movement to reduce the time it takes to earn a certificate or degree. The authors recommended that schools ensure that unnecessary credit requirements are not added to certificate and degree programs. Instead, the authors noted, they should demand “robust,” comprehensive transfer mechanisms that reach across campus walls so students can bring credits with them instead of losing valuable time when being asked to start over.

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Stan Jones, president, Complete College America

Another strong recommendation is that remediation must be transformed so that students can earn college credits that count as quickly as possible. This, the report noted, is the best thing that can be done to increase college completion. For example, schools should start as many underprepared students as possible in first-year, full-credit classes, and accomplish this by adding extra class time and tutoring support, instead of delaying their entrance into these classes by shuttling them into remedial courses. Also, programs should be restructured in recognition of the busy lives many students have. The authors recommended the establishment of block classes so that students can attend full time by learning from, for instance, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., five days a week. “For example, with block scheduling, students will take classes in a single block and go every day for three or four hours a day. “They will be more likely to graduate and graduate on time,” Jones said.

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Finally, the authors recommend that policymakers follow in the footsteps of 29 governors and get involved with Complete College America. This has allowed them to benefit from access to a band of reformers and experts in higher education policy and practice who understand the need to make changes to improve college completion. Pennington said the hope is that colleges, universities and policymakers will absorb the findings and channel that into substantive reform. “It’s not just the responsibility or the fault of the students,” she said. This, she said, is beginning to break through into regular public discourse, but the level of engagement is nevertheless “sobering because it doesn’t rise to the top of most policy addresses. They are still pretty focused on K-12 education. We still have a lot to learn about which interventions make the biggest difference.” The lower college completion rates of Hispanic and other minority student populations warrant particular attention. “If we do one thing that would help secure the country’s future, it would be to increase the college success of Latino students,” she said. “I think that is a big opportunity that will get more focus not just because of this report but because of the work of others as well.”

COMMENTARY

Integrating Immigrants into U.S. Society

by Michelle Adam

mmigrants have played a key role in shaping the American continent. They’ve helped revitalize major cities and rural areas, and have provided our nation with new ideas and entrepreneurship. Despite these contributions, Mary Giovagnoli, director of the Immigration Policy Center, is concerned that our naturalization process may be pushing immigrants away at a time when our economy may need them more than ever. In her recent report, Improving the Naturalization Process: Better Immigrant Integration Leads to Economic Growth, she urges our government to support a more effective naturalization process – especially at a time when budget cuts may produce the very opposite effect. “This is a Congress that has been incapable of grappling with more than a few economic issues facing us. Issues like immigration get pushed aside,” said Giovagnoli. “Yet, I think getting immigration right is part of the solution.” Currently, the United States has a population of about 12.6 million immigrants who are legal permanent residents (people granted lawful permanent residence, for example, “green card” recipients, but not those who have become U.S. citizens). Of them, 8.1 million are eligible to naturalize (become U.S. citizens). In addition, the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States is about 10.8 million, 62 percent of whom are from Mexico (according to 2010 figures of the Office of Immigration Statistics). This population, both legal and otherwise, has been feeling the effects of anti-immigration politics and policies. And Giavagnoli is afraid that this

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climate, and a lack of government direction in creating a more supportive and inclusive naturalization process, is pushing away the very people who have made this country successful. According to the Migration Policy Index (MIPEX), a guide that compares the immigration and integration policies of 31 countries, U.S. naturalization fees “are now higher than in 25 of the 30 other MIPEX countries.” The process of acquiring citizenship in the United States can also be uncertain, lacking “legal time limits (unlike in 13 MIPEX countries). Many long and discretionary background checks also leave applicants slightly insecure about their status.” (Thomas Huddleston, et al., Migrant Integration Policy Index III) In addition, “despite the steady rise in naturalization rates over the decades, a shocking number of people do not naturalize who are eligible to do so,” wrote Giavagnoli in her report. “In 2008, for example, while more than one million LPRs [lawful permanent residents] naturalized, more than eight million were eligible to do so.” MIPEX researchers ranked the U.S. ninth overall (among 31 countries) in its immigration and integration policies, with 62 of a total possible 100 points derived from averaging scores in seven categories. The categories included labor market mobility (how immigrants access jobs and job training); family reunification (who is eligible to bring family members, and which family members); access to education; political participation; longterm residence (who is eligible, how does one get it, and can it be revoked);

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“You see kids who are citizens except for the piece of paper. They have access to citizenship; and anti-discrimination laws and protections. In education, the U.S. scored similarly in its overall points. According been educated in the U.S. most of their life, if not their whole life. So many of them are valedictorians and leadto index researchers, all students in ers in their community and are every the U.S., regardless of status, may bit as American as the kid sitting attend free public schools. In addinext to them,” explained Giavagnoli. tion, “Undocumented students have “The higher rates of college for no clear legal path to college, nor them make it inaccessible, especialin-state tuition in 39 states (unlike ly for kids of undocumented pararound half the MIPEX countries). ents. You often hear people talk Targeted programs slightly help about dreams denied. Studies of minority students and limited these students suggest that it is very English speakers complete school, demoralizing because after high from pre-school to college ... but school these kids have nowhere to states rarely see the new opportuniturn. Educators fear that these kids ties that migrant children bring.” may be more subject to becoming While the U.S. measures favorhigh school dropouts and being ably in education, it’s also one of the unemployed. These students also hit major targets of immigration restrica wall because they can’t get work tion, claims Giavagnoli. “To justify authorization even after getting their anti-immigrant legislation, the first degrees because they are not here place people hone in on is on how legally. Also, imagine, in addition to much undocumented immigration all the worries of school, looking costs to states, and especially on over your shoulder and worrying if how much it costs to educate these you are going to be deported.” kids. But they don’t think about all In an effort to better integrate the contributions in spending and immigrants into our society – and purchasing power these families add especially young students with great as well,” she said. potential – citizens have been push“The Immigration Reform Law ing for Congress to support the Institute wants to challenge Plyler v. DREAM Act. If this act were to Doe [the U.S. Supreme Court case become law, it would make undocthat protects the right of every child, umented youth eligible for a sixno matter his or her immigration stayear-long conditional path to cititus, to attend a U.S. public school zenship that requires completion of from kindergarten through 12th a college degree or two years of grade]. This affects any immigrant military service. since it’s hard to prove status, and it “The DREAM Act would allow fosters a discriminatory atmosphere.” them to go to school while working Giavagnoli added, “We provide and lets these students become perEnglish as a second language and help manent residents down the road,” kids attain a basic standard in English, explained Giavagnoli. “There have but we don’t look at the cultural also been movements at the state issues. It is important we bring familevel that provide tuition equity. These lies into the educational process and have sometimes been called the State understand the issues families face.” Dream Act, although at the state level When looking at higher educathey can’t confer citizenships.” tion, about 65,000 youth, a majoriBeyond education, U.S. immity of whom are Hispanic and have Mary Giovagnoli, director, Immigration grants face great challenges when it spent most of their lives in the U.S., comes to family reunion. “We have don’t have the chance to receive an Policy Center some serious problems here. We affordable college education. They have major backlogs of people are deemed “illegal immigrants” because their parents are illegal, and are therefore unable to afford out- wanting to reunite with family members. Particularly, if you are a U.S. citiof-state tuition costs or receive scholarships that they might receive as zen, immediate family members can reunite with you. If you are a lawful permanent resident, it is harder for them to come over here if they don’t citizens.

“Many legal immigrants from

Mexico have family members in line to come, and must wait

about 15 to 20 years to complete their family.”

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come with you. It can take five years to bring them over. If looking at adult children or married children or brothers and sisters, you have to wait a very long time,” said Giavagnoli. “We are rooted in the mindset of the single man coming over until he can bring the rest of the family over. Our framework does not really reflect what we need for the 21st century in keeping families intact and making sure people immigrate in a way that ensures our economic and competitive edge. We are hearing about scientists and engineers going back home because of the long lines and delays of bringing family members over. This is tied closely with our business success.” When it comes to immigration as a whole, Hispanics make up a large percentage and are unique “because on the one hand the percentage of the Hispanic population that is native born is higher than foreign born,” explained Giovagnoli. “Unfortunately, a lot of people stereotype Hispanics as all illegal and from another country. One of the important things for the Hispanic community is the deep roots many have here coupled with many who are immigrating legally to the U.S.” These immigrants face the same challenges others do when it comes to family reunification. “Many legal immigrants from Mexico have family members in line to come, and must wait about 15 to 20 years to complete their family,” said Giovagnoli. “It is an issue that unites Hispanic immigrants with other immigrants from other countries. Everyone is facing these huge backlogs, especially for groups with a lot of immigration in the past.” While the United States has immigration policy deemed more favorable than that of numerous other countries, the current state of affairs and politics of immigration is confusing and threatens the potential success of an integrated society. “We have a dichotomy in the U.S., the tension of welcoming immigrants and at the same time being afraid of them,” said Giovagnoli. Arizona, Alabama, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Georgia have passed measures challenging illegal immigration. Arizona’s law criminalizes illegal immigration and allows police authorities to question anyone they suspect lacks legal immigration papers. The same holds true for the other states. “Even where there is anti-immigration legislation, a lot of people in the state recognize it is bad for the state. It is bad for our economies and communities if a state is perceived as unwelcoming to newcomers of all kinds. This battle is being played out in all state houses,” said Giovagnoli. “In Arizona, despite Senate Bill 1017 [the anti-immigration bill there] and legislation poised to consider many more restrictive immigration bills the following year, 60 of the major civic leaders of the state wrote to the legislature and told it that they were making Arizona look bad. That was a major PR disaster! With laws passed against immigration in Alabama, we are also seeing a major outpour from civil rights, religious and business leaders saying that ‘this is not my state.’” While immigration has become a political hot button, cities and towns throughout the U.S. are well aware of the role immigrants play in revitalizing their communities. “A lot of major cities like Cleveland, Detroit and Dayton have recognized the importance of immigrants in their communities. They are the ones who have come into their communities when they are in decline and have put time, money and energy into them. These are often big cities with decaying inner-city neighborhoods that become revitalized. Dayton, Ohio, just issued a major plan of bringing more immigrants into their communities to reinvigorate them,” said Giovagnoli. “This is a rural issue too. In southwestern Kansas, many communities continue to exist because immigrants have come in to work in industries

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like the meatpacking industry. This happens across the board.” There are many examples of cities and towns expressing their need for immigrants, despite attacks against this population in the U.S. Yet, according to Giovagnoli, the U.S. government lacks a comprehensive approach and vision for integrating these individuals, especially those who are legal, into the fabric of American life. “Naturalization is really the ultimate piece of integration. When you become a citizen, you have the full opportunity to participate in civic life and to vote. For many people that represents a core part of being a member of the country,” said Giovagnoli. “We have tended to focus on naturalization as an isolated act. We need an integration strategy as part of the naturalization process. We’ve learned that the countries that think through the whole process have laws that tend to reflect a package of ideas that will help move an immigrant forward to citizenship.” While Giovagnoli believes we need a stronger integration process and clearer national vision toward immigration, she is optimistic about changes in the naturalization process that began with our former and current U.S. president. Since 2003, the national Office of Citizenship was developed to promote citizenship by teaching and helping people apply to become citizens. “Even before the office was formed, there was an effort to rewrite the naturalization exam to make it more meaningful and accessible for immigrants. Although there wasn’t a lot out there promoted by the government to teach what it takes to be a good citizen,” said Giovagnoli. “Through a series of grants, the government has been able to help communities teach people to pass the exam and be good citizens. And until recently, Congress was willing to support those efforts with money and grants.” Despite these steps forward, Giovagnoli is worried we might lose this support for naturalization. “Right now, these appropriations are really under threat. We could lose the money altogether,” she said. “So it’s a do or die time for the country when it comes to promoting integration and naturalization. And we aren’t going to get the support for integration if people don’t see the importance of people naturalizing, and if they don’t understand the important role the government can play in promoting good citizenship.” While numerous states are working hard to support naturalization, we need to decide how much we value immigrants and their contributions to our country’s success. “A lot of the real great work is happening at the state levels. Illinois and Massachusetts have been leaders in creating strong support for immigrants, and also New York City and Philadelphia. What immigrants need is education, workforce development, and support for entrepreneurship. There are lots of local initiatives,” said Giovagnoli. “But the federal government needs to have a national strategy. It needs to reflect what we value about immigrants and immigration. The more we treat this as a national value and fund it accordingly, the more we will head off the anti-immigrant sentiments that have grown.” As Congress decides on where to make budget cuts, Giovagnoli is keeping her fingers crossed. “I am naturally a hopeful person, but we are in a bad patch right now,” she said. Her hope, though, resides in the fact that “when people are polled on other issues related to immigrants, for the most part they are positive.” They realize, in her view, that immigrants are what have made this country successful – and still do – and that it’s time to put fear-based politicking aside and build a more cohesive national vision that integrates immigrants into a society that they have helped make strong.

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GRADUATE SCHOOLS/SCHOLARSHIPS

Who’s Helping with Grad School by Jeff Simmons

overflow crowd filled the room at the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. Many were suited up, briefcases in hand, iPads and notebooks primed to record pearls of wisdom over the next half-day. All 150-plus people were potential MBA applicants, gathered on a warm winter’s day in February for The MBA Tour conference, a chance to acquire the skills necessary to apply and earn acceptance to their next level of higher education, and to meet recruiters from dozens of schools from across the globe. “Your decision should be what you feel is best for you,” Dr. Don Martin, former dean of admissions at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, said in opening remarks to the standing-room-only crowd. “Don’t let rankings be the resource; let them be a resource.” Martin, who has nearly three decades of experience in graduate enrollment and student services, collected pieces of paper from audience members, a largely White male crowd, with several Hispanic, AfricanAmerican and Asian-American members. He had asked everyone to jot down their prime criteria for school selection, and then read off their submissions: “Values.” “Prestige.” “Location.” “Money.” “Research Opportunities.” “Getting a job in my desired industry.” “Cost.” “Reputation,” Martin repeated several times, leafing through the papers, then looking up upon finishing the last piece. “Quite an array.” “One of the biggest mistakes that folks make, the biggest mistake prospective graduate students make, is not doing adequate research before they apply,” he said, leading many in the room to quickly keypad or scribble in “research.” Amid a shaky economy and evolving employment demands landscape, forums like these, and scholarships offices, are seeing a steady if not rising demand for graduate school studies, experts say. Students trying to improve their odds of finding work – and greater financial rewards – are navigating the road to MBAs and other graduate degrees. “I’m actually not surprised, primarily for two reasons, one of which is the economy,” Martin said after the session. “We’ve seen traditionally that when the economic situation in this country is a bit

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more tenuous, jobs are a little harder to come by, companies are cutting back, individuals tend to think of a graduate education during that time.” “But something else that has happened in the last 15 or 20 years is that the master’s degree seems to be replacing the bachelor’s degree as an entry-level requirement for many employers,” he added. “It does seem to me that in many fields, higher education being one of them, a bachelor’s degree isn’t enough anymore, even an entry-level position. The folks hiring are looking

Cathy Makunga, vice president of scholarships, HSF

for individuals who have a higher degree.” Nevertheless, steep tuition costs can be daunting to the point of derailing plans and quashing enthusiasm for attending graduate school. Tuition costs become more worrisome when salaries don’t increase at similar rates, but Martin insisted they should not be insurmountable. “If costs are going up, it may be that students will wait a year or two later, or they may choose to work and go to school part time,” said Martin, the author of the book Road Map for Graduate Study. “I definitely think scholarships are important,

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but I would never encourage someone to let the lack of scholarship money hold them back from getting a degree if it’s something they want to do.” “Scholarships,” he added, “are actually in some ways more important to the institutions offering them than they are to the students receiving them because the purpose of offering them is to recruit students to come.” That scholarship route is the path many students chart to pare costs and ensure they can realize their educational and career plans. While many scholarship offerings cast a wide net and are not specific to ethnicity or race, others are, hosted either by organizations seeking to elevate Hispanic success or co-branded with corporations seeking to tap into a talent pool. Fastweb, Etc. The Internet provides a bounty of searchable options, though experts also caution that applicants should closely scrutinize options to avoid scams, particularly ones that require up-front costs. “My go-to source on scholarships is Fastweb, which is a national database,” said Evelyn Guzmán, director of the Office of Scholarships at Brooklyn College in New York City. “There are all types of scholarships for all types of disciplines, and obviously for students of different backgrounds.” On Fastweb, graduate students can complete a profile that helps to deliver suitable scholarship offerings. Other popular sites are www.collegeboard.com and www.scholarships.com. An initial, crucial step, Guzmán said, is for students to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Furthermore, she encourages potential graduate school applicants to look close to home – the companies they work for, or hope to work for – to determine whether they provide financial support to students seeking graduate degrees. And, if looking at schools, explore department-specific scholarships, not just university-wide ones. “With graduate students, there are also things called assistantships, where you can go ahead and do work for the department and they pay you, and that also becomes part of the financial packaging that helps students,” she said. Guzmán has witnessed an increase in Hispanic students pursuing graduate degrees, along with an

Decisions and Scholarships increase in applications for scholarship support. “With a downturn in the market, people go ahead and pursue a master’s degree to be more competitive in the job market,” she said. Hispanic Scholarship Fund One resource she recommends is the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (www.hsf.net). “If I am looking for something, specifically for a Hispanic student, this is a place where I would go to get oriented,” she said. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the country’s leading Hispanic higher education fund, works to improve access to higher education for Hispanics. Since its inception in 1976, HSF has awarded more than $330 million in scholarships. HSF scholarships initially accommodated students attending or hoping to attend undergraduate programs. But offerings later expanded to help graduate students. Overall, demand has steadily risen: 16,000 students submitted applications (for both graduate and undergraduate scholarships) to seek scholarships for the coming academic year, up dramatically from 12,000 the previous year. “You see that tuition has gone up, a big spike in the last few years, as well as a leveling off or cutting of state aid,” said Cathy Makunga, vice president of scholarships at the HSF. “A lot of those programs are shrinking or decreasing, and this has students searching for other sources of funding.” Among HSF’s scholarship programs are many supporting graduate studies, within two tracks: general college scholarships and cobranded scholarship programs. Each scholarship program has its own requirement and deadlines, but in general, the HSF notes, they have a 3.0 cumulative Grade Point Average on a 4.0 scale. Additionally, applicants most often must be citizens of the United States or legal permanent residents with a valid permanent resident card or passport stamped I-551; be pursuing or plan to undertake their first undergraduate or graduate degree; and, be enrolled or plan to enroll full time as an undergraduate or graduate student at a U.S.-accredited institution in the country, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands or Guam. Additionally, students often must submit the FAFSA. A recent review of HSF’s website showed graduate scholarship opportunities currently available due to collaborations with a number of organizations or companies. And, in fact, most of its scholarship programs – about 100 of them, or 80 percent – are funded by corporations, Makunga said.

The review showed programs involving: ALPFA (ranging from $1,500 to $10,000); CVS Caremark (a $5,000 scholarship for students pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree); Nissan North America, Inc. (up to $2,500); and, Staples ($2,500 scholarships). Other collaborations include the Gold Standard Scholarship Program, which provides $10,000 academic scholarships in six cities; the HACEMOS Scholarship Program (offering $1,500$2,500 scholarships), which helps Hispanic students and dependents of HACEMOS members

financial assistance to outstanding male and female Hispanic students, while a similar partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association and Bacardi Gold grants $15,000 scholarships to female students. “Each of these programs may have its own general criteria, and some may be geographic,” Makunga said. “We do have programs that are a little bit more competitive and have a higher GPA requirements. Our programs vary widely, and a lot has to do with the corporations themselves.” She added: “Certain companies have inter-

Annually, the HSF awards around 3,000 to 3,330 scholarships, with about 8 percent to 10 percent earmarked for graduate studies. obtain a college degree; the Marathon Oil Corporation College Scholarship Program ($15,000 scholarships for each of two years); and, the McNamara Family Foundation Creative Arts Project Grant, offering up to $15,000 grants to Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in creative arts programs, including media, film, performing arts, and communications. The National Basketball Association and Bacardi Gold also partnered with HSF to provide

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ests in certain markets, while others may look for specific majors. We have a lot of interest in supporting students in STEM fields and students in business. You see a lot more money going in that direction.” Annually, HSF awards around 3,000 to 3,330 scholarships, with about 8 percent to 10 percent earmarked for graduate studies. Students, she said, should start early when researching which scholarships are best for them.

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“There are so many programs out and so many steps they have to go through,” she said. “I always tell students when they consider what their course of study would be to always look at programs that are the least popular, because if there is a need there, they are more likely to find funding in that area.” Scholarship Directory, Tomás Rivera Policy Institute The nonprofit Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, which advances informed policy on key issues affecting Hispanic communities, hosts a website (www.latinocollegedollars.org) offering a directory of scholarship opportunities, many involving graduate school. The website originally began as a resource targeting eligible Hispanic students in California. But in 2007, the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, the Sallie Mae Fund, and the Walt Disney Company provided funding so that it could be broadened to include all organizations across the country that award grants and scholarships to eligible Hispanics. The website currently lists dozens of scholarship opportunities, with several focused on providing assistance to students seeking to continue their studies in mathematics, engineering, technology, journalism and business. NSHMBA Programs One listing is for the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), which fosters the development of graduate MBAs and advances them into leadership roles in the corporate world. Since its creation in 1989, it has awarded $8.7 million to 2,500 scholars. NSHMBA, which has 37 chapters in the U.S. and Puerto Rico serving nearly 15,000 members, strives to increase the number of Hispanics graduating from master’s business degree programs through scholarships, professional development, and mentorship. NSHMBA offers two scholarship programs to help qualified Hispanics pursue MBAs; the NSHMBA Foundation Scholarship Program and the University Partner Scholarships Program. The NSHMBA Scholarship Program provides an opportunity for full- and part-time MBA students to study at accredited institutions with scholarships, assistantships and fellowships. Bibiana Am, NSHMBA’s senior manager for education and university relations, said that historically NSHMBA’s scholarship program has attracted more applications each year, and in 2011 presented scholarships to 106 students. NSHMBA partners with more than 60 colleges and universities across the United States to

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increase the number of Hispanic students completing masters’ degrees. “We actively secure sponsorships from corporations for scholarships, and the amount varies from year to year and depends on the economy,” said Sharon Neal, NSHMBA’s director of development and university relations. “We know that, especially in the Hispanic community, because they have been underrepresented, historically there has been a significant lack of funding for scholarships,” she said. However, she pointed to one recent study that noted that 68 percent of Hispanic MBA students claimed they would not have been able to seek their higher education degree were it not for the financial support offered by scholarships. “When you’ve got an economy like this, it’s a buyer’s market,” she said. “Fortune 500 companies, which tend to be our sponsors – it’s their market and they can get premium talent MBAs.” NSHMBA strengthens relationships with the scholars by not only providing financial assistance but career guidance as well. “While people come to us to get their MBA financed, they stay with us to help with their career development,” said Lynn Handle, director of business development, marketing and membership at NSHMBA. NAHJ Scholarships Such career development is key to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), as well. NAHJ has promoted the involvement of Hispanics in the news industry since it was founded in 1984. Anna López Buck, interim executive director of NAHJ, said that it provides the most substantial journalism scholarships aimed at Hispanic students in the nation. “We are the only organization focused on mentoring students who want to go into journalism,” she said. The organization, as well, has witnessed growing interest in scholarship support. NAHJ offers five different scholarships, about 30 each year; about a quarter are for graduate studies. Overall, NAHJ has presented more than 200 scholarships amounting to $1.2 million. “We see more students applying,” said López Buck, “because of the higher costs of higher education, and the fact that less funding is available. I think that because our organization is very focused on journalism, it’s even harder to find funding for these students.” “We are really trying to encourage more Latino students to go into journalism,” said López Buck, lamenting the ongoing transformation of traditional journalism and its negative impact on newsroom staff levels across the nation. “It’s not just a problem in the Latino

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community but overall; fewer students are going into journalism.” Scholarships, she said, are helping to increase the pipeline of Hispanic students that achieve graduate journalism studies. Additionally, she encourages those seeking scholarships to actively participate in journalism organizations. “They should get mentors to help them while they are in college,” she said. “Recruiters are always looking and tracking students and their progress. I also encourage them to do internships during the summer.” The organization works closely with media companies – such as News Corporation and Gannett – to provide scholarships, internships and training. “We provide internships with some of our scholarships, and we open the door to other opportunities,” she said. One incredibly public opportunity is NAHJ’s annual scholarship benefit, held for the last 15 years. At the last event, in the Time Warner Center overlooking Central Park, future Hispanic journalists mingled with accomplished Hispanic television and newspaper journalists, such as Juan González from the New York Daily News, Jim Acosta from American Morning and Marysol Castro from The Early Show, each offering advice about pursuing dreams and overcoming odds. For those students who still find the fiscal responsibilities too daunting to overcome, Martin insists they should not give up. “There are ways of finding funding to help yourself, if there is not a scholarship, and even if costs go up,” he said. Those attending the MBA Tour, which has hosted more than 165 MBA events in 28 countries, peppered Martin with questions, even waiting along his route between sessions to solicit further advice. He took all questions, because after all, it was part of the vital research component he stressed to applicants. “In terms of the numbers at some of these MBA fairs, the average number of admissions representatives that each student will see is abysmally low. It seems to me that people come to something like this with preconceived notions, they’ve decided they know where they are going, and, once they’ve seen that school, they can leave. I think that that is extremely shortsighted, and that’s why I focus on research so much.” “For those students who are considering a graduate education,” he added, “I say ‘Go for it. You can do it.’”

INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Researchers Look at Women of Color in STEM Fields by Michelle Adam

hirty-six years ago, the plight of women of color in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) received national attention for what seemed the first time. Back then, the Harvard Educational Review published a report, The Double Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science, in an effort to shed light on women who face double oppression and severe underrepresentation in STEM fields. In addition, 30 minority women scientists met to share their experiences in a unique gathering. Last summer the Harvard Educational Review (HER) took another look at women of color in the STEM fields. The publication dedicated much of its summer issue to the symposium theme of “Unraveling the Double Bind: Women of Color in STEM.” What HER and its multiple report authors wanted to find out was whether much had changed since 35 years ago for minority women in these fields, and what kind of literature had been published to shed light on them. A conclusion drawn from the process was presented in the report’s introduction, with a quote in 2010 by Double Bind organizer and principal writer Maria Ong: “We found many, many dissertations. When I asked my researcher to find out how many had been published, what they had published, the answer came back as zero. I asked somebody else to do the same research; the answer came back as zero. There’s not a knowledge gap. It’s a serious gap in publishing, in being able to get the word out.” The Harvard Educational Review has been no exception. According to the publication, “from 1976 to 2010, HER has published only 16 articles

that relate specifically to women of color in higher education or minority participation in STEM. None of these articles addressed this intersection – the ‘double oppression of sex and race or ethnicity plus the third oppression in the chosen career, science.’” Despite the dearth of published works focusing on this population, the “Unraveling the Double Bind” symposium provided important data from unpublished studies on minority women in STEM fields, and on possible factors in higher education that have contributed to their success or failure. HER’s symposium on Women of Color in STEM fields provided an outlet for information on these women to be released to the public at large. The publication of these reports is especially timely, dovetailing with a larger national concern over the dwindling numbers of Americans, and especially minority groups, graduating into STEM fields. Increasing the number of citizens interested in STEM fields has been a key priority for President Barack Obama, the National Science Foundation and many other groups and policymakers nationwide. “The STEM fields at large are having a problem attracting and drawing students of all backgrounds,” said Lorelle Espinosa, senior analyst at APT associates, and one of the leading authors of articles published under “Unraveling the Double Bind.” “One reason for this is that K-12 is not preparing students to meet the demands universities require in these fields. And universities aren’t putting in place the right systemic practices that promote success in STEM. We have a weed-out culture and ancient pedagogy that doesn’t speak to the majority of students, and people in STEM fields still

Espinosa’s research and that of others brought to light through

Harvard Educational Review is a first step in understanding what’s happening for Latinas and women of color in STEM fields.

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STEM fields, while they made up 6.86 percent of the U.S. population.] carry a stigma of being labeled a geek or a nerd.” The disconnect between the population of minority women making up Looking at Americans in STEM fields compared to those of other nations, Maria Ong wrote the following in HER: “Currently, only about 16 the U.S. population and their numbers actually represented in STEM fields percent of undergraduates in U.S. institutions receive degrees in natural was cause for worry and investigation in “Unraveling the Double Bind: sciences and engineering, compared to 47 percent of undergraduates in Women of Color in STEM.” The report authors set out to determine why China, 38 percent in South Korea, and 27 percent in France. With so many women, and especially minority women, were not completing higher education into STEM fields. American and international corporaEspinosa specifically looked at tions searching globally for the best factors that seemed to contribute to and brightest workers in the scientifthe success and failure of minority ic and technological sectors, an women, and at times women at large, emergent question is whether in undergraduate STEM majors. Americans will be able to compete Through her report, Pipelines and for such quality jobs. Furthermore Pathways: Women of Color in the urgency of regaining U.S. global Undergraduate STEM Majors and the leadership has been noted repeatedCollege Experiences that Contribute ly by American presidents.” to Persistence, she reported the perOng points out the importance of sistence rates for different groups of educating all Americans – and espewomen in STEM majors: Latinas, 52 cially minority populations and percent; African-Americans, 54 perwomen – for potential work in cent; Asian-Americans, 70 percent; STEM fields. She addresses the fact and 57 percent overall for women of that White men, “the traditional color and White women. Espinosa source of STEM professionals,” are also looked at how pre-college chardeclining in numbers, yet the acteristics, college experiences, and increasing number of women and institutional setting impacted a cohort minority students are not achieving of 1,250 women of color and 891 parity in higher education levels. White women at 135 institutions “In the growing non-White popunationwide. lation, women drastically outnumber The results of her research were men in terms of the number attendeye-opening. She discovered that the ing college (College Board, 2010) following factors positively impacted [White women make up 32.47 perthe retention of women of color in cent of the population; Hispanic STEM majors (and thus supporting a women, 7.03 percent; and Africangrowth in them entering STEM fields American women, 7.03 percent]. ... down the line): having personal Yet ... the awarding of bachelor’s goals; effective instruction; experidegrees to women of color is not at encing the relevance of STEM fields parity with their respective represento everyday life; peer discussion and tations in the U.S. population,” relationships; being in clubs related wrote Ong. “Unfortunately, the lack to their STEM area; beginning with of parity is even more severe at the an engineering focus (even if they doctoral level. When comparing the then transferred into other STEM representation of women of color in arenas); research involvement with STEM to that of all men, White faculty; being in a private institution; women, and women of color (not in and having others like you in your STEM fields) in the United States at area of study. Factors that conthe Ph.D. level in 2006, women of tributed to leaving the STEM discicolor were severely underrepresentplines included attending highly ed [Asian-American and Pacific selective colleges and being in proIslander women were the excepgrams that weed out students (these tion]; they collectively earned only often occur together). 9.9 percent of all doctorates award“The biggest takeaway in this ed in science and engineering, while study is that institutional selectivity is their representation in the general U.S. population was 16.5 percent.” Elsa Ruiz, assistant professor, College of an issue. There has been a debate going on in the higher education [Only 2.53 percent of Hispanics women received doctoral degrees in Education, University of Texas-San Antonio community as to the value of highly

“Usually there were more males than females in graduate

courses, and mostly White males. It was also tougher for me

to join the study groups and things like that.”

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selective institutions. Well-respected research has shown that these highly selective schools can be very beneficial for underrepresented students. Opponents around affirmative action have said otherwise,” said Espinosa. “In terms of STEM fields, there is a negative relationship between persistence in STEM and highly selective institutions. There is something about the STEM environment for minority women that is unfriendly, to the point at which women of color have a higher propensity to leave the STEM field.” According to Espinosa’s research, women of color who attended highly selective colleges and universities were more than 14 percent more likely to switch out of STEM by the fourth year of college. The opposite held true for those attending private colleges – they were 10 percent more likely to persist in STEM. Much of this reality was attributed to the fact that there’s “a greater propensity to grade on a curve and to ‘weed’ students out of STEM majors” than other majors – and this is especially true in highly selective schools. And women who switch out of STEM tend to receive higher grades in their major discipline as a result. On a positive note, Espinosa also discovered that women of color, more so than women at large, perform better in STEM majors when they have a social network or club in their area of study. According to her research, “women who engage in peer discussions (on course content) outside the classroom are more likely to persist in STEM ... which affirms theories of learning specific to women that espouse the importance of interpersonal relationships in and around academic settings ... Second, women of color who join a major-related club are 7.38 percentage points (p<0.05) more likely to persist in STEM than those who do not join this type of club.” “Anyone would say that joining a club could enhance the academic experience for all. But when you think about the level at which it benefits one group as compared to another, this is where you’ll find the nuance,” said Espinosa. “If you happen to be from a group that has a hard time finding community because there aren’t many like you [this is especially true for minority women in STEM], then if you find a community, this can be very beneficial. I do think there’s a sense of community found there, even if others don’t speak the same language or have the same cultural background.” Another factor that positively impacted the success of women of color – and women as a whole – was finding personal importance in the goals established by them in their fields. In other words, women were more likely to persist in the sciences, math, engineering and technology if they felt they could make a theoretical contribution to science or find a cure to a health problem. In addition, women of color were more likely to succeed in these arenas if they found satisfaction with their institution’s science and math curriculum, and if this curriculum had a relevance to their everyday life. It seems some women opt out of these courses and join non-STEM majors because the math and sciences are taught and approached in a cold, lowcontext approach, rather than with a connection to community and people. Other findings included the following: Women of color who participated in research programs with faculty were nearly 12 percentage points more likely to persist in STEM. Women who enter college with the intent of majoring in engineering are nearly 19 percentage points more likely to continue in STEM on the whole than women who aspired to other STEM majors. In addition, “peer environment contributes to persistence at the institutional level. For each percent increase in the number of students majoring in STEM at a given institution, women of color are thirty percentage points more likely to persist to year four.” The degree to which women of color were prepared for STEM majors during their high school careers also played an important role, according to Espinosa. Being prepared with the appropriate math and science coursework in high school greatly impacted their success, as well as early

STEM exposure. Surprisingly, Espinosa also discovered the following, “Although father’s education (less than college) and financial concern (college affordability) were significant for White women, none of the parental socialization measures proved significant for women of color.” This finding may be attributed to the fact that once women of color do attend higher education (versus not enter at all), other factors in college play a more important role. Elsa Ruiz, assistant professor in the College of Education of the University of Texas-San Antonio, experienced some of these challenges and more as a Latina in the STEM fields. “I came from a family of 11. My father was a traditional Latino macho man who didn’t see there was a need for us girls to have a higher education. Later he changed his mind, although we didn’t have the resources,” said Ruiz, who currently teaches math teachers how to teach math (she taught middle and high school math for 27 years). “I went to school in Laredo, Texas, where there are 99 percent Latinos. I felt we did not have the proper college-prep courses to attend college. The teachers were not prepared, courses were not rigorous, and there was a lack of role models. I didn’t know then what a Ph.D. was. Role models are crucial.” When Ruiz attended college to study math, she felt alienated in courses that provided no relevance to life experiences. “Usually there were more males than females in graduate courses, and mostly White males. It was also tougher for me to join the study groups and things like that,” she said. “I’ve since discovered how few Latinas there really are in STEM fields. This has been the case since 1976. Many Latinas have the desire to achieve, but because of cultural, economic, and other factors they don’t succeed or don’t in a timely manner. They need mentors and activities where they can see others who have succeeded.” (In an effort to document the role models that do exist in STEM fields, Ruiz published a book called Paths to Discovery: Autobiographies from Chicanas with Careers in Science, Math and Engineering.) While Espinosa didn’t make mention of Latinas specifically in her report, she has discovered similar barriers for Latinas in STEM fields. “One of the major considerations for this group includes the home environment – the culture in the home and the parental expectation for women. There remains an expectation that daughters have a different educational trajectory than sons,” she said. “I think also, for many immigrant families in general, the idea of studying STEM is very foreign, and families don’t understand how they can get jobs in these fields.” When Latinas do choose to attend college, they often start out at community colleges, added Espinosa. This has a positive impact on them because Latinas often find them more nurturing than four-year institutions. An important change that needs to be addressed, though, is making the transition for Latinas from two-year to four-year colleges more fluid. In addition, community colleges are often more resource-poor and might not be able to prepare students for STEM courses at universities. Providing additional support at universities is key to bridging these differences for minority students. Espinosa’s research and that of others brought to light through HER is a first step in understanding what’s happening for Latinas and women of color in STEM fields. The journey won’t stop here, though. She’s part of a team that will soon complete a National Science Foundation study called Beyond the Double Bind that documents positive programs and STEM successes taking place on campuses nationwide. Ultimately, this research will provide colleges and universities a chance to learn from each other, and shift their curriculum, teaching styles, and systems to ensure greater retention and success of students in STEM fields. After all, if, as a nation, we are to increase the number of people in math, science, technology and engineering, then higher education will need to invest in women of color and all students, and thus improve the success rates for those in STEM.

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REPORTS

Taking the “Shock” Out of the by Marilyn Gilroy

ransfer shock, a term that has been around for 40 years, is getting How to Help the Transfer Student College leaders interviewed for the report agree that transfer students more attention than ever as four-year colleges and universities set their sights on developing successful transfer pathways for community are critical to increasing the racial and socioeconomic diversity of both large and small campuses. However, they acknowledge that at many colcollege students. According to the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), leges, transfer students are undervalued and sidetracked in the institutiontransfer shock refers to “the dip in grade point average experienced by al landscape. As Mark Allen Poisel, associate vice president for student development students transferring from one institution of higher education to another.” It is a persistent problem and one that impacts whether or not transfer stu- and enrollment services at the University of Central Florida said: “What hapdents make it to graduation and how long it takes them to get their bache- pens, especially in large institutions, but throughout the country, is that transfer students are treated as second-class citizens. Intentionally or not, lor’s degree. With community colleges enrolling more than seven million students – people design programs around freshmen.” Poisel and his colleagues internearly 44 percent of all undergraduates viewed in the report think that transin the United States – the transfer fers have to become part of the misprocess has become a focal point for sion of colleges, which means giving improving degree completion rates. serious attention to planning how to A recent report from the College help them succeed. The report shares Board, Improving Student Transfer several strategies to strengthen the from Community Colleges to Fourtransfer pathway, including: Creating Year Institutions – The Perspective of an institution-wide vision that includes Leaders from Baccalaureatetransfer students; Treating transfers in Granting Institutions, sheds light on outreach, admission, and academic what it will take to minimize transfer and student affairs with a devotion simshock and improve retention and gradilar to that of first-year students; uation rates for the increasingly diverse Understanding that the needs of transcommunity college population. fer students may be different than “Community colleges are often critithose of first-year students. cized for not transferring more stuAdministrators who have worked dents,” said Stephen J. Handel, the with transfers point out that from the report’s author and executive director moment these students step onto camof community college initiatives at the pus, there are all kinds of subtle and College Board. “But four-year institunot-so-subtle differences that can be jartions are at least equal partners in the ring. Public four-year institutions, which success of the transfer pathway. This is where the majority of community colreport begins to identify the issues and lege transfers go, often have bigger camconcerns four-year institution leaders puses, are more expensive and are likely face in attempting to serve more comto insist on full-time enrollment. Some munity college transfer students on have different academic calendars than their campuses.” Alfred Herrera, assistant vice provost, director, their two-year counterparts. The problem goes beyond grades to Center for Community College Partnerships, UCLA “Transfer students struggle with our include a whole range of social and quarter system,” says Janina Montero, economic adjustments faced by students who transfer. The College Board report says that at least 50 percent, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California- Los and in some cases up to 80 percent, of all incoming community college Angeles (UCLA). “They are going from a semester system to a quarter sysstudents seek to transfer to a four-year institution. Yet in many states, less tem, and it is a challenge.” But there also are social adjustments, such as making new friends and than 15 percent of students who enter community colleges actually end up with a bachelor’s degree. Because enrollment and demographic trends joining activities. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has been tracking project that community colleges will prepare even more students for transfer, especially Latinos and underserved groups, it is important to make transfer students for several years. The findings from NSSE surveys show that transfers are typically less engaged on campus than their peers for a variety sure they get to the finish line. of reasons. One factor is the demographic makeup of the transfer population. As the survey reports, transfer students are generally older, often belong

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Transfer Process to underrepresented racial-ethnic groups, are more likely to have a disability, and attend part time, if allowed. The surveys also have found that transfer students have more family and work commitments than their nontransfer counterparts. As a result, they spend less time in co-curricular and social activities and many lack supportive relationships with peers. “Most of the students who come from community colleges have not Getting students over these hurdles and helping them become fully inte- really experienced an on-campus student life,” says Montero. “We want grated as members of the campus community requires planning and allo- their experience at UCLA to be full, even if it is only for two years.” cating resources. It starts with a good orientation. Unfortunately, as the Where students live can make a difference in their access to social life College Board report points out, transfer students often get a lesser, and their ability to bond to the college. Many campuses have severe dorm “slimmed down” version of the freshman event. shortages and are forced to place students in facilities that are miles away “At many four-year institutions, freshman orientation lasts two or three from the center of campus. For this reason, UCLA reserves on- or neardays, but transfer orientation is only a campus housing for transfer students. few hours. What’s wrong with this picIn a city in which getting to and from ture?” says Alfred Herrera, assistant vice campus on freeways is a daily battle, provost and director of the center for this is a big plus. community college partnerships at UCLA. “We want to make the commute as Herrera and others caution that short as possible,” said Montero. “We transfer students are very diverse and want to give them an opportunity to there is no generic orientation that will engage the university.” work for everyone. But Herrera believes Beyond trying to engage students, that transfer students’ proven track colleges need to address a host of record at a community college bodes other issues in order to help transfers, well for their success, especially if fourespecially when it comes to paying for year institutions will reach out to underthe increased costs at four-year stand and accommodate their needs. schools. The College Board recom“My argument has always been that mends the use of innovative financial if a transfer student can juggle a fullaid policies. In addition to helping stutime job, a full community college class dents understand the true cost of transload, and family responsibilities, and ferring, institutions should provide still perform at a reasonably high acadworking students opportunities for emic level, there’s no reason why they transfers, develop transfer student couldn’t be successful at this instituscholarships, and implement other tion,” he said. strategies to reduce the need for Colleges have been developing iniexpensive private loans. tiatives to create a transfer receptive One of the major recommendations culture. Several institutions have of the College Board report deals with opened transfer centers, in which stuthe need to make sure transfer students have access to sustained advisedents are prepared academically and ment as well as a place to connect with know their degree requirements. Many Janina Montero, vice chancellor for student affairs, UCLA others who are new to campus. institutions already have strengthened Some schools have taken even more their articulation agreements and proactive steps, such as California Lutheran University, which developed a admissions guarantees that provide a road map for transfer. Dual-enrollpeer-mentoring program specifically designed to reduce the co-curricular ment programs go one step further and allow students to take one or more participation gap between transfer and native students. courses at a four-year institution while attending community college. The College at Brockport, part of the State University of New York, The University of Maryland has been ahead of the curve in clearing the which has an undergraduate enrollment of 7,000, including 1,300 transfer path for transfer students. It created the Maryland Transfer Advantage students, implemented an early warning system for transfer students that Program (MTAP) in 2006 as a pilot program for community college students who want to transition to the university. According to the Maryland reaches out to faculty to monitor attendance and grades. At UCLA, officials recognize that transfer students might not have had a Higher Education Commission, 62 percent of Maryland students who purconnection to their previous college and therefore do not know what to sue higher education within the state enroll first in community colleges. MTAP creates a bridge that immediately links more students to a fourexpect from their new environment.

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Average Number of Hours Seniors Spent in Selected Activities by Transfer Status Time spent in social activities Time spent in co-curricular activities

Institution native Transfer student

Time spent commuting to campus Time spent caring for dependents Time spent working off campus 0

Hours Per Week Source: National Survey of Student Engagement, 2011

year program, significantly increasing their opportunities to attain a bachelor’s degree. Specifically, it guarantees University of Maryland admission to qualifying community college students who complete the program requirements. These students are eligible for early access to Maryland advisors and other resources, including tuition discounts, in order to make them part of the “Maryland family” from the start. After earning 15 credits at the community college, students receive guidance for course selection toward the bachelor’s degree and may take one course per term at Maryland, thus putting them on an “unbroken” transfer path.

Montgomery College is one of the two-year schools that participates in MTAP. In the past six years, a total of 1,347 of the college’s students have enrolled in the program. Joan Hawkins, a counselor in Montgomery’s student development office, says students welcome the opportunity to be part of the MTAP program. “Participation in the program helps Montgomery College students develop a connection with the University of Maryland and decide if Maryland will be a good fit for them,” she said. “They get invited to events and have a chance to use campus resources.” One of the greatest benefits, says Hawkins, is that students are guaranteed admission to the University of Maryland upon completion of a transfer studies certificate or associate degree and attaining a 3.0 grade average. Admission to the University of Maryland is extremely competitive, but these students are given priority and are well on their way to degree completion. The College Board report says having an academic plan is an essential ingredient for transfer success. UCLA’s outreach to future transfer students begins by offering several summer bridge programs for underserved students who plan to enroll at a community college and then transfer. The students reside in campus dormitories, meet with professors and advisers, attend lectures and seminars, and gain familiarity with the academic and research community. They also spend time planning their transfer strategy, giving them a head start on the path to a bachelor’s degree. “By the end of the program, these students begin to see themselves as UCLA transfer students,” said Herrera. “And they enter a community college with a plan of action that is essential for ultimate academic success.”

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REPORTS

Pew Report on Hispanics and Identity Generates Hearty Response

by Michelle Adam

hen the Pew Hispanic Center published a report on Hispanics and their views of identity last April, the public responded in an unprecedented manner. “In the days following the release, hundreds of people offered their observations on social media, and scores of newspapers and websites published articles, commentaries and editorials. Some of our readers e-mailed us with their own opinions and stories,” wrote the center several months after the release. The researchers were so surprised by the responses they received that they even decided to open up a forum of discussion around Hispanics and identity about two months after the report was published. What was it about this publication called When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their View of Identity that drew such attention? The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the nonpartisan research organization Pew Research Center, had published reports like this before – in 2002, shortly after the center was founded, and in 2004 and 2009. And they revealed similar findings, one being that the majority of so-called “Hispanics” don’t label themselves as Hispanic; and even far fewer, “Latino.” This was stated very clearly in this most recent report: Nearly four decades after the United States government mandated the use of the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” to categorize Americans who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries, a new nationwide survey of Hispanic adults finds that these terms still haven’t been fully embraced by Hispanics themselves. A majority (51 percent) say they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin; just 24 percent say they prefer a pan-ethnic label. While these revelations were nothing new to the center this time around, what was new were social media outlets that sparked a debate on what it truly means to be Hispanic (or not). A conversation on Latinos and identity was unleashed on Twitter by Univision’s anchor Jorge Ramos and became a topic of discussion far beyond the traditional media outlets of the past. And then toward early June, in response to strong public interest, the center decided to post its own pubic forum on the topic. The Pew Hispanic Center chose to feature a writer for every day of its two-week forum, and thus sparked conversations on its Facebook page. One contributor, Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, wrote, “It is no contradiction for Hispanics to value both English and Spanish or to be deeply proud of their countries of origin yet also fiercely patriotic to the U.S. That’s the multifaceted nature of Hispanic identity.” (The recent report revealed that 87 percent of those surveyed considered it important for immigrant Hispanics to learn English and that 38 percent were Spanish-dominant and 38 percent bilingual.) Another contributor to the forum, Esther Cepeda, a nationally syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group, wrote: “Any day you learn something important about yourself is a great day. That’s how I felt the day the Pew Hispanic Center published its report When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity. That was the day I realized I’m a minority within a minority – one of the mere 21 percent of respondents who trace their roots to a Spanish-speaking country but identifies primarily as an American.” H I S P A N I C

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As the conversation on identity ensued, many Facebook respondents shared their own views. Responses ranged from “I actually swell with pride when I hear the term “Latina”; and “Having been conceived in Mexico, born in the USA and raised in Spain, I’m confused with all the labels”; to “We, U.S. Citizens, of Hispanic origin, do not enjoy being singled out with labels.” The opinions expressed mirrored those of the center’s most recent research. (The report included a sample of 1,220 Latino respondents ages 18 and older, from Nov. 9 through Dec. 7, 2011. Of those respondents, 436 were native-born, excluding Puerto Rico, and 784 were foreign-born, including Puerto Rico. Of the native-born, 246 were second-generation – that is, U.S.-born with at least one foreign-born parent; and 183 were third-generation – that is, U.S.-born with U.S.-born parents.) According to survey results, more than half of all participants preferred to be called “Mexican,” “Cuban” and “Dominican,” basing their identity on their country of origin. Grouping people from Spanish-speaking origins as either Hispanic or Latino didn’t work for most, but of those who were fine with such labels, the term “Hispanic” was preferred over “Latino.” In addition, 47 percent said they were typical American (native-born Hispanics were more likely to say this), while 47 percent said they were different from the typical American. This sense of identity was also split for Hispanics when it came to race and culture. According to the report, “Most Hispanics don’t see themselves fitting into the standard racial categories used by the U.S. Census Bureau. When it comes to race, according to the Pew Hispanic survey, half (51 percent) of Latinos identify their race as “some other race” or volunteer “Hispanic/Latino.” Meanwhile, 36 percent identify their race as White, and 3 percent say their race is Black.” Also, in terms of culture, “Most Hispanics do not see a shared common culture among U.S. Hispanics. Nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) say Hispanics in the U.S. have many different cultures, while 29 percent say Hispanics in the U.S. share a common culture.” Mark Hugo López, the center’s associate director and development coordinator of the report’s questionnaire, put his own words to these findings: “There are a lot of different opinions on how Hispanics see themselves and the terms they use to describe their identity. Yet, with this particular group, this is the only one that has legislation that defines them as a group. The term ‘Hispanic’ was used in 1976 to define this group, and the Office of Management and Budget then developed a formal definition of what it means to be Hispanic: to be of Latin America and Spain. Yet, anyone doing surveys relies on people identifying themselves as Hispanic.” Given report findings, many of those deemed “Hispanic” may not be identifying themselves at all as part of this group. It makes it difficult to interpret census data or any other survey material. The labels, as the report title suggest, “don’t fit.” “One of the things we have found, if we ask this group what race they are, half of them will say they are some other race than Hispanic or Latino. This is interesting and important because the Census Bureau has been redefining race,” said López.

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Beyond basic identification, When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and percent say they use both languages when they think.” Of course, the use of English increases through the generations. Their View of Identity also sought to reveal social and political attitudes of “Among immigrant Hispanics, two-thirds (65 percent) say they use Hispanics. When survey respondents were asked whether hard work gets results, Spanish when they think, 15 percent say they use English, and 18 percent say 75 percent agreed, while 21 percent said hard work and determination they use both English and Spanish. By the second generation, use of English aren’t always guarantees of success. This compared to fewer than 58 per- rises to 63 percent and use of Spanish falls to 18 percent. By the third generacent of the general public who believe hard work can lead to success, and tion, eight in 10 (80 percent) Latinos say they think in English, 13 percent say 40 percent who said hard work is no guarantee of success, according to they think in Spanish, and 7 percent say they think in both languages equally.” the center. Beyond language and social patterns, When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics On the other hand, most Latinos surveyed were less likely to trust than and Their View of Identity also looked at politics. According to the report, “Much has been made about the the general public. Eighty-six persocially conservative views of cent said that you can’t be too careHispanics. This is true on some speful when dealing with people, while cific issues (such as abortion), yet 12 percent said that people can be results from the survey suggest that trusted. Foreign-born Latinos were Hispanics are no more or less likely more distrustful than U.S.-born than the general public to describe Latinos – 89 percent to 81 percent. their political views as conservative. In contrast, only 61 percent of the Some 32 percent of Hispanics and general public seemed to feel you 34 percent of all U.S. adults say their can’t be too careful when dealing political views are “very conservawith people. tive” or “conservative.” When it came to language, more When it came to government than 61 percent of Latino adults said size, about 75 percent of Hispanics they could carry on a conversation said they prefer big government, in English very well or pretty well. while 19 percent would rather have Sixty percent said they could read a a smaller government with fewer newspaper or book in English to the services (this contrasted with only same degree. Of course, for those 41 percent of the general public who were foreign-born or first-genwanting bigger government). When eration Hispanics, these percentages asked to share their views on aborwent down to 38 percent and 37 tion, Hispanics held a more conservpercent, respectively. In terms of ative view. More than half (51 perspeaking or reading Spanish, a cent) of adult Hispanics said that greater share of Hispanic adults said abortion should be illegal, comthey were more proficient in Spanish pared to 41 percent of the general than they were in English. Eighty-two public. Foreign-born Hispanics were percent of Hispanic adults said they more conservative than native-born. could carry on a conversation in Other findings included the folSpanish very well or pretty well, and lowing: the majority of Latinos, 59 nearly 78 percent said they could percent, and 58 percent of the genread a newspaper or book in eral public believed homosexuality Spanish to an equal degree (the level should be discouraged. In addition, of Spanish proficiency lessens with 87 percent of Latinos said they were each generation in the U.S.). Mark Hugo López, associate director, Pew Hispanic Center comfortable with their children marThis most recent report on Hispanics and identity also asked some questions regarding experiences rying someone who was not of the same heritage – but only 63 percent felt Hispanics had with media. Those surveyed were asked whether they listened comfortable with their children marrying someone of a different religion. In terms of religion, Latinos were also more likely than the general to music in Spanish or English, and the results were as follows: “When it comes to listening to music, 35 percent of Hispanic adults say they do so public to claim a religious affiliation and to attend religious services more only or mostly in Spanish, 36 percent say they do so only or mostly in frequently. Immigrant Latinos were stronger in this category than those of third-generation upbringing. Among Latinos, most were Catholic (62 perEnglish and 27 percent say they listen to music in both languages equally.” These results varied across generations, with more than twice as many cent), while 19 percent said they were Protestant, and 14 percent were immigrant Hispanics using Spanish (49 percent) than English for listening unaffiliated with a religion. While this report on Latinos included some new areas of inquiry regarding to music. For second-generation Hispanics, the opposite was true, and Latinos and identity, the results were similar to years past. Latinos, as a whole, then for third-generation, 74 percent listened in English. When it came to television, more Hispanics overall watched English- identify more with their country of origin than the U.S. (of course, depending language television than Spanish-language programs – 45 percent versus on how long they have been here), and their sense as a collective unit is far 28 percent. And the longer they lived and resided in the U.S., the more they from a clear match to census surveys and government identification. Whether this information will impact public policy of definitions used are likely they were to watch English television over Spanish television. An unusual question that came out of this most recent survey was that of to define this group of people from Spanish-speaking countries is hard to whether participants were more likely to think in Spanish or English. The say. What is clear, however, is that “things have not changed very much,” results were rather predictable: “More Latinos say they use Spanish than concluded López. “When you look at other research that has been done on English when thinking – 45 percent versus 37 percent. Meanwhile, some 16 identity, it has had results that are similar to what we’ve found.”

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COMMENTARY

Is the Academic Recession Ever by Thomas G. Dolan

lthough the global and national recession a furious budget-cutting spree will take place. that this trend will continue and continue to has obviously had a significant impact on This does not bode well for external funding for accelerate,” he says. “In the minds of many legislators, higher education is a good place to start higher education, it’s also true that, as will higher education.” cutting costs. This is especially true for be shown below, there are a number of basic applied research. It’s easy for a legother factors that specifically relate to islator to say he’s all for R&D funding and academia. Also, minority and White facencourage the process, but he’s going to ulty and students are affected in different see that personally there’s no quick ways, as are the different economic return for him when he is up for re-elecclasses of students, regardless of ethnic tion in two years. It’s going to be harder background. and harder for universities to rely on The topic is complex. For instance, external funding for basic research in scito start with the general picture, about a ence or any other field.” year ago Newsweek’s cover story There have already been many signifannounced, “The Recession has icant cutbacks in many university sysended!” Yet, since then, that same magtems of faculty, both tenured and nonazine has often published opposing tenured, Roth says. “This can result in commentaries and features, sometimes long-term problems in course availabiliin the same issue, either depicting signs ty, affecting the growth and disseminaof recovery or predicting we are on the tion of knowledge.” edge of a global financial meltdown that The general cutback in faculty has will make the Great Depression look even greater implications for minority like a holiday. faculty in general and Hispanics in particInclined toward the latter view is Tim ular, says Jorge L. Medina, Ph.D., assisRoth, Ph.D., A. B. Templeton Professor, tant professor of economics, School of chairman of the department of economArts and Sciences, College of New ics, University of Texas-El Paso, with a Rochelle (N.Y.), a school with a total total enrollment of about 23,000, 80 enrollment of about 4,000, with 19 perpercent Hispanics. “The U.S. is $16 trilcent Hispanic. “The percentage of Whites lion in debt, which represents about 103 in academia is much greater, and there percent of our gross domestic product,” are many more applicants for the same Roth says. “I note parenthetically that position, so it is very competitive.” when Greece passed that 103 percent Medina relates he had a difficult GDP, the European crisis began. The struggle attaining his present position, in Greek debt is now at 140 percent GDP March 2009. “I had to move from northand getting worse.” Jorge L. Medina, Ph.D., ern New Jersey to New York, which I was Roth mentions he’s spent three difwilling to do,” Medina says. “But many ferent sabbaticals in D.C., so has some assistant professor of economics, of my peers could find jobs only by insight into how politicians think. “If School of Arts and Sciences, going abroad to South America, Canada you’re a member of the House, Senate or certain universities in Europe. But I or executive branch, you have to be in College of New Rochelle was stubborn and wanted to stay in outer space if you’re not aware of the this country.” implications of our debt,” Roth says. “I believe “Another piece of the puzzle is that universiRoth points out that most state universities that as soon as the election is over, and in this respect it doesn’t matter which side wins, offi- have witnessed a continuing decline in their ties have become increasingly reliant on tuition cials will see a brief window of opportunity and respective state’s funding. “I venture to guess increases,” Roth says. “That should surprise no

“The general cutback in faculty has even greater implications for minority faculty in general and

Hispanics in particular.”

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Going to End one for the principal reason is the cutback in state support. Paradoxically, it’s the availability of federal and other direct and guaranteed loans for tuition that have underwritten these tuition increases. What happened in Europe when tuition increases occurred and/or attempts were made to cut back student loans, people took to the streets. We’ve had some of that here in the U.S. But, once again, hard realities will dictate. Nothing is likely to happen before the elections for there are too many constituencies who would object immediately. But, again, after the election, there will be a little window of opportunity and the focus will be on the nexus between tuition increases and loans. This will affect low-income, minority groups, and many others, and everybody below certain income thresholds. Many will be hurt.” In agreement that rising tuition is a big problem, and, moreover, likely to be an ever-increasing one, is Tom Larson, Ph.D., professor of economics, California State University-Los Angeles, with a total enrollment of almost 4,000, 55.4 percent Hispanic. “Tuition has been going up for years, in California, and pretty much across the country,” says Larson. “It’s starting to go up in Europe, although there are still a number of European countries who offer free tuition.” Larson adds, however, that Luis tuition in England has been rising faster than in California, which is something, of for Larson contrasts the $600 a year he paid when he went to the University of Santa Cruz to the $12,000 it costs there now. “The fees have been increasing steadily, in good years and bad, and I don’t think it’s going to end, so I don’t think the academic recession is going to end.” Larson says that students from low-income families who are aware of federal and other

? Maybe ...

Maybe Not

continues, it’s not simply the lower class that is affected. “This goes back to Reagan, who started pushing people to take out loans to go to college. Typically, middle-class students don’t qualify to get as much aid on a need basis. So they have to think about borrowing more and more money which will be harder and harder to pay back.” Larson also suggests that, in addition to the usual reasons for the high Hispanic dropout rates – poverty, poor secondary education, etc. – is the daunting prospects of students and parents, both lower and middle class, dedicating many years of income to paying off these loans. Larson maintains that “this seems like bad policy. At a time when we would like to have more scientists, engineers and a wide range of others, we’re discouraging enrollment. It used to be that students came to California from all over the country because tuition is more affordable here. This was an important resource for the state which is no longer available. It’s interesting that California no longer produces enough of its own college graduates. Instead, we’re getting more and more students from other countries. I’m just speculating, but this seems to be saying, well, this is fine. We don’t have to pay to educate our citizens. We’ll just hire people from other countries to do our work.” that college benefits not Locay, Ph.D., associate professor onlyThethepremise graduate but also society as a economics, University of Miami whole, with an enhancement to economic growth, seems to have fallen by the wayside, Larson continues. “We have a will grow as fast as the tuition hikes. And there’s new marketing philosophy by some which says a huge [amount of] literature that shows that as that students should pay for their own education tuition goes up, enrollment goes down.” and government should not get involved. This This is modified to a degree, Larson explains, philosophy is affecting the availability of lowin that “there is a demand for education, so peo- income grants. But even the most free market ple will buy it, like gas, even if the price goes up. economist, Milton Friedman, believed that an But there is a limit to this.” Moreover, Larson exception should be made for education, that grants and scholarships are eligible and apply for them, are in relatively good shape currently. But, he adds, “I don’t know if these programs

“In the emphasis of

equating getting a degree

with getting a job, we’ve lost sight of the idea that

education is intrinsically valuable.”

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the government should help people who wanted an education but couldn’t afford it.” Add to this, Larson continues, “are the policy wonks who want to spend more on prisons than education, and then you have the added problems of an aging population, the spiraling growth of health care expenditures and enormous military budget. So you still have a fundamental problem of where do you get the money?” Any solutions? “The Obama administration is trying to make the loan process easier, with lower interest rates so they can be paid off earlier, with the repayment based on income. If you do very well, you may pay back more than you got, but if you end up with a low-paying job you pay less, and maybe stretch out the payment over a longer period of time. And, after 20 years, if the loan is not repaid, it is forgiven. So there are some creative possibilities which are being done on some campuses here and some schools in Europe.” Larson also acknowledges that loan sharks have thrived on exploiting, even to the point of fraud, students struggling to get an education. He notes that many for-profit colleges also have a bad reputation in this regard. “I know of presidents of independent colleges who will raise tuition and cut enrollments, for they are there to maximize profits rather than promote student success,” says Larson. He also says that some of these schools have a sliding scale designed to provide scholarships for exceptional students, for this lends a certain prestige to the school. But this is a minor modification. Roth believes that, paradoxically, the crisis in four-year colleges might end up benefiting community colleges. “Tuition can be a good deal lower in community colleges, and the costs of instruction are generally lower,” Roth says. “Moreover, many Ph.D.s who can’t find work elsewhere are teaching in community colleges. I’m only speculating, but I don’t think this is lost on government officials throughout the country. I believe that many state legislators will think in terms of somehow underwriting two-year colleges, both as a feeder to the four-year schools, but also as job creation in itself. There are needs for all sorts of people, from nurses’ aides to paralegals, who don’t necessarily need a fouryear degree to get a steady job.” Taking this idea even further is Luis Locay, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at the University of Miami (Fla.), where enrollment is

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about 16,000, of which 19 percent Hispanic. In fact, Locay questions what has become the current premise that more and more college degrees are needed to create jobs, fulfill employer demand, and so boost the economy. “Over the past 15 or so years, two paradigms have emerged in the labor market,” Locay says. “The first is human capital, and the second is signaling.” Locay explains that human capital “refers to people going to college, and then, with their work experience, building their capacity to earn in the market place. Supporting that is the idea of signaling. This means that the high-ability person is signaling through his college degree and that he has been willing to pay for it. But this is too costly for the lower-ability person who won’t take this path.” Locay acknowledges there is some merit to both these concepts, but they have been overused and don’t always match reality. For instance, the person who has a degree in a discipline for which there’s not much demand is really sending a weak signal. Therefore, if he has a Ph.D. and ends up driving a cab, he really doesn’t have that much in human capital. As illustrative samples of the polarities on this issue, Locay cites two of his grown children. “I’ve had one son who recently graduated the top of his class in computer science. He had only one interview at Microsoft. They came out to him and hired him on the spot. I recently visited him and noted that there were very few Hispanics there, and I believe Microsoft would certainly like to hire more. The other Hispanics who were there came from abroad, from South America or Spain. “On the other hand, my oldest daughter went to a very poor public university, where the faculty continually pounded away at the necessity of getting a college degree. She was a waitress and dropped out, for she realized she had an aptitude for dealing with personnel and managing a restaurant. She now owns her own restaurant and has done very well. If she ever goes back to get a degree, it will be for purely personal reasons. “Quite frankly, I see many Hispanics and African-Americans enroll in computer science, engineering or some other technical area, only to find they can’t hack it. So they switch to economics, can’t hack it, so get a degree in the humanities and end up applying for a sales job for which they have no training. I mean, how many Ph.D.s do we need in Chicano studies?

What’s he going to do but go on to get an advanced degree and teach in a university? That’s fine if that’s what he really wants to do. But there’s not much of a correlation between that and the jobs society really needs. “I am a Cuban-American, and Cuba boasts a higher number of doctors and teachers per capita than most other countries. But most of those doctors are underemployed, and many of the teachers’ jobs are limited to teaching someone how to write his name, or teaching other teachers. “I like to remodel, and often am my own plumber, electrician or carpenter. I only hire others when I need to. Why? Because they’re so unreliable. The young men with an aptitude for working with their hands are off at college studying anthropology. “My conclusion is that too many have bought into the myth that everybody has to go to college. It’s not true. People should do what they like, what they have an innate ability for, and can often get the training they need through apprenticeship programs, trade schools or community colleges.” Roth also questions the assumed necessary correlation between higher education degrees and jobs. But he offers a different dimension. “In the emphasis of equating getting a degree with getting a job, we’ve lost sight of the idea that education is intrinsically valuable. For its own sake. Our founders insisted that a self-governing republic cannot survive unless people are educated, informed and active participants in the polity, as well as possessing private civic virtue. I absolutely agree. And if more and more people thought this way, they would pressure the legislatures, both state and federal, to invest in education as a public good, a long-term solution.”

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and its largest minority group, amounting to about 16.4 percent of the U.S. population. The U.S. Census counted 50.5 million Hispanics in 2010, up from 35.3 million 10 years earlier. Over the same period, the number of eligible Hispanic voters – adults who are U.S. citizens – also

hen Huey Rey Fischer returned to classes at the University of TexasAustin this semester, his focus was broader than completing studies and earning credits. He also was devoting his nonacademic hours to voter registration drives and arranging speaking engagements by political figures. It’s election season, and the battle for the White House is unfolding at colleges and universities across the United States, as registration drives, get-out-the-vote initiatives and speaker series aim to boost attention and turnout. “It’s going to be thrilling,” the 20-year-old Fischer said. “There’s already a buzz around campus. Student government will get involved to get out the vote, the Black Student Alliance, Latino Leadership Organization, and other groups. There’s definitely going to be a great deal of activity on campus.” “I think it’s critical that we start now and that we start at the college age,” said Fischer, who served as president of the University of Texas Democrats until mid-July. “If we get people engaged and into a pattern of voting early on, then this can carry on for the rest of their lives.” Amid the home stretch of the presidential race, campaigns on both sides of the political aisle have been striving to shore up stronger support from the Hispanic vote, efforts fueled by hot-button issues and an evolving demographic landscape. The seismic shift in the Hispanic population – and its expected continued growth – has prompted greater attention, interest and outreach. Among this growing voting bloc is a younger Hispanic populace that is able to vote but shows up in smaller percentages at the voting booth. This Hispanic gap is generating more substantial ground efforts to fortify foundations, organizational initiatives to increase registrations, and grass-roots campaigns tailored to heighten visibility of the election. The efforts showcase the reality that younger, more politically aware Hispanics could substantially influence the future of the country’s political landscape. “We have certainly seen a trend of an increasing number of Hispanic voters in election cycles, both midterm and presidential, for the last 20plus years,” said Mark Hugo López, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. “It’s possible we will see a record number of Hispanic voters in 2012.” Hispanics represent one of the country’s fastest-growing populations,

increased, from 13.2 million in 2000 to 21.3 million in 2010, the Pew Hispanic Center reported. A Pew Hispanic Center report last year reasoned that rapid Hispanic population growth helped fuel increasing electoral participation. Despite this, Hispanic representation among the electorate remains below its representation in the general population. In 2010, 16.3 percent of the nation’s population was Hispanic, but only 10.1 percent of eligible voters and fewer than 7 percent of voters were Hispanic. This gap, the center reported, was driven by youth and noncitizenship among adults. More than one-third of Hispanics (34.9 percent) were younger than the voting age of 18, a share greater than that of any other group. And an additional 22.4 percent were of voting age, but were not U.S. citizens. As a result, the share of the Hispanic population eligible to vote – just under 43 percent – was smaller than it is among any other group. In the 2008 presidential election, a record 10 million Hispanics cast votes, about half of those who were eligible. In contrast, the Pew Hispanic Center reported, 66 percent of eligible Whites and 65 percent of eligible Blacks voted. Hispanic voter turnout rates lag behind of other groups partly

Latino Vote

percent of young Latino eligible voters voted, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. In contrast, among eligible Hispanic voters ages 30 and older, the voter turnout rate was higher, at 37.4 percent in 2010. Young Hispanics enrolled in higher education represent a growing percentage of eligible – and often untapped – voters. According to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released last year, the number of 18- to 24-yearolds attending college in the country rose to an all-time high of 12.2 million in October 2010. That number was fueled by a 349,000-student rise (24 percent) in Hispanic enrollment from 2009 to 2010, making them the largest minority group on the nation’s college campuses. “That’s quite interesting, since this is the first time this has happened – where Latinos have surpassed African-Americans as the largest minority group on two- and four-year campuses,” López said. Meanwhile, during that same period, the number of young adult African-Americans rose by 88,000; Asian-Americans, by 43,000; while Whites fell by 320,000. As a result of these shifts, the center reported, young Hispanics for the first time outnumbered young African-Americans on all campuses. “Demographic trends show that 50,000 to 60,000 U.S.-born young

Latinos turn 18 every month. The youth component of the Latino population is a larger component of the Hispanic electorate than it is for other groups,” López said. López said that a quarter or more of all eligible Hispanic voters are between 18 and 29 years old, while one out of every five eligible voters in the United States – about 20 percent – is eligible to vote. “When you look at 2008, there were a large number of first-time young voters among Latinos,” he said. “About half of all 18- to 29-year-old Latino voters were first-time voters. We have more young Latinos than ever going to college, and when you take a look at how Latinos are getting engaged, many of them were first-time voters, particularly in 2008.” In 2010, Hispanic college graduates had the highest voter turnout rate (50.3 percent) among eligible Hispanic voters, while young Hispanics ages 18 to 29 had the lowest (17.6 percent), the center reported. Peter Levine, director of research and director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), which is at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service in Medford, Mass., said turnout in general among young people, including Hispanics, was very poor in the 1990s. However, he said younger Hispanic turnout has been on the upswing due to population growth, efforts by organizations to generate stronger voter registration and greater attention paid to Hispanics by campaigns. “I do think there’s been better organization in the community itself, so you see things like Voto Latino and Rising Up, but also the demographic group has gotten more attention from political campaigns,” he said. Additionally, he noted stronger galvanization of the community around issues such as immigration. Campaigns “recognize the growing size of the demographic group, but they also campaign specifically on short-term horizons,” Levine said. “They are not thinking of the longer-term future of the party but thinking about winning in November. Some think that the turnout rate is low and so it won’t pay off for the campaign, so it’s mixed.” Levine also noted greater levels of participation among those young Photo © All rights reserved by NALEO Educational Fund

because of the large share of Hispanic eligible voters under 30 years old. And, historically, young people have voted at lower rates than older eligible voters. Among younger voters, Hispanics have had some of the lowest voter participation rates: in 2010 just 17.6

by Jeff Simmons

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adults attending college versus those who don’t, pointing out that Hispanics have a lower rate of higher education engagement than Whites to begin with. So, he added, there is often a giant difference – about 2-to-1 – of those old enough to vote and those who actually register and vote. That’s where organizations such as Voto Latino and other organizations have entered the scene. This fall, groups organized National Voter Registration Day to take place shortly after the new semester began. Among six leading participants was Voto Latino, which joined coordinated efforts to create awareness of voter registration. “Our message is clear: It’s important that we register to vote and vote

It’s election season, and the battle for the White House is unfolding at colleges and universities across the United States, as registration drives, get-out-the-vote initiatives and speaker series aim to boost attention and turnout. because the issues that we are facing today are personal,” said Sindy M. Benavides, Voto Latino’s vice president for field and political operations. “Whether it’s the creation of jobs, our economy, education, immigration, health care or opportunities for small businesses and for our veterans, all of these issues have one thread in common: they are personal; they impact us directly; they impact our families and friends, our communities and our nation.” Voto Latino has been working closely with field organizers in, among

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other states, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida and New Mexico, to energize Hispanic voters ages 18 to 35. Voto Latino has involved young Hispanic leaders, and launched America4America, which recruited Ugly Betty actress America Ferrera to heighten the dialogue around electoral participation. Voto Latino is focused heavily on the younger Hispanic vote, and is forging stronger connections at college and university campuses, and through the Internet. In fact, the nonprofit developed a voter registration widget – with TurboVote – to allow people to register online. TurboVote allows people to use laptops or tablets to fill out registration forms online, which are then sent to registrants in the mail with preaddressed, pre-stamped envelopes to be signed and returned. “We want to ensure that Latino Americans are registering to vote, and we want to ensure that this year millions of Americans don’t sit out because they do not know how to register,” Benavides said. “Younger Latino Americans will be key in this fall’s presidential election. We know that young voters had an impact in 2008, and we want to ensure that we break the perception that young voters are disengaged.” Additionally, Voto Latino recently launched RepUrLetters, a campaign activating Hispanic sororities and fraternities to register voters through the online effort. The organization is training sorority and fraternity volunteers on registration and get-out-the-vote techniques. “We are working closely with the leadership and organizations of various colleges and universities to register voters on campus through class and ‘dorm storms,’” she said. Joining Voto Latino in the National Voter Registration Day campaign has been Hispanic Vote, which, too, is partnering with Turbo Vote. “We need to organize because we believe young people have the ability to make changes in the country,” said Laura Ramírez Drain, executive director of Hispanicvote.com. “Many don’t want to be involved, and schools don’t promote the vote. Many Latinos feel that they select a president, but when they are elected, they don’t follow through on their promises.” “We believe the Latino vote will make a difference in the selection of the next president. President Obama will win or lose depending on the Latino vote. It will make a big difference,” she said. The organization planned to focus on five key battleground states: Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Virginia. In other states, students are taking up the cause, as well. Fischer is hoping he can reach many of the Hispanic students at his campus, the University of Texas campus in Austin. His Democratic club is the largest and oldest political club on campus, and the largest college Democratic club in the country, with about 250 dues-paying members. Fischer said that his club mirrors others on college campuses, where they focus on local issues as well, but champion bread-and-butter issues like the economy – and its impact on, say, tuition, crime and funding to maintain educational services. “We tend to act as a lobbying and activist group for students,” said Fischer, who chairs the Texas Young Democrats’ Hispanic Caucus and was recently elected as a committeeman to the State Democratic Committee, representing the Hispanic Caucus. This fall, he said, will be no exception. “We plan to get really involved” in engaging students, he said. “It’s a pretty high-profile race and a race that many students are paying attention to. The stakes are pretty high.” Fisher’s club plans to campaign for President Barack Obama, and its

leaders hope enthusiasm around the election trickles down into involvement in local political races. The club was planning to host rallies, phone banking, door-to-door outreach, and the speaker series. Fischer expected the conversation to revolve around issues such as the DREAM Act, funding for higher education, and candidates’ positions. “Young Hispanics will have the potential to win the election here in Texas, but they need to get out to the polls,” said Fischer, a junior majoring in Latin American studies. “There is a lot of influence we can have if we just speak out, get involved and campaign. I like seeing the end result of the work I put in.” “I do want students to be aware of what’s going on,” Fischer said. “Students should be aware of the civic process.” The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine repeatedly reached out to representatives from both major presidential campaigns but did not receive responses about outreach to Hispanics, including on college campuses. Recent polls have shown that Hispanic voters overwhelmingly support Barack Obama over Mitt Romney. In mid-July, Latino Decisions released a national poll of registered Hispanic voters showing Obama capturing 70 percent of the Hispanic vote compared to 22 percent for Romney. The poll was commissioned by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and America’s Voice. While anger and frustration have been directed at Republicans over immigration issues, frustration and anger have been directed at Obama over the country’s lingering economic woes. Both campaigns have pursued media targeting a Hispanic constituency. Obama’s campaign issued Spanish-language television commercials in four swing states early on and organized voter registration drives in Hispanic neighborhoods. Romney’s launched “Juntos con Romney” (“Together with Romney”) teams in 15 states and placed similar television and radio spots. Additionally, both candidates aimed to drum up Hispanic support when addressing members of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) earlier this year. NALEO projected that 12.2 million Hispanic voters would show up at the polls this election day. Engaging those younger Latinos, on and off campus, presents both challenges and opportunities. The new ways of communicating – through social media, for example, and older traditional methods – such as television advertising, are not necessarily the best ways to turn calls into action, experts said. Instead, concerted efforts at direct communication prompt more tangible results than advertising and requests sent through e-mail blasts. Melissa R. Michelson, professor of political science at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif., said that a simple technique works best when attempting to get Hispanics to register: do it in person. Younger Latinos often aren’t aware they can and should vote, and if they are, they often don’t know how to follow through with it. Further enhancing their low turnout are institutional barriers such as filling out registration forms properly and cognitive barriers such as an inability to choose whom they would vote for. “Both of those are pretty significant barriers,” said Michelson, who has written a number of studies and articles examining political behavior, voting and elections, and race and ethnicity, including Hispanic politics. “Often, below the presidential level it’s a very difficult choice to make those cognitive choices,” she said. “Part of what my research has found is that students just need a little help. If you want them to register to vote, you have to sit with them and go through the registration form, show them the

information they are being asked to provide.” Explaining to younger adults the process and the system often helps to diminish any confusion or fears about registration, and election day. “So that’s a big hurdle,” she said. The other hurdle, Michelson explained, is that younger Latinos often don’t feel that their issues are being considered in broader campaign efforts. “The requests have to be personal,” she said. “You can’t just put stuff on television or a banner ad on the Internet. You have to talk with people one on one, call them on the phone, interact with them face to face, and say ‘I want you to vote. I’m talking about you.’ You have to make it clear that when we are talking about getting out the vote, we are talking about them; we are not talking about rich old White people.” Michelson details the results of nearly 300 experiments to increase the vote among communities of color, including Hispanics, in a new book, Mobilizing Inclusion: Transforming Citizenship Through Get-Out-theVote Campaigns, which she co-authored with Lisa García Bedolla of the University of California-Berkeley. “It needs to be a personal, sociocultural interaction. It has to be a phone call, or a face-to-face visit to transform people’s preconceptions in these traditionally marginalized communities,” she said. This fall, she expects to see massive ground efforts in states like Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, among others, to urge Hispanics to turn up at the polls. Armed with research showing sizeable untapped pockets of Hispanic voters, “folks would just need to get out there and register these available unregistered citizens. The numbers are there in some swing states.” “The real battle right now is not so much getting out registered voters but this pool of unregistered Latino voters who could make a difference,” she said, “and a lot of folks are trying to figure out how to register them, not how to mobilize the registered.” The Student Government Association at Florida International University is attempting to do just that: use face-to-face interaction to register more Hispanic voters. Students are promoting TurboVote to generate results this fall. “Their motto is that they make voting as easy as renting a Netflix movie,” said Laura Farinas, president of the association. “The simplicity in it is that it’s very easy to get students to register. It gives them the ability to register online, and then they get updated with reminders.” “Eight out of 10 students will tell you they have registered when they haven’t, because they just don’t have the time,” she said. “You have students who go to class, have two different jobs, and then have to go back home, and it really makes a difference when you tell them you could do this [register] from home, and that you don’t even need a stamp or an envelope.” Farinas, a 22-year-old Cuban-American, was preparing for registration drives and events – even asking faculty to remind students – to kick off with the fall semester. She had a lofty goal: to reach at least one-fifth of the 50,000-student body. Her hope is that many of the new enrollees will be Hispanic. “We are a huge group, not only in the United States as a demographic but here in South Florida,” she said. “I feel we have a lot of potential to invigorate and engage students in the electoral process. It’s important to have a quantity of students say, ‘I want to have my voice heard, and I want to advocate for the issues that pertain to me.’”

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Helping Latinos Become College- and Career-Ready by Marilyn Gilroy

ast numbers of Latino students are not prepared for postsecondary education and careers, according to a report from the Association of Latino Administrators & Superintendents (ALAS) and McGraw-Hill Education. The two organizations have collaborated on a position paper, Building Bridges to the Future for Latino Students, which calls for innovative approaches that break down the school-to-work transitional barriers. The paper examines the causes behind Latino unpreparedness and advocates for more emphasis on personalized learning, college and career planning, and the utilization of digital learning tools. “Educators must promote Latino students’ success through planning, defining aspirations, clarifying interests, exploring career requirements, and connecting high school to a future of college and careers,” said Jeff Livingston, senior vice president of college and career readiness at McGraw-Hill Education and collaborator on the study. The report, which notes that Latinos are the largest percentage of the nation’s high school dropout population, cites the significant disparity in graduation rates for Hispanic students as compared to their Asian-American and Caucasian counterparts. Only 56 percent of Hispanic students graduate on time with a traditional high school diploma. This compares to 81 percent of Asian-American students and 77 percent of Caucasian students. The study further explores the gap between the skills and abilities needed to earn a high school diploma and those needed to be successful in college or a career. Latino students fall even further behind in this transition. As Livingston points out, this is why so many students who enter college need remediation in English or math or both. “Requirements for completing high school and entering college are out of sync,” he said. “For example, there is a big gap between the reading level of a high school text and the reading level of a college textbook. For many students, these academic gaps are too challenging and the leap of going to college is just too great. So they drop out.” The ALAS report describes three major barriers for Latino students who are planning for career and college: 1) lack of guidance; 2) lack of relevancy of high school courses to career or college; and 3) lack of challenging coursework that improves research, writing and critical thinking skills. “Without direction, students enroll in a variety of basic courses lacking rigor and lacking alignment to career or college requirements,” states the report. Statistics show that less than 50 percent of Latino students take college-

preparatory classes. Many of these students are unaware of the steps needed to prepare and apply to college. Because high school students rely mostly on family and friends for information about college requirements, first-generation Latinos are at an added disadvantage. Once Latino students get into college, they report having less information about requirements than other students. “When we ask students how they learn about college, most say from a brother or sister or family member,” said Livingston. “This includes everything from the application process to financial aid to what it’s like to live in a dorm. But minorities often come from families where they are the first to go to college, so those conversations are not taking place at home.” The information gap often is combined with a lack of understanding about the role of coursework in preparing for college or careers. One of the most common questions that Livingston receives from students is: Why do I need this course? “We try to make them understand how their academic requirements are related to a career choice they are interested in, such as algebra for a business career or biology for a medical career,” he said. To bring about change and motivate students, Livingston and others are proposing an approach that seeks to engage youth, especially minorities, in school and career opportunities. “We must turn our attention to innovative solutions that provide youth – particularly at-risk youth – with clear expectations and pathways to gain the education and hands-on skills they need to be successful in the career of their choice,” said Livingston. “In today’s global economy where the majority of jobs will increasingly require some form of postsecondary education, it is an economic imperative to ensure our young people are ready for the future.” That rhetoric might sound familiar, but the report offers some important suggestions that are getting attention. At the top of the list is the recommendation that the U.S. educational system should start in middle school to support the creation of individualized career and college planning. When students develop a plan and receive career counseling in high school, they are more likely to be successful in academic courses, to stay in school longer, and to be more successful after they graduate from high school. Students need to be encouraged to take control of their futures and to prepare for what lies ahead. The report contends that using technology

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As part of a conference work group, “The Reconnecting Youth Group,” will aid students as they create individualized learning plans. This is one of the reasons that educational companies, such as Pearson Livingston and his counterparts explored strategies to connect youth with and McGraw-Hill, have developed college- and career-readiness programs educational and employment opportunities while building new sources of that rely heavily on the use of technology to help secondary school students skilled and diverse talent for employers. “An estimated one in six Americans, ages 16-24, is not engaged in identify possible education and employment pathways. McGraw-Hill partnered with the Philadelphia school district to run a pilot school or work, which presents a key opportunity to build skills and talent program called Philly Success! – which included low-income, minority stu- among this population,” said Livingston. The Reconnecting Youth Working Group is focused on the following: dent participants from three schools. The program provided digital lessons and “toolbox activities” to help students see the relevancy of different high • Youth Entrepreneurship – Using entrepreneurship as a pathway to reengage at-risk youth gets students investschool-level content courses. Students ed in their work, while teaching busiwere able to engage in a career matchness fundamentals, professionalism, maker assessment and to “cruise” job and effective communication, and other college search options. Participants also skills that can propel them beyond the received mini-lessons focusing on essenclassroom tial life skills needed for future success. All • Service – Pathways to employment of these modules were designed to through service not only provide youth increase awareness of the relationship with the valuable training and experibetween a student’s class work and his or ence that is critical to future success in her present and future goals. Results from the labor market, but they also provide a pre- and post-surveys showed gains in way to increase community impact motivation for students when thinking • Mentoring – Strong support from about their postsecondary options. mentors has proved highly successful in “When students get the information, linking education and jobs, raising they can start making the connection expectations, and developing successful between their educational choices and college- and career-ready youth their future, “said Livingston. • Wraparound Supports and Prevention The ALAS report also endorses the use – Re-engaging youth before they leave of student learning plans (SLPs) as effecschool through holistic support systems tive ways to promote Latino student sucthat address the root causes of their cess. SLPs, now required at various grade challenges, both in and out of the classlevels in 23 states, provide opportunities room, leads to greater educational to identify postsecondary goals, explore attainment college and career options and develop • Employer Led Pathways – Going the skills necessary to be autonomous, beyond the traditional role of employers, self-regulated learners. Learning plans some organizations are leading the way have been linked to a variety of developin efforts to invest in current and future mental outcomes, including improved Jeff Livingston, senior VP, college and career readiness, talent, with proven results academic motivation, engagement, deciMcGraw-Hill Education One such program is Apprenticeship sion making and personal accountability, 2000 at Siemens in Charlotte, N.C. The company has created an alternative route essential for success in postsecondary education and work. “Simply put, students cannot prepare for career or college if they don’t to employment and education by hiring talented high school graduates for fouryear internships. Students are trained in skilled manufacturing positions while have a plan or a goal,” states the ALAS report. Research indicates the SLPs not only develop students’ long-term plan- they earn a salary and benefits. At the same time, they also study for an associate ning and goal-setting abilities but they also improve students’ understand- degree at a nearby community college. A recent report on National Public Radio ing of postsecondary options, parental involvement in academic and career profiled one of the apprentices, Rebeca Espinal, who wanted to go to college decisions, students’ awareness of their individual strengths and weakness- but said that it was too difficult to find the money for tuition. “So when Siemens came along and gave me the offer, it was too good es, and students’ persistence in school. Experts say the SLP process is part of raising standards for Latinos who an opportunity to just let it go,” she said. Although the company invests time and money in training the students, are vital to the nation’s future education outcomes and workforce needs. “We must rethink what we expect from minority students and how we it eventually gets employees who are uniquely skilled in running the expencan reinvent a system that truly prepares students for life after high sive high-tech equipment that is part of its modern factory operation. Livingston said this type of program is an example of how employers school,” said Livingston. But there are additional strategies that can be put into practice to help can help students and their families develop a structured plan for bridging break down the barriers between school and work. Some of those ideas the gap between high school and postsecondary education and work. “There is no one pathway that works for everyone, but there are many were discussed at this year’s second annual Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together the most influential leaders in education, philanthropy and ways to bring the talent we need into society,” he said. “I am optimistic politics to share best practices that promote economic recovery and job because at least we are beginning to have the right conversations about how to connect our educational system to our employment sector.” creation in the United States. Jeff Livingston was one of the participants.

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Women and Hispanics Still Under

by Frank DiMaria

ach year, women inch closer to the equity they seek at the highest ech- convinced all women are interested in the job. “A lot of women are offered elons in college and university administration. Every five years, the presidencies but say, ‘No, I wouldn’t fit in at that school. I know better.’ American Council on Education They are being selective as well. conducts a survey that paints a picThey are not setting themselves up ture of the college presidency in for failure,” says Wenniger. Before America, thus showing women the society can worry about women’s gains they have made in pursuit of underrepresentation as college that equity. presidents, more women must want The American Council on to be college presidents, she says. Education (ACE) sent surveys to Like women, minorities are also 3,318 presidents and CEOs to comunderrepresented as college presipile its report, The College dents, and in some areas the dial is American President 2012. Fortymoving in the wrong direction. ACE four percent responded. The data reports that members of racial/ethindicate that the percentage of nic minority groups represented a women college presidents rose to slightly smaller share of presidents 26, up slightly from 23 in 2006. in 2011 than they did in 2006. However, nearly one-third of all Minorities accounted for 14 percent newly hired presidents were women, of college presidents in 2006, but compared with 26 percent of the just 13 percent in 2011. Six percent total pool. Because not everyone of all presidents were Africanwho was contacted responded, ACE American in 2011. Another 4 perdoes not consider its data a statisticent were Hispanic, 2 percent were cal sample and thus might not reflect Asian-American and 1 percent each the results achievable if all presiwere Native American and “other.” dents had responded. Latinas represented 5.6 percent of In 1986, women represented just women presidents in 2011, down 9.5 percent of all college presidents. from 6.7 percent five years earlier. Today they represent 26 percent. No need for panic, says Women have made strides, knocking Wenniger. “It’s only one percentage down existing barriers. However, point. If it went on for the next five Diana I. Córdova, assistant vice presyears, I would get concerned, conident for leadership programs at sidering the Hispanic population is ACE, says considering the number of growing faster than any other subDiana L. Córdova, assistant VP for leadership programs, ACE women in the administrative group in the country.” pipeline, there should be more women presidents. Córdova agrees, saying she will look at ACE’s report five years hence to “If you look at faculty numbers, if you look at the percentage of make sure the downturn was just a tick and not a trend. “I’m optimistic women getting Ph.D.s, women going into administration, roughly half of that more Hispanic women will be getting into the pipeline and being menall administrators now are women, but they are not reaching the very top tored into higher-level positions and that we will be able to see some moveposition, the presidential position. Thirty-eight percent of chief academic ment to the very top positions,” says Córdova. officers are women, and about 45 percent of deans. They are well repreWhat is troubling, though, is the dismal progress Hispanic women have sented among senior leaders,” says Córdova. made in ascending to the presidency in the past 25 years. In 1986, A number of factors are at play here. According to Mary Dee Wenniger, Hispanic women represented only 5.1 percent of presidents. Today that publisher/editor of Women in Higher Education, not all women in leader- number is 5.6 percent. Hispanic women were just slightly more likely to be ship roles at colleges aspire to the presidency. College presidents live in offered a presidency in 2011 than they were 25 years ago. fishbowls with little privacy. It takes a special person to sign up for that Minority presidents were more likely than White presidents to be lifestyle and put everything else in second place, says Wenniger. The ACE women. More than one-third of Hispanic presidents and African-American survey does not address women’s desire to be presidents. presidents were women, compared to only 25 percent of White presidents. Although Wenniger would like to see more women presidents, she’s not Since 2006, the percentage of women among minority presidents has

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represented as College Presidents of women are becoming presidents at big, fat research universities. And increased. ACE also reported on the types of colleges women were more likely to that’s great,” says Wenniger. The pathways that women follow head. In 2011, 39 percent of new when ascending to the top of those presidents at associate degree colbig, fat research universities are leges were women, a larger proporquite different than those followed tion than at any other institutional by their male counterparts. In 2011, type. However, this represented a women presidents spent less time decrease of 28 percent from ACE’s than males in their current posi2006 survey. After associate degree tions – an average of 6.5 years for colleges, women were most likely to women, compared with 7.2 years head master’s colleges and universifor men. And they were less likely ties and bachelor’s colleges. than men to have been a president The largest increase in the perin their prior position. But, they centage of presidents who were were more likely to have served as women occurred at doctorateprovost or CAO prior to assuming granting institutions, where women the presidency. represented 14 percent of presi“In general, 34 percent of presdents in 2006 and 23 percent of idents report that their prior posipresidents in 2011. tion was that of chief academic It’s not surprising to Wenniger officer. So it’s a natural pathway to that women are well represented the presidency. These days, we are among associate degree college seeing many men and women compresidents. Women gravitate to these ing out of deanships. positions because of the culture. “You have fewer women serving Associate degree colleges are much in presidencies so you’re going to more caring, they’re student-orienthave more men coming out of presed, they’re more remedial and more idencies and going on to second career-oriented. The associate presidencies. That’s not too surprisdegree college environment can ing. In general, there are a great seem a perfect fit for women. deal of opportunities for women Despite the increase in female currently serving in the senior-level presidents at doctorate-granting positions – deans, academic offiinstitutions, women continued to be cers or vice presidential-type posileast likely to preside over those. Mary Dee Wenniger, publisher/editor,Women in Higher Education tions – to ascend and aspire to a Excluding associate degree colleges, presidential position,” says Córdova. women represent 22 percent of college presidents. Women presidents follow more traditional paths to the presidency than Increases in the percentage of presidencies held by women varied also by institutional control. The largest increases since 2006 were at public men. They are more likely to have earned a doctorate or have been faculty and private doctorate-granting institutions. With the exception of public members, department chairs or deans. They also come from student bachelor’s and special focus institutions, every other type of institution has affairs, all very traditional pathways to the presidency. The recent recession and slow recovery have both played a significant seen an increase in the share of women who are presidents. Public bachelor’s institutions saw the share of female presidents decrease from 34 per- role in the presidential search process, causing search committees to rethink who is qualified to be a president. Today’s search committees look cent in 2006 to 28 percent in 2011. Córdova places significant importance on the development of pathways for experienced leaders, often with a business or finance background, to fill vacant presidencies. Schools look for individuals from outside educato presidencies for women at all types of institutions. “We want women to have opportunities for leadership across the board tion, the majority of whom are men. After leveling off in previous ACE surveys, the percentage of presidents of the entire higher education landscape,” she says. It’s important that women head some of the bigger schools, where they can serve as role coming from outside academe has increased. Twenty percent of presimodels for everybody at those institutions, from students to vendors. “A lot dents’ immediate prior positions in 2011 were outside academe, up

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sharply from 13 percent in 2006 and 15 percent in 2001. Generally, however, less than half of all presidents have some experience outside higher education during their careers. “Men have come from a lot of different paths. They have been in the military. They’re hiring generals to be presidents of colleges. I don’t know why they are doing that, but they are. Big donors have become presidents of colleges, and politicians,” says Wenniger. ACE’s report indicates that only 70 percent of presidents had experience as faculty members and presidents spent an average of seven years in a faculty role. Just under 20 percent served as a president prior to accepting the current position, and 11 percent of presidents’ immediate prior positions were outside higher education. The trend of hiring from outside education is a double-edged sword. Individuals who come from outside education, Wenniger contends, are typically not received well by a school’s faculty. “How much does a new president believe in faculty sharing governance? Not a lot,” says Wenniger. One of the more striking differences between women and men presidents, according to the ACE report, is marital status and child-rearing responsibilities. In 2011, 90 percent of male presidents and only 72 percent of female presidents were married. Sixty-three percent of women presidents in 2006 were married. The proportion of currently married women presidents has increased as the number of women presidents has increased, but it continues to lag far behind the proportion of married male presidents. Consistent with the differences in marital status, women presidents are less likely than males to have children. Seventy-two percent of female presidents have children compared to 90 percent of male presidents. Despite being less likely than men to be married or to have children, women presidents were more likely to have altered their careers to raise children or care for their spouse. Ten percent of women presidents had either left the job market or worked part time due to family responsibilities, compared to just 3 percent of male presidents. “This might delay the rate at which women progress through the administrative pipeline,” says Córdova. Child rearing is the biggest factor keeping women from presidencies, most often of their own choosing. Wenniger says it’s more difficult to be a mother and a college president than to be a father and a college president. The majority of women who pursue presidencies are doing so after they have raised their children, especially at the high-powered research institutions. The percentage of women presidents who have children under the age of 18 is only 12 percent.

Despite women’s underrepresentation as college presidents, Córdova is optimistic. Opportunities will abound for women in the coming years. Fiftyeight percent of all college presidents are over the age of 61, and in the past few years, colleges and universities have experienced significant presidential turnover. This trend will continue and create many opportunities for women and persons of color, says Córdova. Still there are obstacles for women to overcome. Search committees and hiring boards, says Wenniger, don’t understand the role of the president, and Córdova says few embrace diversity. About 30 percent of college board members are women. “We know that board members tend to hire people that share their background,” says Córdova. Although women can’t control who sits on a college’s hiring board, they can control aspects of their professional lives. Wenniger contends that women will not be offered more presidential opportunities until they convince themselves that they can live up to the expectations of the office. Women and men, she says, have two different views of their competencies. If a job requires 10 skills, a man will apply for that job if he possesses as few as three of them. A woman, on the other hand, will apply only if she possesses nine or 10 of them – and she’ll still worry that she’s inadequate. The point Wenniger is making is that women have to be convinced that they are ready to do a job and they have to be invited to apply for that job. “I don’t have statistics, but a lot of women are ending up in jobs because they have been asked to apply, or they’ve been sought out by headhunters,” says Wenniger. She suggests that women interested in being presidents should earn a doctorate, engage in leadership training and get a mentor. “There are groups in every state that support women’s leadership development,” says Wenniger. Women should also acquire a whole range of traditional skills such as creating and managing a budget, raising funds, mastering technology and playing politics like a pro. Córdova wants greater national visibility and awareness of women’s underrepresentation as college presidencies. “We have not reached parity yet, and there is still a lot of work to be done, especially for women to reach the very top senior leadership levels and presidential positions,” says Córdova.

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LEGAL INITIATIVES/LAW SCHOOLS

Undocumented Students and Education: 30 Years After Plyler v. Doe by Thomas G. Dolan

“June

15, 2012, marks the 30th anniversary of the landmark U.S Supreme Court decision on Plyler v. Doe, that required public school districts to educate all K-12 children regardless of their citizenship status,” says Michael A. Olivas, Ph.D., professor of law, University of Houston Law Center, Texas. “The decision was the best our country has to offer: compassion, a fierce belief in reducing inequality, and political and personal courage.” Olivas, who has published the first full-length book on this case, No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented Schoolchildren (NYU Press, 2012), says he was pleased with this decision, it never occurred to him it would have such a major impact, it would last as long as it has, and would create an upward pressure for postsecondary immigration students. Yet Olivas also says, “This case continues to require vigilance because some states still attempt to enact their own laws on the schooling of undocumented children, as Alabama did when it passed a statute requiring registration of its schoolchildren. We desperately need to enact comprehensive immigration reform, and until then, we need a robust DREAM Act.” In 1975, the Texas Legislature passed a law that it would not fund education for illegal immigrants. When the number of Hispanics started increasing in the Tyler School District, the superintendent Jim Plyler, in 1977, recommended to the school board the policy of charging $1,000 for each child of illegal immigrants. “The policy wasn’t very well coordinated,” says Olivas. “For if the parents could not afford the $1,000 to send their child to school, they would be subject to the truancy laws.” Shortly after that, on Sept. 6, 1977, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a suit in Tyler federal court on behalf of three Mexican-American couples and a single Mexican-American parent named as the guardians of 16 Mexican-American children, the “Doe” in the case caption. Five days after the suit was filed, U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice issued a preliminary injunction to stop the district from implementing its tuition policy. On Sept. 12, the court put the children back in school. Justice later issued a permanent injunction. The case was appealed to the Fifth Circuit in Houston and ultimately consolidated with a number of other cases and brought to the Supreme Court in 1981. In its decision the following year, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Texas statute, which withheld state funds for the education of children who were not “legally admitted” into the country and authorized school districts to deny enrollment to those children, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Justice William Brennan, writing for the majority, described illegal minors as “Special members of this underclass” and wrote: “Those who elect to enter our territory by stealth and in violation of our law should be prepared to bear the consequences, including, but not limited to, deportation. But the children of those illegal entrants are not compara-

Michael A. Olivas, Ph.D., professor of law, University of Houston Law Center

bly situated.” For a long time, all went well. There were only a few state and one federal challenge to Plyler. That decision, however, didn’t address higher education. For a time, an upward momentum appeared on its own, says Stella M. Flores, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University who investigates the impact of state and federal policies on college access and completion for low-income and underrepresented populations. About 12 states initiated tuition and financial aid for immigrant offspring, including Texas. This positive trend lasted from about 2001 to 2005, but then, about 2006, with the advent of the Tea Party and recession, a backlash developed. “Several states started introducing legislation that prohibited higher education opportunity for illegal immigrants,” says Flores, whose work has been cited in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court Gratz v. Bollinger decision

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(dissenting opinion) and in various amicus briefs in the Gratz v. Bollinger inconsonant with American history,” Coll says. and Grutter v. Bollinger Supreme Court cases on affirmative action in The solution has been apparent for years, Coll continues: “Congress higher education admissions. “Some of these states barred illegal immi- needs to establish a legal temporary-work program, legalize the law-abidgrant children from in-state tuition benefits. Others barred admission alto- ing undocumented workers who are already here, and link that amnesty to gether. Although these states, some of which are in the South, have relative- sustainable enforcement measures for businesses and at the border.” ly small numbers of Latinos, the trend makes a statement. It sends a mesThe trouble is that both presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama sage to the people moving to those states, a message about race relations.” have sought this grand bargain in Congress as the best way to address Olivas points out that Arizona, with its 30 percent population of America’s 11 million undocumented immigrants and both failed. The last Hispanics, at least provides some basis for xenophobia of the rest. But dis- time, December 2010, the act was narrowly defeated. criminating states such as Alabama, Since then, immigrant youth and Georgia and North Carolina have very their supporters, including Olivas small Hispanic populations. He cites and almost 100 law professors, one case in which the U.S.-born have called upon Obama to provide daughter of illegal immigrants administrative relief. The Obama worked her way through the educaadministration repeatedly stated it tional system and got into college. lacks the legal authority. However, She got a traffic ticket, records were the professors sent the White House checked, and so ended her college a memo outlining three legal mechcareer. anisms that could allow Obama to Since Plyler doesn’t address exercise his executive authority. higher education, Flores says, On June 15, 2012, Obama “higher education access has announced that he had given his become a building ground for states approval for the Department of to either attack it or provide it, yet Homeland Security to use its “prosthere’s still not sufficient resolution ecutorial discretion” to stop deportto allow students to take advantage ing certain young, law-abiding of whatever education they’ve undocumented immigrants. It’s an obtained if they’re undocumented.” apparent stopgap measure, obviousThe resolution that would have ly short of the full benefits of the allowed for this solution was the DREAM Act, which failed to pass, Development, Relief and Education but at least it does something. for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, But for many, Olivas, for one, the which would provide high-achieving new plan is a great disappointment. students a pathway to citizenship. “Within the niche where I reside, Steve Coll, in the July 2, 2012, most of my friends and colleagues issue of The New Yorker, writes, are supporters of President “Brennan’s principle inspired the Obama,” Olivas says. “He is one of DREAM Act, which is shorthand for a us, a former law professor, a liberal, series of immigration reforms that and – a point of pride for many of have come before Congress since us – a person of color who has nav2001, often with bipartisan support. igated his way in the whitest of These proposals build on Plyler’s worlds. But among those of us who Stella M. Flores, Ph.D, assistant professor of public policy and higher education, Vanderbilt University ideas: the children of illegal immiteach immigration law, the jury is grants are innocent, and so the most still out. He has not pursued immiachievement-oriented and compliant among them deserve rewards, gration reform as aggressively as he promised, while he has been among including citizenship.” the most aggressive enforcers of immigration law in history.” Olivas gives Yet the trouble with Brennan’s formulation, Coll continues, is that the the chilling statistic that this administration removed and deported nearly same reasoning that presumes innocent children also presumes guilty 400,000 unauthorized immigrants last year. Many more than Bush. adults. But, though there are no doubt some criminals among the undocuProsecutorial discretion has, in fact, been in effect since June 2011, mented, the vast majority came to this country to work, and were invited with the intent of deporting known criminals and giving consideration for and tolerated for their willingness to do labor-intensive work the Whites students who would qualify under the DREAM Act, Olivas says. But fewer did not want to do, at substandard wages. “To criminalize those who than 300 such students have been granted administrative closure thus far. responded to this ambiguous employment opportunity is irrational and The plan includes deferred action, but only delays deportation for two

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years. [Late last month, Janet Napolitano reported that under the new ruling 3,000 were applying each day and that the processing time for each is four months, during which applicants are not deported.] The students’ status is essentially frozen, Olivas says. “Tens of thousands of undocumented students are making their way through college without federal financial support and with little state financial aid available,” Olivas says. “Yet they persist – only to find that they cannot accept employment or enter their professions they have trained for. Thus cases of undocumented law-school graduates who have passed the bar are surfacing in California, Florida and Yew York, and more will surface soon enough concerning lawyers, doctors, teachers, psychologists and others as more and more unauthorized students graduate from college.” Moreover, Olivas says, outside the dozen states that have reached out to undocumented students, those in other states will not be able to raise a claim under this new policy for they won’t be able to enroll in college. Yet Flores, whose recent work has been funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates, Lumina and Ford foundations, and by Vanderbilt University, has a somewhat different take on this topic. She says she understands Olivas’ view, but also asks, “What’s the alternative? A Republican administration will deport these students in one year instead of two. Obama’s executive order is seeking the middle ground. It’s a temporary pathway, moving in the right direction. For ultimately, the law will be made at the federal level.” The New Yorker’s Coll also sees the plan as imperfect, one that “leaves a vast number of law-abiding but undocumented residents in the shadows.” Still, Coll says, “Under Obama’s plan, illegal immigrants under the

age of 30 who were brought to the United States as children and have certain other qualifications, such as a high school diploma and a clean police record, can apply for work permits and the right to live free from the fear of arrest. The decision is no Emancipation Proclamation, but it has some of that document’s transformational quality: there are few moments when a president, with a single act, can immediately uplift and legitimatize the lives of so many.” In fact, says Paul Begala, in the July 2 & 9, 2012, issue of Newsweek, “Some 800,000 young people who have done nothing wrong can now be protected from deportation.” Begala’s main point: “Lincoln was given the legal authority to free the slaves in the rebellious South in 1861. In July of 1862, he finally told his Cabinet he was ready to do so. But he didn’t. Lincoln withheld the Emancipation Proclamation, the most important presidential directive in American history, for months, finally issuing it on Sept. 22, 1862, five days after the battle of Antietam – for political reasons. Should we scrape him off Mount Rushmore?”

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UNCENSORED THE ETERNAL QUEST FOR FAIRNESS – AND AMNESTY – A new book on justice, fairness and awards explores the eternal philosophical question of how significant rewards (cash, goodies, recognition) to individuals should be distributed without causing damage (jealousy, loss of morale and loyalty, destructive anger) in the larger community. It is a good question these days when the “Occupy” movement is stirring up deep fury among the 99 percent of Americans against the 1 percent who are rewarded with everything disproportionately. Paul Woodruff, author of The Ajax Dilemma, writes that “we grow angry when rewards are given (by our leaders) to those who do not live by our values; when it is perceived that justice has failed.” The conflict over amnesty is a vibrant example. Of course, it is highly improbable (and arguably totally unfair) for every one of the 12-20 million foreign nationals currently living and working illegally in the U.S. to be summarily deported. But it is equally unjust and goes against our values about the rule of law that EVERY illegal immigrant should be given legal status and full work permits as well. Amnesty will and should go to SOME illegal immigrants. But who? What is just? That is the quest that the majority of Americans seek; the extremes on either side just make people angry because they are unfair.

NB ES TO F

LATINO, MORMON AND REPUBLICAN? – It is common knowledge among active Mormons that a majority of those who practice their faith in the next 20 years will be of Latino heritage. While much of the growth is in Latin America, growing numbers of Latinos in the U.S. Southwest are Mormon, especially in Utah, Arizona and Nevada. Many say it’s natural since those states’ dominant religion also matches traditional Latino cultural values of strong families, business and entrepreneurial interests, conservative outlook on social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion, a vibrant support network and bilingualism (Mormons are America’s most multilingual population, as many serve in language-immersion missions abroad). Politically, Mormons tend to lean Republican, and the increasing Mormon Latino electorate may as well; of the five new Latino U.S. congressmen elected in 2010, all are Republicans and one is also Mormon – Raúl Labrador of Idaho. One wonders that the Mormon presidential candidates Romney and Huntsman don’t take advantage of this “Latino connection.” Perhaps the church leadership may even realize soon that Latinos should be numerous members of its top circles. HISPANICS LIVE LONGER – In a special feature on ageing in the United States, the National Journal in its Winter 2011-12 edition came up with a chart comparing the average life expectancy at birth by race and ethnicity. While the average life

expectancy age in the U.S. is 78.4 years, the chart showed that Hispanics in the U.S. lived on the average some five years longer than Whites and 10 years longer than Blacks and Native Americans. Hispanic males lived an average of 80.6 years; and Hispanic females, 86.3. Only Asian-Americans lived longer on the average: 84.6 years for Asian-American males and 89.7 years for females. There were no explanations given. But one guess could be the Latino and Asian-American strong tradition of extended family living, care, support and respect for the elderly.

74 PERCENT OF U.S. HISPANICS ARE CITIZENS; ONLY A THIRD VOTED IN 2008 – There is a growing misunderstanding in America about Latinos. Because many immigrant rights advocates focus on legalizing millions of undocumented Latinos as their priority issue, many Americans have come to believe that the majority of Latinos in the U.S. are illegal immigrants. But the 2010 Census shows that SEVENTY-FOUR PERCENT of the 50.7 million HISPANICS currently here are U.S. CITIZENS – 37,463,894 (5,524,355 naturalized). Of course, not all Hispanic citizens are eligible to vote. More than 25 percent of Hispanics are under the age of 18; and many Hispanic citizens don’t register to vote. In the 2008 presidential election, only 10,982,000 Hispanic citizens registered and 9.7 million actually cast ballots. In 2008, about 67 percent of Hispanics voted Democratic, 6,529 million, and 31 percent voted Republican, more than three million (note: 95 percent of Black voters voted Democratic, some 15.9 million individuals – more than double the number of Hispanics). Getting more Hispanic citizens to register to vote is a top priority for both Republican and Democratic operatives this year. WHAT HAPPENED TO BILINGUAL ED? DONE IN BY NCLB? – The steady disappearance of Spanish/English immersion bilingual programs in U.S. public schools, and the growth of Limited English Language courses instead, was questioned by a passionate group of Latino educators and activists this June in Virginia at a Hispanic Community Action Summit sponsored by the White House. It’s a concern across the country, according to Gabriel Sandoval, a White House Hispanic educational advisor. But even among advocates, there is no broad agreement what bilingual education is: half-and-half day programs? Heritage language submersion until fifth grade? Through junior high school? How can bilingual programs be implemented in school systems where students claim dozens of different native languages? One point on which participants agreed: bilingual ed (as so many other specialty programs) has been done-in by the priority throughout the country on preparing children to meet the No Child Left Behind math and English requirements.

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OECD DISCOVERS WHY SOME PEOPLE LEARN LANGUAGES BETTER – For years, Bruno della Chiesa, who lives variously in France, Germany, Egypt, Mexico, Austria and the U.S. and is a self-defined “pluricultural’ European and quadrilingual,” wanted to find out why some people learn multiple languages better than others. A trained linguist from the universities of Bonn and Paris-Sorbonne, Chiesa founded the OECD Center for Educational Research and Learning Sciences to study how the brain learns languages; and the Globalization, Languages and Cultures program at Harvard University. In May, he presented his multiyear 50-country OECD report on Languages in a Global World. The study is highly readable even as it gets into the weeds of sociolinguistics, neuroscience and things called “tesseracts-inthe-brain” that enable language learning. But Chiesa makes the question “so what fires up the tesseracts?” dramatic and meaningful. Not to take away anything from this fascinating study, but the bottom line is both “aha” and “duh”: it’s MOTIVATION. People in countries that speak minor or even “exotic” languages are motivated to learn other languages by Peggy Sands Orchowski for their future survival. Easy! BUT, how do ambitious global-thinking parents in the U.S. motivate their young children to learn a perceived future important language such as Chinese or Arabic, when everyone the child knows is monolingual? Bruno has little help for that parental presumption.

COLLEGE TRENDS NOW REFLECT HISPANICS’ M.O. – Hispanic college students may have an advantage in dealing with the new challenges of going to college these days. The traditional ways of choosing and attending college are changing rapidly and now reflects what Latino families have more often faced. According to many recent trend studies, more college students today go to a local college or choose the college they attend based on financial factors. More students now live at home, work more, rely on savings and take practical majors that will lead to jobs. Today’s average college parent contributes less toward their kids’ college expenses and is increasingly reluctant or unable to borrow more. Hispanic students are used to these challenges. Traditional students may have to learn from them.

MOST HISPANICS GO INTO BUSINESSES, BUT FEW ARE IN BUSINESS SCHOOLS – Census data show more Latinos own or work in businesses than African-Americans while more than double the number of Blacks

than Hispanics have government jobs. Blacks and Hispanics are almost equally represented in the armed services. These professional choices might be due to the fact that of the total Hispanic population, almost 25 percent are not citizens while about 10 percent of Blacks are foreign-born and noncitizens. Business is the best opportunity for these diverse students. But top business schools still are short of American minority students – except for one group: those of Asian descent, now the fastest-growing ethnic group in America.

CALL A LOAN A LOAN, NOT FINANCIAL AID – Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., can be sharp-tongued on issues he feels strongly about. One is college affordability. In a recent Senate hearing, he lambasted the doublespeak of financial aid “award” letters. “Financial aid is usually not an ‘award,’ he said. “It’s not a grant, not a scholarship, not for free. Financial aid is usually a loan. A loan should be identified as a loan. And work study is not study, it’s work. Work is work; a loan is a loan. Period.”

BILINGUAL CHILDREN: HANDICAPPED OR BRAINIER? – Seems education leaders can’t make up their minds about bilingual children. Many studies about especially young Latinos in grade school note that a large proportion of them, usually immigrant children, speak another language at home. It is determined that especially the Spanish-speaking kids need years of special often isolated help when they get to public grade school in order to “keep up” – as if they are handicapped by speaking other than English at home. Yet study after study shows the ease most children have in picking up the dominant language of the country when mainstreamed in school from the start. And in fact, bilingual children especially have the advantage over monolingual children in brain development and flexibility by learning to speak at least two languages. Some charter and expensive private schools are trying to duplicate that advantage by introducing a couple of hours of Spanish or Chinese instruction a week into their school curricula. American educators seem to be a bit confused about bilingualism. Margaret (Peggy Sands) Orchowski was a reporter for AP South America and for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. She earned a doctorate in international educational administration from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She lives in Washington, D.C., where she was an editor at Congressional Quarterly and now is a freelance journalist and columnist covering Congress and higher education.

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2012 MAJOR APPOINTMENTS Ortega Awarded Mexico’s Highest Honor

Ponjuan Receives NEA’s 2012 New Scholar Award

Northern New Mexico College President Dr. Nancy “Rusty” Barceló has been selected as the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) 2012 Scholar. The award is the highest honor bestowed by NACCS and was established in 1981 to recognize life achievements and contributions to academia of scholars in Chicana and Chicano studies.

Julio Ortega, professor of Hispanic studies at Brown University (R.I.), has been honored by the government of Mexico with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest decoration awarded by Mexico to foreign citizens. Born in Peru, Ortega studied literature at Universidad Católica in Lima.

Dr. Luis Ponjuan was recently honored with the National Education Association’s (NEA) 2012 New Scholar Award. Currently an assistant professor in the College of Education and director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida (UF), Ponjuan was honored for his research on Latino faculty.

CSU Appoints García President of Cal State Fullerton The California State University Board of Trustees has named Mildred García, president of California State University-Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), as president of California State University-Fullerton. García, the first Latina president in the CSU system, has been CSUDH president since 2007. She has a BS in business education from Bernard M. Baruch College, an MA in business and higher education from New York University, MA in higher education from Columbia University-Teachers College and a Doctor of Education from Columbia University-Teachers College.

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Ortiz New Chancellor at Peralta Community College District

California State University-Dominguez Hills recently announced the selection of Ramón Torrecilha as the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. Torrecilha has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from Portland State University and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Board of Trustees of the Peralta Community College District has announced the appointment of Dr. José M. Ortiz as its new chancellor to lead Berkeley City College, College of Alameda and Laney and Merritt colleges in Oakland, Calif. Ortiz has a BA in English from Catholic University of Puerto Rico, MA in teaching English as a second language from West Chester State University and a doctorate in education policy, planning and administration from the University of Maryland-College Park.

University of California-Riverside (UCR) poetry professor Juan Felipe Herrera was named California’s Poet Laureate by Gov. Jerry Brown in March. Herrera has a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology from the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles, master’s in social anthropology from Stanford University and MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

George Mason University (Va.) has selected Dr. Angel Cabrera to be the institution’s next president. Cabrera is currently president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a leading school of international business, a position he’s held since 2004. A native of Spain, he has a BS and MS in engineering from Madrid Polytechnical University and an MS and Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar.

CSU Dominguez Hills Names Torrecilha New Provost

Herrera Named California Poet Laureate

Cabrera Named Sixth President of George Mason University

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Photo © Sergio Ochoa

Barceló Wins Prestigious Academic Award

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CSU Appoints Morales to Head San Bernardino Campus The California State University Board of Trustees has named Tomás D. Morales, president of the College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY), as president of California State University-San Bernardino. Morales is one of the few higher education administrators in the United States who has held senior administrative positions at the three largest public university systems in the nation: California State University, the State University of New York (SUNY) and CUNY. He holds a bachelor’s

ACHIEVEMENTS, AND AWARDS Reif Becomes MIT’s 17th President

SFCC Appoints Guzmán President The Santa Fe Community College (N.M.) Governing Board has named Dr. Ana Margarita “Cha” Guzmán of San Antonio, Texas, as the institution’s seventh president. Guzmán has been president of Palo Alto College in San Antonio for the past 12 years and is currently on the governing board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities. She has a BS in education from Stout State University in Wisconsin, an MA in sociology from Texas Southern University in Houston and an Ed.D. from the University of Houston.

Library of Congress Awards Kluge Prize for Study of Humanity to President Cardoso The Library of Congress has awarded the 2012 John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity to Fernando Henrique Cardoso, one of the leading scholars and practitioners of political economy in recent Latin American history.

In August, the Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission (LPRAC) presented Carmen Cid, dean, School of Arts and Sciences, Eastern Connecticut State University, with a “Latina Citizen of the Year” award. Cid has a bachelor’s degree in biology from New York University and a master’s and Ph.D. in ecology from Ohio State University and Michigan State University, respectively.

Castells Honored with Prestigious Holberg International Memorial Prize Photo © Dominick Reuter

L. Rafael Reif, a distinguished electrical engineer who served as provost for seven years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was selected as MIT’s 17th president in May. Reif was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Venezuela’s Universidad de Carabobo. He earned an MS in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Cid Named Latina Citizen of the Year in Connecticut

His scholarly analysis of the social structures of government, the economy and race relations in Brazil laid the intellectual groundwork for his leadership as president, 19952002.

degree in history from SUNY-New Paltz and a master’s and Ph.D. in educational administration and policy studies from SUNY-Albany.

Manuel Castells, university professor of communication and sociology at the University of Southern California (USC), has been awarded Norway’s 2012 Holberg International Memorial Prize, a $775,000 accolade that recognizes outstanding scholarly work in arts and humanities, social science, law and theology. Castells holds the Wallis Annenberg Chair of Communication Technology and Society at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, is a research professor at the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, and is professor emeritus, University of CaliforniaBerkeley.

Miyares Appointed President of University of Maryland University College In October, Javier Miyares became president of University of Maryland University College (UMUC). Miyares, born in Cuba, attended the University of Maryland-College Park, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees and beginning work on his doctorate.

Menjares Selected to Head Fresno Pacific University Pete Menjares recently became the 11th president of Fresno Pacific University (Calif.). For the past 16 years, Menjares has been a teacher and administrator at Biola University, most recently vice provost for faculty development and academic effectiveness. He has a BA in pastoral ministries from Vanguard University, an MA in education – teaching and curriculum – from California State University-Dominguez Hills and a Ph.D. in education – language, literacy and learning – from the University of Southern California.

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Morrobel-Sosa Becomes New Provost at Lehman Dr. Anny Morrobel-Sosa, most recently dean of the College of Science at the University of Texas-El Paso, is the new provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Lehman College of the City University of New York. She has a B.Sc. in physics and chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, M.Sc. in chemistry from the State University of New York-Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Southern California.

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2012 Book Reviews

hroughout the year, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine has provided readers an eclectic mix of book titles to please almost any interest. Offering reviews of books that presented everything from career advice, historical sagas and political affairs to tender memoirs, anthologies, health issues and timely topics – especially those affecting Hispanics. Here’s a sampling of the reviews we featured in 2012:

The Little Book of Leadership Development: 50 Ways to Bring Out the Leader in Every Employee, by Scott J. Allen and Mitchell Kusy. 2011. 144 pgs. ISBN: 978-0814417546. $19.95 cloth. Amacom Publishing, www.amacom.org. Reviewed by Mary Ann Cooper Being a manager means not only planning, organizing and controlling the company’s business, it also means being a teacher and mentor to employees. This is not an altruistic view of the workplace, it is essential to a healthy thriving business. How else can employees make sense of how they fit into the company’s goals and increase their ability to contribute to those goals unless led by a manager who shepherds them through training in not only what it takes to be a valuable employee, but also one who can be expected to behave in a way that is ethical and brings credit to the company? The problem addressed in this book is the lack of formal training that managers should receive to become multifaceted leaders. And checking out a bookstore for tips isn’t always the most efficient way to go. The Health of Aging Hispanics: The Mexican-Origin Population by Jacqueline L. Angel and Keith E. Whitfield. Springer Science Business Media LLC 200, 294 pgs, ISBN 978-0-387-47206-5, $74.95 cloth. Reviewed by Mitchell A. Kaplan The emergence of Hispanics as one of this country’s fastest-growing minority groups has raised the profile of Latino issues in the American consciousness. The increasing visibility of Hispanics in the United States has had a major impact upon our social institutions and has significantly influenced the way we view ourselves as a society. The Health of Aging Hispanics is a ground-breaking book that offers students a unique perspective on the relationship between government policy and health care delivery within the cultural context of an aging society. This book is recommended for use by college faculty teaching graduate-level courses in gerontology, health care policy and cultural anthropology. It would also

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make a valuable resource for medical professionals working in community health care organizations that provide clinical services to MexicanAmerican older adults and their families. The Realm of Hungry Spirits by Lorraine López; 2011, 330 pages. ISBN 978- 0-446-54963-9. $13.99, paper. Grand Central Publishing Reviewed by Myrka A. González

The Realm of Hungry Spirits is about lies and truths, doubts and faith, searching and having. López’s characters are just like people we’ve only just seen on the street. The characters are stereotypes, flat and soulless. But isn’t this our first impression of any person we just met? We look at their clothes, hair, shoes and scent. Only with time do we begin to see beyond the superficial. Only after speaking with someone can one begin to see beyond the first impression. This is a book of metaphors, and just like the piñatas the children are making, the characters of the book, as seen through Marina’s eye, are hard to identify beyond the obvious. This quick read has many levels of complexity. From the many metaphors to references to Chicano writers, this is an excellent book for a class project. Beyond the Latino World War II Hero: The Social and Political Legacy of a Generation, edited by Maggie RivasRodriquez and Emilio Zamora. 2009. 256 pgs. ISBN: 978-0-292-721159. $50.00 cloth. University of Texas Press, www.utexas.edu/utpress Reviewed by Mary Ann Cooper At a time when the United States is winding down wars fought on the other side of the globe, much attention is being paid, justifiably so, to returning veterans. That is what makes this volume so timely and relevant to today’s reader. A lot has been written and said about the Greatest Generation, but until now less has been said about Mexican-Americans who contributed so much in blood and treasure to preserve freedom here and abroad. As the editors charge, even the definitive Ken Burns 2007 documentary on World War II managed to exclude the contributions of Latinas and Latinos. Up to 750,000 Mexican-American men served in World War II, earning more Medals of Honor and other decorations in proportion to their numbers than any other ethnic group.

at a glance ... Medicinal Plants of the Borderlands: A Bilingual Resource Guide by Antonio Noe Zavaleta The Texas Center for Border and Transnational Studies, The University of Texas at Brownsville, Brownsville Texas, published by AuthorHouse 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington IN 47403 (www.authorhouse.com) in 2012, 314 pages, ISBN 978-1-46854727-6, Hardcover, list $31.99, ISBN 978-1-4685-4727-66x9, Paperback, list $23.95, ISBN 978-1-4685-4727-2 e-book list $3.39

readers to judge their online decision making with 10 important tests. This book is a must-read for students and their families. The Havana Habit by Gustavo Pérez Firmat; 2010. ISBN: 978-0300-14132-0. $25.00 cloth. 225 pages. Yale University Press, www.yale.edu/yup/. (203) 432-0960. Reviewed by Myrka A. González

Reviewed by Mitchell A. Kaplan Antonio Noe Zavaleta is professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Border and Transnational Studies at the University of Texas-Brownsville. This latest book, Medicinal Plant, marks another milestone in his distinguished academic career in the field of medical anthropology. Written as a companion to an earlier work, Curandero Conversations, the book illustrates Zavaleta’s lifelong professional commitment to the study of the cultural traditions of Mexico’s border communities, which includes the folk healing known as curanderismo. Developed as a product of a research project, El Niño Fidenci/o, which Zavaleta has directed since the late 1960s, the book provides readers with an easy-to-understand reference guide that lists the names of more than 600 of the most common medicinal plants used by the folk healers of the Mexican borderlands to treat illnesses of the body and mind. lol…OMG! What Every Student Needs to Know About Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship and Cyberbullying, by Matt Ivester. 2011. 162 pages. ISBN: 978-0-61552889-2. $24.95, cloth. Serra Knight Publishing. Reviewed by Mary Ann Cooper In lol…OMG! Ivester explains the unanticipated negative consequences of students’ digital decisions – from lost job opportunities and denied college admission to national scandals. Ivester argues that everyone looks at your record online now: prospective employers, love-interests, teachers, admissions officers, even the student’s own parents. The book also illustrates how easy it is to bully someone without suffering exposure or consequences. This is ripped straight from today’s headlines detailing campus suicides that some argue were prompted by vicious cyberbullying. Ivester not only highlights the problem, he also prescribes strategies to empower students, including seven steps they can take right away to begin guarding and repairing their online reputations. He also enables

Ideally a story/book should, besides entertain, either educate, make the reader think about the topic, and/or make the reader want to read more. The Havana Habit does all four. The Havana Habit is certainly entertaining, in spite of the fact that it is so obviously written by a college professor who’s careful to use the right terminology, cite every possible reference and thank every source. The illustrations used to explain a point are so much a part of the American experience that we can’t help but smile while remembering I Love Lucy episodes or the Joker in Batman. If you want to know where the chachachá, mambo, conga, rumba, or daiquiris come from, they all come from Cuba. Firmat explains the origin of each and the how and why they became so popular in the United States. Hispanic Families at Risk: The New Economy, Work, and the Welfare State by Ronald J. Angel and Jacqueline L Angel, published by Springer Science Business Media 2009, 138 pages ISBN 978-1-44190473-7 Hardcover, list $148, ISBN 978-1-4419-0474-4, eBook list $119 Reviewed by Mitchell A. Kaplan Ronald J. Angel and Jacqueline L. Angel are professors of sociology at the University of Texas-Austin. Their book Hispanic Families at Risk presents readers with a critical analysis of the U.S. system of employment-based social benefits and identifies the barriers faced by the Hispanic population when it attempts to access such benefits. The book examines the different dimensions of the system and its implications for the economic security and health care access of Hispanic workers and their families. Using data from national population surveys, the authors point out that working-class Hispanics, particularly those of Mexican origin, tend to experience lower rates of participation in employer-sponsored health insurance and retirement programs than Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites because of their disproportionate representation in sectors of the work force that do not offer these benefits to their employees.

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REPORTS

Hispanic Students:

The

by Marilyn Gilroy

2012 statistical picture of Hispanic students provides signposts indicating steady progress but also showing critical achievement gaps. There was much to cheer about earlier last year when the Pew Hispanic Center reported a surge in the numbers of young Hispanics entering college. For the first time, more than two million 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics enrolled in college, reaching a record 16.5 percent share among all enrollments and making them the largest minority group on college campuses. In addition, the number of associate and bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics reached new highs. The good news continued in the area of high school completion rates, with the Pew analysis showing 76.3 percent of young Hispanics have obtained a high school diploma or GED, up from 72.8 percent in 2010. However, that rate still lags behind the national overall average of 85 percent and 81 percent for African-Americans. And although more young Hispanics than ever are eligible to attend college, the latest report from the College Board says that fewer than three out of 10 Hispanic high school seniors who took the SAT exams are college-ready. SAT, ACT Scores and College Readiness More than 272,000 Hispanic students took the SAT exams in 2012, marking a 1 percent increase over 2011 and a new record high. Of Hispanic test takers, 62 percent were first-generation college-goers. But while an increasing number of Hispanics took the SAT, only 23 percent met the SAT benchmark score of 1550, which research suggests is “indicative of a high likelihood of college success and completion.” That percentage is much lower than the overall 43 percent of SAT takers who were deemed college ready, a rate also disappointing to analysts and educators. Students who

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meet the benchmark are more likely to enroll in a four-year institution, earn a higher first-year GPA in college and return to school beyond the first year. The report advocates for continued development of the common core curriculum as a means of making high school course work more rigorous for students. Data show that Hispanics who complete a core curriculum and enroll in honors and/or Advanced Placement (AP) courses score better on the exam. There is much work to be done in improving college readiness for Hispanics, as evidenced by the gaps among racial/ethnic groups completing college-preparatory and advanced academic courses. Specifically, 80 percent of White students who took the SAT completed the core curriculum, as did 73 percent of Asian-American students, but only 69 percent of Hispanics and 65 percent of Black students did. In mathematics, where the largest gap exists, 47 percent of Asian-Americans who took the SAT reported taking Advanced Placement and/or honors mathematics, compared to 40 percent of White students, 31 percent of Hispanic students and 25 percent of Black students. In 2012, the average GPA of a Latino/a student in high school is 3.22. That number is higher than African-American students, who averaged a 3.05 but behind Whites, who averaged 3.45. Asian-Americans have the highest GPA at 3.52. College Board officials say there are many nonschool factors that affect academic performance, including parental education, family income and language barriers. The ACT 2012 Condition of College and Career Readiness: Hispanic Students report showed trends similar to the SAT results. More Hispanic high school students than ever took the ACT exam and increased their average score. According to the report: • 234,456 Hispanic high school 2012 graduates took the ACT • From 2008-12, the number of ACT test-taking Hispanic graduates has increased by about 104 percent • Hispanic students increased their average score to 18.9, up from 18.6 one year ago, the greatest improvement among all racial/ethnic groups; the

Hispanic High School Completion Among 18- to 24-Year-Olds (%) 80% 76.3 75

50 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2011 Source: Pew Hispanic Center, 2012

2012 Statistical Survey national average ACT composite score was 21.1, unchanged from 2011 • Only 13 percent of Hispanics met all four college-readiness benchmarks as compared to 42 percent of Asian-Americans, 32 percent of Whites and 5 percent of Black students

The gap in college readiness is even more significant when examining students’ career interests and aspirations, which the ACT measures. Many Hispanics students interested in the five fastest-growing career fields, including education, computer information, community services, management and marketing, fall short of meeting ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks. The report suggests these students “are not on the right path to take advantage of career opportunities in these high growth fields.” Given the fact that most Hispanic students indicated the desire for a posthigh school credential, ranging from an associate degree to graduate degrees, ACT has called for more planning, monitoring and intervention to align students’ aspirations with their educational careers.

total graduate enrollment fell 6.0 percent for Native Americans/Alaskan Natives and 1.5 percent for Whites. The top four graduate fields of study for Hispanics are education, business, social and behavioral sciences and arts/humanities. Approximately 14 percent of Hispanic first-time graduate students are enrolled in the natural sciences and engineering.

Looking to the Future Hispanics have reached new milestones in the public schools. The Pew Hispanic Center reports that for the first time, one in four (24.7 percent) public elementary school students are Hispanic, following similar milestones Number of Hispanics Earning Associate and Bachelor’s Degrees,1977-2010 (thousands) 160 140 140

Record Number of Degrees Conferred The number of degrees conferred on Hispanics of all ages reached record levels, according to The Condition of Education 2012 report from U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. In fact, Hispanics have outpaced other groups in rate of growth and share of all degree recipients. Among U.S. residents, the number of associate degrees earned by Hispanic students more than doubled from academic years 2000 to 2010 (latest available data), increasing from 51,500 to 112,000 and representing 13 percent of all associate degrees awarded in 2010. During the same 10-year time period, the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students increased by 87 percent. In 2010, Hispanics earned 140,000, or 9 percent, of all bachelor’s degrees conferred. Similarly, the numbers of master’s degrees earned by Hispanic students more than doubled from 2000 to 2010, increasing by 125 percent. As a result, among U.S. residents in 2010, Hispanics earned 7 percent (43,500) of all master’s degrees conferred. In addition, the number of doctoral degrees awarded since 2010 increased by 60 percent for Hispanic students, rising to 8,085. Within each racial/ethnic group, women earned the majority of degrees at all levels in 2009-10. Hispanic females earned 62 percent of associate degrees, 61 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 64 percent of master’s degrees and 55 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to Hispanic students. Graduate School Enrollment In its annual Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reported that U.S. graduate schools saw a 1.7 percent dip in enrollments of first-time graduate students between fall 2010 and fall 2011, marking the second consecutive year of slight decreases. Across the board, graduate school enrollments remain ahead of where they were a decade ago, but the latest figures reverse increases for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years, when enrollments grew 4.5 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. Despite the downturn in first-time graduate students, the report shows overall Hispanic enrollment has increased. Between fall 2010 and fall 2011, Hispanics saw gains of 4 percent; African-Americans, 2.9 percent; and Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders, 1.3 percent. Over the same period,

112

120 100

Bachelor's degree

80 60 40

Associate degree

19 20 17 0 1977

1981

1991

1995

1999

2003

2007 2010

Source: Pew Hispanic Center, 2012

reached recently by Hispanics among public kindergarten students in 2007 and public nursery school students in 2006. Among all pre-K through 12thgrade public school students, a record 23.9 percent were Hispanic in 2011. Data indicate that the nation’s Hispanic student population continues to grow. More than 12.4 million Hispanics were enrolled in the nation’s public schools, pre-K through 12th grade, according to the latest of U.S. Census Bureau figures. Overall, Hispanic students make up nearly onequarter (23.9 percent) of the nation’s public school enrollment, up from one-fifth (19.9) percent in 2005 and 16.7 percent in 2000. Analysts point out that although the Hispanic share of public school enrollment is growing, enrollment is lagging at pre-K level, a development stage many believe is an important first step in closing achievement gaps. A report by Richard Fry and Mark Hugo López at the Pew Research Center says Hispanic children are less likely to enroll in nursery schools overall than other children. In October 2011, they represented only 20 percent of all nursery school enrollments at both private and public schools. Yet, as students in nursery school progress through kindergarten and into elementary school and high school, Hispanic students will make up a rising share of public high school students and all public school students in coming years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2036, Hispanics are projected to compose one-third of the nation’s children ages 3 to 17.

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2013 – A Look Forward COMMENTARY

by Mary Ann Cooper

ever has there been a time when the future of higher education has been more cloaked in mystery. The combination of economic imperatives and the encroachment of cutting-edge technology are affecting the way colleges and universities operate, changing business models that have been in place for nearly a millennium. In 2013, institutions of higher education will address financial aid from their states, competing with lawmakers’ job creation initiatives, and will try to keep one step ahead of technology advances. In the Pew Research Center’s publication The Future of Higher Education, by Janna Anderson, Jan Lauren Boyles and Lee Rainie, the authors note that although universities and colleges have remained basically unchanged as the main societal hub for knowledge and learning, even with advancements like the moveable-type printing press, the Industrial Revolution, the telegraph, telephone, radio, television, and computers, the new year and the years leading up to 2020 will force significant changes on their learning delivery systems and learning environments. The report reads, “Today, though, the business of higher education seems to some to be as susceptible to tech disruption as other information-centric industries such as the news media, magazines and journals, encyclopedias, music, motion pictures, and television. The transmission of knowledge need no longer be tethered to a college campus. The technical affordances of cloud-based computing, digital textbooks, mobile connectivity, high-quality streaming video, and ‘just-in-time’ information gathering have pushed vast amounts of knowledge to the ‘placeless’ Web. This has sparked a robust reexamination of the modern university’s mission and its role within networked society.” The other problem colleges and universities must confront is the increasing dissatisfaction

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expressed by students and parents about the cost of higher education and the value of a degree in today’s changing society. While 60 percent of American adults viewed universities as having a positive effect on how things are going in the country and 84 percent of college graduates said money spent in pursuit of a college degree was a good investment, a majority (75 percent) of the public at large said tuition is unaffordable and 57 percent said a college education is not a “good value” for what students and families spend on it. According to the Pew report, in 2013 colleges and universities will continue to fight for their share of the higher education pie with for-profit universities, nonprofit learning organizations, commercial lecture programs, online services and specialized training centers for trade certification and licensing. The report explains, “All these can easily scale online instruction delivery more quickly than can brick-and-mortar institutions.” A Pew Research Center 2011 study found in a survey of college presidents that more than three-fourths (77 percent) of respondents said their institution offered online course offerings. This number is expected to increase in 2013. This same survey found that 50 percent of these same presidents held the belief that most students at their schools will be enrolled in at least some online classes within the next 10 years. One of the reasons why these numbers will continue to grow is the pressure that is brought to bear by everyone from the board of trustees to students to faculty members pushing for change. The report offers the case in point of the University of Virginia (UVA). The authors of the Pew report explains, “The school’s [UVA] governing body, the Board of Visitors, voted to oust school President Teresa Sullivan, arguing that she was not pursuing change quickly enough. After a faculty, student, and alumni uproar, the Board reversed course and reinstated her. Still, the school announced within a week of her return that it was joining Coursera – a privately held, online instructional delivery firm. That meant it would join numerous other elite research institutions, including Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, and others as part of Coursera’s online consortium. As of mid-2012, Coursera’s massively open online courses (MOOCs) were provided free to its students – enabling unfettered, global access for millions to engage with some of the country’s most

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prestigious universities.” So, will this mean that students will no longer receive individualized instruction and benefit from the group interaction and discussion that is common in classroom? Proponents of “clicks” over “bricks,” the move to conduct classes online and not in traditional classrooms, say that individual instruction doesn’t exist in lecture halls where professors address students in large over-packed amphitheaters. They also point out that social media are the mode of communication most used by students on today’s college campuses. Also, proponents say that classrooms won’t disappear altogether. From 2013 to 2020, schools will transition into hybrid classes, taking the best of online learning practices and combining them with less face time in classrooms but increased access to instructors through social media and e-mail contact. And no school will create a one-size-fits-all blueprint for learning. As the Pew report notes, “Most universities' assessment of learning will take into account more individually oriented outcomes and capacities that are relevant to subject mastery. Requirements for graduation will be significantly shifted to customized outcomes.” The transition from “bricks” to “clicks” will be fueled by recognition by state legislators and governors in many states of the need to make education funding a priority in even the most economically challenging times. By 2020, a 22 percent increase of jobs requiring more than a high school education is projected – and states are taking note of it. In the presentation, Creating the Future – 2013 Trends in Education + Design by Deb Moore, School Planning & Management and College Planning & Management, 17 governors propose to increase or maintain current education funding. Also, 26 governors have incorporated education finding as part of their growth and jobs plan for their states. The Pew report concludes that, in the end, students will continue to be educated for careers of the future. It reads, “higher education will not be much different from the way it is today. While people will be accessing more resources in classrooms through the use of large screens, teleconferencing, and personal wireless smart devices, most universities will mostly require inperson, on-campus attendance of students most of the time at courses featuring a lot of traditional lectures. Most universities' assessment of learning and their requirements for graduation will be about the same as they are now.”

Impact of 2012 Election on Education Policy “Enforcement” and Not Much Fun New Stuff COMMENTARY

uring a speech at the National Press Club by Education Secretary Arne Duncan just before the election, a longtime Department of Education assistant director revealed that working for the Obama/Duncan education administration had been the “most fun” of any. The reason – “We’ve had a lot of money to spend.” Now it seems like that might change, even as President Obama has won a second term and Secretary Duncan will stay on. A panel of education experts, including a representative of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, met at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) – a right-of-center think tank in Washington, D.C. – two days after the election to discuss what the election’s impact on education policies and programs might be. Bottom line: “It will be a lot less fun at the Department of Ed in Obama’s second term,” said Frederick M. Hess, AEI’s director of education-policy studies. “By necessity of economics and politics, there won’t be much urgency to do much new. Education Department focus will turn instead from the development of new policies and programs to mostly implementing and trying to maintain those that already exist. What will be most interesting for us analysts will be to watch and ponder how the Obama/Duncan Department of Education will deal with noncompliance, especially in No Child Left Behind.” The concept of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its embrace of statelevel experimentation and competition has been clearly supported by Republicans. It was initiated by President George W. Bush, and it passed by leading Democrats – the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and former House education leader George Miller, Hess notes in his National Affairs article “A Federal Education Agenda,” co-authored with Andrew P. Kelly. That includes support for Obama’s centerpiece reform program Race to the Top, which provided states with a $ 4.35 billion competitive grant incentive program to embrace reforms such as expanded charter schools, performance-based teacher accountability processes and innovation awards. But now the problematic pieces such as the “Adequate Yearly Progress” sanctions, the “highly qualified teacher” mandate and various “modish trends” such as cultural competency professional development will face the reality of financial limitations as much as politics, Hess writes. “There is much concern about the waiver process of NCLB,” said Katherine Haley, assistant for policy to Boehner. Increasing numbers of states are asking for waivers from the AYP standards, and compliance to the standards may become an issue. But she agreed that NCLB remains an important and useful accountability system – the first time that states were required to disaggregate and report student-achievement data by socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity. “Congress will have to respond to the political pressure surrounding all that,” she indicated. As for higher education initiatives, “keep an eye on the Stafford loans,” said Hess. “The shortfalls are significant, and there will be pressure on how it can be reformed.”

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

The panel agreed that federal funding for education in general will be a lower priority than in the previous two decades. “Education funding goes up and down,” Hess said. “It’s actually had an incredible run the past few presidents. But health care funding could trump ed in this term – maybe even Iran or the Middle East.” “Education is no longer at the top of funding priorities,” said Kirsten Soltis Anderson of the Winston Group. “At the top, it is now seen as just one of many economic sectors to deal with. The economy, health care and deficit reduction are the top-tier priorities now. Unlike in 2000 or even 2008, education is now the top of the second tier.” The FEA reauthorization will be downplayed in Congress, agreed Allyson. “What will they start with? House Education and Workforce committee Chairman John Kline, R-Minn., might start with a bill dealing with teacher evaluations. “There is a large caucus in the House at present not to do education reform,” said Haley. “It wasn’t a big issue in the election. The Education and Workforce Committee moved to give states greater flexibility and responsibility in funding, the assessment of schools, and teacher reforms. “Most people know there won’t be much new funding for education coming from the feds,” agreed Andy Rotherham of Bellwether Education Partners. “The funding action must turn to the states – and for them, the fiscal cliff is not the issue. For states, the biggest challenge is meeting future pension and public benefits funding.” One thing for sure, however, is that the Department of Education will remain a solid executive branch entity. “It isn’t going anywhere. Despite the election rhetoric, most all conservatives understand, accept and even support a constructive if limited role for the federal government in education. Even the Tea Party class of 2010 routinely supported maintaining or increasing federal funds for Title I, Special education and federal student loans. Their claim that ‘government should simply get out of schooling’ amounted to little more than empty rhetoric,” Hess said. The panel did not mention the $1 billion special federal funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions that was instituted by Duncan in 2009 for the next 10 years. With the election won by Democrats, programs for minorityserving colleges are probably assured. Monies that would go to support in-state tuition for some illegal immigrants (particularly those who qualify for President Obama’s two-year Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order), would of course be decided state by state. Estimation of the costs is almost impossible since the number of illegal immigrant children who graduated from high school is not allowed to be counted. If a federal DREAM Act bill is passed eventually, it might allow states to give the subsidy; but it is not for Congress to decide.

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Over-Protective Parents, Grade Inflation and Today’s College Student

They

by Frank DiMaria

were seven years of age when The book cites 12 examples of parent J. K. Rowling published her involvement, from the parent who phoned a colfirst Harry Potter novel and 11 lege to complain that the school was not waking when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade her son up in time for classes to the parent who Center and the Pentagon. They are digital natives, wrote to urge the school to make certain that and like those of the generations before them, when it assigned roommates, the parents of the they have grown up in a world vastly different than students should be a good match as well as the that of the generation that preceded them. Their students themselves. parents grew up in a world in which nuclear war between nations was a constant threat. This sheltering and frequent contact is They grew up in a world in which they witcausing problems for campus administranessed the reality of insurgent terrorism cartors now and will cause problems for ried out by networks, not nations. Like the members of this generation in the future. generations that immediately preceded them, When today’s college students enter a they have a name: the millennials. workforce in which they will not be codArthur Levine, Ph.D., calls it the most dled by their bosses, it will be a rude awaksheltered generation ever, and describes the ening. The employers Levine interviewed individuals who comprise the generation as are already seeing some negative effects. almost Peter Pan-like. In his book One employer told him that an employee Generation on a Tightrope, he describes phoned in early one morning informing his their struggle to maintain their balance as boss that the weather was too beautiful to they attempt to cross the gulf between their come into work, so he would work from dreams and the diminished realities of the home that day. Another employer told world in which they live. Levine that a new hire said that she needed The book is the result of a series of sura longer lunch break so she would have veys Levine, president of the Woodrow more time to shop with her friends on her Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, lunch hour. conducted with his co-author Diane Dean, One could make the case that when parassociate professor of higher education and ents intervene on behalf of their children, policy at Illinois State University. Through they are doing more harm than good and their research at America’s colleges and may be setting them up for failure. This universities, Levine and Dean uncovered generation of college students might never some surprising facts. develop the skills necessary to solve its own One of the most extraordinary, and in problems face to face. “The prime example some ways troubling, was the overwhelming is of two students who are having a dispute involvement by parents in their child’s colsitting in the same room texting each other, lege education. Thirty-seven percent of growing increasingly fierce in the quality of senior student affairs officials listed parent their texts and not looking at each other,” Arthur Levine, Ph.D., president, Woodrow Wilson National involvement as the biggest change in educasays Levine. “It’s a group of students who Fellowship Foundation, past president, tion since 2001, more than any other factor. Teachers College, Columbia University don’t do well at solving problems.” No other change mentioned in the surveys Parent involvement and sheltering has came close in frequency, writes Levine. made this generation less autonomous and far Between 2001 and 2008, three-quarters of Parents are not just intervening on behalf of worse than any generation that preceded it at all the colleges and universities Levine surveyed their children, they are also in constant contact interpersonal relationships, Levine found. It is reported increases in the frequency of parent with them. Two out of five students (41 percent) the first generation of digital natives to attend involvement and intervention. Half said that the are in touch with parents by phone, e-mail, text college, and the technology it has at its disposal frequency of parent visits had increased. or a visit at least daily. One in five (19 percent) is has made it harder for students to acquire the Between 2008 and 2011, seven of 10 institutions in contact three or more times a day, according skills necessary for dealing with interpersonal that Levine surveyed indicated that parent to an undergraduate study conducted in 2009. relationships. These students, says Levine, work involvement in student lives had increased and “This is a generation that has not been per- well on teams – but only if they collaborate 58 percent reported more parent contact with mitted to skin their knees. Their parents have online rather than face to face. administrators and faculty members. been there to protect them,” says Levine. Technology has made it easier for students

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and their parents to communicate these days through e-mail, texting and cell phones, causing even further problems for administrators. Today college students can vent to their parents in real time, telling them how unhappy they are. When this happens, parents overreact and contact colleges to check on their child. Of course, parents expect daily contact from colleges and universities as well. It’s not unusual for administrators to receive a phone call from a worried parent asking them to check on their child if he or she has not contacted the parent in a couple days. College students, Levine says, are more likely to contact their parents and share their problems before they contact college administrators or advisors. Issues that could have been solved if the student had gone through the appropriate channels are getting blown way out of proportion. Today’s generation of college students has an over-inflated view of itself, says Levine. But this “false” view is not solely its fault. “This generation is one in which everyone has won an award for something – best trombonist born on April 5. They are used to doing very, very well. They do poorly in terms of adversity because they have not had to face it. That’s a limitation,” says Levine. “They are not used to adversity.” The grading system at today’s colleges and universities and what some view as grade inflation is not doing them any favors. According to the Undergraduate Survey, in 1969 only 7 percent of students indicated that they had a GPA of A-minus or higher. In 2009, that percentage increased to a whopping 41 percent. In 1969, 25 percent of college students reported a GPA of C or lower. In 2009, that percentage plummeted to 5. Levine calls grades one of the most curious aspects of this generation and says that grade inflation is rampant on today’s college campuses. To make matters worse, surprisingly, Levine found that 60 percent of students believe that their grades understate the true quality of their work, and 46 percent say they are doing as well as they would like academically. But these numbers don’t seem to add up in light of these two telling facts: Six out of 10 community college and three out of 10 four-year college students are taking remedial or basics skills courses. “This is a pretty extraordinary picture. You end up scratching your head and saying ‘how can this be true,’” says Levine. “Most people tend to blow off” these statistics, “but I think this is really problematic.” However, Levine thinks he has found the disconnect. Today’s college students, he says, often mistake quantity for quality and process for outcome. They assume that if they work hard on an assignment, their grade should reflect their effort, regardless of the quality of the finished product. The students that Levine interviewed rarely mentioned differential ability. Ninety-three percent say they work hard, 83 percent feel that hard work pays off, and 89 percent describe themselves as intellectuals.

“This reaffirms the exalted image students have of their abilities. I think one of the best things colleges and universities can do for students is to teach them their strengths and weaknesses. They are going to go out into the world, and they need to know the strengths they have,” says Levine. Not all the problems this generation faces, or will face, are brought on by parent involvement and grade inflation. This generation is living through a severe international recession that has produced high unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies, increased national debt and oil prices, the loss of 8.5 million jobs, and declines in home prices consumer confidence, and international trade and credit. It’s no surprise that they are highly critical of business and overwhelmingly believe that private corporations are overly concerned with profits and care little about public responsibilities. They also believe that CEOs are not deserving of their high salaries, Levine found. “This puts this generation in an ambiguous position. Here’s a generation that overwhelmingly is positive about personal futures – nine out of 10 are optimistic about their own futures. And they expect to be at least as well off as their parents. On the other hand, nearly 70 percent are pessimistic about the future of the country and believe that programs like Social Security won’t be there when they reach retirement age,” says Levine. It is from this ambiguity that Levine got the title for the book. They are walking a tightrope – they have extraordinary dreams, but they live in a world in which reality does not support those dreams, he says. The economy is playing a significant role in the decisions this generation is making and the attitudes it carries about college. Two-thirds of today’s college students will graduate owing more than $31,000. This need to pay back their enormous student loans plays a significant role in their course selection. These lean economic times have made this generation far more pragmatic than generations of the recent, choosing majors in fields that offer the best promise for employment. “If I become an artist, what’s the chance I’m actually going to get a job that pays an adequate amount of money? The numbers taking pre-law, or pre-med and business are much higher than the percentage of students who want to go into those fields,” says Levine. Current undergraduates are demanding career skills and knowledge from college, not a broad, liberal arts education. Nearly three of four say training, occupational skills and gaining a detailed grasp of a special field is essential, Levine reports. In 1976, 44 percent of respondents to the Undergraduate Survey indicated that the chief benefit of a college education was to increase one’s earning potential. In 2009, that number rose to 67 percent. In 1969, 62 percent felt that

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the initial goal for college was to get a detailed grasp of a special field. That number rose to 74 percent in 2009. In 1969, 59 percent thought the essential role of college was to get training and job skills for an occupation while 71 percent said that the essential goal for college was to formulate life values. In 2009, those numbers were 73 percent and 50 percent. In 1969, 76 percent thought that it is essential for individuals to learn how to get along with people at college. In 2009, that number plummeted to 38 percent. “These numbers are part of a larger issue. These kids came of age during the recession and have made a lot of changes. They are working more than their predecessors did, and they are taking fewer credits than their predecessors did. Many are taking majors they don’t want to take because they think that will get them the jobs. Some are stopping out of college because they can’t afford to continue,” says Levine. Faced with finding a job in a tough economy, it’s not surprising that financially security and acquiring utilitarian goals from college are at the top of their list. Despite a poor economy, high tuition, racking up gobs of debt and several other negatives that Levine illustrates in the book, today’s college student is remarkably satisfied with the college experience. Seventy-nine percent are happy at college, the same percent in the 1993 survey. A higher proportion than ever, 83 percent, say they would rather be going to college than be doing anything else, and more students than in the past indicate that their professors care about them. “On the other hand,” says Levine, “This is a generation that is not attending college events. Their social lives are outside the college. This is a group that is worried about the future and wants all these things from colleges but is not sure what it can get. This generation is a web of contradictions,” says Levine. It is as though this generation has said, “Things out there are terrible, but I’m going to beat the odds. ... I’ve got it all; I’ve got the family that will back me up; I’ve got the skills I’m going to need for the future; I’m going to make it.”

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

www.hispanicoutlook.com

Record Shares of Young Adults and women; Blacks, Whites and Hispanics; Have Finished Both High School and foreign-born and native-born and College Americans. WASHINGTON, D.C.

Record shares of young adults are completing high school, going to college and finishing college, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of recently available census data. In 2012, for the first time ever, one-third of the nation’s 25- to 29year-olds have completed at least a bachelor’s degree. These across-the-board increases have occurred despite dramatic immigration-driven changes in the racial and ethnic composition of college-age young adults, a trend that had led some experts to expect a decline in educational attainment. College completion is now at record levels among key demographic groups: men

Public Colleges and Universities Commit to 3.8 Million Degree Boost in College Completion by 2025 WASHINGTON, D.C.

Nearly 490 four-year public colleges and universities have pledged to boost college completion by 3.8 million students to help the nation reach the goal of 60 percent of adults possessing a college degree by 2025. Through Project Degree Completion: A Public University Initiative, the institutions will increase the number of college degrees they award from an estimated 14.6 million to 18.4 million over the next 14 years. Collectively, public colleges and universities

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Also, a record share of the nation’s young adults ages 25 to 29 (90 percent) has finished at least a high school education. And another record share – 63 percent – has completed at least some college. Some of the “credit” for recent increases appears to go to the Great Recession of 2007-09 and the sluggish jobs recovery since. With young adults facing sharply diminished labor market opportunities, their rate of high school and college completion has been rising slowly but steadily since 2007, after having been stagnant during better economic times earlier in the decade. Changing public attitudes about the importance of going to college to succeed in an increasingly knowledge-based labor market might also have played a role. In 1978, the public was evenly divided over whether a currently award just over one million degrees annually. The participating institutions are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). Their membership represents nearly all the fouryear public colleges and universities in the country. “Project Degree Completion is an unprecedented initiative that will drive the instructional agenda of public universities and colleges in the years ahead,” said M. Peter McPherson, president of APLU. “Never before have public colleges and universities, and our two associations, formally come together around such an important and sus-

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college education was necessary to get ahead in life. Roughly 30 years later, a lopsided majority firmly endorsed the necessity of a college degree. In a 2009 Pew Research Center survey, 73 percent of American adults agreed that, in order to get ahead in life these days, it is necessary to get a college education. Similarly, when the Gallup Organization asked about the importance of college in 2010, 75 percent of Americans said a college education is “very important.” In 1978, only 36 percent said the same. The nation’s college-age population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse – today some 44 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds are non-White, up from 17 percent in 1971. Historically, Hispanic and Black youths have trailed White and AsianAmerican youths in educational attainment. That remains the case, but rates for all four groups are rising at a similar pace.

tained effort. This initiative is an economic competitiveness imperative for the future of the country and the individuals involved.” The Project Degree Completion pledge is broadly consistent with the efforts of the Obama administration, the Lumina Foundation, the College Board and other prominent educational foundations and postsecondary groups – to enhance the nation’s global competitiveness by increasing the numbers of adults with postsecondary credentials. Formerly first in the developed world in the proportion of the population with a college education, today the United States stands 14th in the world.

The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

Latinos Express Growing Confidence in Personal Finances, Nation’s Direction WASHINGTON, D.C.

Hispanics have grown more satisfied with the nation’s direction and more confident in their finances since 2011, according to a new survey from the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Today approximately half of Latinos, 51 percent, express satisfaction with the direction of the country, a 13 percentage point increase over 2011, when 38 percent said the same. One-third, 33 percent, now report that their finances are in “excellent” or “good” shape, up from one-quarter, 24 percent, who said the same in 2011. And looking forward, Latinos have grown more optimistic about their family’s finances in the next 12 months, with three in four, 73 percent, expecting improvement, up from 67

Using Data to Improve MinorityServing Institution Success WASHINGTON, D.C.

With the right type of high-quality data – including demographics, academic history, enrollment status, financial aid and course information – Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) are able to implement policy and programmatic changes that bolster postsecondary completion. Such is the case with select institutions participating in the Lumina MSIs-Models of Success initiative that through this initiative have shared their lessons learned about data collection and analyses. In

www.hispanicoutlook.com

January 07, 2013

percent who said the same in 2011. These changing assessments about finances and the country’s direction occur as some economic indicators recently have improved for Hispanics. In the third quarter of 2012, the Hispanic unemployment rate was 9.9 percent, down from 11.2 percent in the third quarter of 2011. The Hispanic unemployment rate was well below its level at the end of the Great Recession in the third quarter of 2009, when it stood at 12.7 percent. The poverty rate among Hispanics has also declined, falling to 25.3 percent in 2011 from 26.5 percent in 2010. However, other economic indicators illustrate the difficult times that Latinos have faced since the onset of the Great Recession. Driven mainly by the collapse in the housing market, median household wealth among Latinos declined by 58 percent between 2005 and 2010, more than that of either Whites, 18 percent, or Blacks, 54 percent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income for Hispanics did not

grow between 2010 and 2011. Nonetheless, compared with the public as a whole, Hispanics are more satisfied with the country’s direction, according to Pew Research Center surveys. Just 31 percent of the general public says they are satisfied with how things are going in the country today, compared with 51 percent of Hispanics. When it comes to personal finances, Hispanics’ self-assessments, while improving, are not as positive as those of the general public. One-third, 33 percent, of Hispanics say their current financial situation is “excellent” or “good” while 43 percent of the general public says the same. On the other hand, Hispanics are somewhat more optimistic than the general public about the future of their family finances. Some 73 percent of Hispanics say they think their finances will improve in the coming 12 months, while 67 percent of the general public says the same.

a policy brief released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), titled Using Data to Improve Minority-Serving Institution Success, eight project teams of MSIs reveal how “collaborative” data can be used at all points to better support students from enrollment to graduation and contribute to the entire U.S. higher education landscape. The Lumina MSI-Models of Success initiative focuses on ways to meet national college completion goals, especially for first-generation students, low-income students and students of color. The three-year initiative embraces a collective MSI success agenda and has five objectives: 1) To improve the capacity of MSIs to collect, analyze and use

data to inform decisions that will promote student success; 2) To create a collective voice for policy advocacy on behalf of MSIs; 3) To strengthen policy and practice to improve developmental education; 4) To increase MSIs’ commitment to transparency and effectiveness in improving student learning outcomes; and 5) To increase the postsecondary completion of traditionally underserved students, especially men of color. As the key intermediary for the initiative, IHEP is providing support and dissemination of the project findings to inform the higher education success policy agenda at federal, state and institutional levels.

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ASSOCIATION ASSOCIA TION OF AMERICAN CAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES VERSITIES

Spring 2013 Working Working Conferences ences General Education n and nd Assessment: A Sea S Change in Student udent d nt Lear LLearning

Student Successs and The Quality Agenda enda d

Februaryy 28-Mar Februar 28-March ch 2, 20133 Boston, B Massachusetts

April 4-6, 2013 Miami, ami, Florida d

Keynote Address:

General Education: Connecting cting to Issues of Vital Importance—for Students,, for Society

Bridging Completion, Quality Quality,, and Purpose for Studentt Success in a Global Society — EDUARDO E J. P PADRÓN, ADRÓN, PRESIDENT PRESIDENT,, MIAMI DADE

— BOBBY FONG, PRESIDENT PRESIDENT,, URSINUS SINUS COLLEGE

COLLEGE AND CAROL GEAR GEARY Y SCHNEIDER, PRESIDENT PRESIDENT,, AAC&U

Plenaryy Presentations: Plenar

EDUCATIONAL T ASSESSMENT CONSULTANT CONSUL What If? — PEGGY MAKI, EDUCA ATIONAL LTANT

An Anti-Deficit Approachh to Equity Equity,, Excellence, and Studentt Success — SHAUN HARPER, DIRECTOR, R CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF RACE AND EQUITY IN R,

Using “What W Works” orks” to Support pport Student Success SARITA EDUCATION — SARIT TA BROWN, PRESIDENT AND ND COFOUNDER, EXCELENCIA IN EDUCA ATTION ON

Do Measures of College Learning arning Measure College Learning…or What? — ROBERT ROBER ERT STERNBERG, PROVOST AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT, OKLAHOMA ST STATE TATE T UNIVERSITY

EDUCA ATION, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLLVANIA EDUCATION,

Identity and Stereotype e Threat — VVALERIE ALERIE PURDIE-V PURDIE-VAUGHNS, VAUGHNS, ASSISTANT ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY Y, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Advancing High-Qualityy Education for Student Success: ities — ANN FERREN, SENIOR FELLOW FELLOW,, AAC&U A Practicalities and Realities

For more e inf information ormation or to register: www www.aacu.org w .aacu.org 202.387.3760 netw network@aacu.org ork@aacu.org

PRESIDENT Northern Illinois University is conducting a national search for a President with the capacity to lead a vibrant regional public research university located in one of the most diverse and dynamic regions of the country. Our current president, Dr. John G. Peters, is retiring after 13 years of exemplary service to the university.

The Presidential Search Committee invites letters of nomination, applications (letter of interest, full resume/CV, and contact information of at least five references), or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted prior to February 15, 2013. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the Committee and/or hiring authority. For a complete position description, please visit the Current Opportunities page at https://www.parkersearch.com/current-opportunities/northern-illinois-university/president. Laurie C. Wilder, Executive Vice President & Managing Director Porsha L. Williams, Principal 770-804-1996 ext: 109 • pwilliams@parkersearch.com NIU is an AA/EEO Institution.

Five Concourse Parkway Suite 2900 Atlanta, GA 30328 770.804.1996 parkersearch.com

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Texas Tech University is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research Institution comprised of 11 colleges and schools. Texas Tech students come from every county in Texas, all 50 states, and more than 100 countries. Tech offers 150 undergraduate degree programs, more than 100 master’s degree programs, and over 50 doctoral degree programs. With over 30,000 students, Texas Tech is the only campus in Texas that is home to a major university, a law school, and a medical school. For employment information, visit the TTU website at https://jobs.texastech.edu. TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE THROUGH DIVERSITY. TEXAS TECH ACTIVELY SEEKS AND WELCOMES APPLICATIONS FROM MEMBERS OF UNDERRPRESENTED GROUPS, VETERANS, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. Associate Dean for Research - Earned doctorate in an agricultural discipline is required for this full-time administrative position, with credentials for appointment to the rank of Professor. Engagement in research and teaching activities in the successful candidate’s discipline is encouraged. Requisition No. 86175

College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources

B. L. Allen Endowed Chair in Pedology - Earned Ph.D. in pedology or closely related soil science or geoscience discipline is required, with credentials for appointment to the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. Requisition No. 87199

Bricker Endowed Chair in Wildlife Management - Seeking candidates with nationally recognized reputations in wildlife management and expertise in vertebrate population ecology, sustainable harvest strategies, and/or wildlife-habitat relationships. Preference for individuals using rigorous quantitative methods to address pressing natural resource management issues. Cell Wall Biology/Biochemistry - Candidates for this Assistant Professor position should have an earned Ph.D. in Molecular Biology or Biochemistry, Biopolymer Science/ Chemistry, or related disciplines. Research focus areas include, but are not limited to, genetics, physiochemical properties, and structure and mechanics of cell wall biogenesis in cotton. Requisition No. 85489

Renewable Bioproducts - Candidates for this Assistant Professor position should have an earned Ph.D. in Molecular Biology or Biochemistry, Biopolymer Science/Chemistry, or related disciplines. Research focus areas include, but are not limited to, transformation of cellulose and oils to biochemical and bioproducts, and chemical and enzymatic degradation of biopolymers. Requisition No. 85330

Biostatistician (Quantitative Ecologist) - Ph.D. required in natural resources-related field or statistics, with proven application to natural resources and complex biological systems. Candidates for this Assistant Professor position will work with faculty members who have a strong emphasis in applied ecology and an international reputation in use of quantitative stochastic methods in natural resource systems. Requisition No. 85073 Integrated Climate Response Modeling and Statistical Analysis - Candidates for this Assistant/Associate Professor position must have demonstrated skills in modeling stochastic systems with field data from related disciplines or deterministic changes on the scale of ecosystems or watersheds. Modelers experienced with natural resources stakeholders for whom climate impact analyses are integral to future planning are preferred. Requisition No. 86886

Chair, Dept. of Environmental Toxicology - Responsibilities include direction and enhancement of research, teaching, and service activities of 16 faculty members and facilitation of interactions with the College, other departments, and The Institute of Environmental and Human Health. Requisition No. 86877

College of Arts & Sciences

Systematics and Evolutionary Biology - tenure-track Assistant Professor position. Candidate must be knowledgeable in current and emerging genomic methods and analyses and their integration with biomathematics, phylogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemistry, or organismal biology. Candidates must have a Ph.D. and a proven track record of postdoctoral accomplishments in appropriate fields. Ecology, Evolution and Behavior - tenure-track Assistant Professorship in the Department of Biological Sciences. The successful candidate will be an outstanding scientist working on the relationship of structure to function (Physiological Ecology), the relationship of genes to structure and/or function (Ecological Genetics), or the integration of both within an ecological and evolutionary context. Requisition No. 87410

Cell and Molecular Biology - tenure-track Assistant Professor position. The successful candidate is expected to develop an innovative extramurally funded research program in Microbiology/Immunology with an emphasis on host-pathogen interactions and contribute to both graduate and undergraduate education. Requisition No. 87300

Communication Studies - Full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor specializing in organizational communication. Candidates must have a terminal degree in hand, a minimum of two years’ of university teaching experience, an understanding of the range and depth of the field, and be able to teach the theoretical and methodological approaches reflected in the department’s curriculum and scholarship. Requisition No. 87409

Applied Linguistics - tenure-track Assistant Professor. Candidates working in any area of Applied Linguistics will be considered. A strong reading knowledge of Chinese or Japanese is preferred. Requisition No. 87186

Spanish - tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor. Dynamic individual needed to coordinate the lower level program in Spanish. Native or near-native fluency in Spanish is required. Responsibilities include an ongoing program of research and commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Requisition No. 87187

German - visiting Assistant Professor to start January 2013 until May 2014. Requirements

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include native or near-native fluency in German, Ph.D., evidence of scholarship, and familiarity with instructional technology. Preference given to candidates with experience in coordinating and building a language program. Requisition No. 87189

Classics - visiting Assistant Professor to start August 2013 until May 2014. Requirements include a Ph.D. in Classics, evidence of scholarship, teaching experience, and familiarity with instructional technology. The successful candidate should be capable of supervising graduate instructors who will be teaching Greek at the beginning and intermediate levels. The candidate should also be able to teach Latin. Requisition No. 87515

Linguistics (Phonology) - tenure-track Assistant Professor in Linguistics with specialization in Phonology. Additional areas of expertise in Linguistics desirable to support departmental and interdisciplinary linguistic certificates, as well as graduate and undergraduate degree programs in English. Requisition No. 87100

Statistics - tenure-track Assistant Professor position in statistics. Ph.D. required. The department seeks candidates who will be demonstratively engaged in scholarship, funded research, and graduate education. Requisition No. 86588

Numerical Analysis - tenure-track Assistant Professor position in numerical analysis. Ph.D. required. The department seeks candidates who will be demonstratively engaged in scholarship, funded research, and graduate education. Requisition No. 86831

Mathematics (Open Area) - tenure-track Assistant Professor position. Ph.D. required. The department seeks candidates who will be demonstratively engaged in scholarship, funded research, and graduate education. Requisition No. 86833

Economics - two (2) tenure-track positions at the Assistant Professor level. Economists with strong backgrounds in microeconomic theory and/or applied microeconomics are preferred. Particular needs are in the areas of industrial organization, environmental economics, and international trade, but all applied microeconomics fields will be considered. Requisition Number 87144

Experimental Biophysics - Ph.D. degree in physics or a closely related field and three years additional experience required. Requisition No. 86191 Finance - tenure-track position. Preference is for an Assistant Professor. Area of interest is open. Candidates should possess a Ph.D. in finance or related discipline. Candidates must demonstrate the capacity for research productivity and quality teaching. Requisition No. 86986

Jerry S. Rawls College of Business

Mathematics or Science Education - Full or Associate Professor for a tenure-track position. Responsibilities include teaching undergraduate and graduate course in STEM education in campus, school-based, and distance modes; and collaborative, program-level planning and student progress monitoring and intervention. Requisition No. 85328

College of Education

Mathematics or Science Education - Assistant Professor for a tenure-track position. Responsibilities: teaching undergraduate and graduate STEM education courses; ability to organize and provide instruction in both campus, school-based, and distance modes; and collaborative, program-level planning and student progress monitoring and intervention. Requisition No. 85319

Higher Education (Open Rank) - tenure-track Professor. Responsibilities: Teaching graduatelevel courses; develop and teach distance-delivered coursework; chair doctoral committees and supervise dissertations; advise master’s and doctoral-level students. Requisition No. 85519

Educational Psychology - tenure-track Assistant Professor. The School Psychology Specialization of the Educational Psychology Program is seeking a qualified individual to join a productive faculty that includes researchers who also practice school psychology. Requisition No. 87212 Special Education - tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor. Preference will be given to candidates with credentials from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, public school experiences with individuals with disabilities under the age of 22. Requisition No. 87367

Helen DeVitt Jones Chair in Teacher Education - We seek candidates with a distinguished record of scholarly accomplishment and leadership in shaping the future of teacher education in America. The successful candidate will be expected to generate high quality research. Director of the Center of Measurement, Methodology, Analysis and Policy - We seek a talented and dynamic inaugural center director who will lead, manage, and supervise the Center. Whitacre Endowed Chair in Energy - The endowed chair position is at the level of a Full Professor. The successful candidate will be an internationally recognized leader in his/her field as rated by such metrics as a strong record of externally sponsored research, peer reviewed publications and citation records, and national recognitions such as fellowships in

Whitacre College of Engineering

technical societies and major awards. Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering or a closely related field is required. The successful candidate is expected to teach existing undergraduate and graduate courses, to develop new courses, and develop a strong research program in power systems. Requisition No. 82502

Endowed Chair in Bioengineering - $2 million endowment. Candidates need outstanding funding and publication records. Ph.D. in Ch.E. or related field required. Expertise and interest in advancing understanding of biological systems and ability to engineer effective biology-based technologies for applications in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and design of novel materials, devices, and processes. Requisition No. 85025

Industrial Engineering - tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level with a background in any field of study related to Systems, Engineering Management, and Industrial Engineering. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, or related engineering field, academic preparation to teach various systems, engineering management, and industrial engineering courses. Requisition No. 84345

Electrical and Computer Engineering - senior position at the Associate or Full Professor level. The candidate should have a background in research related to semiconductor materials and devices for applications in areas including nanophotonics, solid-state energy devices, radiation-detectors, and bio-photonics. Ph.D. in electrical engineering, physics, materials engineering or a closely related field required. Requisition No. 87325

Electrical and Computer Engineering - tenure-track position at the Assistant/Associate Professor level. The candidate should have a background in research related to energy systems such as utility power systems, power systems dynamics & stability, power electronics, renewable energy, hybrid energy systems, or pulsed power systems. Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering or a closely related field required. Requisition No. 82502

Computer Engineering - tenure-track position at the Assistant/Associate Professor level. The candidate should have a background in research related to Computer Engineering in the areas of computer architecture, microprocessor, and embedded systems. Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field is required. Requisition No. 80663

Chemical Engineering - tenure-track faculty position at any rank. The department has a strong research portfolio in Soft Materials, Bioengineering, Computational Methods, and Process Control. Successful candidates will develop an internationally-recognized research program and teach new and existing courses. Requisition No. 85024

Computer Science - tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. Successful candidates must have a Ph.D. in computer science or a closely related field and perform research evidenced by scholarly publications. Preference will be given to researchers in cyber security and software engineering and candidates who can teach core systems courses. Requisition No. 86897

Petroleum Engineering - four (4) immediate openings for tenure-track and/or tenured positions at the level of Assistant, Associate, and full Professor. Candidates should have earned a doctorate in petroleum engineering or in a closely related engineering discipline. Both prior academic and industrial experience are assets. The ideal candidates will have teaching and research interests in one of the following areas: Drilling, Geomechanics, Reservoir Simulation, and/or production operations. Requisition No. 87168 Construction Engineering - tenure-track position in Construction Engineering at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. Duties include teaching and research in the area of construction engineering. Ph.D. in Construction Engineering or Civil Engineering or a closely related field is required. Requisition No. 84740

Dept. Chair, Interior Design - promote Interior Design and Apparel Design and Manufacturing programs; administer undergraduate, graduate programs; serve on departmental, college, and university committees; form liaisons with design industry to promote teaching, research, development, and outreach. Teach design and theory courses at undergraduate, graduate levels; and advise graduate students. Requisition No. 87502

College of Human Sciences

Personal Financial Planning - Associate/Full Professor. Earned doctorate or other terminal degree in Personal Financial Planning, Finance, Economics, Consumer/Family Economics, Accounting, Law, or other appropriate field. CFP® certificant desired. Successful candidate will provide visionary leadership for the Retirement Planning and Living Research Consortia, a research group that includes existing TTU scholars and new faculty interested in retirement research, education, and service outreach.

Addiction/Recovery - Ph.D. in related field with emphasis on addiction and recovery, including process addictions. Strong background in neuroscience and brain imaging research preferred. Requirements will include teaching at the graduate level and mentoring MS and Ph.D. students on individual research projects.

Developmental Processes - To work within a contextual-developmental - relational framework to advance scholarship in family/relationship or emerging adulthood/adult developmental processes. Requirements include (a) establishment of a strong research program related to the health and well-being of individuals and families, external funding; (b) effectiveness in teaching, including mentoring of MS and Ph.D. students; (c) engagement in service/outreach. Requisition No. 87154 Food and Beverage Management - Ph.D. in Hospitality Management or closely related field; preference given to those with demonstrated ability to publish in leading academic

journals and obtain external funding to support research; demonstrated teaching, research, and industry experience is desirable. Expertise in food & beverage management is preferred. Requisition No. 86623 Video Production/Multimedia - Assistant/Associate Professor of Journalism. Eligible candidates should have a background in broadcast journalism or a related field and the ability to conduct research related to media and communication. The ability to teach media ethics, reporting, and other journalism electives is also valued. Requisition No. 85799

College of Media & Communication

Dept. Chair (Director), School of Art - Texas Tech University is NASAD accredited and offers courses in Art History, Studio Art, Communication Design, and Visual Studies. Candidates must currently hold the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, appropriate terminal degree in an art discipline or commensurate experience; extensive administrative experience, including undergraduate and graduate academic programs; and a substantial record in teaching and scholarly or creative activity. Requisition No. 87429

College of Visual & Performing Arts

Graphic Design History - tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor in Communication Design. The primary function of this position is to develop and teach graphic design history, along with traditional print-based design courses. Requisition No. 87450

Digital Media Design - tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor in Communication Design. The primary function of this position is to develop and teach digital media design, along with traditional print-based design courses. Requisition No. 87449

Theatre History - tenure-track Assistant Professor. Completed Ph.D. in theatre history required with two years’ full-time college teaching experience beyond the TA level preferred. The successful candidate will have experience teaching history on the graduate and undergraduate levels. The candidate’s research specialties will supplement our current faculty’s expertise in twentieth-century American theatre with foci such as Latino/a theatre, Asian theatre, prenineteenth century theatre, African theatre, or popular entertainments. Requisition No. 87529

Introduction to Cinema - Assistant Professor of Practice-Cinema. The candidate must possess a bachelor level professional degree in Film/Cinema studies, advanced degree preferred, experience in film production or higher education required. The position in a nontenure-track position, multi-year renewable appointment contingent on annual and cumulative performance appraisals. Requisition No. 87530

Music Theatre and Dance - tenure-track position as an Assistant Professor. The successful candidate will hold an MFA or Ph.D. in theatre, musical theatre, or dance and will have at least two years’ full-time college teaching experience and significant professional musical theatre experience. Additionally, the successful candidate will have experience teaching musical theatre and at least one of the following: ballet, jazz, or tap. Must be willing to choreograph for and/or direct departmental productions, mentor student choreographers, and assist with administrative duties of the programs. Requisition No. 87531

Jazz Studies - Assistant Professor, tenure track. Teach History of Jazz course; direct Jazz Ensemble II; coach jazz combos; assist with coordination of Jazz Festival. Expertise in digital media and distance-learning technology. Master’s degree with jazz emphasis required, doctoral degree preferred. Requisition No. 87427

Musicology - Assistant Professor, tenure track. Teach grad/undergrad music history, including course Hispanic Musics of the Americas; lead large, active mariachi program. Specialization to include Hispanic musics of western hemisphere. Expertise in digital media and distance-learning technology. Requisition No. 87421 Trumpet - Assistant Professor, tenure track. Teach applied trumpet to undergraduate and graduate music majors; perform in faculty brass quintet; other teaching duties consistent with expertise and unit needs. Masters required, doctoral degree preferred. Requisition No. 87192

Viola - Assistant Professor, tenure track. Teach applied viola to undergraduate and graduate music majors; perform in the Botticelli String Quartet (TTU faculty ensemble); other teaching duties consistent with expertise and unit needs. Masters required, doctoral degree preferred. Requisition No. 87191

Voice - Assistant Professor, tenure track. Teach applied voice to undergraduate and graduate music majors; other teaching duties consistent with expertise and unit needs, including lyric diction, vocal pedagogy, or opera/music theatre. Masters required, doctoral degree preferred. Requisition No. 87193

Interdisciplinary Arts - tenure-track Assistant Professor. Research and teaching specialization incorporating cross-disciplinary investigation of arts, culture, and/or media and technology, in any geographic area, culture, or combination of media. We seek candidates: whose work operates at the nexus of research, theory, and practice; whose scholarship engages an interdisciplinary approach; and who work collaboratively across disciplines. Asst. Librarian (Open Rank), Science and Engineering - tenure-track position reports to the Head of Research, Instruction & Outreach and acts as the department’s primary liaison to various disciplines encompassing the Sciences and Engineering.

Library Science

Asst. Librarian, Research & Development Technology - tenure-track Library faculty position focuses on highly innovative library-technology-oriented assessment and other related research.

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Associate Professor of the Built Environment Department of Landscape Architecture College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Teaching (70%) Research (30%) – Tenure-track position, Academic Appointment Cornell University – Ithaca, New York Cornell is a community of scholars, known for intellectual rigor and engaged in deep and broad research, teaching tomorrow’s thought leaders to think otherwise, care for others, and create and disseminate knowledge with a public purpose. Cornell University offers accredited, license-qualifying Landscape Architecture degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate Landscape Architecture degree is the only one of its kind in the Ivy League. Both academic programs provide a sound grounding in theory and technology, which is put into practice through the design studio and related courses. The Department seeks an outstanding candidate to: • Teach, conduct research, and lead scholarship in contemporary theories and practices related to issues of the built environment, contemporary technology, and green infrastructure. Teaching will focus on studios, digital technology, seminar or lecture-course(s) that will address contemporary professional practice and technology. The appointee must be conversant across disciplines. • Advise students and guide activities for students enrolled in Landscape Architecture at the undergraduate and graduate levels. • Initiate or continue to evolve an innovative and productive research program that focuses upon best practices. Seek and obtain research funds in a collaborative manner. Required Qualifications: • A Master's degree or PhD in Landscape Architecture. • Demonstrated experience teaching design studios and other subjects relevant to the professional practice of Landscape Architecture. • A track record of excellence in practice, scholarship, and teaching. • Recent professional practice portfolio. Preferred Qualifications: • Successful teaching experiences in higher education including classroom and studio teaching as well as thesis oversight. • Innovative engagement with current contemporary technology associated with the built environment. • Professional, multidisciplinary practice experience. • Demonstrated record of professional or scholarly leadership, activities and publications. • Success in obtaining and leveraging funds for research and scholarship. Application procedure: Send letter of application, complete CV, teaching and professional practice portfolio, and recent publications, if applicable (may include conference presentations or articles in progress); and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of three references to : April Kampney Department of Landscape Architecture 440 Kennedy Hall Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14853 Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until an appropriate candidate is selected. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Inquiries about the position may be directed to Peter J. Trowbridge, Chair and Professor of Landscape Architecture, 440 Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, pjt4@cornell.edu, (607) 255-2738. For additional information concerning the Department of Landscape Architecture, please visit our website http://www.landscape.cornell.edu/. Cornell University seeks to meet the needs of dual career couples, has a Dual Career program, and is a member of the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to assist with dual career searches. Visit http://www.unyherc.org to see positions available in higher education in the upstate New York area. Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, is an inclusive, dynamic, and innovative Ivy League University and New York’s land-grant institution. Its staff, faculty, and students impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas and best practices to further the university’s mission of teaching, research, and outreach. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Developing Leaders, Improving Lives, and Shaping the Future Find us online at http://hr.cornell.edu/jobs or Facebook.com/CornellCareers

Diversity and inclusion have been and continue to be a part of our heritage. Cornell University is a recognized EEO/AA employer and educator.

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The Foreign Language Department at the University of North Carolina at Asheville is seeking a visiting assistant professor of German. Responsibilities: area of specialization in 20th and 21th century German literature and culture; capable of teaching a full range of courses in German language, literature, and culture (12 credit hours per semester); ability to teach a second language; commitment to teaching excellence a priority. Candidates with secondary areas of teaching and scholarly specialization in the role of race, ethnicity, and/or gender in German literatures and culture; German film; German for business applications; multicultural studies; and related fields are encouraged to apply. The successful applicant will also have experience in or a willingness to teach across the University’s Integrative Liberal Studies program, our interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum required of all undergraduates, including introductory (freshman) colloquia, courses in Arts and Ideas and the Humanities Program, and other areas of the interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum. As UNC Asheville is committed to promotion of diversity, the candidate should facilitate a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and ability to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds. Consideration will also be given to candidates with demonstrated experience or potential for leadership in serving our institution’s efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion, in the areas of pedagogy, programming, and service activity. Qualifications: PhD in German at time of appointment; native or near-native fluency in German and English; evidence of successful college-level teaching; willingness to commit to active engagement in program, departmental and university wide activities, and scholarly pursuits; experience with instructional technology such as online and hybrid courses. Interested applicants should submit: Letter of interest in teaching at UNC Asheville that explains the candidate’s fit with our institution and mission; curriculum vitae; statement of teaching philosophy; and three letters of reference; and teaching evaluations, if available. Please send materials to: Dr. Wiebke Strehl, Chair, Department of Foreign Languages, University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, NC 28804. Official academic transcripts will be required of the successful candidate prior to hire. The search committee will begin review of applications on January 20, 2012. Email inquiries may be directed to Susan Maas, Department Administrative Assistant, at smaas@unca.edu. UNC Asheville, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina, is the designated public liberal arts institution of the University of North Carolina system and is distinctive in its commitment to Humanities, the Arts, and Undergraduate Research. The University is committed to student-centered teaching and to being an inclusive campus community. We encourage applications from women and traditionally underrepresented minorities. UNC Asheville is committed to increasing and sustaining the diversity of its faculty, staff, and student body as part of its liberal arts mission. As an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, UNC Asheville does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of race and ethnicity, age, religion, disability, socio-economic status, gender expression, gender and sexual identity, national origin, culture and ideological beliefs.

The

University of South Florida System is a high-impact, global research system dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three institutions: USF Tampa; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. The institutions are separately accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. All institutions have distinct missions and strategic plans. Serving more than 47,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference. Administrative and Executive Positions: Director of Financial Management (University College) Sr. Director of Development-Gift Planning (Foundation) Sr. Director of Development-COB (Foundation) Regional Chancellor (St. Petersburg Campus) Sr. Director of Academic Advising & Tracking (Undergraduate Studies) Director of Counseling Center (Student Affairs) Assistant Vice President-Dean (Student Affairs) Director of the Center for Student Involvement (Student Affairs) Director of Quality Enhancement-Academic Success (St. Petersburg Campus) Faculty Positions: College of Arts and Sciences College of Education Assistant Professor (12) Assistant/Associate Professor (1) Assistant/Associate Professor (1) Assistant Professor (3) Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (1) Dean (1) Associate Professor/Professor (1) College of Business College of Engineering Assistant Professor (3) Open Rank (Full Professor) (4) Associate/Full Professor (2) Assistant Professor (3) Assistant/Associate Professor (1) Open Rank (Full/Associate/Assistant) (2) College of Arts Assistant/Associate Professor (4) Director & Professor (1)

St. Petersburg Campus Assistant Professor (3) Professor (1)

College of Public Health Assistant Professor (1) Assistant/Associate Professor (1)

Sarasota Campus Assistant Professor (1)

College of Medicine Assistant/Associate Professor (4) Assistant Professor (11) Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (2)

College of Nursing Nursing Faculty (2)

Mental Health Law & Policy Assistant Professor (2) Professor (1)

Coll. of Behavioral and Comm. Sciences Associate Dean (1) Assistant Professor (1) Associate/Full Professor (2)

For a job description on the above listed positions including department, disciple and deadline dates: (1) visit our Careers@USF Web site at https://employment.usf.edu/applicants/ jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp; or (2) contact The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, (813) 974-4373; or (3) call USF job line at 813.974.2879. USF is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution, committed to excellence through diversity in education and employment. www.usf.edu â&#x20AC;˘ 4202 E. Fowler Ave,Tampa, FL 33620 01/07/2013

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Vice President for Advancement & Executive Director of Foundation Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) invites applications for Vice President for Advancement & Executive Director of the FGCU Foundation. The position provides leadership for the University’s fundraising, community relations and marketing, and alumni relations. Responsibilities include securing private support from alumni, friends, foundations, corporations, and other sources through capital campaigns; planned giving; annual fund; athletics support; significant personal fundraising duties; staging events for fundraising and other important University initiatives; relationships with potential and existing donors; alumni development and support, and extensive personal community involvement to represent the University. Also, the position is responsible for the University’s Alumni Association, Office of Community Relations and Marketing, and the FGCU Foundation, Inc. As Executive Director of the Foundation, the Vice President is responsible for program coordination and director relations for the FGCU Foundation Board of Directors. Opened in 1997 as the 10th institution in the State University System of Florida, FGCU is situated on 760 lush acres in the heart of coastal Southwest Florida, where the climate is mild, the air is clean, and the sunshine is abundant. Currently in its 16th year of operation, FGCU has a diverse enrollment of 13,500 students; 51 undergraduate programs and 32 graduate programs, including a doctorate in physical therapy and a doctorate in education; more than 1,000 faculty and staff; a technology enhanced campus with state-of-the-art facilities to support educational programs; five colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Health Professions and Social Work, and Engineering; 14 NCAA Division I athletic teams; 190 student clubs and organizations; 4,200 living in student housing, and 15,000 graduates.

In the pursuit of excellence, the University of North Carolina Wilmington actively fosters, encourages and promotes inclusiveness, mutual respect, acceptance and open-mindedness among students, faculty, staff and the broader community. As the state’s coastal university, UNCW is one of 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina system with an enrollment of 13,000. OPEN FACULTY POSITIONS Accounting, Computer Science, Health and Applied Human Sciences, History, Nursing, Public and International Affairs, Social Work, and more! www.uncw.edu/hr/employment-epa.html EEO/AA Institution

Despite the University’s youth, the FGCU Foundation to date has raised more than $300 million for scholarships, academic programs, endowed chairs, and buildings, and has an endowment value of $58.5 million. Decreased availability of State funds requires exceptional leadership and results from FGCU’s Vice President for Advancement in raising significant private funds to support rapidly growing needs for academic programs, student scholarships, and buildings and facilities. Minimum Requirements: Demonstrated experience and results in fundraising. Ability to not only direct fundraising programs and staff, but also to personally cultivate potential donors and secure private funds. Master’s degree from an accredited institution in an appropriate area of specialization and eight (8) years of appropriate experience in higher education or related areas; or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in an appropriate area of specialization and ten (10) years of appropriate experience in higher education or related areas. Preferred Qualifications: Demonstrated experience in alumni relations, community relations and marketing. Experience in directing foundation finances and investments. Proven leadership qualities. Strategic thinker. For Additional Information and to Submit Applications, please visit: FGCU’s SOAR website at http://jobs.fgcu.edu and access Requisition #1703, by the deadline date of January 23, 2013 midnight EST. Only applications submitted through the SOAR website will be accepted. Under FL Public Record Law, applications submitted are available for public review upon request. FGCU is an EO/EA/AAI, which has a commitment to cultural, racial, and ethnic communities and encourages women and minorities to apply.

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The Foreign Language Department at the University of North Carolina at Asheville is seeking a tenure-track French faculty member at the Assistant Professor level, starting August 2013. Responsibilities: Generalist in French and/or Francophone literature and culture; capable of teaching a full range of courses in French language, literature, and culture (12 credit hours per semester); interest in pedagogy; commitment to teaching excellence a priority. Candidates with additional areas of teaching and scholarly specialization in 1) film; 2) Francophone literatures; 3) the French Caribbean; 4) cultural studies and related fields are encouraged to apply. The successful applicant will also have experience in or a willingness to teach across the University’s Integrative Liberal Studies program, our interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum required of all undergraduates, including introductory (freshman) colloquia, courses in Arts and Ideas and the Humanities Program, and other areas of the interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum. As UNC Asheville is committed to promotion of diversity, the candidate should facilitate a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and ability to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds. Consideration will also be given to candidates with demonstrated experience or potential for leadership in serving our institution’s efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion, in the areas of pedagogy, programming, and service activity. Qualifications: PhD in French at time of appointment; native or near-native fluency in French and English; evidence of successful college-level teaching; willingness to commit to active engagement in program, departmental and university wide activities, and scholarly pursuits; experience with instructional technology such as online and hybrid courses. Interested applicants should submit: Letter of interest in teaching at UNC Asheville that explains the candidate’s fit with our institution and mission; curriculum vitae; statement of teaching philosophy; and three letters of reference; and teaching evaluations, if available. Please send materials to: Dr. Wiebke Strehl, Chair, Department of Foreign Languages, University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, NC 28804. Official academic transcripts will be required of the successful candidate prior to hire. The search committee will begin review of applications on January 15, 2012. Email inquiries may be directed to Susan Maas, Department Administrative Assistant, at smaas@unca.edu. UNC Asheville, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina, is the designated public liberal arts institution of the University of North Carolina system and is distinctive in its commitment to Humanities, the Arts, and Undergraduate Research. The University is committed to student-centered teaching and to being an inclusive campus community. We encourage applications from women and traditionally underrepresented minorities. UNC Asheville is committed to increasing and sustaining the diversity of its faculty, staff, and student body as part of its liberal arts mission. As an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, UNC Asheville does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of race and ethnicity, age, religion, disability, socio-economic status, gender expression, gender and sexual identity, national origin, culture and ideological beliefs.

Associate Vice President of Student Affairs

SCCC seeks highly qualified candidates for the role of Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. The successful candidate will be an experienced administrator who will foster collaboration both at the campus level and college-wide. The Associate Vice President for Student Affairs reports to the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and as the college chief student affairs officer is responsible for the planning, policy development, implementation and assessment of all college student affairs programs and services consistent with the college mission and goals. For the full position profile please go to: http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/About/Employment.asp?id=510

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TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

Dean, School of Media and Communication

Temple University seeks a dynamic leader for the position of dean, School of Media and Communication. A comprehensive public urban research university located in Philadelphia, Temple is the 27th largest university in the U.S. and one of the nation’s leading centers of professional education. With nearly 40,000 students, the university has experienced student enrollment growth of 31 percent over the last decade. Dr. Neil D. Theobald was recently named the 10th President of Temple University and will join the university in January 2013. The School of Media and Communication ranks among the largest and most comprehensive schools of communications in the nation. As one of the larger schools at Temple, students have a high level of interest in the offerings at The School of Media and Communication. The school enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students and employs 56 full-time faculty members. The school offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in five cross-disciplinary programs: Advertising, Communication Studies, Journalism, Media Studies and Production and Strategic Communication. The School of Media and Communication also offers three master’s degree programs: Master of Arts in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media, Master of Journalism and Master of Science in Communication Management as well as a Ph.D. in Mass Media and Communication.

The dean is the leader of the school and serves as its internal and external face and voice. Appointed by the president and reporting to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, the dean has responsibility for all administration and management of the school and its faculty. This individual will work to extend and enhance The School of Media and Communication’s reputation to increase its multidisciplinary and multicultural profile regionally, nationally and internationally. The dean will be highly engaged in development efforts for the school, recruiting and retaining talented and experienced faculty members to enhance the school’s reputation and the quality of its educational offerings.

The successful candidate will be a highly accomplished leader within the academy who has demonstrated success working and thriving in a diverse university environment. The person should have strategic and visionary leadership, outstanding administrative experience, ability to cultivate resources and a broad working knowledge of the multimedia and communications disciplines in The School of Media and Communication. This individual should also have significant academic credentials and/or a recognized body of creative work that would qualify the successful candidate for the rank of tenured full professor. For additional information on Temple University, the School of Media and Communication and the search, please reference www.temple.edu/smc/.

Initial screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Temple University will be assisted by Ellen Brown Landers, Nat Sutton, Gianna Shepard and Tracie Smith of Heidrick & Struggles Inc. Nominations and applications should be directed to: Temple University Search Advisory Committee Heidrick & Struggles, Inc. 303 Peachtree Street, NE Suite 4300 Atlanta, GA 30308 Email: temple@heidrick.com Temple University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer dedicated to excellence through diversity.

School of Information Sciences

Faculty Positions 2013 Monroe Community College, located in Rochester, New York, seeks applicants for one fulltime temporary faculty position and eight tenure-track faculty positions. MCC provides a high quality learning environment to a diverse community and is an academic community made up of individuals who reflect differences in nationality, culture, ethnicity, religion, color, skill, physical ability and sexual orientation. We seek individuals who are versatile in their teaching and/or their professions, proficient with technology, open to change, passionate about learning and self-improvement, and committed to serving in various capabilities to realize the College’s mission of student success.

Full-Time Temporary, Spring 2013 Fundamentals of Nursing Tenure-Track Faculty Positions to begin Fall 2013 Anatomy/Physiology Communication Criminal Justice - Loss Prevention/Private Security Specialization English General Biology Human Services - Disability Services Specialization Mathematics Political Science For complete job descriptions, screening dates, and application instructions, please visit: https://jobs.monroecc.edu. Monroe Community College is a unit of the State University of New York. It is the policy of the University and this College not to discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status or domestic violence victim status in admissions, employment, and treatment of students and employees in any educational program or activity administered by any of its units.

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The School of Information Sciences (http://www.ischool.pitt.edu) at the University of Pittsburgh is seeking candidates for a Professor of Practice at an assistant/associate/full professor level - Position #02025 (Non-tenure stream) to start in the fall term of 2013. The primary areas of interest include: • • •

Object-oriented systems analysis and design Information systems architecture Value-centered design

The undergraduate program prepares students become system designers, system analysts, database managers, system administrators, programmer analysts, network engineers, and a host of related jobs. A clinical faculty member with experience in the design and implementation of small, large and distributed systems would serve as an excellent resource in the teaching of state-of-the-art industry practices. For a complete description, please visit http://www.ischool.pitt.edu/news/facultyopenings.php. The University of Pittsburgh is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer and strongly encourages women and candidates from under-represented minorities to apply.

01/07/2013

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MiraCosta Community College, located in coastal North San Diego County, California, is accepting applications for the following tenure-track positions for Fall 2013: Wayne, New Jersey

Chief Diversity Officer and Director - Office of Employment Equity and Diversity Job Code 163 HO William Paterson University seeks a highly qualified professional to serve as Chief Diversity Officer and Director of the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity with a law degree and five (5) years of progressively responsible work experience dealing with equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity, compliance, complaint investigation and resolution, and all relevant laws and policies. This position offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. For more information about this position visit:

Closing: Full Time Faculty Positions: 2/05/13 Biology Instructor (General Biology) 2/12/13 Counselor 2/26/13 Mathematics Instructor Learning Disabilities Specialist/ 2SHQ XQWLO ¿OOHG Disabled Students Programs & 1st Screening 2/05/13 Services (DSPS) Counselor Job postings with full details are available at http://apptrkr.com/307455. All positions require college transcripts and letters of recommendation. One of California’s comprehensive, public two-year community colleges, MiraCosta College’s two campuses and community learning center serve approximately 19,000 students in credit and noncredit programs. MiraCosta’s mission is to provide educational opportunities and student-support services to a diverse population of learners with a focus on their success. MiraCosta College is an equal opportunity employer and is FRPPLWWHG WR DQ HGXFDWLRQDO HQYLURQPHQW ZKLFK DI¿UPV DQG supports a diverse faculty and staff.

wpunj.edu/jobs William Paterson University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity. Minorities, women, and members of under-represented groups are encouraged to apply.

jobs@miracosta.edu

www.miracosta.edu

Director, Doctoral Programs Isabelle Farrington College of Education Sacred Heart University

We are seeking a successful scholar to lead doctoral studies within our College of Education.

The first such program, beginning in fall 2014, offers the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.

Opportunity Scholarship Program/EOF OSP Counselor

Starting Date is August 21, 2013

Sacred Heart University is an EOE/AA employer.

Please visit the university website for more information at: www.sacredheart.edu/jobs

Anticipated start date: April 1, 2013 The position reports to the Associate Director of the Opportunity Scholarship Program/EOF and will provide immediate and comprehensive academic, career, student life, financial, and personal counseling; develop intervention strategies for college success; and makes referrals to appropriate university offices and departments for an assigned caseload of students through the Opportunity Scholarship Program/Educational Opportunity Fund Program. Master’s Degree in Education, Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, or related field and two years of counseling, academic advisement, or related student development experience. For complete details regarding this position, please visit our website at:

www.njcu.edu Interested individuals should send a letter of application, resume and full contact information for three professional references by February 1, 2013, to: aplatizky@njcu.edu EOE

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California State University SAN MARCOS

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT ASSOCIATE PRESIDENT,T, DIVERSITY DIVERSITY & EEDUCATIONAL DUCATIONAL EEQUITY QUITY AAND ND OOMBUDSPERSON MBUDS UDSPERSON California Sta California State te University San Marcos rcos seeks an exceptional tional individual i dividual with ith the qualifica alifica lifications andd qualifications experience to ser ve as its Associa te Vice ce President ffor or serve Associate tional Equity and Ombudsperson. Diversity and Educa Educational te vice president will provide p counsel The associa associate to tthe he PPresident resident and and oothers thers oonn iinstitutional nstitutional ppolicy olicy to and practices rela ting to diversity and a educa tional relating educational equity; will provide leadership and oversight o to the University’ tegic plan and a educa tional University’ss diversity stra strategic educational equity initia tives; continuousl initiatives; continuouslyy assess achievement of university diversity and educa tional equity uity ef forts; and educational efforts; coordina te and assess the ef forts of various v campus coordinate efforts units to increase pa thways of success ffor or all students, pathways faculty and staf om traditionall staff,f, especiall especiallyy those from traditionallyy underrepresented popula tions. populations. As ombudsperson, will be the designa nated impartial designated dispute resolution administra tor whosee major function administrator is to provide confidential, neutral and inf ormal informal assistance to constituents of the University; an advoca te ffor or fairness in the resolution of o concerns and advocate critical situa tions; and supplement, but not replace, the situations; University’ for conflict flict resolution. University’ss existing resources for Calif ornia Sta te University San Marcoss combines the California State ambiance of a mid-sized, personal, modern m campus California State with the unequaled value of the Calif C ornia Sta te University.. Since its founding University founding in 1989, 89, the campus has distinguished itself. Students benefit enefit from the latest thatt la test facilities and equipment, a superb erb faculty tha program enjoys teaching, and a rigorous academic demic prog ram thatt prepares students ffor tha or a successful ul life in and out State of the workplace. Enrollment aatt Cal Sta ate San Marcos programs has ggrown rown to over 10500. The academic emic prog rams are organized into ffour our colleges. CSUSM USM also has a program. robust extended learning prog ram. CSU SU San Marcos is loca located ted on a 304-acre hillside overlooking oking the city of San Marcos. It is fifteen miles east of the ocean; just thirty miles north of downtown San Diego. ego. Nominations, Nominations, aapplications pplications and letters ers of interest (electronic submissions preferred) should uld be submitted in confidence to Susan O O’Connor, O’Connor Connor, aatt soconnor@csusm. connor@csusm. edu. This search will be conducted with w the utmost respect for candidate confidentiality.. for candida te confidentiality Position Description and minimum m requirements available available aat:t: http://apptrkr.com/304513 http://apptrkrr.com/304513 513 The position is “Open Until Filled” andd first review of applications begin Januaryy 30, 2013. applications will beg in Januar 13. Material thatt cannot be emailed may Material tha may be be sent to: Office of the President, c/o Susan O’Connor onnor California State California Sta te University San Marcos 333 S. TTwin win Oaks VValley alley Road, San Marcos, CA 92096-0001 Confidential inquiries and questions concerning c this search may may be directed to Matt Matt Ceppi, Chief of Staff, Staff, mceppi@csusm.edu @csusm.edu or (760) 750-4040. California University,, San Marcos California State State University os is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate ot discrimina te against religion, against persons on the basis of race,, color, color, relig ion, national orientation, national origin, origin, sexual orienta tion, gender ggender,, marital status, status, age, age, disability disability or veteran’s veteran’s status. status. us. Cal Sta State te San Marcos is an EOE

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P.O. Box 68 Paramus, NJ 07652-0068 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

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This article appeared online only in the 01/07/13 Issue

TARGETING HIGHER EDUCATION

The 10 Largest Hispanic Groups in America by Gustavo A. Mellander

AsHispanics in the country.

we begin the New Year, it is a good time to reflect on the state of

Where did they come from, where did they settle, and what are their educational achievements? Hispanics by Country of Origin The Pew Hispanic Center identifies the 10 largest Hispanic-origin groups as Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, Hondurans, Ecuadorians and Peruvians. Authors Seth Motel and Eileen Patten produced an in-depth report, The Nation’s 10 Largest Hispanic Origin Groups, that highlights and examines those 10 national groups from a variety of angles and perspectives. Not a Rainbow: A Collage Hispanic Outlook readers know there are approximately 50.7 million Hispanics in the United States. These population estimates are for Hispanics living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. (They do not include the 3.7 million-plus citizens living in Puerto Rico.) Hispanics in the United States come from every country in Latin America. Some were here long before Anglo-Saxons and other Europeans arrived. The histories of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas and others states attest to that. Many came across the Mexican border, but not all. Many came planning to work for a while and return home. Some did, but a large number stayed. Others fled political disturbances, and although they hoped to return home, they never did. Life changes, and one gets established. Many others came seeking a better life, economically and otherwise, for themselves and their children. Nearly Two-Thirds By far, the nation’s largest immigrant group has been the Mexicans. Nearly two-thirds – 65 percent or 33 million – self-identify as being of Mexican origin. No other Hispanic subgroup rivals the size of the Mexicanorigin population. One can understand and appreciate the frustration that some of them feel relative to opportunities or the lack thereof. To place the percentages in stark contrast, Puerto Ricans, the nation’s second-largest Hispanic origin group, represent only 9 percent of the nation’s Hispanic population. Puerto Ricans are different from other resident Hispanics in a number of ways. They were born American citizens, most have some knowledge of

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English, many are bilingual, they did not flee political persecution, and they can travel back and forth whenever they desire. Their island homeland is very close to the mainland, particularly given air travel, so many visit several times a year. Many remain attached by a series of connections to their place of birth. That’s all very positive. But political scientists have pointed out that the nearness of Puerto Rico and a number of other circumstances as I just noted has meant that many have not fully integrated into the mainland society. Many do not vote and still dream of the day when they can return to the island, buy a little farm and live the good life their parents dreamed of. Very few actually do. But the dream of returning keeps many from fully embracing the states as their home. That’s changing, especially among the younger generation born in the states. The main point is that, given their U.S. citizenship and other realities, Puerto Ricans are quite different from other America-based Hispanics. 10 Largest Hispanic-Origin Groups To continue, the 10 largest Hispanic-origin groups comprise 92 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population. Six of those groups have populations greater than one million. All 10 have specific characteristics that differentiate them from each other in significant ways. For instance, U.S. Hispanics of Mexican origin have the lowest median age. It is 25 years. What can that mean for the future especially if they are politically active? On the other hand, Hispanics of Cuban origin have the highest median age, at 40 years. Might their political influence wane in years to come? How many of them will re-establish themselves in Cuba when the Castro brothers lose their grip? Data suggest that few will and their grandchildren born here most certainly won’t. Colombians, according to the report, are the most likely to have a col-

lege degree, 32 percent. Salvadorans are the least likely, at 7 percent. Why is that? I was surprised to read that Ecuadorians have the highest annual median household income, $50,000, while Dominicans have the lowest, $34,000. Half of Hondurans do not have health insurance, the highest share among all Hispanics. By contrast, just 15 percent of Puerto Ricans do not have health insurance. Nearly all are Catholic, although century-old Protestant outreach in Latin America has produced a fair number of converts. Nearly all speak Spanish, with the exception of Haitians (French) and Brazilians (Portuguese). Geographic Distributions United States Hispanics are not a homogenous group. After all, they come from more than 20 countries, arrived at different times for different reasons, and miss their homelands in a variety of fashions. Hispanics have also settled in a variety of places throughout America. Jobs have been the crucial common magnet, but being able to link up with countrymen who were already established here has been an important consideration as well. In that they have been similar to all earlier immigrants such as the Italians, Swedes and Irish, among many others who tended to cluster together. There was comfort, security and assistance in such enclaves. Hispanics are no different. The settlement patterns are interesting. Mexicans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans are largely concentrated in western states. Their entry through Mexico is a logical pathway. Cubans, Colombians, Hondurans and Peruvians are largely concentrated in southern states. The largest numbers of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Ecuadorians reside in the Northeast. The nation’s Cuban population is the most concentrated of all segments. Nearly half, 48 percent, live in a single county – Miami-Dade County in southern Florida. Surprisingly, at least to me, Miami-Dade County is also home to the nation’s largest Colombian, Honduran and Peruvian communities. There is a heavy concentration of Hispanics on the West Coast. Los Angeles County alone contains 9 percent of the nation’s entire Hispanic population. They aren’t just Mexicans. Many Mexicans do live there, but Salvadorans and Guatemalans live in Los Angeles County as well. It actually hosts each group’s largest community in the country. Back east, we find that Bronx County in New York contains the largest Puerto Rican and Dominican populations. And Queens County, also in New York, contains the largest Ecuadorian population. In years to come, historians and sociologists will study these demographics and develop theories about this distribution and its attendant results. A Look Ahead by Looking Back This report also includes an analysis of changes in the characteristics of the 10 largest Hispanic-origin groups from 2000 to 2010. Many might be surprised to discover that during that decade, the foreign-born share of each major Hispanic-origin group actually declined. Among all Hispanics, the share of foreign-born declined from 40 percent in 2000 to 37 percent in 2010. The growth was heavily anchored in local births.

Therefore, the share holding U.S. citizenship increased from 71 percent in 2000 to 74 percent in 2010. Among foreign-born Hispanics, the share holding U.S. citizenship increased from 28 percent in 2000 to 29 percent in 2010. Educational Gains Hispanics made gains in terms of their educational attainment during the decade. In each of the 10 groups, the number of persons 25 and older with a college degree increased. Among all Hispanics, the share with a college degree increased from 10 percent in 2000 to 13 percent in 2010. But significantly, most Hispanic-origin groups had lower median household incomes in 2010 than they did in 2000 (adjusted to 2010 dollars). Overall, median household income among Hispanics fell from $43,100 in 2000 to $40,000 in 2010. That’s a decrease of 7 percent. Further the share of Hispanics living in poverty increased two percentage points, from 23 percent in 2000 to 25 percent in 2010. By contrast, among all U.S. households, median household income (in 2010 dollars) fell from $54,200 in 2000 to $49,800 in 2010. That’s a drop of $4,400 or 8 percent. Among all people living in U.S. household, the poverty rate increased by three percentage points over the same period. Nation’s Largest Minority Everybody knows that Hispanics are the nation’s largest minority group. They comprise 16.4 percent of the U.S. population. By comparison, nonHispanic Blacks, who are the nation’s second-largest minority group, represent 12.3 percent of the nation’s population, and non-Hispanic Asians rank third at 4.7 percent. Demographic Breakdown Nearly two-fifths, 37 percent, of all Hispanics are foreign-born, that compared with 13 percent of the overall U.S. population. The groups with the largest foreign-born shares are Guatemalans, Hondurans and Peruvians, all at 67 percent. Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are the only Hispanic-origin groups in which the majority are native-born; only 36 percent of Mexicans and 1 percent of Puerto Ricans are foreign-born. Median Age Hispanics on the whole are younger than the general U.S. population. The median age for Hispanics is 27 years while for the U.S. population it is 37 years. The political implications are clear. The youngest Hispanic groups are Mexicans, 25, Puerto Ricans, 27, and Guatemalans, 27. Cubans are the oldest Hispanic group, with a median age of 40 years. Their median age is also higher than that of the general U.S. population, 37 years. Educational Attainment: Only High School Diploma About one-quarter, 26 percent, of Hispanics ages 25 and older have only a high school diploma. That is not that much lower than the total U.S. population, which is at 28 percent. A further breakdown indicates that Puerto Ricans at 30 percent,

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Cubans with 29 percent, Colombians with 27 percent and Peruvians with 27 percent all have slightly higher shares with only a high school diploma. Higher Education: Bachelor’s Degree or More Some 13 percent of U.S. Hispanics ages 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree. That pales in comparison with 28 percent of the total U.S. population of the same age. On the other hand, the shares of Colombians, 32 percent, and Peruvians, 30 percent, who have a college degree or more are higher than the share of the total U.S. population with at least a bachelor’s degree. Salvadorans, 7 percent, Guatemalans, 8 percent, and Mexicans, 9 percent, have the lowest rates of college completion. To put it in starker terms, fewer than one in 10 adults ages 25 and older in these three Hispanic groups have a bachelor’s degree. English Proficiency and Citizenship Proficiency is a flashpoint in our society. A lot of misinformation exists. The facts: nearly two-thirds, 65 percent, of all U.S. Hispanics ages 5 and older either speak only English at home or speak English very well. This compares with 91 percent of the total U.S. population who are English-proficient. Many more Hispanics would like to learn more English, but the nation or the individual states don’t provide the necessary opportunities. It is a myth to say Hispanics don’t want to learn English.

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Citizenship Nearly three in four, 74 percent, Hispanics are U.S. citizens, compared with 93 percent of the entire U.S. population. As noted, those born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens by birth, and fully 99 percent of Puerto Ricans hold citizenship. Cubans at 74 percent and Mexicans at 73 percent have the next highest shares of U.S. citizens. Bottom Line Perhaps more information than we need or wanted, but I am glad it exists. It provides a lot of statistics and data that bear further analysis that will help chart a better future.

Dr. Mellander has lived in 14 Latin American countries. He was an academic dean in Puerto Rico.