04/18/2011 No more Pencils... No more Books?.

APRIL 18, 2011

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VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 14

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e r o m o N . . . s l i c n Pe o more N s?

k o Bo

SMU Meadows Museum

HCF’s Santiago

ASU Professor

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® Editorial Board Ricardo Fernández, President

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Executive & Managing Editor –

University of Texas at Austin

Suzanne López-Isa Carlos Hernández, President

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Gustavo A. Mellander, Dean Emeritus George Mason University

DC Congressional Correspondent –

Loui Olivas,Assistant VP Academic Affairs

Peggy Sands Orchowski

Arizona State University Contributing Editors –

Eduardo Padrón, President

Carlos D. Conde

Miami Dade College

Michelle Adam

Antonio Pérez, President

Online Contributing Writers –

Borough of Manhattan Community College

Gustavo A. Mellander

María Vallejo, Provost Palm Beach State College

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Editorial Policy

Graphic Designer – Joanne Aluotto

The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® is a national magazine published 25 times a year. Dedicated to exploring issues related to Hispanics in higher education,The Hispanic Outlook in 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 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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Article Contributors Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Rosie Carbo, Frank DiMaria, Hugo A. García, Marilyn Gilroy, Mitchell A. Kaplan, Clay Latimer,Angela Provitera McGlynn, Miquela Rivera, Diana Saenger, Gary M. Stern

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Esquina E ditorial

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federal government’s look into for-profit colleges has been making headlines in education and business media for months now. After the release of an uncomplimentary report by the Government Accountability Office, the for-profits quickly launched a counter-attack, in part suggesting that some of the nonprofits weren’t all that great either. At least one minority group came out in defense of the for-profits, which serve a hefty number of minority students and always have.

A March 10 article by New York Times education writer Tamar Lewin centered on a once “struggling religious college with 300 students in Clinton, Iowa” now “turned into an online behemoth with 78,000 students and $216 million in profits last year.” According to Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, the for-profit college employs 1,703 recruiters, but only one employee is charged with job placement. A website response by the college claimed that 74 percent of its students are already employed and don’t need job placement. The head of the college, Harkin reported, earned $20.5 million in 2009.

Some higher education watchers have been suggesting for years that colleges follow a business model. Can this be the one they have in mind?

Probably not, given reports that students at for-profits lead the pack when it comes to defaulting on their student loans.

Good news out of Arizona, where last month its Senate voted down five proposed bills requiring hospitals and school districts to report illegal immigrants, ban them from driving in the state and end automatic citizenship for babies born to immigrants. ¡Adelante!

Suzanne López-Isa Managing Editor

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by Carlos D. Conde

LATINO KALEIDOSCOPE

The

The Peace Corps: Making Love, Not War

United States has always been about liberty and justice for all. So says our Pledge of Allegiance. But it occurs to me that we Americans have taken this pledge beyond our borders in a pugilistic manner, with the U.S. perennially engaged in war and conflicts all over the world in pursuit of these ideals.

I was born at the advent of World War II and lived almost my entire life seeing my country involved in one international engagement after another, from German/Japanese wars to the Korean Conflict, then the Vietnam War interspersed with the Cold War with Russia and, in between, military invasions in Santo Domingo and Panama and other unruly territories.

Cuba was famously on the list but failed due to the U.S.’s botched-up support and dependence on a ragtag army of exiled Cuban freedom fighters.

We are more than 10 years into wars in the Middle East costing us trillions of dollars and thousands of young American lives, and regardless of what our Washington leaders say, there is no show of an imminent exit, with escalation a probable necessity.

Libya was our latest intervention. We might describe it as only dropping bombs to protect the innocent, but it sure looks like war.

U.S. journalist Fareed Zakaria said in a Playboy Magazine interview, “The rhetoric of Washington is absolutely pernicious – rhetoric that views the outside world as evil. In Washington, it’s all-chest-pumping machismo.

“Our foreign policy is trying to convert people to nirvana – that is, our way – or beating them up, humiliating and punishing them,” Zakaria said.

It may be naiveté or wishful thinking, but why can’t we pursue our policies more like the U.S. Peace Corps, which this year is celebrating its 50th anniversary of promoting American ideals without threats, bayonet rattling or confrontations?

Maybe it’s because the Peace Corps, true to its mission, is about love, not war, by providing or teaching others useful skills, perhaps the best way of championing Americanism. No one has ever accused Peace Corps members of being gun-toting CIA moles or propagandists for America policy.

Most people have forgotten and many of the now generation don’t even know that a Peace Corps exists because it works in relative obscurity, unattached to the diplomatic corps and other U.S. international agencies in the field.

I am a partisan of the Peace Corps because I saw its performance when I went abroad to study in South America. For the money, it’s the best investment the U.S. has made in foreign relations when you consider the alternative, with our seemingly endless foreign conflicts and intrigues costing us trillions.

The Peace Corps budget in 2011 is $400 million, the same as in 2010.

The Department of Defense Budget for the same period is $725 billion, with supplementary infusions expected.

U.S. casualties in today’s wars total 5,885 and counting. The last Peace Corps casualty, which is rare, was a 24-year-old volunteer from Florida killed last year in the African kingdom of Lesotho in a failed robbery attempt.

The current number of Peace Corps volunteers and trainees is 8,655 – 60 percent female and 40 percent male. The average age is 28, and 7 percent are 50 years or older. Ninety percent have at least an undergraduate degree.

Volunteers are now working in 77 countries. The total number of volunteers to date is 200,000-plus who have worked in 139 countries, mostly in Africa and Latin America, and largely on education and health projects.

Minorities – 547 of them Latinos – comprise 19 percent of the corps.

Californian Gaddi Vásquez was the first Hispanic director, from 2002-06.

The current director is African-American, Aaron S. Williams.

President John F. Kennedy is credited with originating the Peace Corps idea in a 1960 campaign speech to University of Michigan students and built on it in his “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” inaugural address.

However, it was then-Sen. Hubert Humphrey Jr. who first floated it in 1957, introducing a bill that failed, he said, because some of his colleagues considered it a “silly and unworkable idea.”

Before him, Sen. Brian McMahon, D-Conn., had proposed “an army of young Americans to act as ‘missionaries of democracy’” that also went nowhere.

I was a reporter for the Dallas Morning News when I was sent to spend a week in El Paso with the first contingent of Peace Corps volunteers, training for assignment to Tanganyika, now Tanzania.

They were a group of fuzzy-tailed, excitable young Americans preparing as if in a Marine boot camp for the wilds of Africa – and some wondering if they should pack a tux for any formal diplomatic events to which they would surely be invited.

I hung around with a group of Peace Corps volunteers when I went to Lima, Peru, in 1965 to study on an Inter-America Press Association fellowship, and I can vouch for their commitment and the thinking that they could and indeed were making a difference, even if in small strides.

Not all was wine and roses early in the Peace Corps adventure, with some dubiety, as in Nigeria, which was offended when a volunteer described her surroundings as “primitive and living in squalor.” Some Africans feared the program was a scheme to foster neocolonialism.

In Colombia, some citizens said the volunteers were teaching the farmers how to cultivate coca crops and tooting it up with their hosts.

The fact that the Peace Corps is still around 50 years later – and prospering – speaks for its success and the commitment of American volunteers of all ages who have shown there are alternatives to guns and bombs to carry out our mission.

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Carlos D. Conde, award-winning journalist and commentator, former Washington and foreign news correspondent, was an aide in the Nixon White House and worked on the political campaigns of George Bush Sr. To reply to this column, contact Cdconde@aol.com.

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MAGAZINE® APRIL 18, 2011

CONTENTS A New Textbook Publishing Model for the Internet Age by Frank DiMaria

Page 11

SMU’s Meadows Museum Realizing the Dream of Its Founder, Specializing in Spanish Art by Rosie Carbo

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Santiago Targets Achievement Gap as CEO of Hispanic College Fund by Jamaal Abdul-Alim

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New Report Confirms that Higher Education Benefits Students and Society by Angela Provitera McGlynn

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Secretary of Ed. Duncan Urges Hard & Soft Skills, CTE,Trilingual Ed by Peggy Sands Orchowski

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Student-Created Courses Become Part of Academic Experience by Marilyn Gilroy

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ASU Professor a Prizewinning Documentarian of Chicano History by Diana Saenger

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U. of California-Riverside Devises a Successful Latino Graduation Strategy by Gary M. Stern

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Anthropologist Michael Vásquez – Digging into the Future by Clay Latimer

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

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DEPARTMENTS Latino Kaleidoscope

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by Carlos D. Conde

The Peace Corps: Making Love, Not War

Scholars’ Corner

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by Hugo A. García

Interesting Reads and Media...

Book Review

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by Mitchell A. Kaplan

Health Care in Maya Guatemala: Confronting Medical Pluralism in a Developing Country

Hispanics on the Move

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H igh S ch oo l Fo ru m

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High School Seniors Take Note: Prepare Now More than Ever for SAT and ACT

by Mary Ann Cooper

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

Priming the Pump...

by Miquela Rivera

Learning to Use Feedback Helps Prepare Latino Students

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Back Cover

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

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INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

A New Textbook Publishing Model for the Internet Age

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by Frank DiMaria ollege students living at or below the poverty line often have difficult choices to make; buy groceries, pay rent or purchase textbooks. To Eric Frank, co-founder of Flat World Knowledge, this is not really a choice.

When it comes to eating or buying a textbook, most will choose to eat.

“The biggest barrier to learning on scale is access to information. If we don’t solve that problem, then on scale we are never going to educate the number of people who want to be educated and who are not only capable of excelling but in many ways need that education to improve their quality of life,” says Frank.

But Frank is optimistic that his new textbook publishing model will eliminate those barriers that prevent economically disadvantaged students from accessing information and continuing their education. Frank’s company, Flat World Knowledge, publishes open-licensed textbooks. His model not only allows college professors to choose the book they prefer for their courses, it also allows students to choose the price and the format of the book. What makes Flat World textbooks open-licensed is a set of rights that allow an individual professor to improve upon the book for his or her class. With an open license and with Flat World’s open publishing platform, instructors can create new editions for their students if they attribute the work to the original author, don’t use the work for commercial purposes and distribute their remixed version under the original license.

Like their professors, college students also enjoy a number of freedoms, not the least of which is free textbooks. Students can read Web-hosted versions for free, or purchase other formats, such as paperback books, PDFs, audio books, e-books and interactive study aids, all for a fraction of the cost of traditional textbooks.

“It’s truly the shift from information and knowledge being a scarce good wrapped up between a cover of books, or in some other physical manifestation, to being an abundant good. Everybody can access this knowledge at the same time, and it doesn’t take away from anyone else.

There is this exciting opportunity, I think, to take down these barriers that have existed, and it’s these old business models that were built pre-Internet that are still building up walls around knowledge and content,” says Frank.

According to Eric Weil, managing partner of Student Monitor, a higher education research group, 69 percent of college students purchase new textbooks, 76 percent purchase used textbooks, 10 percent purchase Ebooks, and 20 percent rent their textbooks. Those who purchase new textbooks pay, on average, $83 per book. Those who buy used textbooks pay an average of $54 per book. Students who purchase E-books and rent books spend about $6 and $9, respectively, on their books. The College Board estimates that students can spend from $1,133 to $1,181 on books and supplies per year. The Student Public Interest Research Group, a consortium of organized college students, indicates that in 2010, the average price of the 100 top-selling textbooks was $175 for a new edition and $132 for a used one.

To understand how walls and barriers were erected and how the cost of textbooks has risen so precipitously, one must first understand the evolution of textbook publishing. In the late 1970s, there were several small

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“The biggest barrier to learning on

scale is access to information. If we don’t solve that problem, then on

scale we are never going to educate the number of people who want to

be educated and who are not only capable of excelling but in many

ways need that education to improve their quality of life.”

Eric Frank, Co-Founder, Flat World Knowledge

publishers, what Frank calls scholarly publishers. Then in the 1980s, these small publishers were bought up by bigger corporate parents, becoming the “cash cows for those corporations,” says Frank. Realizing that academic textbooks were becoming big business, these corporations invested in large sales forces, complete with sales reps with expense accounts. This investment, however, cost the corporations big bucks, and they passed those expenses on to the student in the form of higher textbook prices.

By the 1990s, a wave of consolidation in the publishing industry turned 65 publishers into a mere five significant publishers. “With less downward price pressure, publishing companies set prices, and nobody broke rank,” says Frank.

A “nuclear arms race of supplements” emerged among publishers as each tried to outdo its competition by offering “fancy CDs or a video or something that the other guy doesn’t have. So they started exploding these teacher supplement packages, and that started adding tons of cost to the product. So prices started going up faster in the ’90s. And that’s what precipitated the arrival of a significantly overpriced textbook,” says Frank.

But then came the great equalizer, or so cash-strapped students thought. Angry about the high price of textbooks, students turned to the Internet to find a low-cost alternative to the publishing companies’ high prices. They found it. Students were no longer forced to fork over gobs of cash for their textbooks. Nor did they have to rely on the campus bookstore to find used copies. Sites such as Amazon.com dealt in used copies while other sites offered textbook rentals. Some students even found pirated copies of texts that they could download for free.

However, as students began snapping up used textbooks on Amazon and downloading free texts, publishers saw their sales decline. To preserve their revenues, publishers were forced to raise their prices for new books.

“So what used to be a 4 percent-a-year price increase had gone to over 10 percent a year,” says Frank.

Working under the assumption that there is no single prototypical college student, Frank’s model of information delivery accommodates a variety of learning styles and lifestyles. Some students are in their 40s and returning to school for career training, others are traditional 18- to 22year-olds living in a quad on campus while others have scratched their way into college from the lowest rungs of America’s economic pyramid, the first in their families to attend college, says Frank.

“We at Flat World have taken the position that we want to be delivery and platform agnostic. However a consumer wants to read and consume, we should try to provide that,” says Frank. All Flat World texts are offered for free on the Internet. But for the student who wishes to hold and read a hardbound textbook, Flat World will sell a black and white edition for about $30 or a color edition for $60. For those who are auditory learners or want to consume their textbooks while driving or jogging, Flat World offers audio versions of its books in the form of MP3s. For those who read on Kindles, Nooks or the iPad, Flat World can deliver texts to these devices as well.

Frank developed three core components to the Flat World business model. First, he says, Flat World publishes great textbooks, nothing radically different than any other textbook publishers. Flat World finds leading scholars in their respective fields who then write exclusive textbooks for Flat World. Flat World provides various editorial resources, such as peer reviewers, editors, illustrators and designers and applies technology and automation to keep the final cost of the textbook down.

But what differentiates Flat World from other publishers is its second component, openly licensed textbooks. In other words, Flat World does not publish its books under “all rights reserved,” but instead under a “creative commons license.”

“This in effect transfers legal control” from Flat World Knowledge “to the user, the faculty member, to be able to take control of that content,” says Frank.

Professors have varying perspectives, opinions, course objectives and audiences. No two professors approach their courses in precisely the same manner. Frank believes that professors should have the opportunity to improve upon an existing text, and Flat World provides the legal control for professors to modify texts through its creative commons license and also provides the ability to make modifications through its online editing platform. Professors can drag, drop, click, delete, edit and even insert YouTube videos, all within an open-license textbook. “So we’re giving a lot of control to the faculty to take something that is great and build upon it and make it better,” says Frank.

The third component of the Flat World model is to provide students with the ability to choose from a variety of formats and a variety of price points. Delivery options include free textbooks offered over the Internet, hardbound texts, MP3s and PDFs. Flat World textbooks also offer students a variety of study aids, such as flash cards, practice quizzes and audio chapter summaries. “It’s all about choice for the student. They can buy it or not buy it and read it for free on the Internet,” says Frank. In essence, Flat World is putting the student in the driver’s seat by offering all the material necessary for a student to succeed in a particular course, says Frank.

One would think that an economic model that allowed students to access materials for free would be doomed to fail. But Frank thinks otherwise and explains his financial model like this: In semester one, 55 percent of students buy some material from Flat World while 45 percent read the materials on the Internet for free. In that same semester, Prentice Hall, for example, sells materials to about 70 percent of students. But when the second semester rolls around, Flat World still sells to 55 percent of the new students. Prentice Hall, on the other hand, sells to only about 35 percent because many secondsemester students choose to purchase used material or borrow texts. By semester three, Prentice Hall’s sales have dipped to around 15 percent while Flat World is still selling to 55 percent of the third-semester students.

“Semester four we’re still selling at 55 percent, and Prentice Hall’s not selling a lick. Now they have to spend money to revise the book and bring it out faster to flush the market of used books. We can keep our book going longer. At the end of the day, we are earning equal revenues; we’re just earning them more slowly over time,” says Frank.

Flat World published its first free textbooks in March of 2009, and since then more than 1,600 professors at over 900 colleges have adopted a Flat World textbook for their courses. Demand is also growing internationally. Students in 44 countries are among the 100,000 who will use Flat World books during the 2010-11 academic year.

Another way that Flat World is partnering with colleges to lower student costs and improve completion rates is through institutional textbook licensing agreements. In this model, institutions buy per student seat licenses for digital access to textbooks, and charge students a small fee as part of tuition.

Currently, Flat World publishes 28 titles. Of those, 22 are for business and economics courses. Frank plans to continue publishing aggressively in the business and economics field. But moving forward, he hopes to tackle general education courses, those courses that are often required within a student’s first two years and comprise virtually the entire community college experience, where the financial pain is most keenly felt.

Frank concedes that Flat World is not going to publish thousands of books like the big publishers, but by focusing on the general education titles, he is convinced that Flat World will find a niche. “Introduction to

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psychology, sociology, algebra, history all those courses. We are focused on publishing 125 general education courses by 2014, and we’ve already started that,” says Frank. This fall, Flat World published three general education courses and has three more titles coming out for the spring.

One of the 1,600 professors who have turned to Flat World textbooks is Economics Professor Erik Huntsinger of Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale, Ariz.

“I adopted the Flat World text in my classes because students shouldn’t have to pay more than $100 for a textbook in college classes. A new copy of the previous text I used cost more than $150 for students, and used books were not that much more of a cost savings,” says Huntsinger. “I would hear students sharing stories about how expensive the textbook was, regardless if they bought it at the bookstore or from an online vendor.”

Thirty-nine percent of Estrella Mountain’s student body is Hispanic, and 55 percent receive some form of aid. Huntsinger says that many of his stu-

dents work full time and take on massive amounts of student loan debt just to go to college, and he did not want to add to their financial woes by requiring them to purchase expensive textbooks. In the past, students who purchased used texts had out-of-date textbooks, making it difficult for Huntsinger to be consistent with page numbers and up-to-date graphics.

Huntsinger calls the Flat World textbook he currently assigns “one of the best economics textbooks I’ve used in my teaching experience.”

Chapters are relatively short and easy to read, which increases the chance the students will actually do the assigned reading.

Frank, who holds a B.A. in literature from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and worked as a director of marketing for a division of Pearson, says that Flat World is building the next-generation publisher “with our own model and our own author stable, under what we think is the right model for the Internet era.”

Scholars’ Corner Growing up, I never imagined I would attend a postsecondary institution, let alone pursue an advanced degree. I attended six different elementary schools, three different junior high schools and three different high schools. One of my high school teachers told me I would never get far in life.

Due to my academic and behavior problems, I was sent to an alternative high school to obtain a GED. My parents, like many other immigrants from Latin America, put too much faith in the American school system and concluded that the counselors’ decisions were in my best interests.

However, I decided I would go back to regular school to complete my high school diploma, as I did not want the stigma associated with the GED. I was not going to be a statistic. In 1993, I walked down the high school football field with tears in my eyes as I was about to accomplish something many believed I wouldn’t – graduation from high school.

Because of this major milestone in my life, and regardless of the lack of support from many in my life, I enrolled in my first college class at Southwestern College in the fall of 1993. The path was not an easy one; I struggled academically as I was underprepared. At times, I would doubt myself and think that everyone was right about me not being able to succeed in college. But with the support of faculty and my peers at the community college, I was able to transfer and eventually earn my B.A. in political science/international relations from the University of California-San Diego (UCSD). Soon after graduating from UCSD, I completed my master’s degree in higher education and student affairs at the University of Southern California (USC). While at USC, I worked on several research projects at the Rossier School of Education. My research experience propelled me to enroll at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) to pursue my Ph.D. in education with an emphasis in higher education.

Today, I am a fifth-year doctoral student at CGU. I am working on increasing the participation rates of Latinos in higher education by conducting research on access with Scott L. Thomas and diversity issues with my advisor, Daryl G. Smith. In addition to my research agenda, I have had the great fortune of participating in the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) Graduate Student Fellows Program. My interactions with my colleagues in the fellows program have been immeasurably valuable. I would highly recommend this program to any rising Latina/o scholar to meet and relate to other Latino members conducting research on important issues facing our communities. At this time, I would like to thank all AAHHE faculty members for their support of current Latina/o graduate students. With your support, I know I will finish my doctorate and be a productive member of the academy. I hope to go back to the various schools I attended and serve as an inspiration to other students.

By Hugo A. García Doctoral Student, Higher Education, Claremont Graduate University, 2010 Graduate Fellow

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ARTS

SMU’s Meadows Museum Realizing the Dream of

Its Founder, Specializing in Spanish Art

In

by Rosie Carbo

1936, Algur H. Meadows founded the General American Oil Company (GAO).

By 1952, as president and chairman, Meadows began frequent business trips from Dallas, Texas, to Spain’s capital, Madrid.

Through an exclusive arrangement with the Spanish government, GAO was allowed to search for oil. Interestingly, the only oil Meadows ever discovered was the oil on the canvases of the Prado Museum.

Following the death of his wife, Virginia, Meadows donated his impressive collection of Spanish art to Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1962. Through the Meadows Foundation, he gave a million dollars to start the Meadows Museum, in Virginia’s memory. In 1965, it opened at SMU’s new art center.

Now, after 45 years of showcasing the largest and most comprehensive collection of Spanish artworks outside of Spain, members and museum patrons still marvel at the Texas oilman who dreamed of having a “Prado on the Prairie” in Dallas.

“I saw an article in the Houston Chronicle where Mr. Meadows said he actually wanted to build a small Prado in Texas,” said Mark Roglan, who has a Ph.D. in art history and has been the museum director since 2006.

“This kind of vision, right from the start, is part of the American dream of entrepreneurship that made him a larger-than-life character,” said Roglan, a Madrid native whose leadership has helped enhance the museum’s international image.

William B. Jordan, the museum’s first direc-

tor, agreed that Meadows was indeed larger than life – a charming and sophisticated gentleman who wanted to distinguish his museum from other campus museums nationwide.

“There are certainly other universities that have museums. Some examples of museums at Ivy League schools are Harvard, Yale, Princeton and the University of Michigan. But the Meadows is the only one I know of that specializes in Spanish art,” said Jordan, who also holds a Ph.D. in art history.

In 1967, Jordan was 26 years old and finishing his doctorate when he accepted the post of museum director. Meadows was 67, and determined to realize his vision of building a first-rate museum.

Born in Vidalia, Ga., in 1899, Algur H. Meadows was a self-made multimillionaire by the time he was in his 40s. He was an accountant who earned a law degree before starting GAO with two associates in 1929. Shortly after, Meadows moved the company and established its headquarters in Dallas.

With 3,000 oil wells in 15 states, and GAO listed on the New York and Pacific Coast Stock Exchanges, Meadows thought there had to be oil in Europe. So in 1952, he set out to search for oil in Spain.

Meanwhile, he and his wife Virginia had begun spending months at a time as guests of the Ritz Hotel. Their leisurely walks along Madrid’s tree-lined boulevard led to el Museo Nacional del Prado. Founded in 1819 by King Fernando VII, Spain’s repository of artworks by

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the old masters inspired Meadows.

Imbued with a newfound passion for art, and enchanted by Goya, Velázquez, Murillo and Domenikos Thetokopoulos – “El Greco,” Meadows began buying and collecting artworks when his search for oil did not pan out.

Ribera, Murillo and three works by El Greco.

Regarding his desire for Spanish artworks, Meadows said: “I thought I was creating something of immortal value. I kept thinking, what if I could have in Dallas, Texas, a collection of art that could be considered a tiny Prado?”

“This kind of vision, right from the start, is part of the American dream of entrepreneurship that made him a larger-than-life character.”

Mark Roglan, Director, Meadows Museum, SMU At a time when few Americans braved Francisco Franco’s Spain, the couple became part of Madrid’s high society. Meadows had also blazed the trail for Spain’s infant oil industry, and obtained security clearance to export his artwork back to the United States.

In 1963, the Spanish government bestowed on Meadows the title of “caballero” with la Gran Cruz de la Orden de Merito Civil. The award recognized his business acumen and generous gifts to the museum.

Despite the award and admiration for the Prado, Meadows continued dreaming of his “Prado on the Prairie.” His vision led him to buy what he thought were authentic artworks by Goya,

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After Virginia died of cancer in 1961, Meadows married a woman interested in French art and sculpture. By 1962, he had donated his Spanish collection and money to SMU to start the museum.

Being a virtuous man from humble beginnings, Meadows trusted those with whom he had business dealings. Indeed, he often sealed a deal with a handshake. So when the museum opened to the public in 1965, Meadows did not suspect that he and Virginia had bought thousands of dollars in fake art.

Meadows remained unaware of the problem until 1967. That’s when two swindlers began traveling to Dallas to sell Meadows additional

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artworks. This would be the second time he was duped. The difference this time was that the fraud occurred in Dallas.

The scam made national and international headlines. And at least for the moment, Meadows’ dream of a Prado on the Dallas prairie became the Texas oilman’s most embarrassing and costly nightmare.

Articles in The New York Times, Life and Time magazines published the story and chronicled myriad examples of U.S. art collectors being duped. The ramifications were felt across the nation and the world.

Scrutiny by art experts revealed that the initial pieces acquired by Meadows while in Spain were fakes. Among those found to be forgeries were a Picasso, Goya, Murillo and Ribera.

In addition, more than 70 artworks acquired in Dallas from swindlers who hailed from France and Canada were also deemed to be forgeries.

And 41 paintings were judged to be fakes.

The bittersweet saga of Meadows and his fledgling museum brought fame as well as infamy to both.

The story became an international incident dubbed the “scandal of the century” by the media.

As the art world reeled, Meadows characteristically rose to the challenge. With courage and honesty that had made him a legend in the oil industry, Meadows vowed to rebuild his art collection. Undaunted, he survived the onslaught of media coverage and hired Jordan as the museum’s director in 1967. For the next 11 years, with Jordan at his side, Meadows rebuilt the collection.

Today the museum holds more than 125 paintings and sculptures, and some 450 works on paper.

“As someone who learned about collecting by his side, and through the unprecedented opportunity he gave me, I remember and value the man’s character most,” said Jordan, a graduate of New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts.

Tragically, Meadows died in a car accident in 1978 in Dallas. But the Meadows Foundation continued to provide financial support for the ongoing educational programs and development of the museum’s permanent collection.

From 1965 until the 1990s, SMU’s arts building had housed the Meadows Museum. In 1998, through a $20 million gift from the Meadows Foundation, construction of a freestanding art museum began.

In 2001, a new Meadows Museum was inaugurated with a personal visit from King Juan

Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. The two-story museum is now a vital resource for the Dallas community. The museum has a litany of ongoing programs open to students from grade school to college and beyond.

At the museum entrance, visitors are greeted by a giant sculpture of a human head created by famed Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. The “wave,” a movable structure by renowned engineer/ architect Santiago Calatrava, also graces the front of the new building. Calatrava’s futuristic bridges are appearing in Dallas as well.

In 2006, the foundation gave $33 million – the largest gift ever made to SMU – to the Meadows School of the Arts. Of that sum, $25 million was earmarked to fund further acquisitions, exhibitions, educational programs and curator and director positions.

More than 50,000 art lovers visit the Meadows each year. The museum houses artworks dating from the 10th to the 21st century from Renaissance to Baroque. Works by some of Spain’s Golden Age and modern masters, including Picasso, Goya, Miro, Velázquez, Sorolla and others, adorn the museum walls.

Recently, the Meadows and the Prado signed a three-year partnership. It’s the first international program of its kind for the Prado. The historic union has thus far led the Prado to lend the Meadows El Greco’s famous Pentecost. The groundbreaking exhibit is one of three planned through 2012.

Another unprecedented exhibit, Jusepe de Ribera’s Mary Magdalene, is scheduled for fall of 2011. And in 2012, the Prado will lend the museum a full-length portrait of Philip IV by Diego Velásquez. That same year, the Algur H. Meadows Prado Curatorial Internship Exchange will be initiated.

“The Meadows and the Prado signed an agreement without precedent, which says a lot about Mr. Meadows. He really was determined to have a Prado on the Prairie in Texas,” said Roglan, who spearheaded the historic agreement between the two museums and also brokered recent groundbreaking exhibits at the Meadows.

In addition, the museum is the only U.S. venue for “The Lost Manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel: An Epic Journey from Rome to Toledo.”

The historic exhibit, which runs through April 23, is by a special agreement with the Center for European Studies, National Library of Castilla-La Mancha, Cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace of Toledo and the National Library of Madrid. The library held the first public exhibit of the manu-

In 2006, the Meadows Foundation gave $33 million – the largest gift ever made to SMU – to the Meadows School of the Arts. scripts in October 2010.

The manuscripts, illuminated sacred codices dating from the 11th to the 18th century, were rescued by the archbishop of Toledo after Napoleon’s army looted the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Rediscovered in the 1990s, the manuscripts will return to their home in the Cathedral of Toledo after the Meadows exhibit.

The museum anticipates more acquisitions and unparalleled exhibits. But Carmen M. Smith, director of education, said the museum could not meet the public demand without a bevy of dedicated docents.

“We usually have about 50 active docents during the year. They make possible so much of what we do beyond giving tours. They’re involved in so many areas that we couldn’t do anything without their help,” Smith said.

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Since 1983, people from virtually every walk of life have enrolled in the docent training program. Some want to learn about Spanish art, and donate their time to teaching visitors about art and history.

“The Meadows is a special place to give tours. There’s a connection between history and culture in every gallery and in every piece of art,” said Aleta McGhee, a docent since 2001.

“I was immediately smitten when I joined the training program. Would I encourage someone to join?

“Absolutely. ... Can you apply what you’ve learned elsewhere? Without a doubt,” McGhee added.

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LEADERSHIP

Santiago Targets Achievement Gap as CEO of Hispanic College Fund

As

by Jamaal Abdul-Alim an accomplished university leader who helped boost revenue and enrollment at one of the largest universities in the Midwest, Dr. Carlos Santiago anticipated there would be questions about his recent decision to leave the world of academia.

“One of the questions that certainly might come to you is: Why would someone with 30 years in higher education, having gone up the academic ranks, decide to leave a university environment?”

Santiago left his post as chancellor of the University of WisconsinMilwaukee (UWM) last fall.

Speaking before the American Federation of Teachers, Santiago, a longtime labor economist who hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico, related that while serving as leader of UWM and constantly having to hustle up revenue amid increasingly tight funding, he noticed what he refers to as “another crisis.”

“While I’m proud of the achievements that we have managed to accomplish during the six years that I was there, I really felt there was another imperative, another crisis, that really drew my attention,” Santiago told the teachers union.

That crisis, he said, was the crisis in Latino educational achievement.

“I felt it was better to change course and try to contribute to ameliorate the impact of that particular crisis,” Santiago explained.

“I have begun referring to this as a national imperative.”

It is with that in mind that Santiago, 58, is settling into his new position as president and CEO of the Hispanic College Fund, a national organization founded in 1993 by Hispanic business leaders who saw a need to support Hispanic youths in pursuit of higher education.

Santiago said he hopes to continue evolving the organization from one that merely grants schol-

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Dr. Carlos Santiago, new President and CEO, Hispanic College Fund

arships to one that is focused on cultivating Latino talent to make inroads into America’s work force.

“The organization was really a scholarship organization. We realized that wasn’t really sufficient,” Santiago said during a recent interview at his ninth-floor downtown office, one that is far smaller than his opulent office at UWM. Inside the office with the blinds halfclosed, a tomato paste-colored coffee mug emblazoned with the words “United States Census 2010” and “Esta En Nuestra Manos” (or “It’s In Our Hands”) sat atop an orderly, modest-sized desk. A few feet away stood a bookshelf that held titles such as Oxford’s Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas, Caught in the Middle and Labor Economics.

“We had to do more,” Santiago explained of the broadening mission at Hispanic College Fund. “The scholarships are necessary, but they’re not sufficient.”

So in addition to scholarships, Santiago said, the Hispanic College

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Fund, which tax returns show operated on a budget of $6.4 million in 2009, will devote more time to connecting Latino youths to and preparing them for the growing number of careers that labor economists predict will require a postsecondary degree.

“The organization now views itself as a Latino work force development organization, not simply a Latino scholarship program,” Santiago said.

“I think that’s important as we look to the future as to where we’re going to be five, 10 years from now.”

Hispanic College Fund currently operates at eight sites. It serves youths in Silicon Valley and Central Valley in California; Dallas, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and in Virginia and Maryland. The organization not only provides college-prep and mentoring services beginning as early as the eighth grade, but works with youths after they’re in college as well.

One of its signature programs is NASA MUST (Motivating Undergraduates in Science and

Technology) Project. The program seeks undergraduates who aspire to become researchers and scientists and gets them 10-week internships at one of NASA’s field centers.

As of 2010, the organization had awarded more than $3 million in college scholarships to nearly 300 students through NASA MUST. That is just a portion of the nearly $15 million in scholarships that the organization has given to 5,400 Latino college students since the organization was founded in 1993.

Santiago said he hopes to expand the organization’s reach from eight sites to 20 and to serve thousands more youths.

That kind of agenda will be increasingly important given the projected growth in the Latino population in the U.S., according to proponents of increasing the number of Hispanics with a college degree.

“This is an organization that is rather unique in its approach because it’s got the entire pipeline,” said Deborah Santiago, co-founder

and vice president for policy and research at Excelencia in Education, a Hispanic higher education advocacy group in D.C. “That’s a great need for the country but certainly for the Latino population, given our current levels of educational attainment combined with our demographic growth,” she said.

Those familiar with Carlos Santiago’s legacy in Milwaukee, from a colleague and close family friend to one of his former fiercest critics, say he is uniquely suited to take the Hispanic College Fund to a higher level.

“He’s a visionary. Someone who can see the big picture of an organization or an institution and imagine where it can go,” said Patricia Arredondo, a close Santiago family friend and former colleague who is associate vice chancellor of academic affairs and interim dean at the School of Continuing Education in the Graduate School at UWM. Arredondo, who worked with Santiago on implementing UWM’s master plan, said his academic career foretells the kinds of things he will do to increase the presence and success of Hispanics on college campuses throughout the United States.

During his tenure as chancellor at UWM, for instance, enrollment grew from 27,248 in 2004 to an alltime high of 30,275 in 2009.

Research expenditures nearly doubled, from $28 million at the beginning of his tenure to $54 million at the end; nine new doctoral programs were added; and two new schools – the School of Public Health and the School of Freshwater Sciences – became the first new schools established at the institution since 1975, according to Santiago’s résumé. And at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he was provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2001 through 2004, he played a key role in establishing the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE).

“At Albany, he did great stuff. At UWM, he did great stuff,” Arredondo said. “So why not do it” at Hispanic College Fund, “if you have a different kind of passion for the Hispanic future in higher education?”

However, others say that Santiago, who will be paid $320,000

a year for his work at Hispanic College Fund, a salary commensurate with his overall compensation package at UWM – didn’t base his move entirely on a desire to do good in other areas. Rather, some observers say, Santiago, who had already raised eyebrows for applying for other university jobs during his chancellorship at UWM, had become frustrated by social science academics at UWM who opposed his efforts to build bridges between the corporate world and the world of college.

“Santiago is a classic example of a chancellor who comes into a university and starts moving an agenda, but doesn’t realize that the culture of the university that he inherited” is at odds with that agenda, said Robert Miranda, a longtime Latino activist in Milwaukee and columnist for the city’s Spanish Journal.

“Santiago wanted to enhance the industrial side of the university, and many of your professors on the social sciences end see that as: ‘Uhoh, our university culture is going to change. The integrity of the university is going to be put in question because there’s so much corporate research being done,’” Miranda explained. “And corporate research and universities to many academics is not seen as the kind of research that many people look at as something that’s noble, for it’s for commercial purpose only, to drive the free market.”

Santiago conceded that there is “an element of truth” to Miranda’s analysis, adding that he did find it peculiar that he ran into such opposition when seeking to build partnerships between the world of business and the world of academia.

Still, Miranda, recalled as constantly “beating up” on him early in his tenure as chancellor, actually gives Santiago high marks.

“I have no doubt he’ll be successful in pursuing the agenda of incorporating more efforts to bring the Latino diaspora into the mix,” Miranda said. “His message will be for Latinos to be dynamic entrepreneurs, to be leaders in the business community, to move the economic market agenda, to be part of the knowledge game and to be leader in that.”

Santiago was born in Old San

Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1952, the same year that Puerto Rico became a commonwealth of the United States.

His father, José A. Santiago, was an Army artillery officer who started out as a private in the U.S. Army and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

After serving in World War II, his father took advantage of the GI Bill to get a college degree, then rejoined the Army and went on to serve in Korea and Vietnam.

His mother, Irma J. Santiago, was an artist and teacher.

“Her grandmother couldn’t read or write but raised seven kids on her own,” Santiago said. After her own children were grown, Santiago recalled of his mother, she opened up an institute and taught “all kinds of esoteric religions.”

“She was a very, very smart woman,” Santiago said.

Santiago recalls leaving his native Puerto Rico at age 5 and spending his childhood moving around from one U.S. Army base to another. They included Fort Benning in Georgia, Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Fort Devens in Massachusetts, Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico, and forts Clayton and Amador in Panama.

“I moved all those times in 12 years,” Santiago recalled of his precollege years.

In 1969, when it came time for a then 17-year-old Santiago to fill out a college application as a youth, he was a B student with “OK” SAT scores, but fiercely independent.

“I just didn’t want my parents to do the application,” Santiago recalled. “They couldn’t understand why I wasn’t getting admitted to a number of schools.”

But there was a reason that colleges were turning Santiago down.

When the application asked, “What do you want to be in the future, on the college applications I put ‘truck driver.’ I said I wanted to drive a big rig truck. And I wondered why I wasn’t getting admitted into college,” Santiago recalled during his talk to the teachers union.

“I could have benefited from some more support dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s.”

Asked why he indicated on his college applications that he wanted to be a truck driver, Santiago recalled that it was an era of antiwar protests and social protest.

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“It was just kind of a statement of rebellion,” Santiago said. “I wasn’t doing it intentionally. The truth was, in high school, school didn’t motivate me. It wasn’t until I got into college that I really got motivated.”

Indeed, Santiago graduated in three years, later went on to earn two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. He got interested in economics during the second semester of his freshman year when he took a course in it.

“I never knew what economics was,” Santiago recalled. But after a professor got him interested in the numbers and social science of it all, “it just caught my attention.”

After he earned his bachelor’s degree, he journeyed back to Puerto Rico and got a master’s degree in economics. He worked for the Puerto Rican government at the planning board.

“I just got excited about research,” Santiago recalled.

“People understand if you’re a chemist in a lab coat you make discoveries. I felt the same way about economics. I would use statistics, analytics, and I loved to make discoveries about things.”

Santiago’s wife, Azara SantiagoRivera, is a psychology professor at UWM. The couple have three daughters, including one who is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As of late, Santiago has been making the rounds, getting people familiar with the mission of Hispanic College Fund.

At one of his latest public appearances, as a guest panelist at the Latino Youth Forum, held at the Newseum in downtown D.C., a Latina youth from a student newspaper asked Santiago what message she should send in an article she planned to write.

“The message is really a national message,” he said. “We’ve looked at the changing demographics. We know that by 2050, nearly a third of the U.S. population will be of Hispanic origin. We know that currently about 13 percent of the Latino population holds a college degree. That’s a huge gap to close in a relatively short period of time.

“But this is a national imperative. It’s not an issue of Latinos. It’s an issue of preparing this country for the 21st century.”

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REPORTS

New Report Confirms that Higher Education Benefits Students and Society

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by Angela Provitera McGlynn andra Baum, Jennifer Ma and Kathleen Payea of the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center released a document in September titled Education Pays 2010: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society as part of the center’s Trends in Higher Education Series.

The report provides crystal clear evidence that higher education makes a huge difference in the lives of degree holders in many ways, including finances, and that persistent disparities in college participation and completion are leaving large segments of the American population behind. The uneven rates of enrollment and completion in higher education across different segments of the American population should be a critical concern to our nation.

The evidence is overwhelming that higher education improves people’s lives, makes our economy more efficient, and contributes to a more equitable society. The existing gaps in participation and success are detrimental not only to individual lives, but also to society as a whole.

As an educator, I see the benefits in broad terms. Higher education has the potential to transform people’s lives in positive ways by broadening their horizons, helping them develop critical and analytical thinking skills, fostering an appreciation for diversity and seeing multiple perspectives on

issues, and enhancing their future job satisfaction.

Education Pays 2010 found numerous nonmonetary benefits to individuals who earned bachelor’s degrees. It confirmed my view that higher education enhances job satisfaction. People with bachelor’s degrees and higher are more likely to be very satisfied with their work, and they report that their work seems important and gives them a sense of accomplishment.

The researchers also found that college-educated adults are more likely than others to receive health insurance and pensions from their employers. College-educated adults are more likely to be active citizens, donating their time to volunteer activities and voting, than high school graduates.

Additionally, college-educated adults smoke less, exercise more, are more likely to breastfeed their babies, and are more likely to have lower obesity rates. When the health risks of smoking became public, and ever since, smoking among college graduates has been on the decline.

Thus people holding college degrees are more likely to have healthier lifestyles than others – and this reduces health care costs both for the individuals themselves and for society.

Level of education is also correlated with engaging in educational activities with their children. The percentage of parents who read to their children, for

Unemployment Rates Among Individuals Ages 25 and Older, by Education Level, 1992-2009 Not a High School Graduate

High School Graduate

Some College or Associate Degree

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

15%

U nem ploym ent Rat e

12%

9%

6%

3%

0% 1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

Year Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010d

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2009

Expected Lifetime Earnings Relative to High School Graduates, by Education Level 3.0

2.74 2.58 2.5

1.97

2.0

Earnings Rat io

example, is positively related to their own level of education – the more education parents have, the more they read to their children. Their children are better prepared for school than children of less-educated parents.

In today’s world, many people analyze the benefits of higher education only in terms of dollars and cents. Does a college education pay off financially? With the current cost of tuition and a contracting job market, that question is legitimate. If one were to focus specifically on the question of the financial benefits of higher education, the answer would be an unequivocal “Yes.” That affirmative answer applies not only to the individuals themselves who earn the degree, but the financial payoff is to society at large. Higher education obviously provides a great return on the investment. As the report states, federal, state and local governments enjoy increased tax revenues from college graduates and spend less on income support programs for them, providing a direct financial return from investments in postsecondary education.

In addition, social support programs such as the Food Stamp Program and the National School Lunch Program were far less likely to support college graduates (about 1 percent) than high school graduates (8 percent) in the year 2008. Incarceration costs are also far lower for college graduates than for high school graduates.

Looking at financial benefits for the individuals themselves, the report states that not only are people with higher levels of education much more likely to earn more money across their lifetimes, they are also more likely to be employed. The report states that in 2006 there was a 2.3 percentage point difference between unemployment rates for college graduates compared with high school graduates. In 2009, the increase in unemployment difference between bachelor’s degree holders and high school graduates increased to 5.1 percent.

Comparing unemployment rates between people with at least a B.A. degree with high school graduates shows that for the former group, unemployment rates are consistently about half. One accompanying chart provides a visual representation of unemployment rates among adults 25 and older, by educational level, for the time spread 1992 to 2009. The chart shows that those with higher levels of education are more likely to be employed and that the pattern is consistent over time.

Despite the fact that unemployment rates are higher for Blacks and Hispanics in our society than for Whites, unemployment rates decrease markedly as the level of education increases for these groups.

Certainly in the current recession, we have seen increases in unemployment among college graduates. Between 2008 and 2009, the unemployment rate for college graduates rose from 2.6 percent to 4.6 percent.

However, for high school graduates the unemployment rate increase is far sharper – rising from 5.7 percent to 9.7 percent. By early 2010, data show a recovery in employment but only for college graduates.

In 2008, the median earnings of bachelor’s degree recipients working full time year round were $55,700. Their salaries were $21,900 more than those of high school graduates. Having some college but no degree also translated to earnings 17 percent greater than those with only a high school diploma.

Median tax payments of full-time employees with professional degrees were more than three and a half times higher than those of high school graduates. After-tax earnings were almost three times higher for professional degree holders. The average person holding a B.A. degree will probably earn about two-thirds more than a typical high school graduate over a

1.66 1.5

1.24 1.13 1.00

1.0

0.71

0.5

0.0

Not a High School Graduate

Some College, No Degree

High School Graduate

Bachelor's Degree

Associate Degree

Doctoral Degree Master's Degree

Professional Degree

Education Level Note: Based on the sum of median 2008 earnings for full-time year-round workers at each age from 25 to 64 for each education level. No allowance is made for the shorter work life resulting from time spent in college or out of the labor force for other reasons. Future earnings are discounted at a 3 percent annual rate to account for the reality that, because of forgone interest, dollars received in the future are not worth as much as those received today. This represents real interest, as all earnings are in 2008 dollars. Discounting does not have a large impact on the lifetime earnings ratios.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009; calculations by the authors

four-decade working lifespan.

The report shows that the financial benefits associated with additional years of education beyond high school and the gaps in earnings by educational attainment have both increased over time. Note that in 2008, women between age 25 to 34 with a B.A. degree or further graduate education earned 79 percent more than the median earnings of women with a high school diploma. For men of the same age and in the same year, the median earnings increase was 74 percent. Compare the median earnings for both groups just a decade earlier – the numbers were 60 percent and 54 percent, respectively. The gaps in earnings are widening.

Another chart shows the expected lifetime earnings of all levels of education as compared to high school graduates. The data show the greater

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earnings ratio of people with some college but no degree and then the marked increases at all levels of degree achievement from associate degrees to professional degrees. From the perspective of the strictly monetary payoff of a college education, the numbers are dramatically persuasive.

Not only do we see income gaps between the college-educated and those without college, gaps in educational attainment also exist between White middle-class students and low-income and minority students, and again, those gaps are widening. In the time period 1998 to 2004, the gap between White and Black high school graduates who enrolled in college within a year of high school graduation fluctuated between eight and 10 percentage points. By 2008, that gap increased to 14. Enrollment gaps between White and Hispanic students have narrowed between 2000 and 2008, from 19 points in 2000 to eight in 2008. While that narrowing is encouraging news, the persistent degree completion gap between Whites and Hispanics is discouraging especially given the projected growth in the Hispanic population.

The research shows that enrollment patterns differ across income levels, and that graduation rates are a function of type of institution attended.

For example, in AY 2007-08, 40 percent of students from families with income levels below $40,000 enrolled in public two-year colleges and 8 percent enrolled in for-profit institutions. Only 17 percent of students from families with incomes of $120,000-plus enrolled in public two-year colleges, and 1 percent attended for-profit institutions.

The report notes that, in general, high school graduates from lowincome families, those students whose parents did not go to college, and Black and Hispanic students have lower college enrollment rates and have much lower educational attainment rates. The researchers attempt to analyze these demographic disparities.

Baum et al. say that while enrollments for Black and Hispanic students have risen over time, they chase a moving target of White and Asian college enrollment rates. Since the data show that type of institution attended is correlated with degree completion, the researchers question whether focusing on enrollment is sufficient. Should the focus also include helping students from these demographic groups choose institutions that are a better academic match for them? The report cites previous research supporting their findings related to the undermatch phenomenon – the probability of earning a B.A. degree is significantly increased by enrolling in the most

selective institution for which students qualify.

For full-time students who started studying toward a B.A. degree at a four-year college or university, 57 percent earned the degree within six years from that institution. Completion rates averaged 65 percent at private colleges and universities (nonprofit), 55 percent at public four-year institutions and 22 percent at private for-profit institutions.

Another finding worth noting is that within each racial/ethnic group, bachelor’s degree completion rates are more than twice as high in the private not-for-profit sector as in the for-profit sector. Moreover, completion rate gaps between Black students and White and Asian students are larger in the for-profit sector than in the public and private not-for-profit sectors.

The STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are critical for America to be competitive in a global, knowledge-based economy. Here again we see demographic differences both in enrollment and in degree completion. Male students are about twice as likely as female students to enroll in STEM fields. About 40 percent of both men and women who enter STEM fields complete some type of credential; about one-fourth of both male and female students earn a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field.

About twice as many Asian students as White, Black or Hispanic students enroll in a STEM field, and of those, completion rates are lowest for Black and Hispanic students. Only 16 percent of Black and Hispanic students who enroll in a STEM field earn a B.A. degree compared to about 30 percent of Asian and White students who do so.

The research emphasizes that the focus for improving educational opportunities should be twofold: First, it should involve finding ways to provide opportunities for both postsecondary preparation and access.

Second, the data indicate the focus should be on helping more students make decisions that maximize their chances for degree completion.

The complete report can be downloaded at http://trends.collegeboard.org.

Angela Provitera McGlynn, who taught psychology at a community college for 35 years, is now a national consultant on teaching and learning.

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Secretary of Ed. Duncan Urges Hard & Soft, Skills, CTE, Trilingual Ed INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

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by Peggy Sands Orchowski

greater emphasis on the acquisition of both “hard” and “soft” workplace skills and on career and technical education – also known as CTE – should be included in our national strategy for higher education, the Harvard Graduate School of Education argues in a report, Pathway to Prosperity, that was presented in Washington, D.C., in early February with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The secretary agreed heartily. “It is urgent that we turn to a CTE focus,” he told a packed audience of college administrators at the report’s launch on Feb. 2. That includes trilingual education, like Spanish and Chinese, Duncan suggested.

“The goal of postsecondary education today must not just be to earn a degree or certificate, but to get a job,” Duncan continued. “Getting a degree should not only require higher-level math skills like algebra 2, but also skills needed as a successful employee. All college students should learn to communicate at all levels, to do teamwork problem solving and to master life skills such as prioritizing and organizing.”

This “path to prosperity” that prepares students for college and a career can’t be on two different tracks, Duncan said. “It must be a single track, a fast track for all. School reform needs to provide multiple pathways to postsecondary success and viable alternatives to a bachelor’s degree.”

“The modern labor market has changed beyond recognition,” the Pathways to Prosperity Project, based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, points out. “While the total number of jobs in America in 2008 had grown by 6.4 million, those held by people with no postsecondary education had actually fallen by some two million. Labor market projections indicate that nearly two-thirds of all new job openings will be in “middle-skill occupations” in fields such as health care, for workers with an associate degree or occupational certificate.” By 2018, nearly twothirds of all jobs in the U.S. will require some college-level education in these fields.

The definitive word in that statement is “some” college-level attainment. Postsecondary education for Duncan definitely includes two-year degree and short-term certificates, not just four-year and advanced degrees. In fact, the report found that “most jobs even in the second decade of the 21st century do not require a four-year degree.” Of the 47 million jobs expected to be created by 2018 (some 47 million), only a third will require a bachelor’s or higher degree. Surprisingly, this does not mean second-class wages, however. The report actually found that “27 percent of workers with postsecondary licenses or certificates/credentials short of an associate degree earned more than the average bachelor’s degree recipient.”

But American students need more flexibility.

The “college (generally assumed to be offering a four-year degree) for all” movement must also be challenged – especially as that movement has led states to allow the admissions requirements of four-year colleges and universities to become the default curriculum for all high school students,” Robert Schwartz, academic dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education, is quoted as saying. “Unless we provide more choice in the last two years of high school and more opportunities for students to pursue program options that link work and learning, we will continue to lose far too many young people along the path to graduation.”

“The traditional single-track process (complete college first, then get a job) especially “does not work well for low-income and young people of color,” according to the report. “Many of these students are frustrated by an education they often find irrelevant and removed from the world of work.”

“This is exacerbated by weak or nonexistent career counseling, rising college costs, inadequate financial aid and the frequent need to balance careers with jobs,” Duncan said.

The nation’s employers need to be asked to play a greatly expanded role in supporting the multiple pathways to prosperity (education, training and job) system, the report concludes. “America is

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the only developed nation that depends so exclusively on its higher education system as the sole institutional vehicle to help people transition from secondary school to careers and from adolescence to adulthood,” says Schwartz, who heads the Path to Prosperity project at Harvard. “Far bigger contributions from the nation’s employers and governments are needed to provide more opportunities for work-based learning.”

The report details several examples of successful school system, community college and employer CTE programs that link challenging academic with focused tech curricula, throughout the country. They include “Project Lead the Way,” the “Career Academy Movement,” “High Schools that Work,” California’s LINKED Learning Initiative, Massachusetts’ regional tech ed programs, and a legislated comprehensive CTE system in Florida.

Perhaps the leading example of CTE corporate/school system partnerships, however, were those described by the IBM Foundation’s president and VP for corporate citizenship and corporate affairs. According to Stanley S. Litow, IBM contributes $180 million through its Reinventing Education program for training and implementation of new innovative technologies helping Americans and children and adults in some 170 countries to learn to read. In 1996, ’99 and ’01, Litow hosted National Education Summits for CEOs, state governors, business leaders and the president of the U.S. The former New York City deputy chancellor of schools (the nation’s largest school system) also helped create IBM’s Corporate Service Corp, which deploys hundreds of IBM’s top emerging leaders in community assignments in the developing world.

Asked if the company financed these projects for charity or for business, Litow answered “both.” The millions of dollars spent for the projects each year come out of the foundation’s resources as well as out of human resource funds. Litow claimed that IBM “was committed to developing the work force the nation needs, right here in the country itself.”

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CURRICULUM/INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Student-Created Courses Become

S

by Marilyn Gilroy tudent-created courses, in which students take charge of learning experiences and organize their own syllabi and seminars, have joined the menu of options on several college campuses. With technology providing new ways of delivering content, and self-directed learning becoming more popular, it is no surprise that colleges are responding by incorporating student-designed learning experiences into the academic mix. While some of these courses can be taken for credit, others are offered just for the sake of learning. Either way, those involved say it gives students an opportunity to share their passion for and knowledge of subjects outside the traditional curriculum.

“Students have a chance to fill in perceived gaps in the standard university curriculum,” said McKenna Freese, one of the student co-directors of Cavalier Education, a student-initiated course program at the University of Virginia (U.Va.). “It thus provides one more avenue for students to actively participate in the life and governance of the university.”

U.Va. takes pride in its longstanding tradition and commitment to student self-governance. Students can initiate courses by proposing classes that go through a formal approval process or by recommending Flash seminars, which are single-event discussions of one topic.

The impetus began about five years ago when Emily Ewell, then president of the U.Va. Engineering Student Council, came up with an idea for a credit course that would allow students to hear different professors speak each week on a variety of subjects. As a university guide, she had taken a class that features several renowned professors and wanted to give other

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students the same opportunity. With the help of some friends, Ewell gathered recommendations about professors with whom students wished they could take a course and then invited each of those faculty members to participate in one class module during the semester.

“The idea was to try to get U.Va.’s best professors together and let them showcase themselves to a diverse group of students,” she said when the course was launched.

The course, which featured professors from the sciences to humanities, was designated LASE 360 because it showed students 360 degrees of the university. After going through the approval process, the class was offered for registration and filled up with 100 students. The course still runs today.

Since then, students have kept the momentum going and continued the tradition of designing their own courses. This year, some 18 proposals were submitted for review and approval. According to Marian Anderfuren, director of U.Va.’s media relations, proposals are fairly lengthy and must be completed with the guidance of a professor. They also must include a course description, curriculum, budget and assigned readings. All proposals are then reviewed by two deans in the College of Arts & Sciences.

“The credits for these classes are not considered academic credits but are counted as nonacademic credits, much like a phys ed class,” said Anderfuren.

Courses offered last semester included “American Conservatism in the Twentieth Century,” “Living Art History: An Introduction to Art Business and Contemporary Art Markets” and “The West Wing: Where Hollywood Fantasy and Reality Collide.”

The student-initiated courses now run under the banner of Cavalier Education and are coordinated by Freese and Hannah Beller under the auspices of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Student Council. As codirectors, their responsibilities include fielding questions by e-mail, reviewing applications, coordinating with the deans and working with the Teaching Resource Center.

As Freese explains, once a class is approved, it is run entirely by the student-initiators, not the faculty sponsors.

“Either the student-initiators teach it themselves, or they organize a series of faculty lectures from various professors,” she said. “For example, one class brought in a series of psychology professors to talk about their

Part of Academic Experience research. Courses might integrate aspects of both of those options.”

This semester, Freese says, there are eight “fantastic” courses being taught by 13 undergraduate student-teachers. Among them are “Inspiration, Muse and Genesis,” “Advocacy and the Judicial System” and “Introduction to Cryptology.”

Cavalier Education has just inaugurated the Pedagogy Seminar, a twohour, biweekly course that student-teachers attend to investigate and improve their own teaching skills.

“Aside from enhancing their teaching experience, the seminar also provides an opportunity for the student-teachers to receive one credit for teaching the course, whereas in the past this was not possible,” she said.

Freese says the Cavalier Education program requires students to make a serious commitment when proposing a course. The process of designing a syllabus, getting faculty support and estimating a budget is one that requires careful thought and planning. But allowing students to step into this arena meets two important goals: that of enriching the education experience and ensuring the university’s principle of student self-governance.

“We feel the notion of students taking charge of their education to the point of actually creating and teaching their own classes is an extension of the ideal, honored at the university, of student self-governance,” she said.

“It is one that allows them to truly govern their own education.

Learning in a Flash But U.Va. student-created courses are moving beyond traditional structure and taking advantage of new technology. This year has brought the creation of Flash seminars, in which faculty and students come together outside the classroom for discussions on topics beyond the normal course content.

The Flash seminar takes its name from the phenomena of flash mobs, in which groups of people assemble suddenly in a public place for a brief time for a spontaneous event. The mobs are organized using cell phones, text messaging and social-networking sites such as Facebook. Flash mobs in various cities have gathered to stage spontaneous pillow fights, choral performances and political protests. U.Va. students have taken the concept, added more structure, and provided an opportunity for students and faculty to share knowledge in a more informal setting. The seminars are announced one to two weeks ahead of time and are open to students, faculty and community members.

Laura Nelson, a 22-year-old fourth-year political and social thought major and one of the driving forces behind the Flash seminars, explained how the idea was born.

“Some of us [students] were sitting around and having conversations about U.Va. and the whole academic experience,” she said. “We began to talk about how the spaces we learn in do not have to be compartmentalized, that learning can take place outside the classroom. We started thinking about doing something creative and inventive, and that was when the possibility of Flash seminars came about.”

Nelson then went to work on making the concept a reality. She said the process involved creating a fairly simple technological infrastructure. A

Laura Nelson, student and force behind the Flash seminars

website and e-mail components were created to support the publicity and sign-up aspects of Flash seminars.

Last fall was the first semester for Flash seminars. Topics included: “Liberal Arts in the Era of Late Capitalism,” “Can Buildings be Carbon Neutral, and Should They?” and “There is Much to be Angry About: Are We an Apathetic Generation?”

“The faculty can teach on any subject that excites them,” said Nelson.

“We want to get people to learn and discuss things.”

Topics for the current semester were developed using the same impromptu process and included offbeat topics such as “Could a Poem or a Song Save a Life?” and “Unpacking Kill Bill.”

Nelson says the courses fill up fast. So fast, in fact, that sometimes there is a waiting list for one of the 15 or 25 slots available for each seminar.

“We keep enrollments down because that’s what makes the experience special,” said Nelson. “The University of Virginia is a public college, and it’s hard to find a class that is smaller than 40, so we deliberately keep it small.”

Faculty members have been enthusiastic about participating. It gives them an opportunity to teach about a topic of personal interest to an audi-

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Rafael C. Alvarado, Professor, Associate Director of SHANTI

ence of diverse students who come together to listen and learn, rather than get a grade or earn credits toward their degree.

The students take part, says Nelson, because the seminars give them exposure to top faculty members who are often from outside their major and a chance to engage with fellow students interested in vigorous discussions. Sometimes participants include other faculty members who are eager to enjoy the expertise of their colleagues. All in all, it is a very stimulating atmosphere.

“There’s an intellectual energy in the seminar,” said Nelson.

“Something happens when you get all of these smart and curious people from different disciplines in a room.”

Dr. Rafael C. Alvarado, professor and associate director of SHANTI (Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Network of Technological Initiatives), is typical of those faculty members who have conducted a Flash seminar.

Alvarado teaches and lectures on the anthropology and ethnography of computing.

“I got involved in the Flash seminar at the request of one of my students,” he said. “I came up with the topic based on a lecture on Big Data I gave for the course which my student found interesting. I also wanted to develop the topic into an article.”

Alvarado’s seminar was titled “Is the Superorganic Made of Silicon?: Rethinking the Culture Concept in the Internet Age.” That might sound a little intimidating to those who don’t speak the language of technology, but it is based on Alvarado’s scholarship on the computer as “core metaphor, contested tool, and central artifact in the investigation of postmodern culture.”

“One of the most profound historical consequences of the Internet has been the emergence of the cultural datasphere,” he explained. “Each day, millions of Web users unwittingly contribute masses of information about human behavior and taste to the databases of Google, Facebook, Wikipedia, Amazon and other sites. These data suggest the possibility of a new kind of social science in which the concept of culture is both revitalized and challenged.”

Alvardo considers the notion of the “cultural datasphere” as having significance as an object of anthropological study.

“My research question is to determine the relationship between the concretization of culture and culture itself,” he said. “Among my concerns is to find out if it is empowering or alienating, transformative or destructive to being human.”

Alvardo plans to spin off the results of his seminar conversation into the development of an anthropology course, “The Internet is Another Country,” to be taught next fall. He said the Flash seminar was an example of how humanities courses should be taught – as student-generated conversations around a topic initially presented by the professor. There was no PowerPoint or any other technological device, he said, just a great discussion.

“The students were amazing, showing genuine interest and keen insight into the topics,” he said. “One area we ended up in was discussing the relationship between memory and narrative, and the effects of database culture (a side effect of the Web) on selfhood, given the close connection between self and memory.”

That outcome is no surprise to Nelson, who says that students and faculty often come away with the feeling that a certain “spark” permeates the seminars.

“Students write thank-you notes to the professors and will often say the seminar was one of the most provocative and interesting things they have experienced at U.Va.,” she said.

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Interesting Reads Because of Race

By Mica Pollock The author analyzes hundreds of arguments she has encountered on the subject of racial discrimination in public schools – arguments she heard while working at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights from 1999 to 2001.

2008. 277 pgs. ISBN 978-0-691-12535-0. $29.95 cloth. Princeton University Press. (609) 883-1759. www.press.princeton.edu.

Contemporary Mexican Cooking

By Anne Lindsay Greer Did you ever wish you could duplicate special dishes served to you in today’s finest Mexican or Texas restaurants?

This volume is more than just a book of recipes. It is filled with tips that make a big difference when striving for taste authenticity.

2008. 238 pgs. ISBN 978-0877192732. $29.95 cloth. Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, Texas. (800) 956-7739. www.gulfpub.com.

Into the Beautiful North

By Luis Alberto Urrea The author tells the story of a 19-year-old girl who works at a taco shop in her Mexican village when bandits invade her hometown. The young girl then goes forth to find her father and a band of men who can help her reclaim her town.

2009. 343 pgs. ISBN 978-0-316-02527-0. $24.99 cloth. Little Brown and Company. (212) 364-1100. www.hachettebookgroup.com.

and Media...

The Andalusian Epic: Islamic Spain This program addresses the expansion of the Arab empire into Spain, where Muslims ruled for more than seven centuries. Special attention is given to the reign of Abdel Rahman III. 2004. 27 minutes. ISBN 978-0-7365-5857-0. $149.95 DVD. Films for the Humanities and Sciences. (800) 2575126. www.films.com.

Health Care in Maya Guatemala: Confronting Medical Pluralism in a Developing Country

by Walter Randolph Adams and John P.Hawkins Norman Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, 2007.

ISBN 978-0-8061-3859-6. 288 pages, list $19.95 paper

W

alter Randoph Adams and John P. Hawkins, professors of anthropology at Brigham Young University, together with their colleagues, have produced an outstanding book that looks at ongoing conflicts between traditional healing systems and modern western medical practices in three K’iche Maya Indian communities in Guatemala.

The two-part book examines how people living in indigenous cultures such as the Maya think about the causes of illness and the healing process in comparison to ideologies imposed by the modern Guatemalan medical system. Drawing on field studies by renowned anthropologists, the authors explore the ways that categories of disease are conceptualized and treated within the cultural context of traditional Maya health care.

Through in-depth interviews with students in Maya communities, the authors chronicle the indoctrination rituals that apprentice healers go through as they learn about the medicinal benefits of herbal and botanical treatments for specific diseases and other practical skills of healing they will need to become full-fledged shamans. The authors also discuss the role of cultural beliefs about nutrition and ritualistic body cleansing in medical practices associated with reproductive health and infant mortality among the Maya. Adams and Hawkins strongly believe that infant mortality rates in these communities could be reduced significantly through community-based public health education programs incorporating western biomedical and more traditional Maya ideas about illness causation. They contend that community health education is the key to breaking down communication barriers separating modern and traditional health care systems in Guatemala.

The researchers conclude that using public health education programs is a critical first step toward making western disease ideologies and treatment practices more understandable and acceptable to the Maya. They provide an overview of cultural factors that guide help-seeking behavior and medical decisionmaking among indigenous patients.

In the second part of the book, the contributors offer detailed dialogue about specific health conditions. They provide new insights into the treatment of oral health conditions, malnutrition and mental health disorders, as well as the care of pregnant women during childbirth. In closing, they proclaim once more that the most effective way to ensure that the Maya receive greater access to the treatment benefits of western medicine is to incorporate the knowledge, beliefs and practices of their traditional system of care into Guatemala’s modern system of health care delivery.

Reviewed by Mitchell A. Kaplan

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FACULTY

ASU Professor a Prizewinning Documentarian of Chicano History Paul

by Diana Saenger

Espinosa grew up in America among a wealth of family members whose ancestors settled in the western region of the United States centuries ago. From family members, he gained inspiration and a drive to pursue whatever career he chose. For six years, he’s been a professor at Arizona State University in the School of Transborder Studies.

Both of his parents were born in Colorado.

Espinosa’s father taught Spanish at an elementary school. His mother was a homemaker, and he had an older sister and three younger brothers. Education was always important in his family, Espinosa said. “I went to high school in Albuquerque. I was a good student in sciences and humanities, and when I graduated, I knew I wanted to go to college.”

Espinosa enrolled at Brown University in Rhode Island. He graduated in 1972 with a B.A. in anthropology. “I think anthropology is a powerful discipline and a very useful methodology for thinking about the world,” he said.

After graduation, Espinosa went to Peru for several years and toured Latin America. Still wanting to expand his knowledge, he then attended Stanford University in California where he earned a Ph.D. in anthropology in 1982.

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Although Espinosa was always interested in a bridge between anthropology and media, his next move was quite unusual.

“What most anthropologists do is go to someplace far away and study what the natives do,” Espinosa said. “I decided to go to Hollywood and do an ethnography – a long-term study of a television studio, sort of looking at it as an ethnological village. I was interested in how they created television programs, not from a technical but a cultural point of view.”

Espinosa lived in Los Angles while working in the field and eventually saw his experience as a way to tell the stories of his culture and what he refers to as a recovery of Latino history. He became involved in public television, with his first film appearing on KPBS in San Diego.

For the next 10 years, Espinosa wore many hats – as a writer, producer and director. His filmmaking forays took him into arenas he felt important to capture on film. The New Tijuana, his one-hour documentary as producer/writer in 1990, captured the economic and political changes shaping Tijuana, Mexico. In 1991, he wrote Los Mineros, about Mexican-American copper miners’ 50-year struggle for justice in Arizona. In 1992, he produced and directed 1492 Revisited, a documentary of an art exhibit

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that provided a critical perspective on the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ journey.

As the accolades began to flow and his films began to appear on more public television shows, it was apparent to Espinosa that he was doing the right work. “People were very supportive of my interest in producing work about the broader U.S.-Mexico border region that appealed to a national and international audience,” he said.

Espinosa produced and wrote the 1993 documentary episode “The Hunt for Pancho Villa” for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting series The American Experience. It examined Villa’s raid on the United States and the American expedition that pursued Villa in 1916.

In 1996, Espinosa executive-produced a feature-length American Playhouse drama funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The film covered a year in the life of a young MexicanAmerican boy and his migrant farmworker family.

Espinosa was senior producer of the 1998 fourhour, binational documentary series The U.S.Mexican War: 1846-1848, with KERA-TV in Dallas.

It commemorated the 150th anniversary of a war that was a pivotal event in U.S.-Mexican history.

Not only was Espinosa creatively involved in all of his projects – writing, interviewing, shap-

ing the development – many times he also had to raise the funds to produce them. He learned how to get grants so he could keep pursuing important subjects, as in The Trail North, a documentary about one family’s journey over generations to come to America, or The Lemon Grove Incident, the case of Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District – the first successful school desegregation court decision in the history of the U.S. “The film is a docudrama about the 1930 court case,” Espinosa said. “Many non-White children were segregated, and this was before the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) legal challenge to segregate children of color. I was extremely fortunate to build credibility with the PBS networks. So many of the stories and work Latinos were doing in the United States was not particularly well known even in my case, as my family has been here a very long time. Many of these stories would not have made it into official records, but through the work that I and many others have done with oral histories and arguing for their importance, that is changing.”

In the early ’90s, Espinosa met grad student Ethan van Thillo, who was putting on a Latino film festival at the University of California-Santa Cruz. When van Thillo moved to San Diego, Espinosa continued to advise him as he pursued creating Latino film festivals around San Diego.

“Mr. Espinosa continued to be an advisor and eventually a founding member of the board for the San Diego Latino Film Festival, which began in 1994,” van Thillo said. “Then in 1999, he became one of the founding board members and key people behind the creation of the Media Arts Center San Diego, a nonprofit organization modeled after other media arts centers across the United States.”

Married to Marta Sánchez, also a professor at Arizona State, Espinosa continued to widen the landscape of those who could learn and be inspired by his films. He was always in search of the next story. In 1997, he formed Espinosa Productions, a film and video company specializing in documentaries and dramatic films focused on U.S.-Mexico border topics.

His Latino Art in the U.S. was a three-hour series examining all genres of Latino art. In 1999, he was producer, writer and executive producer of The Border, a two-hour news magazine about contemporary life along the U.S.Mexico border. In 2002, he wrote, directed and produced “Taco Shop Poets,” a segment for Visiones. Espinosa’s national production credits for PBS included California and the American Dream, in 2006, a four-hour series examining

the dynamics of culture, community and identity in one of the most diverse regions in the world.

While continuing to work as a filmmaker, Espinosa also finds value in being a teacher. Both parents, he said, instilled the value of education in their children while maintaining a traditional Hispanic culture. So it seemed fitting that he became an educator. Espinosa’s courses at Arizona State include Constructing the Border on Film and Chicana/o Film. “I was often asked to lecture at universities, and very happy to be here in academia, but I continue to work on films, too.”

Espinosa has received prestigious recognition for his tireless social awareness and work in telling the Chicano/Latino story at universities, festivals and in The New York Times, Los

the University of California-San Diego.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists inducted him into its hall of fame in 2003. In 2010, he received the Outstanding Latino Cultural Award in Fine or Performing Arts from the American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE).

“My work has had a broad viewership,” said Espinosa about his recognitions. “Hopefully, it’s had an impact – to get people to see the world differently and to understand some of the missing pieces of the Latino story which are important – and even more so today. We’re living through challenging times in terms of immigration, the border and all the things that have sort of hyperpolarized in the last 10 years. So there’s even

Paul Espinosa (right) directs cinematographer Howard Shack on the shoot for The American Dream series.

Angeles Times, Washington Post, and NPR’s All Things Considered.

Espinosa previously served as a board member of the California Council for the Humanities and as a member of the Documentary Jury for the Ninth Annual Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, Cuba. He has been nominated four times for a Rockefeller Foundation Intercultural Film/Video Fellowship in the Documentary category.

The California Chicano News Media Association honored Espinosa with a Lifetime Achievement Award 1998. In 1999, he was recognized by Union Bank of California and KPBS with a Local Hero Award to those who have made a difference in the Latino community. In 2000, Espinosa was named a Regents Lecturer at

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more need for careful historical knowledge about this broad region where Mexico and the United States have been co-mingling for centuries.”

As a filmmaker, educator and mentor, Ethan van Thillo, executive director, founder of the Media Arts Center, recognizes the importance of Espinosa’s work.

“His documentaries are seminal works depicting the Chicano/Latino experience here in the U.S.; and especially in the Greater U.S.-Mexican Border Region,” van Thillo said. “Thousands upon thousands of television viewers, students, educators and general audiences have greatly benefited and learned from his work and tireless effort to promote a more positive and accurate portrayal of the Chicano/Latino experience.”

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ENROLLMENT/RECRUITMENT

U. of California-Riverside Devises a Successful Latino Graduation Strategy

The

by Gary M. Stern

University of California (UC)-Riverside, a large institution 1. Commitment starts at the top and filters through campus. with 20,746 undergraduates that is 35 percent Latino, The Education Trust report praised UC-Riverside for making graduating takes graduating Hispanics very seriously. It relies on sev- Latino students a “core value” that has became part of the campus culture. eral success strategies, including first-year learning communities, creating The provost’s office oversees the monitoring of Hispanic graduation rates Hispanic academic programs, developing an early-warning academic alert, and reviews statistics from each of its nine colleges, including Humanities, and using data to retain and graduate Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering or larger number of Latino students than the Natural Sciences. William Kidder, assisnorm. Results have been impressive – 62 tant executive vice chancellor at UCpercent of its Latino students graduate Riverside, attributes its success in reachwithin six years, compared to a national ing Latino students to the commitment Hispanic graduation rate of 51 percent. the college makes to diversity from What can other colleges learn from its “admissions to all facets of the universistrategies? ty’s outreach efforts up to chancellors.”

A 2010 Education Trust report, Big Chancellor Timothy White, in several Gaps, Small Gaps, Hispanic Students, speeches, has positioned diversity as written by Mamie Lynch and Jennifer critical to the college’s success. Having a Engle, noted that encouraging Latinos to diversity commitment from the chancelearn a bachelor’s degree is critical to the lor sends a message throughout the colcountry’s future. By 2050, Latinos will lege about the importance of graduating number about one-third of the work minority (and all) students. force, and yet, as of 2010, only 13 per2. Develop learning communities. cent of Hispanics had bachelor’s degrees compared to 21 percent of AfricanBecause the state university is large Americans and 39 percent of Whites. and many first-generation college stuPrivate colleges do a more effective job, dents could easily get lost in the hubbub graduating 66 percent of Latino students of a complex campus, UC-Riverside compared to 48 percent of public colintroduced freshman learning communileges. The researchers concluded that ties to break down the anonymity of the colleges must create innovative ways to university. These learning communities recruit and graduate more Latinos. are self-selected by students, and about UC-Riverside is a Hispanic-Serving 40 percent of all freshmen opt for them.

Institution (HSI) and a research universiAt orientation, admissions staff extol the ty, which helps attract talented students academic and social benefits of joining James Sandoval, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs in the sciences. Its research facilities learning communities. In the learning provide access to doctoral programs that many HSIs can’t furnish. communities, smaller groups of students take the same classes, operate as The college is strategically located, about 60 miles from Los Angeles a cohort and bond in classes in their respective colleges. “It’s important and 90 miles from San Diego, and its three most popular majors are psy- that students have a sense of connection rooted in the university communichology, business administration and biology. ty,” Kidder said. One reason why learning communities have proved effecHere are the factors that have enabled UC-Riverside to graduate a large tive at retaining and engaging students is that they generate more interacnumber of Hispanic students: tions with faculty and graduate teaching assistants, he said. Hence, students

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in learning communities receive more personalized advising and more peer assistance. In the sciences, learning community students have greater opportunities for paid summer research. Since many Latino students are first-generation college students and can have a hard time adjusting to college, these learning communities play an important role in retention.

Indeed, UC-Riverside’s data reveal that Latino students return as sophomores at an 8 percent higher rate than the norm. “For students who are academically talented but haven’t had exposure to college, it’s more important that students have a sense of belonging and engagement,” Kidder noted.

3. Recruit targeted students.

Before a college can retain and graduate students, it must attract students who meet its standards. Gaining acceptance to UC-Riverside is demanding. Students must have a 3.5 GPA and average SAT scores of 1470, explained James Sandoval, vice chancellor of student affairs. Its admissions department works with local high schools and community colleges and has developed strong relationships with community-based organizations in Hispanic neighborhoods to identify students that meet its requirements.

“It’s through these relationships we’ve built a strong base of highly qualified students,” Sandoval said.

4. Build word of mouth in the community.

Snappy brochures and online marketing can play a role in recruiting students, but building word-ofmouth in local communities can have a major effect on attracting talented Latinos, Sandoval suggested.

UC-Riverside’s undergraduates and graduates are encouraged to return to their community to speak to family members, high school counselors and teachers at local high schools to explain how Latinos thrive on campus.

dorms. Events were held so that freshmen could socialize, get to know each other and become familiar with campus. That set the tone for helping students feel at ease on campus.

6. Having critical mass matters.

When Latinos are only 3 percent or 4 percent of the student population, it’s easy for them to feel marginalized or ostracized. But at UCRiverside, Latino students, who are mostly Chicanos, constitute one out of every three students, forming a sizable campus minority. When UCRiverside surveys undergraduates, 90 percent of Latino students say they feel a strong sense of self-respect on campus.

7. Create an early intervention system.

Freshmen can easily get into “academic trouble, which can cause a downward spiral before they recover,” noted Kidder. Rather than waiting until the end of the fall quarter to determine grades and which students are facing difficulty, in 2009, UC-Riverside’s vice provost for undergraduate education partnered with IT to create an early-warning assessment system that enables faculty to reveal struggling students before the end of a semester. Faculty administer an early assessment exercise within the first three weeks of the fall quarter; students who fail to meet the cutoff scores are invited to visit the Academic Resource Center for assistance. If the Academic Resource Center doesn’t hear from students, it reaches out to them. Students meet with peer counselors who assess the problem and then refer students for appropriate resources such as tutoring.

8. Maintain affordability.

Affordability breeds academic success. Even small changes in financial aid at a federal or state level can disrupt students receiving aid, Kidder suggests, and 54 percent of UC-Riverside students receive Pell Grants. One of the keys to obtaining financial aid, which may sound simple but often isn’t, is meeting deadlines, Sandoval said. Beginning at recruitment, students are made aware of deadlines to obtain Pell Grants and other financial aid to ensure compliance.

5. Establish a welcoming atmosphere on campus.

“Students need to step on campus and feel welcome,” explained Sandoval. At orientation, students are informed of programs such as Chicano studies or living in Mundo Hall, a dormitory for Latino and Chicano students, which can help students make the transition from William Kidder, Assistant Executive Vice Chancellor 9. Devise programs that target high school to living independently.

Hispanics.

Since UC-Riverside changes classes on a quarterly basis, students need to be welcomed immediately to fit into a rapidly changing educational enviUC-Riverside offers a Hispanic studies program that appeals to students ronment. Moreover, students are trained as peer mentors who can then who want to pursue Latino culture and history. Moreover, it offers a help other students adjust to campus life. For example, when senior Tracy Chicano Student Program that provides support services and assistance for Juárez, a psychology major, was a freshman, she recalls the college hold- students in need or tutoring or counseling. Juárez notes that Latino stuing welcome week and organizing a series of events on campus and in the dents can feel welcome within the Chicano Student Program. Most staff is

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bilingual. Students can use the Chicano Student Program center as an office, use computers, find tutoring and ask questions of the coordinator.

“It provides a very welcoming atmosphere,” Juárez said. In addition, UCRiverside focuses on building communities. Organizations such as Latinos in Science bring together students with common majors and interests and serve as support systems to help them do well academically and socially, said Sandoval.

10. Hold cultural events.

Encouraging Latino students to feel accepted on campus also entails respecting their culture. Juárez and many other students participated in a Day of the Dead cultural event on campus. The festival included foods, enabled students to create altars as part of the ceremony, and took place in the campus center. “It was a way to allow Hispanics to feel a part of their culture and share it with other students on campus,” said Juárez.

11.Develop diversity programs.

Latino students are also encouraged to join campuswide organizations.

Sandoval noted that the campus has a wide range of activities such as a marketing club and multicultural organizations that attract a wide range of students. Its Common Ground program organizes leadership retreats that welcome students of all races, religions and ethnic backgrounds. “We’re focused on bridge building between communities,” he said.

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12. Encourage volunteering.

Juárez is president of the Latino Union, an organization of about 50 students that is dedicated to community service. The Latino Union participates in a Diabetes walk and raises funds for an autism organization whose funding had been cut. “Getting students involved in a community service organization expands their horizons. It helps students understand other people’s needs and gets them involved in the community,” said Juárez, who plans to go to graduate school in clinical psychology and earn a doctorate.

13. Why students fail to graduate.

Despite its track record of success, with 62 percent of Latino students getting a degree within six years, about one of every three Latino students fails to graduate from UC-Riverside. But that 62 percent number can be misleading, says Kidder, because many students transfer and graduate from other institutions – and others “fall in love, their circumstances change, or they move away.”

14. Create strategic plans for the future to increase success.

UC-Riverside has a 2020 strategic plan to increase its graduation rate to 75 percent. Kidder said that goal can be reached by attracting more students into its learning communities, improving academic advisory services and expanding opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research in the arts and humanities and other areas.

HI S PAN I C S O N T H E MO VE White House Honors Cárdenas Dr. Richard Cárdenas, chair of the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences and associate professor of physics, St. Mary’s University (Texas), was recognized by President Barack Obama for his longtime dedication to mentoring students with the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. Cárdenas was nominated for a variety of mentoring efforts, both with St. Mary’s students and with elementary and secondary students. His primary mentoring efforts come through the community outreach programs conducted by the Society of Physics Students and the Fiesta of Physics program, which reach out to students in lowincome areas and introduce them to the fun of science.

Sáenz and Ruiz Named to ED’s Equity and Excellence Commission U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has appointed Mexican American Legal

Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) President and General Counsel Thomas A. Sáenz (pictured l.) and MALDEF board member Jesse Ruiz (r.) to the Department of Education’s newly created Equity and Excellence Commission. Composed of education advocates, civil rights leaders, scholars, corporate leaders and lawyers, the commission is tasked with developing ways to close achievement gaps in America’s schools.

UT-Austin’s Parédez New CMAS Interim Director

California woman in her pursuit of higher education.” Ferrufino was one of five Hispanic women, among 20 statewide, to receive the $5,000 scholarship. The Women’s Conference was initiated in 2003 by former California First Lady Maria Shriver.

The University of Texas-Austin’s College of Liberal Arts has announced that Dr. Deborah Parédez was named interim director of the Center for Mexican American Studies. Parédez, who has a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, is a poet and scholar who teaches courses about race and performance in the Department of Theatre, Department of African Diaspora Studies, and the Center for Mexican American Studies.

Daughter of Slain Dominican Heroine Speaks at NECC Lecture Series Five decades after the murder of her mother and aunts, Minou Tavarez Mirabal reflected on that tragic event and political violence against women at a presentation, “Political Participation in Combating Violence Toward Women: A Reflection 50 Years After the Assassination of the Mirabal Sisters.”

The presentation, which took place last month, was part of the White Fund Lecture Series presented by Northern Essex Community College (Mass.). Mirabal is a member of the Congress of the Dominican Republic.

Urrea Receives Distinguished Professorship at UIC Luis Alberto Urrea, University of IllinoisChicago (UIC) professor of English and nationally acclaimed writer, in March presented a talk titled “Awakening to the World: From Tijuana to Here” and received the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Professorship. A 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, Urrea has taught creative writing at UIC since 1999 and previously taught at Harvard University, the University of Colorado and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Quiñones Discusses Hispanics in America at Texas A&M-Kingsville John Quiñones, ABC news correspondent and host of the network’s primetime show What Would You Do, was the featured guest speaker in March as part of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville University Lectureship Series. Quiñones, who has a master’s degree from the Columbia School of Journalism and a bachelor’s in speech communications from St. Mary’s University, presented “A 20/20 Vision of Hispanic America.”

Rio Hondo College Grad Receives Prestigious Scholarship In California, former Rio Hondo College student Reina Ferrufino, now attending the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, recently received the Minerva Scholarship, issued by the Women’s Conference as part of its WE Educate Program, to assist her as an “outstanding

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INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Anthropologist

Michael Vásquez Digging into the Future

When

by Clay Latimer

Michael Vásquez began visiting the Hopi Indians 20 years ago, the Northern Arizona University (NAU) anthropology professor ran into a serious obstacle: generations of anthropologists before him had thoroughly alienated the tribe.

“Anthropologists published books, got tenure, while native communities haven’t gotten anything,” he says.

That’s no longer the case, thanks to Vásquez and a new wave of anthropologists who have redefined the study of the ancient past by rejecting their own past.

Rolling up his sleeves, Vásquez embedded himself in a Hopi village, working in the dirt and dust with residents and eventually developing interactive programs at the village and at NAU, where a Hopi student recently earned a Ph.D. Over the years, Vásquez has also waded into the fields with farmers in Norway, Mexico, Guatemala, the San Joaquin Valley, and in Navajo and Havasupai villages – an unusual career arc for a city boy from San Francisco.

But his contributions hardly end there. Currently, Vásquez is helping develop public achievement and other culturally engaged curriculum projects for Latino children in Arizona. He chairs the Coconino County Hispanic Advisory Council and was elected to a spot on the Flagstaff Unified School District governing board in November.

In 2009 Vásquez received the University’s President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award at NAU, his academic home for 21 years.

“One of the things I’ve really come to appreciate about working here is that we graduate the highest number of Native American students in America in a school that isn’t tribally run,” he says. “In our department, we do things quite differently.”

What makes a good anthropologist? A sense of alienation from the mainstream culture helps, says Vásquez.

“As I tell my students often, I think to be a good anthropologist you have to be marginal to your own culture. By that I mean you have to have

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questions about it and look at it in a critical way,” he says. “In my case, I was sort of on the margins of several cultures. My grandparents on one side were from Mexico; one of my grandparents on the other side was from Italy; and the other, from Puerto Rico.

“So I grew with a blending of all those cultures, which gave me a perspective on America and each of those cultures that isn’t very common. It took me a while to figure out that anthropology was the discipline that dealt with those kind of cross-cultural and diversity issues.”

A respect for education seems to be part of the Vásquez family’s genetic makeup. His father was among the first Hispanics to earn a degree from Stanford; both he and his wife taught at a Bay Area community college.

Each of their five sons is a teacher.

“We were raised to value education. I spent a lot of my time reading,” he says.

It was as an undergrad at Cal Berkeley that Vásquez’s interest in anthropology was piqued. “I took a class from Ralph Nader’s sister back in the late ’60s. It seemed like something I wanted to do, but it took me a couple years to take the next step,” he says.

Next Vásquez moved to a Mayan village in Guatemala, where he met his wife, became a woodcarver’s apprentice and spent countless hours in the fields.

“A lot of what I learned about anthropology and the world in general I learned there,” he said. “A friend, who also was a kind of mentor, told me: ‘Miguel, you got two ears and one mouth: use them proportionally.’ In other words, shut up and listen. I did that.

“A lot of my [anthropological] work was with farmers. They don’t have a lot of time for people who stand around with clipboards and ask a bunch of ridiculous questions.

“But if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, they’re willing to sit down and share what they know. And what they know is considerable. It’s that kind of traditional knowledge that’s being lost to the world at a time when we can most use it.”

After living in the U.S., Vásquez and his wife returned to Guatemala, living in a remote mountain village where only a handful of Mayan residents could afford shoes.

But violence was in the air.

“We were working with the people to improve their situation,” he says. “But the country was on the brink of civil war. The military built a garrison nearby; these people supported a guerrilla movement. They said: ‘Look, it’s going to get dangerous around here. You have a wife and a little boy. We can’t protect you. You need to go home.’

“But we still go back periodically to Guatemala. My wife’s family still lives there.”

Back in the U.S., Vásquez entered graduate school at Cal Davis, earning a master’s in international agriculture and a Ph.D. in anthropology, at age 40.

“My four brothers were up in the balcony at the graduation ceremonies. When they called my name to give me the degree, they yelled out in unison: ‘It’s about time.”’

At Northern Arizona, Vásquez found a hospitable place for his interest in agricultural anthropology. The Hopi have lived in the Southwest for more than 2,000 years, many of them on three mesas topped with ancient villages built of stones. A motorist northbound from Phoenix toward Flagstaff on I-17 can make a short detour and drop down to the past in a matter of 30 minutes.

But initially, the distance seemed much farther to Vásquez. Not long ago, archaeologists remained in their remote trenches, cataloging artifacts and focusing on the material remains of past civilizations while paying little heed to native people.

“The natives didn’t really have a voice, and anthropologists wouldn’t – or couldn’t – speak for them,” he says.

With his Batavia Terrace Project, which physically restored 700-yearold terrace gardens, Vásquez engineered a change in the relationship with the Hopi.

“They’re some of the oldest gardens in existence in the U.S. Every summer over nine years, I had students from Northern Arizona who worked on the project. And we got grants to hire young people from the (Hopi) village to restore the terraces. It provided their kids with the chance to get their hands in the dirt and earth and to experience growing things,” he says.

As ties between the department and the Hopis developed, Vásquez helped develop a Ruins Preservation Training Workshop for unemployed Hopi youth, which has generated careers in cultural preservation and a new interest in the relevance of anthropology for the Hopi. NAU students and the Hopis have transcribed tapes for tribal archives, developed a cultural curriculum with the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals,

conducted research in cultural affiliation, developed media materials on health and nutrition for the Hopi Health Center, and created the HCPO website, which won the national student award of the Society for Applied Anthropology.

The past isn’t Vásquez’s only passion. In an anthropology class called Peoples of the Southwest, the conversation often turns to illegal immigrants, a topic of pressing interest in Arizona. Students frequently claim immigrants take jobs from Americans.

“So I do a little experiment and I tell them, ‘OK, I’m a watermelon grower in Yuma, Ariz. I’ve got 500 acres of watermelon that I need to harvest in summer. I’m willing to pay them more than minimum wage – $10 an hour to pick my watermelons. But it’s 110 degrees, and they have to work until the harvest is in,”’ says Vásquez, whose grandparents came to the U.S. undocumented.

“I ask: ‘how many takers?”’

Contemporary political issues prodded Vásquez to run for a spot on the school board, a post that consumes a good chunk of his time.

“But I’m actually having a good time at that,” he says. “The state legislature here and the governor have no regard whatsoever for education. I think we’re No. 49th or 50th in the amount of state funding per pupil.

Everyone on the school board realizes we have no choice but to think outside the box. And so what to some people would be dramatic or radical ideas, in other places or times, well, we’re considering those types of things. And I’m not even the one in some cases who has to bring them up.

For example, we’re talking about how in 12 years we’re going to have all the schools in Flagstaff solar.”

In the end, though, Vásquez never strays far from his academic roots.

“Part of my education was in graduate programs here in the United States, but a substantial part of it was working with folks in Guatemala and here with the Hopi,” he says.

“As anthropologists, we’ve changed the terms of engagement.”

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HIGH SCHOOL FORUM

High School Seniors Take Note: Prepare Now More than Ever for SAT and ACT

The

by Mary Ann Cooper College Board and ACT Inc. have a simple message for this year’s high school senior: Do all you can to prepare for taking the SAT and ACT. More and more students will be competing with you for better scores, and putting in the time and effort to score well will also better prepare you better for college.

Scoring well on the SAT and ACT tests has always been important for high school seniors hoping to get into their college of choice. But there is more significance to these tests. SAT and ACT scores are also fair indicators of how prepared seniors are for the rigors of college academics. And scoring will be even more competitive now. If this past year is any indication, more students will be taking these tests than in previous years.

The College Board report College-Bound Seniors Results Underscore Importance of Academic Rigor: The SAT Aligns to Common Core State Standards notes that more high school seniors in the class of 2010 took the SAT than in any other high school graduating class in history. That amounts to nearly 1.6 million students. What its research has also indicated is that what courses these students take and how much they stretch themselves academically has a major impact on their ability to score well and being prepared for college.

“Engaging students with more rigorous coursework and demanding higher standards are critical in providing America’s students with an education that will prepare them to compete in the 21st-century economy,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton.

“This report confirms that there are no tricks and there are no shortcuts to college readiness. Students who take more rigorous courses in high school are more prepared to succeed in college and beyond.”

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There are many courses and tutoring programs to prepare for the SAT or ACT, but nothing takes the place of challenging coursework.

According to the College Board, students who took four years of English, three or more years of mathematics, three or more years of natural science, and three or more years of social science and history (which constitute a “core curriculum”) scored about 150 points more on their SATs than students who did not take all of these core courses. Of course, students who took AP courses did even better on their SAT scores than other students. The College Board’s study also gives credence to the theory that better preparation for the SAT translates into academic success in college. It reports that there is a correlation between how high a student’s college GPA is and how well he or she scored on the SAT. Of the nearly 1.6 million high school students in the class of 2010 taking the SAT, 41.5 percent were minority students, up from 40.0 percent in 2009 and 28.6 percent in 2000. This makes 2010 test takers the most diverse group of test takers in the 84-year history of the SAT. In the last decade, minority participation in the SAT grew 78.3 percent. The results are mixed. The 2010 college-bound seniors averaged 501 in critical reading, 516 in mathematics and 492 in writing. While mathematics scores are two points higher than in 2000 and 15 points higher than in 1990, critical reading scores have dropped four points in the last decade but are one point higher than in 1990. College Board officials said that even the small change was “encouraging” since average scores traditionally decrease when more students, particularly diverse students ethnically and racially, opt to take the test.

ACT Inc. has also produced studies that show how important it is for high school seniors to

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load their schedules with solid core subjects.

The ACT report, Mind the Gaps: How College Readiness Narrows Achievement Gaps in College Success, goes one step further. It presents the conclusion that loading up on core courses narrows the college success gap between White students and students of color.

According to ACT, “the gaps are significantly reduced, in some cases by two-thirds or more, for students who are college and career ready as evidenced by their meeting or exceeding all four College Readiness Benchmarks (English, math, reading and science) on the ACT exam.”

“Our country has allowed achievement gaps to exist for far too long,” said Cynthia B. Schmeiser, ACT Education Division president and chief operating officer. “The time has come to address this problem head on. The research tells us that academic preparation – taking rigorous coursework in high school – is a significant factor in eliminating these intolerable, longstanding inequities.”

According to another study, the ACT College and Career Readiness report, the gap is closing in part because of the increasing number of Hispanic high school students who are taking the ACT test. However, the report hastens to add that Hispanics need to do more to be successful in college and career choices. According to its report, “Eleven percent of ACT-tested 2010 Hispanic high school graduates met all four of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, which are linked to success in specific first-year college courses. That figure is up from 9 percent in 2006, even as the number of Hispanic students who took the exam nearly doubled since that time, increasing by almost 84 percent. Close to 158,000 Hispanic 2010 graduates took the ACT among the nearly 1.6 million high school graduates tested across the nation, compared to fewer than 86,000 Hispanic test-takers five years ago.”

In 2010, 29 percent of all high school students taking the ACT test were ethnic/racial minority students. This represents a 23 percent increase from 2006. Hispanic high school students registered the biggest increase among all high school graduates taking the ACT test since 2006.

“The rapidly growing number of Hispanic students taking the ACT and thinking about attending college in recent years is truly impressive,” said Schmeiser. “The finding that more Hispanic students are meeting the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks is particularly encouraging in that light. However, we can’t ignore the fact that far too many Hispanic graduates are illprepared to succeed in college and career academically, and that much work must be done to ensure that all students graduate from high school ready for the next step.”

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are based on actual grades earned by students in college. It sets a minimum benchmark score on each subject area that is tested. If a student meets that benchmark, it is estimated that the student has a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher

in that area in college. The student also is estimated to having a 75 percent chance of earning at least a C in the first-year course in that area.

Those most proficient Hispanic test takers who met or exceeded the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in the study scored their highest in English (46 percent), followed by reading (34 percent), mathematics (27 percent) and science (14 percent). It should be noted, however, that about 50 percent of Hispanic high school test takers did not meet any of the four ACT benchmark scores.

The study makes a strong case for advanced academic course preparation for the ACT test. “The level of academic preparation is a key element for high school graduates becoming ready for college and career. Sixtyeight percent of Hispanic ACT-tested graduates took at least the recommended minimum core curriculum in high school – four years of English and three years each of mathematics, science and social studies. Those students were approximately twice as likely as those who took less than the core curriculum to meet or surpass the ACT College Readiness

Benchmarks in each subject area.”

“We can’t stress strongly enough how important high school course selection is in the college- and career-readiness process,” said Schmeiser. “However, there are still far too many Hispanic students who are not taking rigorous core classes that provide the academic skills needed to succeed in college and career.”

ACT and the College Board are promoting the idea that college-readiness preparation shouldn’t begin just when the student becomes a high school junior or senior; it should happen throughout the student’s academic career from grade school through high school. They also recommend that students be observed on a regular basis over the years and have adjustments made in their schedules according to their academic needs.

“Our findings show that monitoring student progress in becoming college and career ready throughout K to 12 and identifying and intervening with those students who are off target are critical steps in helping to maximize their success in all forms of postsecondary education,” Schmeiser said.

Putting Theory into Practice The most important X factor for students scoring high in SAT and ACT tests as well as succeeding in college is the guidance counselor. The guidance department in these lean and mean times has to redouble its efforts with fewer resources to be their students’ advocate in higher education. Here are some things to consider when a student who might have college aspirations is assigned to you: 1) Try to access the student’s potential for higher education success. Don’t just rely on the stated desires of the student. Freshmen and seniors are worlds apart in their attitudes and preferences. And the student who insists he is not interested in attending college might be doing so for a variety of reasons, including money concerns, family resistance or a lack of understanding of what the college experience is all about.

2) Once a student with higher education potential is identified, steer her toward taking core courses that will not only increase her chances of scoring high on the SAT or ACT, but also ensure a better chance of success academically in college. If you meet resistance from the student, enlist the help of her favorite teachers and her family to make the case.

3) Assess which test is best suited for the student in your charge. Just because your school is on the West or East coasts (where more students may take the SAT than the ACT test) doesn’t automatically mean that your student should take the SAT. Similarly, if your school is in the Midwest, you shouldn’t assume the ACT is the best choice for your student. A close examination of both the ACT and the SAT show that if your student has an above average use and understanding of vocabulary and is generally a good test taker, he might be better off taking the SAT as opposed to the ACT, where students who are quick readers with a penchant for remembering data seem to have an advantage.

4) Encourage your student to take the practice test, but don’t stop there. Make sure you are well-acquainted with all the nuances of structure of each test. Know, for instance, that SAT’s critical reading section requires students to read various short paragraphs (400-850 words) and then answer questions that refer back to these passages. Any way you can demystify these tests is a great service to your students.

5) Try to arrange for former students to come in and talk to your current crop of high school seniors about how to prepare for not only the SAT or ACT but for college life. A peer who has been there, done that could have more influence on your students than any school official or parent might.

6) Make sure that information about the ACT and SAT is posted in places that are readily accessible by students. Posting test dates and procedures on a bulletin board inside the guidance office might keep you up to speed on this, but having it also posted on your door or on the bulletin board adjacent to the cafeteria makes it much more user friendly to your students.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

www.hispanicoutlook.com

CHCI Launches Young Latino Leaders in Washington Program WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a national Latino youth leadership development and educational organization, recently announced its newest leadership development initiative, the “Young Latino Leaders in Washington, D.C. Program.” CHCI also released the sixth edition of its National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Latino Students.

In partnership with the Close Up Foundation, CHCI will launch the new program the week of June 26 to July 1, 2011, bringing 20 high school students to the

Harvard Report Calls for National Effort to Get Millions of Young Americans onto a Realistic Path to Employability WASHINGTON, D.C.

Despite decades of efforts to reform education, and billions of dollars of expenditures, the harsh reality is that America is still failing to prepare millions of its young people to lead successful lives as adults, according to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education (GSE). Evidence of this failure is everywhere: in the dropout epidemic that plagues our high schools and colleges; in the harsh fact that just 30 percent of our young adults earn a bachelor’s degree by age 27; and in teen and young adult employment rates not seen since the Great Depression.

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April 18, 2011

nation’s capital for a one-week, once-in-alifetime, fully paid, civic educational experience. The program will select four students from each of the following five cities: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. To qualify, students must participate in CHCI’s Ready to Lead (R2L) program, an intensive one-day college-readiness program intended to inspire Latino high school students to enter college.

“We look forward to hosting 20 talented young Latino high school students on Capitol Hill this summer who are eager to learn more about government and policy,” said Rep. Charles A. González, CHCI chair.

“We are also very proud of the new national directory that lists thousands upon thousands of opportunities for Latino youth, whether they are looking for money to pay

for college, intern in their field for a summer or secure a fellowship after college graduation to gain a foothold in the professional world.”

The Young Latino Leaders program will combine the Close Up Foundation’s civic education and CHCI’s leadership curriculum for Latino youth to expand CHCI’s outreach to Latino high school students and increase its impact in the college-readiness and leadership development arenas.

Timothy Davis, president and CEO of the Close Up Foundation, says that Close Up’s dedication to educating and inspiring young people from all backgrounds to understand and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship “is critical to the health of our communities and our democracy.”

In February, the Pathways to Prosperity Project, based at the GSE, released a major new report that examines the reasons for our failure to prepare so many young adults, and advances a vision of how the United States might regain the leadership in educational attainment it held for more than a century. Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century contends that our national strategy for education and youth development has been too narrowly focused on an academic, classroom-based approach. This strategy, it says, has produced only incremental gains in achievement and attainment, even as many other nations are leapfrogging the United States.

The report advocates development of a comprehensive pathways network to serve youth in high school and beyond.

This pathways system would be based on

three essential elements.

The first is the development of a broader vision of school reform that embraces multiple pathways to help young people successfully navigate the journey from adolescence to adulthood.

Second, the report argues that we need to ask our nation’s employers to play a greatly expanded role in supporting the pathways system, and in providing more opportunities for young adults to participate in work-based learning and actual jobs related to their programs of study.

Third, the report contends that we need to develop a new social compact between society and our young people. The compact’s central goal would be that by the time they reach their mid-20s, every young adult will be equipped with the education and experience he or she needs to lead a successful life as an adult.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

NASFAA: Students Negatively Impacted

by Strained Financial Aid Offices WASHINGTON, D.C.

Financial aid offices and the student services they provide are being strained by increasing regulatory and administrative burdens, according to a survey by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).

The survey demonstrated that nine in 10 of the more than 1,000 responding NASFAA members reported having fewer resources to dedicate to critical student services that promote college access, success and successful student loan repayment. Services feeling the pinch included face-to-face counseling, extra attention for target student populations and outreach efforts.

A majority of survey respondents cited a greater regulatory/compliance workload as a major cause of the resource shortage.

These findings align with a recent NASFAA review of student aid regulatory language which found a 40 percent increase (in word

NCES Releases New Data on Postsecondary Enrollment, Graduation Rates and Finances WASHINGTON, D.C.

New postsecondary data show that average net prices – what students are charged after deducting grant aid – range from $10,747 at public four-year institutions to $23,057 at private, for-profit four-year institutions.

Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2009; Graduation Rates, 2003 & 2006 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2009 was released recently by the National Center for Education Statistics. The data collec-

www.hispanicoutlook.com

April 18, 2011

count) of the federal regulations governing student aid programs over the last decade.

“At some point, we must stop and ask to what extent federal regulations and requirements are either hindering college access and success or increasing costs for students – as schools are forced to increase tuition to hire staff to keep up with new requirements,” said NASFAA President Justin Draeger.

Other factors straining financial aid office resources include: • Greater numbers of aid applicants • More applicants needing their application to be updated due to changes in family finances • More applications needing to be verified • Compliance with new, complex yearround Pell Grant regulations • New regulations that are unrelated to the student aid programs As a result, two in three survey respondents said that their financial aid office was facing a “moderate” or “severe” resource shortage; approximately 80 percent who are facing a shortage indicated that these are

permanent (not short-term) shortages.

To alleviate the resource shortage most financial aid offices are experiencing, NASFAA recommends: • Streamlining student aid programs – by consolidating current programs into one grant program, one loan program and one campus-based program • Streamlining the student aid application processes – to eliminate hurdles lowincome students continue to face when applying for and receiving financial aid • Eliminating regulations that are duplicative and that don’t apply to student aid – so that financial aid administrators will have more time to devote to students.

“The sheer size and scope of federal regulations and other administrative burdens has pushed financial aid offices to the breaking point,” said Draeger. “Our specific policy recommendations, if enacted, would alleviate administrative and regulatory burdens so financial aid offices can do more to increase student access to and success in college, and decrease cumulative student debt.”

tion included five components: student financial aid for full-time, first-time degree/certificateseeking undergraduate students for the 200910 academic year; enrollment for fall 2009; graduation rates within 150 percent of normal program completion; graduation rates within 200 percent; and finances for fiscal year 2009.

Other findings include: • In fall 2009, Title IV institutions in the United States enrolled a total of 21 million undergraduate and graduate students; 62 percent in four-year institutions, 37 percent in two-year institutions, and 2 percent in less-than-two-year institutions.

• Approximately 57 percent of full-time, first-time bachelor’s or equivalent degree-

seekers in 2003 attending four-year institutions completed a bachelor’s or equivalent degree at the institution where they began their studies within six years.

• During AY 2008-09, 79 percent of the 3.1 million full-time, first-time degree/ certificate-seeking undergraduates attending U.S. Title IV institutions received financial aid. This includes 79 percent of those attending public four-year institutions, 87 percent at private not-for-profit four-year institutions, and 86 percent at private forprofit four-year institutions.

To view the full report, please visit: nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid =2011230.

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F

ounded in 1956, the University of South Florida is a public research university of growing national distinction. The USF System is comprised of two separately accredited institutions, USF and USF St. Petersburg. USF consists of the main research campus in Tampa, which includes USF Health, the College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, and two regional campus-USF Sarasota-Manatee, and USF Polytechnic, located in Lakeland. USF is one of only three Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities. More than 47,000 students are studying on USF campuses and the University offers 228 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialty and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference. And, USF is listed in the Princeton Review as one of the nation’s 50 “Best Value” public colleges and universities.

The university is currently recruiting for the following positions; the number in parentheses represents the number of positions available to that specific title:

Administrative Positions:

Director Student Services (Engineering) Sr. Director of Development (Advancement) Associate Vice President, Student Affairs Director, Innovation Incubation (Research Foundation) Regional Assistant or Vice Chancellor (St. Petersburg Campus) Director, Public Health

Faculty Positions: College of Arts and Sciences

College of Business

Assistant/Associate Professor (1) Assistant Professor (2) Chair/Associate/Full Professor (1)

Assistant Professor (1)

Engineering

Center for Community Partner

Professor/Chair (1) Professor of the Practice (1) Director, Urban Transportation Center

Marine Science

Assistant/Associate Professor (2)

Associate Professor (1)

PolyTechnic Campus Assistant/Associate Professor (5) Assistant Professor (3) Sr. Associate Vice President (1) Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (1)

College of Public Health

College of Nursing

Assistant Professor (4) Associate Professor/ Professor (1) Professor, Chair, & Center Director (1)

Assistant/Associate Professor (2) Assistant Professor (2) Assistant Dean (2) Associate Professor/Professor (2)

College of Medicine

Assistant/Associate Professor (8) Student Health Service Medical Director (1) Associate Professor/Professor (1)

Associate Professor (2) Professor and Chair (1) Assistant Professor (18)

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) 9744373; 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 • 4202 E. Fowler Ave,Tampa, FL 33620

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04/18/2011

Division of University Advancement

Executive Director of Alumni Relations The Executive Director of Alumni Relations will facilitate a broad range of educational, social, athletic and cultural activities to promote the University, its programs and its people to New Jersey City University alumni while nurturing a lifelong relationship between alumni and their alma mater.

The Executive Director will collaborate with others on campus to involve alumni in support and assistance of student recruitment, provide mentorship opportunities between alumni and students. She or he will facilitate networking among alumni to promote professional advancement and will plan and implement a diverse array of cultivation events designed to engage alumni.

Requirements: • Minimum 5 years of experience in management and advancement, with a track record of successfully engaging alumni and the community preferably in a higher-education setting • BA or BS degree required • Excellent verbal and written communication skills • Analytical skills and knowledge of the non-profit budgeting process Applicants should forward a cover letter, résumé, and the names and telephone numbers of three professional references by April 29, 2011, to: Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna, Vice President Office of the Vice President for University Advancement New Jersey City University, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard-Hepburn 321 Jersey City, NJ 07305-1597 Electronic submissions are accepted and may be forwarded by April 29, 2011, to: vicepresidentua@njcu.edu.

Applications must be postmarked by April 29, 2011.

EOE

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Southeastern Louisiana University, one of the nation’s most innovative regional universities, enrolls almost 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The University’s home, Hammond, is at the cross roads of Interstates 55 and 12, in the heart of Louisiana’s thriving Northshore, the fastest growing region of the state. As a selective-admission, interactive institution, Southeastern attracts a diverse population of students, is committed to quality instruction, scholarship, and service, and invites applications for the following positions: College of Education and Human Development Dean College of Nursing and Health Studies Dean

For a complete listing of the qualifications, duties, and application deadlines and to apply on-line for these positions, please refer to our website at https://jobs.selu.edu. To ensure consideration, applicants must submit a complete on-line application which includes all education and work experience as well as the names and contact information for at least three references. Applicants need to be prepared to attach an electronic copy of their letter of application addressing qualifications and experience, résumé, and copies of transcripts from all colleges/universities attended (official transcripts required upon employment).

?

Applicants must be committed to working with diversity.

Southeastern is an AA/ADA/EEO employer and strongly committed to diversity within its community.

Need Immediate Web Postings We can do that!

& so can you...

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Visit us online at:

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Manager Procurement & Inventory Control

and go to

FT position responsible for managing a Purchasing Dept staff who handles all procurement & equipmentinventory control functions. Will follow all prescribed procedures/laws related to the acquisition of commodities & services & the coordination & completion of quote & bid activities. Qualifications: Bachelor's Deg in Business Admin or related field. Direct supervisory exp pref. 5 yrs general office exp with a pref emphasis in procurement related functions. CPM pref. Proficiency in the use of personal computers--word processing, spreadsheets & Internet. Ability to maintain confidentiality. Acceptable background check req’d. Visit our website www.gtcc.edu for more information & application. Open until filled. EOE

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Post your web ad now!

your ad is in!

04/18/2011

Human Resources Business Partners The University of New Hampshire is seeking two experienced Human Resources Business Partners. Key responsibility includes working as a strategic partner to support multiple business units within an educational environment, aligning their human resources with Department goals and priorities.

Qualifications include: demonstrated expertise in employee relations, management development, supervisory training, organizational development, employment law, employer policy, benefits, compensation, recruitment, and classification. Experience supporting multiple business units and a variety of industries, familiarity with HR technology and B.S. required. Master’s degree preferred.

Reporting Relationships: One position is located within the business it serves and has a matrix reporting structure to the Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs and the Chief Human Resources Officer. The second position is located in the central Human Resources Office and reports directly to the Chief Human Resources Officer.

The Human Resources Business Partners work closely with operating departments, a Business Service Center, Affirmative Action/Equity Office, USNH HR, and Legal Counsel to fulfill position responsibilities.

A full position announcement and instructions on how to submit an application can be found on-line at https://jobs.usnh.edu Applicants should be prepared to upload the following required documents when applying online: cover letter and resume. Computer access/assistance is available at the Human Resources Office, 2 Leavitt Lane, Durham, NH 03824 or call 603-862-0501 (TTY Users 603-862-3227).

The University seeks excellence through diversity among its administrators, faculty, staff, and students. The University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, or marital status.

Samuel Merritt University, founded in 1909 and located in Oakland, California, educates health science practitioners to be highly skilled and compassionate professionals making a positive difference in diverse communities. Over 1,400 students are enrolled at SMU, with campuses in Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Mateo.

The University offers an undergraduate degree in nursing; master’s degrees in a variety of nursing fields, occupational therapy, and physician assistant; and doctoral degrees in physical therapy and podiatric medicine. For more information visit the SMU website:

www.samuelmerritt.edu

Persons of color are encouraged to apply.

Samuel Merritt University is an Equal Opportunity Employer

AWC Vice President for Academic and Student Services About the position This is a senior administrative position serving in an executive capacity reporting to the College President. The successful candidate will oversee planning, operation, & assessment of the Arizona Western College academic & student development programs & services.

Additionally, the successful candidate will:

t Collaborate with the college community to advance the pursuit of academic excellence & enhance the quality of student life

t Provide academic leadership for accreditation t 1SPWJEF BTTFTTNFOU PG BDBEFNJD QSPHSBNT JODMVEJOH TUVEFOU MFBSOJOH outcomes, online instruction, & faculty development t -FBE NBKPS JOJUJBUJWFT JODMVEJOH TUVEFOU SFUFOUJPO TVDDFTT TUSBUFHJD planning, & the use of technology as an instructional tool First review of applications is April 29, 2011. More information available at www.azwestern.edu (click on “Employment�).

About Arizona Western College (Yuma, Arizona)

t A vibrant & fiscally sound college whose district covers a 2-county, 10,000 square mile area

t -PDBUFE JO UIF TPVUIXFTU SFHJPO PG "SJ[POB CPSEFSJOH $BMJGPSOJB .FYJDP t 3FDFOU /PSUI $FOUSBM "TTPDJBUJPO BDDSFEJUBUJPO UISPVHI t 4IBSFE DBNQVT TFBNMFTT USBOTGFS QBSUOFSTIJQ XJUI /PSUIFSO "SJ[POB 6OJWFSTJUZ t /FXMZ PQFOFE TUBUF PG UIF BSU GBDJMJUJFT BT B SFTVMU PG NJMMJPO CPOE QBTTFE JO XJUI QVCMJD BQQSPWBM SBUJOH

t 3PCVTU QBSUOFSTIJQT XJUI MPDBM NBOVGBDUVSJOH JOEVTUSZ CVTJOFTT HPWFSONFOU

t 'FBUVSFT SFTJEFODF IBMMT BOE DPNQFUJUJWF athletic teams

t " )JTQBOJD 4FSWJOH *OTUJUVUJPO AWC does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment in, its services, programs or activities regardless of religion, sex, creed, national origin, race, age, and disability or handicapping condition.

04/18/2011

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

P ri min g the Pump. ..

LEARNING TO USE FEEDBACK HELPS PREPARE LATINO STUDENTS

L

Miquela Rivera, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with years of clinical, early childhood and consultative experience. She lives in Albuquerque, N.M.

atino students often evaluate another person’s work in light of whether they like that person, and they often interpret feedback received as a measure of how much the critic likes them. They must learn that, in higher education, the evaluation of academic work is primarily based on the merit of the contents. Hispanic students are better prepared for college if they know how to receive, give and use feedback objectively.

Feedback processes built into middle and high school syllabi help Hispanic students learn to receive criticism and guidance as part of learning. If teachers provide ample written feedback to students soon after work is submitted and schedule in-person time to meet and discuss progress and answer questions, the Hispanic student’s fear of criticism will dissipate as he understands that feedback is not a personal putdown of abilities or ideas. One key to a productive, comfortable feedback meeting is to structure it so that the student asks for feedback. This shifts the dynamic from the Latino student being told by the teacher what is right or wrong to that same student seeking honest input for selfimprovement. The control over and responsibility for the work shifts from teacher to student in a subtle, powerful way. After a few in-person meetings, the student will look forward to the feedback offered.

Latino students benefit from coaching on how to receive and use feedback. Instructors might initially schedule personal meetings with the students during class periods to help them build the feedback-seeking habit. In opening each meeting, inform them that it is their time to discuss, share, ask questions or seek guidance. It might take a few sessions before a student relaxes and seeks feedback, so getting them that far is significant. Through the instructor’s reassurance that the feedback is not personal and that discussion is a way to understand the student’s feedback. At the end of each feedback meeting, ask the student to recap what was said and list steps for improvement. At the next meeting, follow up on those issues and inquire about the steps taken. Using a structured, comfortable approach allows the student to question his own performance and use the support offered him.

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The delivery of instructor feedback – how, where, when and what is said – is the other key to making it useful to Latino students. Frame all feedback positively, first noting strengths and later areas for improvement. Remind the student that making changes is their choice and that the choice will improve their work (and possibly raise the grade, too). Comments stated as observations (“I noticed that you often talked about current research, which is good”) with input for improvement (“and your paper would be even stronger if you cited the actual research you are referring to, using APA style”) keeps the student listening and thinking ahead. The Hispanic student will see the mutual investment in getting it right.

As with teaching many Latino students, use metaphors when offering feedback. (“Using an outline to write a paper is like drawing out plays for the football game. It tells you what comes next and makes for better playing.”) By contextualizing the feedback, the instructor helps the Hispanic student use it more readily. Allowing ample time, being patient and checking if the feedback was heard, understood and accepted accommodates differences in learning and communication styles. If tension mounts in a discussion or a struggle with the student seems imminent, reschedule for another time, then return later to calmly finish the process. End every feedback session with an opportunity for the student to ask further questions and set the agenda for the next meeting. This reinforces that the teacher remains the guide, but the student ultimately bears the responsibility for doing the work.

The feedback loop is invaluable in reinforcing for Latino students the idea that learning is interactive, ongoing and exciting. The teacher who takes time to listen and offer support provides validation for the Hispanic student. And the role modeling that occurs in the process outdistances any syllabus, assignment or letter grade given to the work. It engages the Latino student and gives him personal power and responsibility in learning.