10/03/2011 The Florida Strategy by Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine

OCTOBER 03, 2011

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VOLUME 22 • NUMBER 01

The Florida Strategy Also available in Digital Format

Is College Worth It?

College Readiness

NCLB 10th Year

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® Editorial Board Ricardo Fernández, President

Publisher – José López-Isa

Lehman College

Vice President & Chief

Mildred García, President

Operating Officer – Orlando López-Isa

California State University-Domínguez Hills Editor – Adalyn Hixson

Juán González,VP Student Affairs

Executive & Managing Editor –

University of Texas at Austin

Suzanne López-Isa Carlos Hernández, President

News Desk & Copy Editor – Jason Paneque

New Jersey City University

Special Project Editor – Mary Ann Cooper

Lydia Ledesma-Reese, Educ. Consultant Administrative Assistant & Subscription

Ventura County Community College District

Coordinator – Barbara Churchill

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

Art & Production Director – Avedis Derbalian

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®.

Sr.Advertising Sales Associate – Angel M. Rodríguez Advertising Sales Associate – Cyndy Mitchell

Article Contributors Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Sonia M. Bribiescas, Frank DiMaria,Thomas G. Dolan, Marilyn Gilroy, Mitchell A. Kaplan, Clay Latimer,Angela Provitera McGlynn, Miquela Rivera, Gary M. Stern

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Esquina E ditorial

The

droughts, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods of late summer – some of them visiting unlikely places – weaken state and federal budgets that have already burst their seams. This year’s ride might not be just bumpy – it might be on foot or raft. But we will have electioneering to entertain us. As we go to press, presidential hopeful Rick Perry, governor of Texas, has challenged higher ed to come up with a college education that costs only $10,000 for four years. Here are snippets of some responses, posted on Room for Debate at nyt.com: Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University, calls the proposal “refreshingly precise, and far more realistic than some people think.” He mentions the certificates and two-year degrees offered by many community colleges. “More than a dozen states,” says Carnevale, “are allowing such colleges to offer low-cost B.A. degrees.” Sandy Baum, economist and senior fellow at the School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University, calls it “both disingenuous and dangerous to pretend that students can be provided with opportunities to develop … to the extent both they and their communities require without a significant investment of time, energy – and money.” Gaye Tuchman, sociology professor, University of Connecticut, noting that “new money for education has to come from somewhere,” writes: “Cut back on imprisonment for some victimless crimes – like marijuana possession – and use the money for higher education.” Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, former president of George Washington, writes, “I hope the governor does not have any plans for a $10,000 medical degree.” Thank you, Gov. Perry, for invigorating an important debate. ¡Adelante! Suzanne López-Isa Managing Editor

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Po lit

i cal Beat

Hi,Y’all, My Name Is Rick Perry

by Carlos D. Conde

ight now, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is all over your TV screen, in print or cyberspace, sartorially groomed, flashing his pearly teeth smile and telling you that he wants to be your next president – and from the look of things, that just might happen. Latinos are not so sure, although a lot of them have supported Perry in his three consecutive terms as Texas governor, and a lot didn’t, but the uninspiring performance of President Obama in general, and specifically on ethnic issues, might convince them to help propel Perry to the White House. Perry is credited with the current “Texas Miracle” of a revitalized economy and jobs aplenty while the rest of the country suffers, but some Latinos carp it’s more of a mirage where their interests are concerned. Perry’s performance and the fact that the other Republican candidates seem either too prosaic or too bogged down in niche politics, keeping them from coalescing a national movement, has helped to boost the candidacy of the Texas conservative. Mitt Romney is still the man to beat in the Republican primaries, and Michele Bachmann has evolved into a serious contender – although it’s still a long road to the Republican convention next August in Tampa, Fla. Romney shrugged off somewhat condescendingly some bloopers by

Perry early in his campaign that depicted him as a Texas hayseed, saying it’s just part of the learning process in national politics. Perry was the last to declare for the Republican nomination, jumping in when he saw the others faltering, saying he was inspired by the people wanting someone with his background and political achievements. Perry, cowboy boots and all, considers himself the right man at the right time for the job, and some early polls agreed, placing him ahead of the other contenders, which was a surprise to some but not to Perry. It has been a spirited party primary, but some Republican hopefuls have started to bow out, accepting that their candidacy has failed to rally the type of constituent support needed to take on Obama. Not Perry, who brings to the a campaign the drawl and swagger of a kick-ass Texas country boy with a John Wayne squint who moves in the image of the state’s slogan of “don’t mess with Texas.” Perry has never lost an election, dating all the way back to his first race in elementary school when he was elected “king” of the elementary school carnival in Paint Creek, Texas, a small farm community in west Texas where he was born and raised. One of his opponents said, “Running against Perry is like running against God.” He attended Texas A&M where he was an Aggie yell leader – a big deal to some Texans – and was a member of the school military corps, later serving in the U.S. Air Force. He lists on his résumé being the first Aggie to serve as governor, also apparently a big deal in Texas. Perry did not enter any of the early primaries, so people are still taking a look at him and assessing his potential. Many like his style of God-fearing politics, which to oth-

ers seems more like shooting from the hip. One of the first things Perry learned about national politics is that it’s a big country with a lot of agendas and prejudices and what plays well in Texas can crash with a thud elsewhere. No sooner had he announced his candidacy than he took on the U.S. debt crisis with unthinking, off-the-cuff remarks about the abilities of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. It was about Bernanke proposing expansionary monetary policy before the 2012 election, which Perry, whether he understood the ramifications or not, categorized as “almost treasonous” and said that in Texas, Bernanke would hang from the highest tree. Perry didn’t retract his comments but suggested he is still learning the twists and turns – and the perfidious ways – of national politics where, to paraphrase another overachiever, Harry S. Truman, your only friend is a dog. He was once a Democrat, working as a volunteer for Al Gore in the 1988 Democratic primaries, but switched to Republican because, in the political philosophy of Ronald Reagan, “I never left the party; the party left me.” Perry does have some laudable achievements, although his detractors have done their best to discredit his claims. He seems to have tweaked the right buttons to give his state one of the country’s most successful economies. Texas has an 8.2 percent unemployment rate and between June 2009 and August 2011 has created 237,100 jobs, which many of his detractors say were below minimum wages and attribute the increase largely to population growth. He opposes a state income tax

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and increasing sales taxes to balance the budget. He also claims that companies have moved to Texas because of business-friendly policies and financial incentives. He’s the darling of the “Teavangelicals,” the emerging Tea Party and religious conservative movements. Perry doesn’t downplay it; in fact, he embraces it. He is a “firm believer in intelligent design as a matter of faith and intellect.” He has had his low points, like gerrymandering the political districts to favor Republicans, which created the tag “Perrymander,” and the absurd, like advocating an attendance tax on the state’s abundant strip clubs, which people call “Perry’s Pole Tax.” Generally, Latinos in Texas seem agreeable with Perry’s style of governance, although some take issue with some of his actions that they consider anti-Latino, like battling the “Sanctuary Cities” law – shades of Arizona – that forbids local police to inquire about the immigration status of any person arrested or legally detained. Hispanics make up 38 percent of Texas’ population, and 39 percent voted for Perry in the last election, although he has been hammered on some Latino stock issues like gerrymandering, immigration reform and entitlement policies. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Now doesn’t that sound like an intriguing Republican/Latino dream ticket?

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® OCTOBER 03, 2011

CONTENTS Latino College Completion: What’s Happening in Florida? by Angela Provitera McGlynn The Question:“Is College Worth It?”

by Michelle Adam

Obama Asks 20,000 La Raza Conferencees to Help 13 Him Push for Educated Immigrants by Peggy Sands Orchowski State Residents Need Not Apply ... Maybe

by Frank DiMaria

Page 10

College-Readiness Programs at San Diego State, UT-San Antonio and University of New Mexico Getting Good Results by Marilyn Gilroy

A Look at NCLB in Its 10th Year

by Thomas G. Dolan

John García: His Life of Groundbreaking Research

by Clay Latimer

Online Articles Soros Fellowships Target Immigrant Grad Students by Gary M. Stern

DePaul’s Marisa Alicea, Dean, School for New Learning by Jamaal Abdul-Alim To view these and other select articles online, go to our website: www.HispanicOutlook.com.

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DEPARTMENTS Political Beat

by Carlos D. Conde

Hi, Y’all, My Name Is Rick Perry

In the Trenches ...

by Sonia M. Bribiescas

Mentor Responsibility

Uncensored

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

Interesting Reads and Media... Book Review

by Mitchell A. Kaplan

Higher Education in the World 2007

H igh S ch oo l Fo ru m

28 Page 26

“Don’t Know Much About History, Don’t Know Much Geography ...” by Mary Ann Cooper

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

Hispanics on the Move

Targeting Higher Education: 21st-Century Classes by Gustavo A. Mellander (Online only)

Priming the Pump...

by Miquela Rivera

Back Cover

Parental Perspective Affects Their Involvement in Students’ Learning

Article Online

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INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Latino College Completion: What’s Happening in Florida?

by Angela Provitera McGlynn his past spring, meeting on the campus of Florida International University, Excelencia in Education and Ensuring America’s Future (EAF) partners in Florida discussed their strategies to increase Latino college completion while increasing the overall number of Florida college graduates. Ensuring America’s Future by Increasing Latino College Completion is an Excelencia in Education initiative that collaborates with more than 60 national partners from diverse sectors. It is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation for Education, and the Kresge Foundation. It aims to inform, engage and sustain efforts to promote the role of Latinos in making the U.S. the world leader in college degree completion. In Florida, current active partners include: Florida College Access Network, Miami Dade College, Univision Communications and the newest partner, Florida International University. The first fact sheet in the EAF initiative focuses on Florida and is titled Latino College Completion: Florida. The fact sheet suggests ways for Florida to help reach President Obama’s degree completion goal so that America can once again lead the world in degree completion – by the year 2020. For that to happen, says Deborah Santiago, co-founder and vice president for policy and research at Excelencia in Education, Latinos will need to earn an additional 3.3 million additional degrees by 2020, a total of 5.5 million. The Miami Herald reported, in an article titled “Hispanics outpace the rest of the nation in

college degrees” (April 26, 2011), that Obama’s goal will be either significantly boosted or dragged down by the fate of Hispanic students’ completion rates. This conclusion was drawn by analyzing a pair of reports, one released by the White House, titled Winning the Future: Improving Education for the Latino Community, and the other, the fact sheet released by Excelencia in Education. Winning the Future says that Hispanics are the largest minority in U.S. public schools by a wide margin, making up one in five children from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The Hispanic population increased by 15.2 million in the last 10 years, accounting for more than 50 percent of the nation’s total population growth. Additionally, projections for population growth between 2005 and 2050 show Hispanics accounting for the majority of our nation’s growth. Hispanic students have lower college graduation rates than the population as a whole; this must change to achieve the 2020 graduation goal. The report says that Hispanic college degree attainment is integral to the administration’s overriding educational goals. Juan Sepúlveda, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, says, “This is an American issue, not just a Latino issue.” Sepúlveda spotlighted pre-school education as one area showing a great need for improvement. Hispanics are our nation’s only ethnic group with less than 50 percent of its children enrolled in pre-K education. Given what we know about the importance of a stimulating environment for brain development

2007-08

Florida

during pre-school years, pre-K education is necessary for all in order to start kindergarten on a level playing field. In an article in Community College Week (May 16, 2011), Sepúlveda says, “Our numbers have grown so large that the future of the U.S. is inextricably linked to the future of the Latino community.” And in the same article, Frank Alvarez, president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, says, “The same issues continue to plague the Hispanic community. There is a formula we need to follow to improve Hispanic performance. That formula – awareness, preparation, financial access and retention – is going to equal success.” The Latino College Completion: Florida fact sheet underscores the importance of raising degree completion for Hispanics in Florida. The U.S. Census 2010 for Florida showed that it had the sixth-largest Hispanic population in the United States (23 percent), and projections show a continued increase. The American Community Survey, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, looked at degree attainment and found that in Florida, 36 percent of adults aged 25 to 64 years old had earned an associate degree or higher compared to the national average of 38 percent. Lumina Foundation for Education reported that of Latino adults in Florida, 32 percent had earned an associate degree or higher – the national average is just 19 percent. That gives Florida a first-place showing in degree completion for Hispanics compared to the rest of the nation, but that rate still lags behind Florida’s overall degree completion rate of 36 percent.

Latinos

Whites

Equity Gap

Graduation rates

43.5

51.3

7.8

Completions per 100 FTE students

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23.2

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Completions relative to the population in need

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Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, says, “It’s good news,” in terms of degree completion for Hispanics, “or Florida compared to the rest of the country. But it’s also a story that there’s lots more work to be done.” Florida’s higher Hispanic degree completion is tied to income levels. Florida’s Hispanic middle class is a key factor in success rates for Hispanic students, and research shows that higher income levels and college-educated parents significantly boost a student’s chances of degree completion. Latino College Completion: Florida says that Florida can move toward the 2020 goal for our nation in three ways: Close the equity gap in college completion, increase the number of degrees conferred, and scale up programs and initiatives that work for Latino and other students. According to the fact sheet, tackling the equity gap in college degree completion can be tracked by three measures: graduation rates, completions per 100 FTE students, and completions relative to the population in need. None of the three measures alone can capture the entire picture of inequity in degree completion, but together, they show an equity gap in degree attainment between Hispanic students and their White cohorts in Florida in the year 2007-08, and the persistence of that equity gap over time – 2006-08. The “Florida” box shows a 7.8 percent equity gap in graduation rates, a 3.2 percent gap in completions per 100 FTE students, and a 17.4 percent gap in completions relative to the population in need. The fact sheet describes another metric used to benchmark college completion – tracking the progress of total degrees awarded over time. Keep in mind that total degrees might be the result of increased enrollment numbers rather than an increase in rates of completion. The data show that from 2005-06 to 2007-08, the number of Hispanics who earned an undergraduate degree in Florida increased about 14 percent while all other race/ethnic groups increased 7 percent. During that same time period, Florida had one of the largest increases in degrees earned by Hispanics over three years of the top 10 states enrolling Latinos. Florida owes its success in enrolling, retaining and graduating Latinos to a number of factors, including effective institutional programs that Excelencia has acknowledged. One such program is known as Tools for Success, a five-year program (2007-08 to 201112) funded by the National Science Foundation and operating at Miami Dade College. Miami Dade College has an enrollment of

170,000 students from more than 180 countries, making it the nation’s largest college, apart from online universities. Miami Dade College graduated 14,000 students this past May, with Obama delivering the keynote address and receiving an honorary Associate in Science degree. The president has been in the forefront of the community college movement, recognizing that his 2020 goal is not reachable without success in this sector. Miami Dade College is located throughout Miami-Dade County, Fla., with eight campuses offering more than 300 degree programs. It opened in 1960 as Dade County Junior College. It became Florida’s first integrated junior college, serving a large number of Black and Hispanic students. Today, college demographics show that 90 percent of its students are minorities, including 60 percent Hispanic and 20 percent African-American. More than half its stu-

per year receive academic and financial support to complete an associate degree in a STEM field within a two-year period. The retention rate thus far from 2007 to 2009 is 77 percent. This number is quite impressive given the average retention rate for all STEM majors is 19 percent. The overall retention rate of 77 percent is also correlated with a 75 percent graduation rate in two years, compared to the average two-year graduation rate of 27 percent. Florida International University hosts another successful initiative known as the ForeignEducated Physician-to-BSN Program. This is a specialized nursing program enrolling unemployed or underemployed foreign educated physicians (FEPs) in the United States in an accelerated nursing curriculum. The curriculum is designed to lead to a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (B.S.N.). Graduates then become employed as registered

Completions Relative to the Population in Need: 2006 to 2008 40.8

44.3

42.6

Gap: 17.3

Gap: 17.4 24.9

23.6

2005-06

26.9

2006-07 White

2007-08 Latino

Source: http://www.edexcelencia.org/initiatives/EAF/State and the title was Latino College Completion: Florida.

dents come from families earning less than $30,000 dollars. The college has the impressive distinction of graduating more Black and Hispanic students than any college in the country. Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, the college president since 1995, attended Miami Dade College in the 1960s after arriving in America from Cuba speaking very little English. He excelled academically and eventually earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Florida. He has worked at the college for 40 years, paying a social debt to his community. He is quoted in the Miami Herald article as calling it “a dream factory. We give people who ordinarily wouldn’t have the opportunity a second chance.” Tools for Success aims to increase graduation rates of minority students interested in the high-demand fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Sixty students

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nurses. The demographics of the students enrolled show that 70 to 80 percent are Hispanic, with a majority originating from Cuba and Latin America. The program offers classes weekday evenings with clinics on weekends to accommodate FEPs’ work schedules. FEPs are awarded credits for their medical school courses, and they matriculate for 63 nursing course credits. So far, of the students enrolled to date, 85 percent completed the program. Initiatives such as these lead the way in closing the White-minority academic achievement gap, a gap that must be closed so that our nation can resume its place as an educational leader and remain competitive in a global economy. Angela Provitera McGlynn taught psychology at a community college for 35 years and is now a national consultant on teaching and learning.

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REPORTS

The Question:

“Is College Worth It?” The

by Michelle Adam Pew Research Center decided to ask an important question earlier this year when it embarked on an ambitious project called Is College Worth It?: College Presidents, Public Assess Value, Quality and Mission of Higher Education. While most today believe that getting a good education is key to success in our society, this report revealed some surprising issues that challenge the very notion of higher education being worth its price tag. Published this past May, the Is College Worth It? study reported that a majority of Americans (57 percent) say that the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with good value for the money they and their families spend. In addition, only 19 percent of 1,055 college presidents surveyed said they believe that the U.S. system of higher education is the best in the world. And four in 10 believe the higher education system is going in the wrong direction. “This report has received a lot of press attention and has triggered the beginning of rethinking about higher education,” said Paul Taylor, lead author and director of the Pew Social and Demographics Trend project, under which Is College Worth It? was published. Taylor, who is also executive VP of the Pew Research Center, said that while he was surprised by some of the results of this study, he and his colleagues at the center felt it was important to look at the impact of escalating costs of colleges and universities on students, and the quality and benefits of the education associated with these costs. “We’ve noticed a number of trends in higher education in the recent years. We’ve seen a record number of young adults enrolled in college. We’ve seen the cost of education at a record level [the cost of tuition and fees has more than tripled, and has been far outpacing inflation since the 1980s]. And, related to this, we’ve seen a rising student loan debt burden,” said Taylor. “When taking on a big topic like this, we wanted to look for trends, and measure change. Yet a lot of the questions in this report are new and in reaction to circumstances of college affordability and debt loans.” In an effort to better understand and to document any shifts, the Pew Research Center conducted two surveys. One was a telephone survey taken among a nationally representative sample of 2,142 adults ages 18 and older. The other was an online survey, conducted in association with The Chronicle of Higher Education, with presidents of 1,055 two-year and four-year private, public and for-profit colleges and universities. While both these surveys revealed, as noted above, that the majority of the public felt it was not getting a good value for its money, and presidents at large were dissatisfied with the direction of higher education, a longheld belief about the importance of higher education also remained true. For example, 57 percent of those surveyed said they did not get good value for their money with higher education, and 75 percent said that college is

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“I think it is fair to say that our

system of higher education has considered itself the envy of the world, and yet only 19 percent of [college] presidents said it was the best of the world now.” Paul Taylor, lead author of study, executive VP, Pew Research Center

too expensive for most Americans to afford. Yet, 86 percent of college graduates said that college has been a good investment for them personally; 94 percent of parents surveyed said they expected their child to go to college; and most people recognized that their earnings potential still increases substantially with higher education. “We have an interesting tension in public opinion. This is a paradox, but it’s not a novel paradox!” said Taylor. “We asked people to monetize what college would be worth and how much less they would be making if they didn’t have a degree; and those who didn’t have a degree, how much more they would be making. And then we looked at the census data, and it shows that the public does have a sense that there is a real-world payoff with education. One comment that someone said is that the public knows that the only thing more expensive than getting an education is not getting an education.” Taylor pointed out that those who actually received degrees from colleges might be speaking from a more personal standpoint, rather than reacting to a general sticker price. According to the survey, adults with a college degree estimated, on average, that they earn $20,000 a year more because of having achieved a degree. The same held true for adults with only a high school diploma, who believed, on average, that they earn $20,000 a year less as a result. This matched up with 2010 Census Bureau data, which showed that the earnings difference between a high school graduate and a college graduate was $19,550 a year. In addition, a Pew Research analysis of census data estimates that a college graduate earns $550,000 more than the typical high school graduate (even when factoring in the cost of going to college) in the course of a 40-year working life. The fact that higher education still remains a worthwhile investment for most doesn’t negate, though, the concerns shared by the public and presidents about the cost and value of higher education in this country today. “On the college presidents’ survey ... I think it is fair to say that our system of higher education has considered itself the envy of the world, and yet only 19 percent of college presidents said it was the best of the world now. That is raising a set of concerns,” said Taylor. “There is also a concern of declining student quality. These are real expressions of concerns about the students and the institutions.” According to the survey, beyond 19 percent of presidents saying that U.S. higher education was the best in the world, only 7 percent expected it to be the best in the world 10 years from now. Among presidents of highly selective colleges or universities, 40 percent said that the U.S. system was the best in the world, compared to 22 percent of heads of institutions of medium selectivity and 14 percent of heads of institutions of lower selectivity. While 60 percent of college presidents said they felt the U.S. system of higher education was going in the right direction, 38 percent said it was going in the wrong direction. The presidents of for-profit schools, a small but fast-growing sector of the U.S. higher education system (they were 18 percent of all institutions in the survey), were the most negative. Twothirds (65 percent) said that the higher education system is headed in the wrong direction, while majorities of presidents of four-year and two-year not-for-profit institutions said the system is headed in the right direction. Not only did college presidents rate the quality of higher education lower today than they might have 10 years ago, they rated students lower as well. According to the report, about 60 percent of college presidents said high schools were doing a worse job now than 10 years ago in preparing students for college. Only 6 percent said they were doing a better job. In addition, a

majority of presidents (52 percent) said that college students study less now than they did 10 years ago. Only 7 percent said they study more. Given these statistics, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these same presidents – 64 percent of them, to be exact – believe it unlikely that President Obama will achieve his goal of having the highest share of young adults with a college degree or certificate of any country in the world by 2020. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States currently ranks 10th in the world in its percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who have completed postsecondary

education. Forty-two percent of the population here has completed this level of education while the following countries ranked above the U.S. with these percentages: South Korea, 58 percent; Canada, 56 percent; Japan, 55 percent; New Zealand, 48 percent; Norway, 46 percent; Ireland, 45 percent; Denmark, 43 percent; Belgium, 42 percent; and Australia, 42 percent. With 42 percent of the U.S. population having completed postsecondary education, the Pew Research Center report set out to determine other factors that are involved in the selection and education of these students. The majority of presidents surveyed, 60 percent, said that “artistic or other special talent” should be the only factor in admissions. On the other hand, socioeconomic status, race or ethnicity, and athletic ability should be at least minor factors in admissions, according to more than half of four-year private and public college presidents (though not among two-year or forprofit college presidents).

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According to the report, “Race or ethnicity, for example, should be a major (14 percent) or minor (48 percent) factor, according to nearly twothirds of private four-year college presidents; among leaders of public fouryear colleges, 13 percent consider it a major factor and 45 percent a minor factor. But among leaders of two-year schools, 66 percent say it should not be a factor, a sentiment shared by 77 percent of for-profit presidents.” These same presidents were split on the overall mission of their schools and higher education at large (which is understandable, given their different types of institutions). While presidents of for-profit schools were more likely to focus on preparing students for the world of work, other presidents (of four-year, not-for-profit institutions) considered intellectual growth of more importance. Interestingly, those who consider intellectual growth of more importance for students felt more optimistic about the direction of higher education (65 percent), compared to those focused on career development (55 percent). When looking at public opinion, a large percentage said that the main purpose of a college education should be to teach work-related skills and knowledge (47 percent) rather than to help an individual grow personally and intellectually (39 percent). On the other hand, college graduates placed more emphasis on personal and intellectual growth (52 percent) over career preparation (35 percent), while those who were not college graduates emphasized career preparation (51 percent) over personal growth (34 percent). Given these statistics, the greatest concern raised by this report was the belief that students and their families are paying a high price tag for an education that isn’t necessarily preparing them for a career. In addition, large numbers of students aren’t even able to afford to pursue a degree in higher education, despite their wishes to do so. For those who have achieved degrees in higher education, many are paying back loans that impact their quality of life. According to the report, “Among all survey respondents who took out college loans and are no longer in school, about half (48 percent) say that paying back the loan has made it harder to make ends meet; 25 percent say it has made it harder to buy a home; 24 percent say it has had an impact on the kind of career they are pursuing; and 7 percent say it has delayed their getting married or starting a family.” While the number of students attending college steadily rises in the U.S., the majority of students do not attend four-year colleges. The primary reason: financial. Among survey respondents ages 18 to 24 who didn’t

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have a bachelor’s degree and weren’t currently enrolled in school, twothirds said their main reason for not continuing was their need to support their family. In addition, “Some 57 percent say they would rather work and make money, and 48 percent say they can’t afford a college education. One-third (34 percent) say they don’t feel they need more education, and just 5 percent say they didn’t continue because they weren’t accepted at the school they wanted to attend.” Unfortunately, those young people who are not on a college track are disproportionately Hispanic. For Hispanics between ages 18 and 34, about two-thirds (65 percent) do not have a college degree and are not currently in school (this compares with 47 percent of Blacks and 45 percent of Whites in the same age group). According to the study, “Those not on the college track are also more likely to come from low-income households. Among those younger than 35 with annual household incomes of less than $30,000, 59 percent do not have a college degree and are not currently enrolled. This compares with only 35 percent of those who come from households with incomes of $50,000 or higher.” Despite low college-going rates, Hispanics were cited as considering higher education an important aspiration for them. And young people at large, despite not graduating from college, felt a college education was still important in helping them succeed in the world today. “Among those ages 18-34, 71 percent of those without a college degree and 82 percent of those with a college education say a college education is extremely or very important in helping a young person succeed.” Whether Hispanic or not – whether having attended higher education or not – the question to this report, Is College Worth It? seems to have been answered with a definite “yes.” Yet, this Pew Research Center report also reveals an urgent need for our nation to address the high cost and practical value of a college education that still remains out of reach for the majority of Americans. “The issue of college affordability and rising debts with loan burdens has been a growing concern in our society,” said Taylor. “There is no question that a conversation is beginning and ongoing.” Is College Worth It? has now provided policymakers and leaders of higher education a much-needed push. If Obama’s goal of increasing the number of Americans achieving degrees in higher education by 2020 is to happen, all levels of society will need to look at these issues currently facing an institution once regarded as the best in the world.

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Obama Asks 20,000 La Raza Conferencees to Help Him Push for Educated Immigrants The ORGANIZATIONS

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

National Council of La Raza (NCLR) came to Washington, D.C., in July for four days. Organizers say more than 20,000 people attended the National Latino Family Expo, the more than 50 workshops, four town-hall meetings, a ball, a comedy evening, an awards ceremony and four keynote lunches – one featuring the president of the United States, Barack Obama. The conference lived up to La Raza’s billing as the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Thousands of Latinos – many from the almost 300 organizations in La Raza’s network of community organization affiliates – crowded the entire conference space of one of Washington’s largest hotels, the Marriott Waldman Park. There were dozens of major company sponsors. UPS was the “title sponsor” of the Family Expo, which was opened by Nickelodeon’s popular Dora the Explorer, followed by a fashion show with Latina families as models. Rooms of “Pavilions” pulsated with Latin music and dance from dozens of live shows. There were numerous booths on health care, a sports center, a hightech interactive area, banking and entrepreneurship areas and numerous education booths. The issue discussions at the annual conference, sponsored by title sponsor Toyota, took place in the workshops, general meetings, townhall gatherings, luncheons and evening events held from early morning to late at night from July 2326. They focused on six major “tracks,” each with a major sponsor: Education, a Latina Perspective, Work Force Development, Health, Community and Family Wealth-Building and Non-Profit Management. We will be covering the above topics in the next three issues of The Hispanic Outlook.

Speech by President Obama But the major news focus of the conference was the visit of President Obama after the Monday lunch. NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía introduced the president. She was firm. As a major lobbying organization in Washington,

D.C., recognition by the president is important. One of Murguía’s major priorities is “to harness the power of the nation’s 50 million Hispanics to improve the opportunities in education, jobs and the economy, health care and immigration reform as well as to promote fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the media and in the entertainment industry.” While Murguía insists that NCLR is nonpartisan, she “has placed special emphasis on turning Latino growth into empowerment through the Latino vote.” In the 2008 election, NCLR and its partners helped more than 1.5 million eligible immigrants apply for citizenship; they registered nearly 200,000 new Hispanic voters. Sixtyseven percent of the Latino electorate voted for Obama in 2008, but a solid 30-32 percent always vote Republican. “Any presidential nominee needs 40 percent or more of the Latino vote to succeed,” Murguía often points out. “The president has set milestones for Latinas,” she said in her introductory remarks. He appointed the first Latina Cabinet secretary (Labor Secretary Hilda Solís, who was in the audience for the lunch, although she didn’t make the panel she was scheduled for on Saturday) and the first Latina Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor. “But there is unfinished business as well: too many Latinos are out of work, losing their homes and affected by deportation. We need your help!” she ended. The waving president was greeted with loud applause. His first words mirrored Murguía’s. “There is unfinished business,” he said. “But it will take time. And I need your help to do it.” The “it” turned out to be about balancing the U.S. budget – and raising revenue. It was July 25. The president was deep into the debt ceiling standoff in Congress; his thoughts and remarks obviously were there. “I am trying to stretch dollars a bit further to do the things we need,” the president said. We have to make the budget truly neutral (politically). But if we don’t address the debt, we won’t be able to afford the things like a good education for all.

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Education is the president’s favorite issue, and he often links it to Hispanics. “America’s educational success depends on the success of the Hispanic community, including new college grants for Latinos,” he said at the lunch. “We can’t sacrifice the future. We are better than that. The wealthiest Americans and Congress must pay their share. We all must look out for one another – that’s what the NCLR and Latinos are all about. These are promises to be kept.” The applause was lukewarm. Some in the audience expected to hear about other issues – like immigration. The president knew it. He paused, he almost sighed, then he added: “I also promised I would work together with you to fix our broken immigration system and to make the DREAM Act a reality. This country always has been shaped by talented, hard-working immigrants. The best and the brightest come here. But then they leave (i.e., foreign students on temporary student visas). Children here can’t go to college (i.e., potential DREAM Act beneficiaries who are in the country illegally). We have to have an immigration system that meets our values. It’s the moral thing to do. But I also pledged to obey the laws of the land. Some think I should just by-pass Congress. But that’s not what America is all about. I can’t.” “Yes you can, yes you can!” chanted a number of what Murguía later referred to as “Dreamer.” “You can change the system,” they yelled during the speech. The president smiled and shook his head. “That’s not the American way,” he patiently explained to the mainly young people who had spoken out, like the professor he used to be. The rest of the more than 10,000 La Raza audience was quiet. It was to them the president offered his concluding remarks. “The problem is that the minute I come up with something, I get blocked. I need help from you, from your stories of success. I need your help,” he repeated to polite applause as he left the podium.

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State Residents Need Not ADMISSIONS/RECRUITMENT

iversity in higher education is important for a variety of reasons, and problems, and a series of worsening revenue forecasts and a $5 billion most state schools maintain a diverse student body by accepting a per- state budget shortfall has forced the Washington Legislature to slash higher centage of out-of-state and international students. Some schools are education funding. In February, the University of Washington (UW) cut the increasing their out-of-state student population for another reason: money. number of Washington residents the school admitted this fall to its main A number of state schools are using revenue from their higher nonresi- Seattle campus and increased the number of nonresidents it welcomed. dent tuition to subsidize lower resident tuition to make up for the everBob Roseth, director of news and information at UW, says, “In 1990-91 decreasing government funding in their states. The University of California the state paid 82 percent of an education, and in 2011 that dropped to 31 (UC) system is one. percent.” The school had no choice but to accept more nonresidents to Many UC campuses are heavily recruiting out-of-state students for the subsidize the tuition of resident students. This fall, in-state students paid extra tuition, with nonresidents mak$8,701 in tuition and fees while ing up 12.5 percent of the incoming nonresidents paid $25,329. On the class, up from 8 percent last year, bright side, Roseth says, UW was according to Gerna Benz of Bay Area authorized by the Legislature to offer College Planners. more financial aid because of an “UC-Berkeley will have the largest increase in tuition. increase, with 30 percent of incomLikewise, two of Arizona’s three ing freshman being nonresidents. state universities want to enroll UCLA and UC-San Diego are the other more out-of-state students as a way two schools that have the largest to stuff their coffers. In February the increase, both up from last year,” Arizona Board of Regents approved says Benz. a two-year extension of a 40 percent The University of California syslimit (up from 30 percent) on nontem is boosting its out-of-state resident undergraduate enrollment. enrollment to compensate for a proThis extension is valid until January jected half-billion dollars in state aid 2013. Increasing the limit for noncuts. Traditionally, the University of resident undergraduate enrollments California has accepted out-of-state at each university allows the universtudents totaling about 6 percent of sities greater flexibility to enhance its admissions, with out-of-state sturevenue and provide additional Barmak Nassirian, American Association of Collegiate Registrars dents paying more than twice what funding for financial aid in a difficult and Admissions Officers California residents pay in tuition. budget climate, according to Sarah However, in 2010, the Board of Harper, director, office of public Regents formed a commission that evaluated the fiscal health of the entire affairs, Arizona Board of Regents. Harper says that the extension will not system and determined that to hire more professors and to increase the affect state residents who want to attend Arizona schools. diversity of the school, it would try to increase enrollment of out-of-state “Increasing nonresident enrollment limits does not impact access for students, capping the total at 10 percent. in-state students because the Arizona University System does not have Ricardo Vázquez, a spokesperson for the University of California sys- enrollment caps for in-state undergraduate students,” says Harper. In the tem, says that the new endorsement by the board “does not take space 2010 school year, Arizona State University had 12,659 out-of-state students from Californians. We have a funding problem, not a capacity problem.” In or 22.4 percent; Northern Arizona University had 4,898 out-of-state stureality, he says, the admissions process in the University of California sys- dents or 24.5 percent; and the University of Arizona had 9,179 out-of-state tem favors the in-state applicant, who must carry a high school GPA of 3.0 students or 30 percent. to be considered by any of the system’s nine schools, while an out-of-state Two of Pennsylvania’s state institutions have seen their out-of-state stuapplicant must carry a 3.5 GPA. dent body grow and in-state student body decline over more than 10 years. Most states cap the number of out-of-state students they will accept, but In 1995, 81 percent of the University of Pittsburgh’s undergraduates were looking at the recent trends, it’s hard to see how Berkeley would be meet- in-state students. In 2005, that number dropped to 71 percent. John ing such a cap, at 30 percent out-of-state students, says Benz. “I think that Fedele, associate director of news at Pitt, says that the increase was due to many universities are doing what the UC’s are doing – not necessarily low- the university’s growing reputation, which now helps it attract students ering the number of in-state slots, but doing all the increase in class sizes from across the country and, to a lesser extent, from around the world. in the out-of-state spots. That way, they cannot be accused of shutting out “For a range of reasons, we have made deliberate efforts to enhance the in-state kids,” says Benz. visibility of the university in other places,” says Fedele, adding that the numThe University of California is not the only school faced with funding ber of Pennsylvania students enrolled at Pitt has grown and that the percent-

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Apply ... Maybe

by Frank DiMaria

age of Pennsylvania students enrolled at Pitt has remained high. Years ago, richness to the educational experience, but to cover costs is not a good the school recognized that there would be periods when the number of high reason to accept more out-of-state students, says Nassirian. school graduates in the state would decline. “Efforts to deal with those periThe second problem with boosting nonresident enrollment is capacity. ods of shortfall have got to be anticipated and addressed on a steady and Some experts believe that when a nonresident is accepted, a resident is sustained basis. Since out-of-state tuition is higher, a student body that con- turned away, and some residents – such as low-income minority students tained more out-of-state students would generate somewhat higher revenue – might not have the wherewithal to attend an out-of-state school or a prilevels. However, as is reflected in the vate institution. Public institutions high levels of in-state enrollment that are access points for minorities, have been maintained by Pitt, moving who need them in order to move up to a markedly higher mix of out-ofthe social ladder. When schools shift state students has not been a priority. to favor out-of-state students, says “If a Pennsylvania resident and Nassirian, it drives the price of eduan out-of-state resident are equally cation up and makes it difficult for qualified applicants, Pitt would Hispanics, and minorities in generadmit the Pennsylvania resident,” al, to gain access to higher educasays Fedele. tion. Those individuals who have At Penn State, Geoff Rushton of traditionally been underrepresented university relations says that in higher education will be hurt by although Penn State has seen its this trend. The University of acceptance of out-of-state students California, Nassirian says, was once increase in the past decade from 15 the jewel in the crown of American to 20 percent, nonresident tuition is higher education because it offered not a revenue generator, and the easy access for the underrepresentschool does not use out-of-state ed population. But the Board of tuition to subsidize in-state tuition. Regent’s latest decision to recruit The reason for the increase in nonand accept more out-of-state sturesident enrollment, according to dents has made the jewel lack luster Rushton, is that Penn State’s reputaand tarnished the crown. tion, both nationally and internationNot all schools are accepting ally, has grown and that there are out-of-state students to make up for just fewer high school graduates and the ever-decreasing state funding. traditional-age college students in For 20 years, Southern Illinois the state of Pennsylvania. University (SIU)-Carbondale has Some experts find the practice of struggled to keep its enrollment Dr. Donald H. DeHayes, provost, University of Rhode Island subsidizing in-state tuition with the numbers up. To broaden its appeal higher out-of-state tuition troubling. and visibility, the Board of Trustees Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and began offering in-state tuition rates to nonresidents from five bordering Admissions Officers is one. He says boosting enrollment of nonresidents is states – Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas and Tennessee. SIU started a nationwide trend, and he understands why schools do it. “They are the program in 2009 for residents of Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana, but checkmated on raising tuition on residents, so that money has to come broadened its scope to include residents from Tennessee and Arkansas. from some place,” says Nassirian. And many schools are getting it from The gamble paid off. Although enrollment dropped slightly in the 2009-10 out-of-state tuition. school year, all indicators so far show that enrollment for 2011-12 has Nassirian sees two problems with this practice. First, he is finding that picked up. state residents are getting a little fed up with paying taxes to fund a state “Our university is just beginning to recover from a downturn in enrollhigher education system, but then having to send their children to other ment that goes back five years or so. As such, there is plenty of room for states or to private institutions. “These families have paid taxes into the qualified students at SIU. There has never been a need to cap the number education system, and they are getting nothing in return,” says Nassirian. of out-of-state, or even in-state, students,” says Rita Cheng, SIU chancellor. He feels that it is wrong that a waitress pays taxes to send a lawyer’s child In the fall of 2008, SIU enrolled 2,854 out-of-state students. By the fall of to school while her child cannot get an education because state schools 2010, that number had risen to 3,125, according to Cheng. Unlike the are seeking out-of-state students. University of California system, in-state and out-of-state requirements at SIUThere are a lot of good reasons to accept nonresidents. Diversity adds Carbondale are the same, and all students enjoy an open admission policy.

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Like SIU, the University of Rhode Island has been recruiting nonresidents for several years now, but not to subsidize in-state tuition. The state of Rhode Island is tiny both geographically and in population, with just one million residents. For years, 38 to 40 percent of its students have come from other states. The Rhode Island market of students is just not large enough to fully provide enough students to a flagship university, says Dr. Donald H. DeHayes, provost, University of Rhode Island (URI). “It’s not new for us to have a fairly large outof-state population, but our out-of-state student population has not gone up. In fact, our in-state student population, which is about 62 percent, was the second-highest in-state population in our history. And last fall’s freshman class was the largest in-state population we’ve ever had,” says DeHayes. But rather than use out-of-state tuition to subsidize in-state tuition, URI increased its instate tuition slightly, because it was one of the lowest in the region. It used that money to make up for the decrease in state funding. Of the 20,000 applications URI receives in a given school year, 4,000 come from Rhode Island residents; and 16,000, from nonresidents. URI accepts about 75 percent of the applicants from both residents and non-residents, and outof-state tuition is about $27,000 per year, which is higher than the national average. Many institutions are raising their out-of-state tuitions to a very high level, says DeHayes. URI raised its instate tuition 8.5 percent to about $10,500, which is among the lowest for public flagship universities in the region, he says. “We’re still in the bottom third with our competitors like the University of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine,” he says. The out-of-state student population is growing at Florida International University (FIU), a school that confers more degrees on Hispanics than any other school in the nation and where more than 60 percent of its student body is Hispanic. Dr. Irma Becerra-Fernández, the school’s vice provost for academic affairs, says the school’s Worlds Ahead strategic plan calls for an enrollment growth of 2,000 additional students each year, including a 2 percent increase in out-of-state and international students, until 2015. Becerra-Fernández says that the school’s out-ofstate growth will not be significant enough to push aside resident Hispanic students, in particular because the percentage growth in Hispanic students is expected to exceed the out-of-state student growth. Of the 6,266 bachelor’s degrees FIU conferred in 2010, 3,918 were conferred on Hispanics. At FIU, she says, an in-state student is not turned away when it accepts an out-of-state student. “Both in-state as well as out-of-state students are admitted based on the same criteria. There is no cap on the number of out-of-state students FIU will accept at this time. “At FIU, even if student growth exceeds our plan, we have traditionally accepted them. For example, for the academic year 2009-2010 we had the

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goal to grow by 2,000 students, and we grew by 3,555 students.” The bottom line is a lack of state funding. State schools are not receiving the funding they need to educate their students and have to get creative to make up for the shortfalls. But often it is the low-income minority student who is left out in the cold when schools come up with creative solution so their budget problems. Antonio R. Flores, president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, says that state legislatures and governors need to invest more in higher education so that tuition remains affordable for Hispanics and underrepresented populations, and so that institutions are not forced to seek out-of-state or foreign students to maintain their operations. Any trend that diminishes access to postsecondary educational opportunities is a step backwards in improving Hispanic higher education.

In the Trenches...

Mentor Responsibility by Sonia M. Bribiescas

Nancy started her leadership adventure in October 2007, she received no approval from her mentor teacher to pursue the principalship certificate. She had been teaching business for 13 years. She has known Ms. Joy, her mentor teacher, for 15 years and has the utmost respect for her. Even though her mentor teacher had been tough on her throughout the years, Nancy still considers her “The Master.” The focus of this article is to examine the relationship between the mentor and mentee. Being Frozen When Nancy began teaching, she received positive comments on her leadership qualities. She did not feel confident at the time and did not investigate the possibility for months. How critical is support when it comes to relationships? According to Powell, it is imperative to have support in the relationship because without a solid foundation, the growth will never happen. As Nancy developed her plan, her final task was to contact Joy to get her approval. Joy, a business teacher of 35 years, was a department chair for 25 years and developed a reputation of being assertive and fair. Nancy met with Joy to discuss her aspirations and her plan to obtain a principalship certificate. Joy looked at Nancy and said, “In my opinion, I don’t think you can handle that kind of job. You are good at being a teacher. I can’t see you as a principal.” Nancy was in complete confusion. For the next few months, her plan was frozen. The Relief Nancy knew she had to make a decision, but needed closure with Joy’s reaction to the news. She decided to call her mentor teacher and ask the burning question. The conversation started as it usually did, with small talk. Nancy then dropped the question, “Why did you not support my decision to pursue my principalship certificate?” Joy replied, “Because I know your strengths and weaknesses, and you do not have what it takes to lead a school.” Nancy asked, “Can you give me specifics?” Joy stated, “Your grammar is not up to par, and you have a hard time articulating ideas to others. You know, when I wanted to pursue a leadership position early in my career, my mentor teacher told me I would not be good, and I have great grammar and am very articulate.” Nancy thanked her mentor for her comments and guidance and hung up the phone. Mentors are significant people in the world. Sometimes these people are unaware of the potential damage they inflict. It is obvious that Nancy’s mentor was not an emotional leader. The only leadership experience the mentor teacher had was being a department chair. The relationship between the two had always been strong because the mentor was leading and making the decisions for the mentee. Once the mentee decided to make a decision on her own, the mentor made an executive decision to discourage her protégée.

The Rebirth Nancy was devastated by her mentor’s remarks. She lost confidence in her ability to pursue a principalship certificate. The comments bothered her and made her second guess herself. After the initial hurt, the experience, however, enlightened her – as if she was born again. The rebirth of an individual can be a powerful experience. The mentee will gain momentum through the journey because of building up self-confidence to prove the mentor wrong (Luna & Cullen, 1996). Nancy was inspired by the book Leadership Is an Art, by Max De Pree. For more than 20 years, De Pree has been active in mentoring emerging leaders in both profit and nonprofit sectors. While writing Leadership Is an Art, he realized the importance of mentoring relationships to leadership development. And specifically advises seeking out “one or two mentors to guide you along the path to discovering authentic leadership – and then remember the best way to compensate a mentor is by becoming one yourself.” Through his leadership practices, millions have been inspired to think differently about work and life. This led Nancy to seek a second opinion. The Journey Nancy is continuing with her aspirations of becoming a principal someday. Even though her mentor did not support her decision and explained her opinions, Nancy called her mentor, five classes later, to thank her for her time and effort. She updated her mentor on what she was doing and apologized for going against her wishes. Joy responded with a mere “Good luck.” Everyone has different experiences with mentors. Nancy is fortunate to have a good support system of family and friends, which enables her to overcome her negative mentor experience. She will remember the lesson for the rest of her life, but she will also be conscious of what not to do as a mentor. There are a lot of Ms. Joys out there in the world. How many people fail to realize their dream because of a negative mentor experience? This mentor experience happened to me. My name is Sonia Bribiescas. I was born and raised in the small mining town of Superior, Ariz., 60 miles east of Phoenix. I am the youngest child of Enrique Bribiescas and Romelia Padilla. My three brothers and I grew up in an older neighborhood on Magma Avenue. In eighth grade, I wanted to be a teacher. By my junior year in high school, I knew I wanted to be a business teacher. I have had many mentors in my life who have made a difference in my life – shaping me into who I am today. I want to honor and thank the following for their help professionally: Betty Sánchez, Albert Rodríguez, Janiel Clark, Judith Houtchens, Cynthia Benson, Anis Mitchell, Kathy Hunter, Angie Amparan, Lorraine Calbow, Wiley Davis, Dr. Richard Daniel, Dr. Robert Gryder, Henry N. Bribiescas, Linda Tani, Dr. Sue Simeone, Gwen Matheny, Nancy Guerra Roberts, Kevin Ames, Valeri Angus, Melania Bustamante, Rachel Matthews, Dr. Janet Gandy, Katherine D. Hall, Dr. Gary Nine, Dr. Ric Wiggall, Dr. Wally Delecki, Dr. Debra Duvall, Dr. Amy Fuller, and Dr. Catherine McDaniel. Sonia Briebiescas works at the Mesas Public School District, in Mesa, Ariz., and is currently a team leader for the district.

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College-Readiness Programs at and University of New Mexico

The

higher education community is not just talking about improving college readiness; many institutions are taking the lead and doing something about it. Several campuses already have welldefined and well-staffed programs that combine outreach and opportunities for younger students to learn about, experience and prepare academically for college. Other colleges are expanding their efforts to partner with public schools, especially those with significant minority enrollments, to increase readiness for higher education. Most educators believe this kind of preparation is crucial to success in college, especially in getting lowincome, first-generation students to persist to their degrees. They also agree that developing a culture of college readiness is a journey that must start long before students step onto campus for their first class.

for help turning things around. The result of those discussions was the Compact for Success, which guarantees Sweetwater graduates admission to the university if they meet certain requirements during their high school career. Sweetwater students must

“It was the incentive that caused many students to realize they could have opportunities that no one in their family had had,” he said. The results of the compact have been impressive: since its inception, approximately 1,300 Sweetwater graduates have been admitted to SDSU with guaranteed admission. The first cohort of Compact for Success students graduated from SDSU in May 2010. “The two words that have driven the Compact for Success model are access and success,” said Dr. Louis Murillo, director of the program since 2007. “We believe these standards are the ones that will serve the program well in the future.” Outreach efforts begin each year when SDSU hosts seventh-graders and their parents for a “Making It Happen” event that introduces the compact program and encourages students to start thinking about and preparing to go to college. Once students make a commitSan Diego State University ment and sign up for the program, Now in its 12th year, the Compact compact advisors, who are SDSU for Success at San Diego State students, work at middle and high University (SDSU) is considered a schools to keep participants motimodel for college-readiness provated, informed and on track to colgrams. It was launched in 2000, lege. Murillo says that many of the after the university forged an agreeadvisors are Hispanics and gradument with the Sweetwater Union ates of the Compact for Success proHigh School District (SUHSD), gram. They often journey back to which serves 42,000 high school their “home” school to guide secDr. Rachel S. Ruiz, assistant VP and head of Closing the Gaps Initiative, students in the San Diego area. ondary school students who see UTSA Hispanics make up 74 percent of them as successful role models. enrollment in the district’s 7-12 “The compact advisors are the schools. enroll in the program by ninth grade, attain a strength of the program,” said Murillo. “The The impetus for the agreement came when 3.0 GPA and complete specified course require- Sweetwater students relate to them as peers and SUHSD officials noted that very few of its stu- ments to strengthen their academic skills. are very responsive to their message about sucdents were enrolling at San Diego State in spite Ed Brand, SUHSD superintendent at the time ceeding in college.” of its large size and proximity of the campus. of the program’s development, explained in an As the Sweetwater students continue through The district also was unhappy with its graduation interview for the compact’s newsletter that “hav- their high school grades, there is continuing folrates and lack of a college-bound culture, so ing the carrot of guaranteed admission to SDSU low-up regarding progress toward academic administrators approached the SDSU president was the game changer.” goals and other program requirements. Parents

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San Diego State, UT-San Antonio Getting Good Results by Marilyn Gilroy

receive newsletters and are encouraged to be part of the planning process. Because Compact for Success has gained nationwide attention and awards, Murillo finds himself giving presentations at national conferences on a regular basis. But he has not let the program rest on its laurels. Consequently, some new elements have been added to the compact core of activities. The Kids2College program is reaching out to K-6 area schools to help make sixth-grade students aware of the impact of education and to get them thinking about careers. There also is a new community college component to assure student success for those transferring from Southwestern Community College to San Diego State. “The key to the compact’s success is definitely the relationships established between SDSU and the public schools and community colleges,” said Murillo. “There’s a lot of good communication and shared goals, and now the program is stronger than ever.” University of Texas-San Antonio One of the most ambitious readiness programs is the University of Texas-San Antonio’s (UTSA) Office of P-20 Initiatives, which is focused on increasing the college-going rate of Texans over the next decade. It has been in existence since 2007 as part of the effort to address the Closing the Gaps Initiative directed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The use of P-20 in the title of the initiative means exactly what it says – the program looks for ways to raise student achievement from kindergarten through college. It is a tall order but one that has specific outcomes, targets and benchmarks for success. “Our four primary goals are to increase access to higher education, to increase collegereadiness outcomes, to increase opportunities for high school students to earn college credits and to improve retention of UTSA students,” said Dr. Rachel S. Ruiz, assistant vice president and head of the program. To accomplish these objectives, P-20 part-

Student advisors

ners with the Bexar County communities and others throughout South Texas to offer a range of activities for all levels of public school students. The commitment is carried out with the help of UTSA students, staff, faculty and the resources of various academic departments. “Our programming reaches elementary, middle, high school, community college, and UTSA students,” said Ruiz. “We have many successful partnerships in a highly supportive internal and external community, which is what makes our programs work.” For example, for the elementary school level, there is the Rowdy Readers Program, a collaboration with Communities In Schools and UTSA athletics to promote literacy. Local elementary schools are adopted by a UTSA athletic team, with members serving as mentors to the young students who must read a minimum of five books in order to attend a UTSA athletic event. Another outreach to the early grades involves the America Reads program, where UTSA students serve as work/study tutors to elementary students who attend special activities such as

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college tours. At the other end of the spectrum is the Early College High School, in which participants earn their high school diplomas and college credits in a fast-track academic environment. “We have just completed our fourth cohort of Early College High School Program where over 1,000 high school students have graduated and have earned a total of over 24,000 college credits,” said Ruiz. “These students have consistently outperformed their peers in college readiness and assessment measures, such as the SAT or ACT tests.” The P-20 initiative runs several science camps for middle and high school students to build and enhance their academic skills in STEM fields. The camps feature interactive hands-on learning and field trips. For example, the Rackspace Fast Track High School STEM Summer Institute, in collaboration with the UTSA College of Engineering, involves activities with robotics and advanced technologies in the university’s iTEC and SiViRT visualization labs. This semester, 82 San Antonio school district

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students in GEAR UP attended the “CSI: Saturday Academic Camp” on the UTSA main campus. The event featured professors and UTSA students sharing information about their majors and UTSA academic programs. GEAR UP is otherwise known as Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. As part of camp sessions, there were presentations on biochemistry, archaeology, engineering, mathematics and statistics, health and nutrition, and psychology. Pulling all of the P-20 initiatives together is quite an effort for Ruiz and her staff, who must also worry about finding financial support for the initiative. “The greatest challenge is to ensure that we continue to identify grants that will support our programs,” said Ruiz. Fortunately, funding has grown each year. In 2010, approximately $3.5 million from government, foundation and privates sources was available to support the college-readiness and early college high school components. Despite the hectic schedule of activities and programs, Ruiz clearly loves being involved in the P-20 Initiatives. “I especially enjoy my job because it is an environment that provides us with the ability to create innovative partnerships in a highly supportive community, including Mayor Julian Castro. We are preparing students to be successful when they graduate and enter college and earn a degree or certificate.” she said. “It’s work that requires passion and commitment from the staff, but we are ensuring that our students will be able to make positive contributions to our community, work force and economy.”

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University of New Mexico The College Readiness Program at the University of New Mexico (UNM), part of several college-prep and enrichment programs, takes aim at low-income students who are high school juniors in the Albuquerque area. The purpose is to help students strengthen their academic competencies and insure a successful transition into college-level degree programs. It consists of three components: a three-day, two-night summer session, twice-monthly Saturday seminars and weekly meetings with a personal Educational Mentor Tutor on the UNM campus, which take place throughout the participants’ senior year of high school. The summer session residential program offers participants a chance to live on campus for three days and sample the academic and social life offered by the university. “We brought about 50 students in this year and had them stay in dorms and get the whole college experience,” said Rosa Cervantes, who oversees the program. Students also take part in a philanthropy activity, college-readiness preparation workshops and presentations, leadership activities, and team-building exercises. Another feature of the college-readiness program is the Senior Year Monthly Seminars. Students are required to attend twice-monthly Saturday seminars on campus throughout their senior year at which continuous information and help is offered with the goal of successfully matriculating in college. The seminars are “interactive,” says Cervantes, and cover topics such as the college application process, financial

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aid options, career and college exploration, and how to write a résumé, cover letter, and personal statement. Students are guided through the process of applying for scholarships such as the Daniel’s Fund Scholarship and the Gates Millennium Scholars Scholarship. “I love walking in to visit the seminars,” said Cervantes. “The students usually are very excited and show me something they have just learned.” High school seniors in the college-readiness program also take part in a mentoring program. The students meet with their Educational Mentor/Tutor (EMT) for one-on-one help with scholarship searches, financial aid and any other assistance the student might need. The mentors are UNM students at sophomore level or above who meet with their mentees once every other week on campus. “Some of the mentors went through the college-readiness program themselves and want to help others,” said Cervantes. “Several have gone on to complete their bachelor’s and master’s degrees and are still involved as mentors.” The college-readiness program enjoys an impressive success record. About 95 percent of the participants in the program enroll in college, and most get one or more scholarships. Cervantes, who has been working with the program for four years, says she loves seeing how the experience changes lives. “It’s not only the current participants who benefit, but they have the potential to change the lives for future generations by encouraging others to go to college,” she said.

UNCENSORED

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

IT’S OCTOBER. HAVE STUDENT BRAINS RECOVERED YET FROM SUMMER? – It is well known that American schools have the fewest number of required days in the classroom – 180 a year – of any industrialized country. Most other systems have dropped the 10-12 week summer vacation in favor of a six-week summer and a couple of one- to two-week seasonal breaks. It seems intuitive that the long time off might be one reason American student achievement is lower in international comparative studies. Now recent research from Johns Hopkins University and the RAND Corporation confirms that if students are not engaged in learning during the long summer, they lose a month of math and reading. The learning losses are cumulative summer after summer. A disproportionate number of students who are affected are from low-income families. The waste is preventable of course, by either extending the school year or providing summer school for all. But with education budgets facing serious cuts throughout the country, increasing summer school is highly unlikely. Besides, Americans are attached to the tradition of free summers for their children (albeit most working parents only get two weeks off a year). And I’ve been told that many teachers believe that “the three best things about teaching are June, July and August.”

PELL GRANTS SEEN AS WELFARE – The nail-biting, cliff-hanging congressional fights last August over what final concessions would be made to cut the national debt revealed one particularly hardly-could-believe controversy within the Republican congressional leadership. That was the view by some significant Republican voices that Pell Grants are little more than wasteful social welfare expenditures and should be cut. Pell Grants have enabled millions of American students since 1965 to afford college. Even House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, had proposed raising the debt limit to include $9 billion for Pell Grants in 2012 and another $8 billion in 2013. But Rep. and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., expressed outrage at Boehner’s proposal in her speech at the National Press Club in July. Unfortunately, no one got to ask Bachmann why she considers federally supported college grants a sign of “socialism and too much government.” But many found the talking points of the founder of the Tea Party caucus in Congress to be curiouser and curiouser.

PROFESSORS WITH TENURE DECREASING THROUGH ATTRITION – Tenure for professors has been under attack for decades. “College professors have it too good,” say some. “Academic freedom is not served by tenure,” say others. “Tenure hasn’t even enhanced academic and intellectual diversity.” But while legislative efforts to curtail tenure have consistently failed, there are nevertheless fewer and fewer faculty with the job-protecting benefit on American college campuses today. A new book, The Faculty Lounges, explains why. The enrollment explosion

has eliminated many tenure positions, since most new faculty are hired to teach increasing numbers of remedial and introductory courses – not the territory of tenured professors, says the book’s author, Noemi Schaefer Riley. In addition, many science professors who sign lucrative multiyear contracts for corporate research projects eschew tenure because it might inhibit their own mobility. Finally, the competition for liberal arts professorships needs no tenure incentive to hire the best. These factors are eroding tenure from within, Riley writes. There is no need for public rage to do it.

PRACTICE TEACHING ONLINE? – It is always a challenge for schools of education to find enough classrooms and mentor teachers for that crucial final stage of teacher training called student (or practice) teaching. Now it seems some “for-profit” career colleges have decided not only to make all their ed courses online, but are experimenting with online practice teaching as well. While it certainly could be good for multiplying the quantity of new teachers, one has to wonder whatever these virtual teachers would do once they actually faced a classroom of real live students! Or is that oh-so 20th century?

AUSSIES LEARN AND WONDER AT AMERICAN EDUCATION – The most bewildering principle in American education, according to a group of visiting Australian federal education department administers, is that of local control of revenue and curriculum. “These crucial elements are all centrally administered in Australia,” said two Aussie officials in August who were attending a panel on school equity, at the Center for American Progress, a left-of-center think tank in Washington, D.C. They wondered how there can be equity in education if revenue and curriculum are determined by thousands of separate state, regional and local jurisdictions? “And how can national educational standards of excellence be preserved when these decisions are made in the extreme partisan atmosphere of American politics?” asked one who was finishing a congressional fellowship on the Hill and had just survived the debt ceiling crisis. Local control of schools has got to be one of the most unique attributes of American education in the world. Margaret (Peggy Sands) Orchowski was a reporter for AP South America and for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. She earned a doctorate in international educational administration from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She lives in Washington, D.C., where she was an editor at Congressional Quarterly and now is a freelance journalist and columnist covering Congress and higher education.

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PERSPECTIVES

A Look at NCLB in Its 10th Year W

by Thomas G. Dolan hen the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001, it was sponsored by both the compassionate conservative President George W. Bush and the firebrand liberal Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. It appeared to have an equal appeal to conservatives and liberals alike. It seemed like the best of American idealism. After all, who would disagree that every child deserved equal access to a good education? That would seem like being against the flag, mom and apple pie. However, now, 10 years later, not only has the conservative/liberal consensus started to unravel, it’s also become quite entangled. Hispanics, generally, first saw the act’s emphasis upon testing as a tool for continued discrimination against disadvantaged minority children. Now, however, based on the three Hispanic authorities interviewed for this article, there is some agreement but also much disagreement about how the act has turned out in practice. Starting with the conservative/liberal perspective, a galvanizing critique of the act has resulted from the book Waiting for a School MIRACLE, by Diane Ravitch, Ph.D., a research professor of education at New York University. Ravitch’s position is drawn from the comments of Alan Wolfe, Ph.D., a political scientist at Boston College whose review appeared in the New York Times at about the same time the book was published, May 31, 2011. Wolfe mostly but not totally agrees with Ravitch, who, in short, lambastes the act and all it represents. Ravitch’s extreme position is of interest since she had previously been widely viewed as a conservative. But, says Wolfe, “she has always been less an ideologue than a critic of educational fads, whether the more touchyfeely forms of progressive education made popular in the 1960s and ’70s or the new nostrums of choice and testing. Ravitch now supports ideas associated with the left not because she is on the left. She does so for the simple reason that choice and testing had their chance and failed to deliver.” Choice equates to vouchers, which meant parents could purchase schools of their choice, i.e., private schools. Democrats saw vouchers as a way to give minority parents the same options available to middle-class families who could afford houses in desirable school districts. Republicans were for them for they represented strengthening private enterprise over the government. The vouchers could be used not only at private schools but also at public schools to whom cities leased control to private entrepreneurs. Here is one of the many devastating examples provided by Ravitch: “In 2005, New York’s mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, held a news conference at Public School 33 in the Bronx to celebrate an astonishing 49 percent jump in the proportion of fourth-grade students there who met state standards in reading. In 2004, only 34 percent reached proficiency, but in 2005, 83 percent did. “It seemed too good to be true, and it was. A year later, the proportion of fourth-graders at P.S. 33 who passed the state reading test dropped by 41 points. By 2010, the passing rate was 37 percent, nearly the same as before 2005.” Ravitch’s main target, however, is the testing procedures mandated by the act. She argues that the politicians believed that the right combination of incentives and punishments would produce dramatic improvements. The actual result, however, is that teachers and principals have been fired

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and schools once fixtures in their communities have been closed. In time, she warns, many new schools will also close unless they avoid enrolling low-performing students, like those who don’t read English, are homeless, or have profound disabilities. An example of inflated success in testing is Miami Central, which had been “reconstituted,” meaning that the principal and half the staff members were fired. But the facts, as reported by Ravitch, are “The president said that ‘per-

“The idea has been test and punish. This has a chilling effect. Both schools and students are being set up for failure.” Josie Tinajero, Ed.D., dean and professor, College of Education, University of Texas-El Paso

“The measures of assessment

have been very narrow, have not resulted in an improvement, and have been used to the detriment of Latinos.” Jamie Chahín, Ph.D., dean and professor of the College of Applied Arts, Texas State University-San Marcos formance has skyrocketed by more than 60 percent in math and that graduation rates rose to 63 percent, from 36 percent, But in math, it ranks 430th out of 469 high schools in Florida. Only 56 percent of its students meet state math standards, and only 16 percent meet state reading standards. The graduation rate rose, but the school still ranks 431st, well below the state median graduation rate of 87 percent. The improvements at Miami Central are too small and too new to conclude that firing principals and teachers works.” If, 10 years later, the liberal/conservative consensus behind the No Child Left Behind Act is falling apart, the Hispanic community also has a number of disagreements. Here are the perspectives of three Hispanic

authorities. The first believes the act should be totally restructured. The second, while recognizing the flaws in the act, thinks that there is enough good in it to use it as a basis for improvement. The third, while also recognizing the act is less than perfect, nevertheless believes it was a watershed event, and that attempts to push it aside can have deleterious effects. Before leveling her criticisms against the act, Josie Tinajero, Ed.D., dean and professor, College of Education, University of Texas-El Paso, starts off with, “I do want to say I totally support the act’s objectives. I definitely think the federal government has a role to play. I also agree with those advocates who have shown that those of color living in poverty, as well as English learners, deserve an equal education is a civil rights issue, as well as their emphasizing the fact that there exists a difference in performance by race and class through segregation in various schools and districts. Another good thing has been the emphasis on quality teachers for all students, slow learners as well. All this has been very good.” Nevertheless, Tinajero sees “a lot of problems. The main one is the flaw in accountability through an over-emphasis upon standardized testing. The idea has been test and punish. This has a chilling effect. Both schools and students are being set up for fai1ure.” Tinajero explains that affluent schools with ample financial resources and good teachers are more likely than impoverished schools to be able to focus extra attention on the tests with less detriment to the overall educational process. “Some kids will pass the tests no matter what, when they come from homes with all sorts of resources and all sorts of educational activities outside the schools. But poor children don’t have this.” Tinajero adds that though the law requires assessment of English-language ability, it doesn’t provide the tools for improving it, nor assess the student’s ability in his first non-English language or his knowledge from life experiences or motivation. “What is needed are multiple assessments,” Tinajero says. “For now, testing is a punishment administered to poorer kids, which does not enhance but rather kills off enthusiasm for learning. Also, the teacher is now graded on how well the students do on the test. This means teaching energies are going to the better students and neglecting the slower students. What we’ve lost is what we used to have, the professional development of teachers who are trained to reach all students. I think the effect of the act has been very negative, despite its good parts, and needs to be totally revamped, totally restructured.” Jamie Chahín, Ph.D., dean and professor of the College of Applied Arts, Texas State University of Texas-San Marcos, says No Child Left Behind “was a good act with the good intention of bringing equal education to all children, but the magnitude of the challenge of the disadvantaged in cities and rural America was not fully appreciated, so there has been a lack of appropriations designed to meet this magnitude.” Chahín believes, “There is no need to start over, but schools should be able to work collaboratively with the state to leverage the act to help all children. And, if the states are suffering economically, then federal funds should supplement what the states are cutting.” But Chahín also agrees that “The measures of assessment have been very narrow, have not resulted in an improvement, and have been used to the detriment of Latinos. A limitation of testing is that it failed to provide motivation as well as to elicit family support. The one thing we know is that immigrant families are very pro education and support the schools.” Chahín also raises the larger issue that there are now 48 million Hispanics in the U.S., a large proportion of whom are preschool through 18 years old, and that cities such as Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Miami and New York are or soon will be minority majority cities. “There is a highly

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visible demographic shift, and those with Social Security status who are retiring will be supported by this younger generation. I think Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work force must be prepared and adaptive to function if we are to survive in a global technol-BXSFODF 5FDIOPMPHJDBM 6OJWFSTJUZ ogy economy,â&#x20AC;? says ChahĂn. BOOPVODFT B OBUJPOXJEF TFBSDI UP SFDSVJU â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have to frame public policy as a whole, B OFX 1SFTJEFOU with all kinds of people necessary to make it -BXSFODF 5FDIOPMPHJDBM 6OJWFSTJUZ -56 GPVOEFE JO BOE MPDBUFE work. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a nation of immigrants, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t JO 4PVUImFME .JDIJHBO JT SBUFE i5PQ 5JFSw CZ 6 4 /FXT 8PSME 3FQPSU T quite understand the negative reactions to educai"NFSJDB T #FTU $PMMFHFTw BOE JT SBOLFE BNPOH UIFi#FTU JO UIF .JEXFTUw CZ ÉŠF tional equality. I think it must come from a lack of 1SJODFUPO 3FWJFX 0OF PG UIF DPVOUSZ T mOFTU UFDIOPMPHJDBM JOTUJUVUJPOT PG IJHIFS information and a very narrow view of the world.â&#x20AC;? MFBSOJOH JU PÄ&#x160;FST JUT BQQSPYJNBUFMZ TUVEFOUT PWFS BTTPDJBUF CBDIFMPS T Nevertheless, ChahĂn is optimistic, at least NBTUFS T BOE EPDUPSBM QSPHSBNT JO $PMMFHFT PG "SDIJUFDUVSF BOE %FTJHO "SUT BOE long-term. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We may not be able to change the 4DJFODFT &OHJOFFSJOH BOE .BOBHFNFOU " QSJWBUF GVMMZ BDDSFEJUFE VOJWFSTJUZ JU FNQMPZT OFBSMZ GVMM BOE QBSU UJNF GBDVMUZ BOE IBT BO BOOVBM PQFSBUJOH perspectives of adults today, but in the coming CVEHFU PG BQQSPYJNBUFMZ NJMMJPO -BXSFODF 5FDIOPMPHJDBM 6OJWFSTJUZ JT B generation the minority will be the majority, and NFNCFS PG UIF QSFTUJHJPVT "TTPDJBUJPO PG *OEFQFOEFOU 5FDIOPMPHJDBM 6OJWFSTJ they will make the changes.â&#x20AC;? UJFT "*56 RaĂşl GonzĂĄlez, director of legislative affairs, 3FQPSUJOH UP UIF #PBSE PG 5SVTUFFT UIF 1SFTJEFOU JT UIF $IJFG &YFDVUJWF 0Ä&#x2039;DFS National Council of La Raza, Washington, D.C., PG UIF 6OJWFSTJUZ BOE JT SFTQPOTJCMF GPS JUT FÄ&#x160;FDUJWF NBOBHFNFOU BOE BENJOJTUSB says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happy about the state of our UJPO ÉŠF #PBSE JT TFFLJOH BO FYFNQMBSZ MFBEFS XIP IBT WJTJPO BOE VOEFSTUBOET education, and nobody should be happy. There UIF DIBMMFOHFT BOE PQQPSUVOJUJFT GBDJOH B UFDIOPMPHJDBM VOJWFSTJUZ JO UIF TU is still a lot to be dissatisfied with, such as the $FOUVSZ *U JT FYQFDUFE UIBU UIF OFYU 1SFTJEFOU XJMM CF BO BDDPNQMJTIFE GVOE BOE achievement gaps. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also true that GSJFOE SBJTFS B UJSFMFTT QSPNPUFS PG UIF RVBMJUZ PG FEVDBUJPO BÄ&#x160;PSEFE CZ -BXSFODF Hispanic academic achievement has been 5FDIOPMPHJDBM 6OJWFSTJUZ BO FYFNQMBSZ DPNNVOJDBUPS XJUI PVUTUBOEJOH TQFBL improving over the past 10 years, and much of JOH BOE XSJUJOH BCJMJUJFT BOE BO JOTQJSBUJPOBM BDBEFNJD MFBEFS XIP IBT QBTTJPO this has been due to the No Child Left Behind GPS BOE BSUJDVMBUFT UIF WJTJPO NJTTJPO PG -56 JO DIBOHJOH MJWFT PG UIF TUVEFOUT Act, which has represented a significant and UISPVHI FOMJHIUFONFOU XJUIJO UIF VOJWFSTJUZ BOE PVUTJEF XPSME positive policy development.â&#x20AC;? ÉŠF 1SFTJEFOU XJMM CF BO FYDFMMFOU NBOBHFS XJUI UIF BCJMJUZ UP BUUSBDU UPQ DBMJCFS GonzĂĄlez refers directly to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ravitchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguBENJOJTUSBUPST GBDVMUZ BOE TUBÄ&#x160; ÉŠF TFMFDUFE JOEJWJEVBM XJMM IBWF BO BQQSFDJB ments concerning the negative aspects of the act, UJPO GPS BO FYDFMMFOU GBDVMUZ BOE XJMM MFBE UISPVHI B DPMMFHJBM BOE DPOTFOTVT CVJME particularly regarding testing, with the statements JOH BQQSPBDI there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any good assessments that measure a 8IJMF BQQMJDBUJPOT BOE OPNJOBUJPOT XJMM CF BDDFQUFE VOUJM B OFX 1SFTJEFOU JT studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic progress. The fact is, however, TFMFDUFE JOUFSFTUFE QBSUJFT BSF FODPVSBHFE UP TVCNJU UIFJS NBUFSJBMT UP UIF BE that there were requirements from the federal ESFTT CFMPX CZ 0DUPCFS UP BTTVSF PQUJNBM DPOTJEFSBUJPO government for assessments long before the act. -56 1SFTJEFOU 4FBSDI But the states made no progress toward this goal, 3 8Ä&#x161;Ä?Ä?Ä&#x161;Ä&#x2019;Ä&#x17E; 'ÄŚÄ&#x;Ä&#x153; ĂŠ "Ä¤Ä¤Ä Ä&#x201D;Ä&#x161;Ä&#x2019;ÄĽÄ&#x2013;Ä¤ for the simple reason they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to. They )JHIMBOE 1BSL 7JMMBHF 4VJUF werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forced to. There was no accountability. %BMMBT 5FYBT â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the act has forced the requirement for &NBJM LSJTIB DSFBM!SXJMMJBNGVOL DPN assessments in English literacy. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not arguing 'BY that this is all we need. But there have been rapid improvements for the assessment of _-BXSFODF 5FDIOPMPHJDBM 6OJWFSTJUZ JT BO FRVBM PQQPSUVOJUZ FNQMPZFS_ English literacy, and this would not have happened without the act. This assessment also provides a tool for teachers to provide information for better programs and â&#x20AC;&#x153;And anyone who cares deeply about civil rights and educational equalcurriculum. So the stage is set for the next improvement. But even now, if ity should see the act as an imperfect law, yes, but one that also created the you look at poor minorities, the emphasis on reading and math is not a nar- political will to face what had been ignored for decades. rowing of the curriculum, but an extension. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And by pushing back against the law as vigorously as many people are, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this mythology about public education, that it was wonderful we are in danger of going back to the time when it was OK to ignore disadin the past. But I was a Title I student and teacher in New York City, and vantaged kids. In fact, there is evidence that this is where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re headed. education was not wonderful for Hispanics or African-Americans then. This week, the congressional health and education labor committee is conAssessments have been around for decades, but none of these assessments sidering a bill which will allow school districts to transfer around money were appropriate to English learners.â&#x20AC;? designated to help poor kids, so we can go back to ignoring poor The act reiterated this mandate and required accountability. Hispanics and African-Americans. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at that time again.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t continue to talk about education without dealing with all the In sum, whatever one feels about the pluses and minuses of the No facts. The main fact is that nobody cared about educating these kids, and Child Left Behind Act, and there are both, one thing is crystal clear. Unless nobody talked about it until the No Child Left Behind Act forced them to we all get serious about educating all our children, we will become one face this issue through accountability. nation left behind.

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Interesting Reads Havana Heat By Darryl Brock Luther “Dummy” Taylor was one of Major League Baseball’s first deaf players. This novel follows Taylor’s life and fortunes in 1911 when he tries to reinvigorate his pitching career, but winds up re-evaluating his life. 2011. 322 pgs. ISBN: 978-8032-3589-2. $18.95 paper. University of Nebraska Press, (402) 472 3581. www.nebraskapress.unl.edu.

Latino Los Angeles in Film and Fiction By Ignacio López-Calvo Exploring the literary and cultural aspects of Latino literature, this book integrates the histories of different regions and nations that have contributed to the Latino culture of Los Angeles. It also features non-Latino writers. 2011. 264 pgs. ISBN: 978-0-8165-2926-1. $50.00 cloth. The University of Arizona Press, (520) 621-3920. www.uapress.arizona.edu.

Primitive Revolution By Jason H. Dormady This represents an examination of the ways members of Mexico’s urban and rural poor used religious community to mediate between themselves and the state. The book focuses on three community formation projects. 2011. 288 pgs. ISBN: 978-0-8263-4951-4. $28.95 paper. University of New Mexico Press, (505) 277-2346. www.unmpress.com.

and Media...

Todo el Mundo es Musica: Iberoamerica The three-part series takes viewers to Mexico, Cuba and Argentina to sample Latin American-influenced world music – and get a glimpse of the regions, traditions and lifestyles that make the music unique. 2007. DVD (Spanish, 3 part series; 60 minutes each). $509.85. Films for the Humanities and Science, (800) 257-5126. www.films.com

Higher Education in the World 2007 Accreditation for Quality Assurance: What Is at Stake? (Guni Series on the Social Commitment of Universities 2 ) Global University Network for Innovation

by Palgrave Macmillan January 2007 New York, 415 pages, list $75 paperback, ISBN-13: 978-0-230-000476 ISBN: 10:0-230-000479

his second in a series of annual reports by the Global University Network for Innovation, Higher Education in the World 2007 Accreditation for Quality Assurance: What is at Stake? is a collection of papers from 48 eminent scholars around the world that provides readers with an in-depth examination of important social issues facing institutions of higher education in the 21st century. Divided into three sections, the report places special emphasis on national and international perspectives regarding key social issues associated with the process of accreditation for quality assurance, so pivotal to the sustainability of undergraduate and graduate-level university programs. The first section identifies the primary groups of consumers and service providers that utilize the resources of institutions of higher education globally and analyzes the major concepts associated with quality assurance that are important to the protection of the rights of these stakeholders. The authors describe the three most important quality assurance measures used to assess whether institutions of higher education are adhering to quality standards set forth by the national and regional government agencies overseeing university accreditation. Drawing upon examples of successful higher education programs in the United States and several European countries, the authors illustrate how basic quality assurance concepts and general administrative criteria can be utilized by governing boards of colleges and universities in managing and regulating accreditation systems within academic communities. The writers place particular emphasis on an analysis of the social, historical, political and cultural events that have shaped the decision-making policies that govern and regulate academic accreditation systems around the world, specifically those that assess quality standards related to specialized disciplines such as engineering and the applied sciences. The second section examines regional perspectives of accreditation of higher education programs. Based on results of surveys conducted by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the authors analyze the role that international mobility and private sector investment play in fueling the social development and global expansion of accreditation systems in different regions of the world such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Singapore, Latin America, China, and Papua, New Guinea. The authors discuss the differences in regional perceptions of the significance of academic accreditation, along with a general overview of specific measures countries can implement to safeguard the quality of program services their students receive. The final section summarizes the results of the Delphi Poll of higher education institutions, which evaluates specific aspects of international accreditation at colleges and universities in different regions of the world. Reviewed by Mitchell A. Kaplan

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John García, LEADERSHIP

U. of Michigan:

His Life of

Groundbreaking Research

by Clay Latimer

1971, fresh out of graduate school and eager to gain a foothold in higher academia, John García took a chance and decided to specialize in Hispanic politics. “I was interested in minority politics, but at that time minority politics was really a matter of looking at Afro-American politics,” he said. “There really wasn’t anything in terms of Mexican-American or Latino politics.” With García’s help, that would soon change. Today the 67-year-old scholar is considered a pioneer in both his specialty and quantitative research methods, having spent the last 40 years systematically examining political behavior, political institutions and public policymaking, with an emphasis on immigration, border issues and Hispanic communities. His 38-year career at the University of Arizona included stints as head of the political science department, and as acting director of the MexicanAmerican Studies and Research Center. He produced a steady flow of books, book articles and journal articles. But García’s impact hardly ends at campus’ edge. Not only has his work influenced national and local policymakers, he is also the only scholar to participate in three seminal works on Hispanic citizens – the Latino National Survey (LNS), which spanned three decades and shattered longheld stereotypes. The LNS is now the nation’s premier social science dataset for students of contemporary Latino politics. As passionate about his specialty today as four decades ago, García didn’t fade from the scene after retiring from Arizona in August 2010. Instead, he became director of the Resource Center for Minority Data at the InterUniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), part of the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (ISR). “I’ve been doing this a long time, so it came down to: what do you want to do in the last years,” he said. “If I wasn’t as enthusiastic and energetic, I would have retired much earlier at Arizona.”

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García grew up in Houston, one of four academically ambitious sons of parents who were high school graduates, which was something of a rarity for Hispanics in the 1930s. “All of us were into school, did relatively well and kind of expected to go on. My parents never really hounded us; it was just kind of what you wanted to do,” he said. While two of his brothers became attorneys, and a third became an engineer, García was keen on statistical analysis and politics from the start. “My interest in math got me interested in higher math and practical aspects – like high school interscholastic competition,” he said. “Science helped me even more – both the focus and discipline as well as the scientific method required: what approaches do you use, what kind of rigors do you adhere to in conducting a particular inquiry.” García earned his B.A. from the University of Texas, M.A. from the University of Houston and Ph.D. from Florida State University. For his master’s thesis, he conducted a survey of Houston’s Hispanic leaders. “I tried to apply what I had learned, but as far as specialized, formal courses in Latino politics, there was no such thing. No faculty person, per se, could claim that as an area of expertise,” he said. “For me, it was more or less self-taught. It was a new field, still trying to define itself.” Another emerging discipline at the time was quantitative political analysis, which positioned García at the forefront of two cutting-edge fields at Arizona. So impressive was his work that he was invited to become one of the co-principal investigators on the 1979 National Chicano Survey “For me to do quality work in Latino politics, I have to have a good understanding of history and culture and ... the interdisciplinary realm is necessary to do good work on the political side.” In the mid-1980s, García joined a handful of Hispanic political scien-

tists on a second study – the most extensive effort yet to measure the attitudes and political values of people of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban descent living in the United States. The Latino National Survey, 1989-90, showed Hispanics as a complex group, split on immigration issues but favoring bilingual education and learning English. The results contradicted views that Hispanics didn’t put a premium on English and had little interest in political participation. Linda Navarette, a spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza, said: “I hope this is just the beginning of something really big, that mainstream polling organizations such as Gallup and others start considering using this significant portion of the population in the surveys.” More than a decade after this stereotype-bashing report, García and other researchers paved the way for a third survey, which was designed for a broader understanding of the qualitative nature of both Latino political and social life in America. “We kept escalating the scope of the studies,” García said.

authors, recently published Latino Lives in America, a comprehensive analysis of the implications of Latinos’ population growth and geographic dispersion for American politics and society. García has worked in Spain, Poland, Germany, England and elsewhere in Europe as well as in Latin America, with assignments ranging from a conference at the London School of Economics to a casual precinct meeting in Argentina. As a spokesman on Hispanic issues, he’s also a go-toquote for national and international media outlets. Today, however, García’s nickname is Mr. Data, a reference to his work at ICPSR and its parent organization, the Institute for Social Research. His first experience at the University of Michigan center was a summer program in 1969. He returned in 1977 as part of the National Chicano Research Network at the Survey Research Center at ISR for a two-week seminar on research approaches to the Chicano population. The next summer, he was part of the first U.S. contingent to participate in the Sampling Workshop for Foreign Statisticians.

Four years in the making, the Latino National Survey was conducted by bilingual interviewers in 15 states and the District or Columbia and included 165 items. More than 8,600 residents were polled – not just citizens or voters. Released in 2006, the results found that Hispanics tend to assimilate rapidly into American culture, overwhelmingly want to learn English but also want to pass Spanish to the next generation, and have a growing sense of pan-ethnic identity in addition to their sense of being Americans. “Being Latino is a national identity,” García said. In 2004, García published Latino Politics in America: Community, Culture, and Interests (Rowman & Littlefield), which the International Migration Review said “offers a rich foundation to the study of Latino politics and fills a gap in terms of texts for Latino political classes.” The title of that book aptly describes García’s own interests, which transcend politics. “Its just part of who I am. I’m a curious person in general, and I don’t restrict myself. It’s not all politics,” said García, who, along with five co-

In the late 1980s, García helped add the Latino National Political Survey sample to the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics. In the early 1990s, García established and taught a research workshop on quantitative research on Latinos, and since 2005 served as a co-instructor for the current Summer Program workshop on Methodological Issues of Quantitative Research on Race and Ethnicity. “In a way, this is really sort of a matter of giving back to the research community, to get people to share the results of their research data so other eyes and minds can share. I want this going in a good direction; then I can walk away.”

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HIGH SCHOOL FORUM

“Don’t Know Much About History, Don’t Know Much Geography ...”

“D

by Mary Ann Cooper on’t know much about history. Don’t know much geography.” Those lyrics from the song “What a Wonderful World It Would Be” could be the anthem of the current crop of high school seniors. Achievement gaps between White students and students of color persist across the board, but the one commonality these seniors have is their lack of historical perspective and knowledge about societies outside of their own. While schools push for reading and math proficiency to meet the standards established by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, critics say that other subjects have been neglected – most notably, subjects like history and geography. Since the 2002 NCLB law was enacted to raise math and reading scores but no others, history and geography have become a low priority for some school systems. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams were administered in 2010 to a sample of 12,400 12th-graders nationwide. History is one of eight subjects – the others are math, reading, science, writing, civics, geography and economics – assessed by the tests that become the basis of the Nation’s Report Card. The board assigns three achievement levels for each test: “basic” denotes partial mastery of a subject; “proficient” represents solid academic performance and a demonstration of competency over challenging subject matter; and “advanced” means superior performance. To put these standards into perspective, across all racial and ethnic groups, only 12 percent of high school seniors demonstrated proficiency on the NAEP exam. The lack of knowledge of history is not confined to historical matters that might not seem relevant to today’s high school senior. There is also a stunning lack of awareness of relatively recent history that changed education in a dramatic way. In the test, students were given an excerpt including the passage “We conclude that in the field of public education, separate but equal has no place, separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” They were then

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asked what social crisis the 1954 ruling was supposed to fix. The answer, which alluded to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that struck down the concept of states establishing “separate but equal” schools for minorities and spurred school integration, eluded 98 percent of 12th-grade test takers. Only 2 percent answered it correctly. Overall, the average score on the 500-point scale test dropped to 288 from 290 in 2006. From an ethnic standpoint, in 2010, White students scored 27 points higher on average than Black students and 20 points higher than Hispanic students. However, there was no significant change in either gap in comparison to earlier assessment years. Grouping the major ethnic and racial groups together, the report The Nation’s Report Card: U.S. History 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress at Grades 4, 8, and 12 states, “Although there were no significant changes in the average scores for any of the five racial/ethnic groups from 2006 to 2010, scores for White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students were higher in 2010 than in 1994. In 2010, the average scores of White and Asian/Pacific Islander students were not significantly different from each other, and both were higher than the scores for Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native students.” The scores are seen as a result of a de-emphasis on Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered in low minority and non-large city schools, according to the report. For this analysis, graduates were considered to have access to an AP U.S. history course if at least one student in the school took the course or the course was listed in the school catalogue or course list. Differences in students’ access might be attributed to a number of factors, such as school enrollment. First, a bit of history: From 1990 to 2009, the percentage of graduates who had access to an AP U.S. history course increased from 51 percent to 80 percent. The same pattern was observed for the four reported racial/ethnic groups, with the larger increases for Black graduates (50 percent to 83 percent) and Hispanic graduates (54 per-

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cent to 91 percent). In 1990, there were no significant differences in the percentages of White, Black, and Hispanic graduates who had access to AP U.S. history. In 2009, however, the percentage of White graduates with access was lower than that for Black or Hispanic graduates. While larger percentages of Asian/Pacific Islander graduates had access than Hispanic graduates in 1990, there was no significant difference between these two groups in 2009. Fast forward to the current statistics and drill down into the data, and access to AP courses depends largely on where the school is located. According to the report, “Access to an AP U.S. history course varied by the racial/ethnic composition of the schools. Those in schools with less than 10 percent Black or Hispanic students (termed ‘low minority’) had less access in 2009 than graduates in schools with medium concentrations (10 percent to 49 percent) or high concentrations (50 percent or more) of minority students. While there was no significant difference in access between graduates in low and high minority schools in 1990, 66 percent of graduates in low minority schools had access compared to 90 percent in high minority schools in 2009. Differences in access were also evident for graduates in schools located in large cities (cities with populations of 250,000 or more) compared with those in other locations (such as suburban or rural). In 2009, a higher percentage of graduates in large city schools than in other locations had access to an AP U.S. history course. The percentage of graduates with access in locations other than large cities increased from 2000 to 2009.” While female students routinely have better academic achievement results than male students, in this instance males scored higher on average than female students in history in 2010. Still, the average score for male students did not change significantly from 2006 to 2010 but was higher in 2010 than in 1994. The score for female students in 2010 flatlined and was not significantly different from the scores for female students in 2006 or 1994. Average scores were

higher for male students than female students in the democracy and world role themes. However, there were no significant differences in average scores for male and female students in the culture and technology themes. Parental influence on scores was significant only in relation to students whose parents graduated from college. In previous years, students whose parents completed some education after high school but did not graduate college showed higher achievement levels on the NAEP test, but in 2010, there was no advantage to that group of students. Students who reported that the highest level of education completed by either parent was some education after high school scored lower in 2010 than in 2006. Overall, however, there were no significant changes from 1994 to 2010 in the average scores for students reporting different levels of parental education. A similar picture emerges when examining the study The Nation’s Report Card: U.S. Geography 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress at Grades 4, 8, and 12. The percentage of 12th-graders performing at or

above the basic level in 2010 did not change significantly in comparison to 2001 or 1994; however, the percentage at or above proficient was lower in 2010 than in the two earlier assessment years. The average geography score for the nation’s twelfth-graders in 2010 was not significantly different from the score in 2001 but was lower than in 1994. According to the report, “Among the five racial/ethnic groups that NAEP reports on, White students scored highest on average in 2010, and Black students scored lowest. Asian/Pacific Islander students scored higher on average than American Indian/ Alaska Native students, who in turn scored higher than Hispanic students. In 2010, White students scored 29 points higher on average in geography than Black students and 19 points higher than Hispanic students. There was no significant change in either gap in comparison to earlier assessment years.” Just as was the case with history scores, there was a decrease from 1994 for students whose parents continued their education after high school, without completing college. Students

who reported that the highest level of education completed by either parent was some education after high school scored lower in 2010 than in 2001 and 1994. But the average score in 2010 for students whose parents graduated from college flatlined and was not significantly different from the score in 2001. The scores were lower than in 1994, however. The report explains, “In 2010, scores were higher on average for students who reported higher levels of parental education than students reporting lower levels. For example, students whose parents graduated from college had higher scores than those whose parents had some education after high school, who in turn scored higher than those whose parents’ highest level of education was high school.” The urgency of raising these scores is underscored by the recognition that we live in a global economy where the geography of a shrinking world will determine the success or failure of market based societies. It is also a sobering observation that “those who ignore the teachings of history are doomed to repeat it.”

Theory into Practice What does it take to become a proficient 12th-grade history and geography student? According to NAEP, here’s what students need to know to make the grade. Keep this in mind as you help the student in your charge excel in these subjects. The charts below illustrate the range of U.S. history knowledge by 12th-graders. They are based on a scale of 1 to 500. A score below 325 indicates Basic level performance; above 325 and below 355 registers a Proficient level performance; above 355 registers as Advanced. Taking history as an example, NAEP describes the charts this way: “For example, twelfth-graders performing at the Basic level with a score of 316 were likely to be able to interpret a cartoon about the Cold War. Students at the Proficient level with a score of 344 were likely to be able to interpret a quotation by Henry David Thoreau. Students performing at the Advanced level with a score of 379 were likely to be able to explain how political campaigns have changed since 1948.”

400

384

357 350

349 347 341 339

Proficient

337 335 331

327 322

313 310 307 305

Basic

304

298 288

286

Space and place Space and place

Spatial dynamics and connections Environment and society

Use a map to explain the reasons for large populations along the coast

Draw a cross section of South America

Use a diagram to describe reasons for the location of a business district

Describe wetland functions

Space and place

Identify a correct conclusion about the United Nations Gender Empowerment Index

Spatial dynamics and connections

Explain why the United States exports and imports

Environment and society

Space and place

Environment and society Space and place

Explain population according to a population pyramid Understand terraced farming

Identify the profile of the continent

Identify a U.S. geographic barrier

Spatial dynamics and connections

Recognize regional characteristics

Space and place

Understand how the Great Lakes were formed

Environment and society

Space and place

Graph elevation on a contour map

Understand the economies of developing countries

Environment and society

Identify an activity that emits greenhouse gases

Understand time zones

Identify the map that best represents landmasses

264

Environment and society

Understand an environmental cartoon

246

Space and place

270 259

Space and place

Theme

Question description

402

World Role

Evaluate arguments about the use of atomic bombs

389

World Role

Define and explain the purpose of the Proclamation Line of 1763

394 379

Democracy Technology

Evaluate Civil War arguments

Explain how political campaigns have changed since 1948

Democracy

Identify Maryland as an early grantor of religious freedom

352

Culture

Explain a trend in the U.S. population

342

Technology

366

357 355 344

World Role

Democracy

Identify North Koreaʼs ally in the Korean War

Interpret a Henry David Thoreau quotation Compare the purposes of labor unions

Democracy

Understand Missouri statehood in the context of sectionalism

World Role

Understand the U.S. entry into World War I

321

Culture

Explain an impact of World War II on African Americansʼ struggle for rights

316

World Role

Interpret a Cold War cartoon

337 335 329 325 325

Explain why Mali is considered overpopulated

Space and place

275

500

Explain the rate of natural increase

Spatial dynamics and connections Space and place

Scale score

Use a table to explain the population density in Australia and Libya

Spatial dynamics and connections Space and place

GRADE 12 NAEP U.S. HISTORY ITEM MAP

Proficient

Advanced

500

Question description

Basic

Scale score Content area

Advanced

GRADE 12 NAEP GEOGRAPHY ITEM MAP

318 308 294

Technology Culture

Democracy Technology

Understand a key aspect of the colonial economy

Understand the context of a Frederick Jackson Turner quotation

Understand the context of a womenʼs movement document Identify products shipped along the triangular trade route

290

Democracy

Understand the historical role of third parties

256

World Role

Identify the message of a World War II poster

273

Democracy

Identify the statesʼ rights issue in 1832 quotation

Identify the spread of religion

Identify which erosion agent caused the landform

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

www.hispanicoutlook.com

Hispanic College Enrollment Spikes, Narrowing Gaps with Other Groups WASHINGTON, D.C.

Driven by a single-year surge of 24 percent in Hispanic enrollment, the number of 18- to 24-year-olds attending college in the United States hit an all-time high of 12.2 million in October 2010, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of newly available Census Bureau data. From 2009 to 2010, the number of Hispanic young adults enrolled in college grew by 349,000, compared with an increase of 88,000 young Blacks and 43,000 young Asian-Americans and a decrease of 320,000 young nonHispanic Whites. As a result of these shifts, young Hispanics for the first time outnumbered young Blacks on campus, even though young Black college enrollment has also grown steadily for decades and it, too, has

Eight Institutions Named to ACE Project on Diversity and Internationalization WASHINGTON, D.C.

The American Council on Education (ACE) has named eight institutions as participants in At Home in the World: Educating for Global Connections and Local Commitments, a project funded by the Henry Luce Foundation to promote collaboration between internationalization and diversity/multicultural education initiatives on college and university campuses.

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October 03, 2011

surged in recent years. In 2010, 38 percent of all 18- to 24-year-old Blacks were enrolled in college, up from 13 percent in 1967 and 32 percent in 2008. The Hispanic enrollment increase has been even more dramatic than the Black enrollment increase because it has been spurred by a mixture of population growth and educational strides. High levels of immigration and high birth rates have made Hispanics the nation’s biggest minority group, comprising 16 percent of the U.S. population as of 2010. In 1972, just 5 percent of the nation’s 18- to 24-year-olds were Hispanic. By 2010, that share rose to 19 percent. However, population growth accounts for only a share of the 24 percent young Hispanic college enrollment spike from 2009 to 2010. During that same period, the total population of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics grew by 7 percent. Rising educational attainment is an important driver of these enrollment trends,

over the long term as well as in recent years. The rate of young Hispanics enrolled in college rose from 13 percent in 1972 to 27 percent in 2009 to 32 percent in 2010. Young Hispanics are disproportionately enrolled in two-year colleges. They comprised 22 percent of two-year students but only 12 percent of four-year students. Young Hispanics continue to lag behind other groups in completion of four-year college degrees. In 2010, 32 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds had attained a bachelor’s degree, in comparison to 13 percent of Hispanics of the same age. The report, Hispanic College Enrollment Spikes, Narrowing Gaps with Other Groups, by Senior Research Associate Richard Fry, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center’s website, www.pewhispanic.org.

The institutions are: Alliant International University-San Diego Scripps Ranch (Calif.), Arcadia University (Pa.), Bennett College for Women (N.C.), Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (Calif.), Mercy College (N.Y.), North Carolina State University, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and Washington State University. They were chosen out of 54 applicants. “The interface between multicultural and international efforts on campus is a critical place to engage students, who will face an increasingly diverse and global workplace over the course of their careers,” said Patti McGill Peterson, presidential advisor for

global initiatives at ACE. “Competition for this project was quite intense and showed a great desire among applicants to address this important relationship. We anticipate great strides from this learning community.” The institutions will explore connections between on-campus international and diversity efforts to better prepare students for the impact of globalization and improve cultural communication skills among students, faculty and staff. ACE will provide consultation on the project and facilitate meetings between participants.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

$4.5 Billion in Earnings, Taxes Lost Last Year Due to the High U.S. College Dropout Rate WASHINGTON, D.C.

As students across the country have started their freshman year of college, more than 40 percent of them will not graduate within six years – costing billions of dollars in lost earnings for the students and millions of dollars in lost tax revenue, according to a new analysis by the American Institutes for Research (AIR). AIR conducted a study that examined the more than 1.1 million full-time students who entered college in 2002 seeking bachelor’s degrees. Of that total, almost 500,000 did not graduate within six years – costing a combined $4.5 billion in lost income and lost federal and state income taxes.

Parents Become More Self-Reliant in Paying for High Costs of College, Says College Savings Foundation’s 2011 State of College Savings Survey WASHINGTON, D.C.

Parents of college-bound children are resigning themselves to the reality that the buck stops at their doorstep in funding the ever-rising cost of college in an uncertain economic climate. A national survey of parents from across the country and income levels finds that they hold fewer illusions that external resources like financial aid or grandparents will pay for college. Instead

www.hispanicoutlook.com

October 03, 2011

The AIR analysis found that the 493,000 students who started college in 2002 but did not earn a degree within six years lost a total of approximately $3.8 billion in income in 2010 alone. The lost income would have generated $566 million in federal income tax revenue while states would have collected more than $164 million in state income taxes. “These findings represent just one year and one graduating class. Therefore, the overall costs of low graduation rates are much higher since these losses accumulate year after year,” explained Mark Schneider, a vice president at AIR who co-authored the report, The High Cost of Low Graduation Rates: How Much Does Dropping Out of College Really Cost?, with Lu (Michelle) Yin. The Obama administration and the nation’s governors are seeking to encourage

more students to earn college degrees because of the importance to the nation’s economic future of having a highly skilled work force that can compete in the global economy. The AIR report looks at some of the financial implications of the efforts to have the United States once again have the highest concentration of college and university degrees. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 with a college degree, working year round, earn around 40 percent more than someone with some college who has not completed a degree and around twothirds more than someone with just a high school degree. The lifetime earnings of a college graduate can exceed those of a high school graduate by as much as a half-million dollars.

they are relying on savings, current income and to a great extent education loans that will be shouldered primarily by their children in the years and decades to come. These are some of the findings of the College Savings Foundation in its 2011 State of College Savings Survey. Nearly half, 48 percent of parents, are looking to education loans to pay for college – most of which will be signed over to their children – with the majority, 68 percent, taking from five to beyond 20 years to pay off. Sixty percent of parents expect to cobble together some funds from current income. And while 65 percent of parents are actually saving, they are not necessarily confident that they can reach their goals: 40

percent of all parents are not very confident that they can reach their college savings goals, as compared to 34 percent last year. Regarding financial aid, which in prior years appeared to be the backstop for college-funding gaps, this year’s survey saw a significant change: 38 percent of parents expect no financial aid at all, up from 28 percent last year. Only 29 percent expect it to cover up to 1/3 of college costs, down from 35 percent last year; and 20 percent expect it to cover from 1/3 to 2/3, down from 24 percent.

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HI S PAN I C S O N T H E MO VE García Named President at Diablo Valley College

College, and a Master of Laws and a Juris Doctor from Temple University School of Law.

Contra Costa Community College District has announced that Peter García has become permanent president at Diablo Valley College (Calif.), having served as interim president since October 2010. Before that, he was president of Los Medanos College for eight years. García has a bachelor’s degree from California State University-Chico, a bachelor’s from St. Albert’s College and a master’s from Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology.

Rio Hondo College Names Flores Dean of Public Safety Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees (Calif.) has appointed Dr. Ygnacio Flores as the dean of public safety. Flores has a bachelor’s degree from National University, a graduate certificate from the Naval War College, a master’s from the University of San Diego and a doctorate from the University of Southern California.

Suárez Board Chair of Institute for Evidence-Based Change

Bahamón Fernández Receives Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship

Dr. Omero Suárez, chancellor emeritus of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (Calif.), was introduced this year as chairman of the board of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC), a nonprofit formed in 2010 to help educators work together effectively and use data to improve practice. A lifelong educator, Suárez currently teaches in the doctoral program for community college leadership at San Diego State University.

Nahiris Bahamón Fernández has been awarded a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship for the second time. The College of DuPage grad used the first, which provided $30,000 annually for up to three years, to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied biology and anthropology. She will use the second scholarship, a one-time award of $50,000, to study medicine at Boston University, starting this fall.

DeSoto Appointed to NJCU Board of Trustees

Soto New Student Trustee for Pasadena Area Community College District

Karen DeSoto, an attorney, public advocate, television legal analyst and philanthropist, has been named to the New Jersey City University Board of Trustees. DeSoto is a solo practitioner who concentrates in the areas of employment law, civil rights, election law, municipal corporations and criminal defense. She has a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University’s Cook

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Pasadena City College (PCC) student Alexander Soto has been elected as the 2011-12 student trustee member of the Pasadena Area Community College District in California. He will be serving a one-year term retroactive to July 1. Soto has been an active participant in campus activi-

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ties and projects during his two years at PCC. This past year, he was VP of the Associated Students of PCC.

Fresno State Art Gallery Features Work of Jiménez Underwood “Undocumented Borderlands,” an exhibition by contemporary fiber artist and weaver Consuelo Jiménez Underwood, was shown last month at the Conley Art Gallery in the Phebe Conley Art Building at California State University-Fresno. Jiménez Underwood has degrees in religious studies and art and is an emeritus professor of textile art at San Jose State University.

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HISPANIC

OUTLOOK

HISPANIC

OUTLOOK

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10/03/2011

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

Baton Rouge Community College Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) is a two-year, open-enrollment, post-secondary institution located in the heart of Louisiana’s capital city of Baton Rouge, a city rich in culture, heritage, and entertainment. Established in 1998, the college’s 60-acre campus encompasses 13 buildings, with additional locations in downtown and mid-city Baton Rouge. The college’s enrollment has grown to approximately 8,500 students, with statewide, national, and international representation. As a fully accredited member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), BRCC offers 27 associate degree programs and certificates in both traditional and emerging disciplines, utilizing state-of-the-art technology to facilitate learning. The college’s ongoing mission is to identify and meet the educational and workforce needs of our community through innovative, accessible, and dynamic programs.

Baton Rouge Community College invites nominations and applications for the position of Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA). The VCAA reports to the Chancellor and serves as a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet. Additionally, the VCAA manages all phases of instruction including the coordination of curriculum development, growth, and change in response to the needs of a diverse community and business industry. The VCAA serves as the official BRCC liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and ensures that the college is in compliance with all SACS-related accreditation requirements. The VCAA works with regional colleges and universities to build articulation and transfer agreements, and works with secondary school officials to develop and implement cooperative programs.

Required qualifications for the position include: • A minimum of five years of college administrative experience as a division chair, dean, or higher, preferably within a community college setting • Experience in program planning, development and evaluation, curriculum design, faculty evaluation, and development and program assessment. • An earned doctorate with teaching experience in a community college setting.

Salary and benefits are competitive. Review of the applications will continue until the position is filled. Candidates are encouraged to submit a cover letter and resume by Friday, October 14, 2011 to: Baton Rouge Community College Human Resources 201 Community College Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70806 To learn more about this position and Baton Rouge Community College, please visit

FACULTY OPENING AT ANY LEVEL The Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley invites applications for a tenured or tenure-track appointment to the faculty at any rank to begin July 1, 2012. The level of appointment will be commensurate with the candidate’s record of scholarship.

The Goldman School seeks applications from those who study public policies concerned with resource and eco-system sustainability, the provision and management of energy, maintaining a healthy environment, responding to global climate change, and governmental efforts at any level from local to global in response to population growth, urbanization, and the increasing demands for energy, food, water, and other resources. Illustrative areas of specialization include (but are not limited to) analyzing the risks, costs and benefits of various energy, environment, and resource policies; designing economic and political systems and incentives for making the public aware of and responsive to these risks, costs and benefits; and a rigorous understanding of behavioral responses to policies focusing on air, water, land, energy, food, or other resources. The Goldman School is especially interested in applicants with strong methodological skills rooted in risk and decision analysis, engineering, eco-system dynamics, economics, psychology, statistics, or other systematic methods of analysis who bring these skills to bear directly on public policy issues.

The Goldman School encourages applications from a very broad array of fields including engineering, ecology, economics, statistics, the natural sciences, and the social and behavioral sciences. Applicants who are scientists or engineers with strong social science skills or social scientists with training in engineering or science are especially welcome.

The Goldman School is interested in candidates who have demonstrated commitment to excellence by providing leadership in teaching, research, and service, and who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their teaching, research, and service.

Preference will be given to scholars who have demonstrated the potential to make significant research contributions and who have a clear interest in teaching. The School particularly seeks applications from those with interests in teaching in the core Masters in Public Policy professional program. The School expects to appoint an individual broadly conversant with public policy and who will engage with an intellectually diverse faculty. Applications: Candidates should upload a letter of interest, a curriculum vita and at least one sample of a significant writing piece to http://gspp.berkeley.edu/facsearch2011 before November 15, 2011.

Letters of Reference: Confidential letters of reference should be addressed to Professor Lee S. Friedman, Faculty Search Committee, and emailed as a PDF to: gsppfacultysearch@berkeley.edu They can also be sent to the committee via a confidential letter service (such as Interfolio.com). Confidentiality Policy: Please refer referees to the University statement on confidentiality found at: http://apo.chance.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html

Berkeley is committed to addressing the family needs of its faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. Please visit the CALCierge home page at http://calcierge.berkeley.edu/ for more information.

The deadline to submit an application is November 15, 2011. Applications uploaded after that date cannot be considered, although letters can be received until December 1, 2011. Applications will be reviewed beginning September 15, 2011; early applications are encouraged. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

www.mybrcc.edu 10/03/2011

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McMicken College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Openings The University of Cincinnati is classified as a very high research university with a diverse student body of more than 43,500. McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is home to nearly 7,400 majors. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is seeking to appoint outstanding scholars to tenure-track positions in Accounting which would begin in the 2012-13 academic year.

To apply, please go to www.jobsatuc.com and search by department. A&S is pleased to accept applications for the following open faculty positions:

Department Africana Studies Anthropology Biological Sciences Biological Sciences Biological Sciences Chemistry Chemistry/Biology Classics Classics Communication Communication English & Comparative Literature English & Comparative Literature English & Comparative Literature Environmental Studies/Political Science Geography Geology Geology Geology/Chemistry German Studies German Studies/Interdisciplinary

Department History History Journalism Judaic Studies Mathematical Sciences Mathematical Sciences Mathematical Sciences Mathematical Sciences Mathematical Sciences Physics Political Science Political Science Psychology Psychology Psychology Romance Languages & Literature Sociology Sociology Sociology Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Position Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Educator Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Assoc. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Educator Asst. Prof. Educator Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Chair of Catholic Studies

Position Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Assoc. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Educator Asst. Prof. Educator Asst. Prof. Educator Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Asst. Prof. Assoc. Prof. Asst. Prof. Educator Asst. Prof.

University of Cincinnati is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong commitment to diversity. We seek a broad spectrum of candidates, including women, people of color, persons with disabilities and veterans.

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10/03/2011

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Faculty Positions

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HISPANIC

Each candidate should submit a curriculum vitae, a sample of written work, and the names of at least two scholars qualified and willing to evaluate the candidate’s ability, training, and potential for research and teaching. Applications will be accepted online at http://facultyapply.chicagobooth.edu. We will start formally reviewing applications on November 30, 2011 and strongly encourage you to complete your application by then. We will continue to accept applications until March 20, 2012.

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Applications are invited from individuals who have earned a PhD (or equivalent) or expect to receive a doctorate in the near future. Members of our faculty are expected to conduct original research of exceptionally high quality, to teach effectively, and to participate in and contribute to the academic environment. Junior candidates will be judged on potential, and we will rely heavily on the advice of established scholars.

The University of Mary Washington is currently accepting applications for the 2012-2013 academic year. To apply for these positions and/or obtain additional information about the University, please visit our website at https://careers.umw.edu. Only applications submitted through this site will be considered. The University of Mary Washington is a coeducational public institution with its residential campus in Fredericksburg, VA., 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and a second campus in nearby Stafford, VA. The university, with a total enrollment of nearly 5,000 students, is known for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts program and dedication to life-long learning and professional development. In a continuing effort to enrich its academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, the University of Mary Washington actively encourages women, minorities, disabled individuals and veterans to apply.

Clinical Psychology Latino Mental Health Search

The UCLA Department of Psychology invites applications for an open-rank position in Clinical Psychology. We seek to recruit a faculty member whose research and teaching provides the foundation for a program in Latino mental health. Our goal is to recruit a strong candidate who can launch an extramurally funded research program on the role of cultural and other factors in psychopathology/substance abuse and treatment, with preference given to applicants working on such factors in Latino populations. We are open to candidates with a wide range of clinical-science research specializations, including, but not limited to, culture and psychopathology, mental health disparities, evidence-based interventions, mental health services research, or prevention research. Teaching duties include undergraduate and graduate courses. As a campus with a diverse student body, we encourage individuals with experience mentoring students from underrepresented groups in the sciences to apply. Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2011 and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries should be addressed to Dr. Anna Lau, Chair of the search committee (clinicalsearch@psych.ucla.edu). For consideration, please send curriculum vitae, statements of research and teaching interests, relevant publications, and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to: Clinical Psychology Search Committee, (Job #: 0875-1112-01) Department of Psychology, Box 951563, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563 or email materials as attachments to clinicalsearch@psych.ucla.edu. UCLA is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer with a strong institutional commitment to achieving diversity among its faculty, students and staff. Individuals with a history of and commitment to mentoring students from underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply.

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

is seeking to appoint outstanding scholars to tenure-

About the College

Palm Beach State College, formerly Palm Beach Community College, is Florida's first public community college and the largest institution of higher learning in Palm Beach County, with four campuses serving a diverse population of over 51,000 students annually. Palm Beach State College is now a 4-year degree institution, offering over 100 programs of study and Bachelor of Applied Science degree programs.

track positions in Econometrics and Statistics.

Applications are invited from individuals who

have earned a PhD (or equivalent) or expect to

receive a doctorate in the near future. Members of our faculty are expected to conduct original

research of exceptionally high quality, to teach

effectively, and to participate in and contribute to

the academic environment. Junior candidates will

Vice President, Student Services and Enrollment Management Position Overview Palm Beach State College invites qualified candidates to serve as the Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management. Palm Beach State’s mission is to create and sustain a dynamic teaching and learning environment that provides a high quality, affordable education to prepare students to contribute and compete ethically and successfully in a diverse global community. Reporting to the President, and as a senior executive officer on the President’s Leadership Team, the Vice President is directly involved in the overall planning and implementation of the College’s Student Enrollment Plan. As the chief student services officer, the position is responsible for providing vision, leadership and strategic direction for student success and retention on all four campuses, which enrolls more than 51,000 students annually. The Vice President is responsible for the management, planning, administration, and evaluation of student development, student life, athletics and student success Grant Programs, including the TRIO grants. Also formulates, recommends, and implements college policies pertaining to student’s rights and responsibilities. The Vice President provides administrative leadership to functions related to student recruitment and community outreach, admissions and registration, financial aid, academic and transfer advising, student testing, career and job placement, services for students with disabilities and student/complaint processes. Requirements A minimum of eight years of senior-level experience and a demonstrated track record of leadership, management, and resource development are required. Supervisory and budgetary experience, the ability to develop long-range strategic planning, excellent analytical and communication skills, and the ability to work with a diverse population are also required. Experience in higher education required; community college experience preferred. A Doctoral degree is strongly preferred. Position is open until filled with an initial review of applications on October 31, 2011. Effective date of employment: July 1, 2012 Palm Beach State College offers a highly attractive Senior Management benefits package. In order to be considered for employment, please visit our website and apply electronically with a completed employment application and uploaded resume, cover letter and copy of transcripts. For additional information about the position and the College, visit our website at www.palmbeachstate.edu/Employment/xml

Office of Human Resources Palm Beach State College 4200 Congress Ave. Lake Worth, FL 33461

Palm Beach State College is and Equal Access/Equal Opportunity, ADA Employer, committed to fostering a diverse academic community among its student body, faculty, and staff.

An EOE/AA/VP/ADA Employer.

www.palmbeachstate.edu/employment.xml

be judged on potential, and we will rely heavily on

the advice of established scholars.

Each candidate should submit a curriculum vitae, a

sample of written work, and the names of at least two

scholars qualified and willing to evaluate the

candidate’s ability, training, and potential for

research and teaching. Applications will be accepted

online at http://facultyapply.chicagobooth.edu. We

will start formally reviewing applications on

December 1, 2011 and strongly encourage you to

complete your application by then. We will continue

to accept applications until March 16, 2012.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

The University of Texas at Dallas Accounting Department Faculty Position

The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) invites applications for two faculty positions in Accounting, effective September 2012. Appointment at Assistant, Associate or Full Professor level will be considered. Appointees must have a Ph.D. in accounting or equivalent (or have a ABD status and expect to have the Ph.D. within a year of hire date) and demonstrate the ability to conduct a nationally recognized research program. The School of Management at UTD is a research-centered school, ranked 16th (worldwide) in the UTD database that tracks publications in leading business journals (http://som.utdallas.eduitop100Ranking/). A letter of application, complete curriculum vitae and names and addresses of three references should be submitted via the online application form at http://provost.utdallas.edu/facultyjobs/welcome/jobdetail/pmy110818

UTD is an AA/EOE. For more information, visit http://som.utdallas.edul or contact Gail Thompson (bgthomp@utdallas.edu)

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Baton Rouge Community College Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Baton Rouge Community College invites nominations and applications for the position of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA). The VCSA reports to the Chancellor and serves as a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet. Additionally, the VCSA is the senior leader for student development programs and services for traditional and nontraditional students. The VCSA manages all student support services, including the following college areas: Enrollment Services, Advising and Counseling Services, Financial Aid, and Student Activities/Student Government. Required qualifications for the position include: • A minimum of five years of leadership experience with student affairs, enrollment management, professional staff supervision, program development, and budget preparation and management • A master’s degree is required; a doctorate is preferred

www.mybrcc.edu

PRESIDENT Cape Cod Community College The Board of Trustees of Cape Cod Community College invites applications and nominations for the position of President of Cape Cod Community College. The College is situated in West Barnstable, MA, approximately 70 miles from Boston, with a campus center located in Hyannis, MA. The combined enrollment is approximately 4,500 students per semester.

The College seeks a student oriented, dynamic, experienced and visionary higher education leader who will unify the campus community in support of teaching and learning, while leading the College to the next level of development.

To learn more about the College, and for a full position description and application procedures, please visit www.capecod.edu or www.acctsearches.org

The review of applications will continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, all application materials should be received no later than Friday, October 14, 2011. For additional information, confidential inquiries or nominations please contact: Dr. Eida Berrio, ACCT, Search Consultant at (202) 384-5219 (mobile) or eberrio@acct.org; or Dr. Narcisa Polonio, ACCT Vice President for Research, Education and Board Leadership Services at (202) 276-1983 (mobile) or npolonio@acct.org Cape Cod Community College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome applications from individuals who will enrich and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our College.

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10/03/2011

The Morningside College experience cultivates a passion for life-long learning and a dedication to ethical leadership and civic responsibility. Morningside College is a private, coeducational, residential, comprehensive institution, affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1894, the college is growing and currently serves approximately 1300 full-time undergraduate students of diverse social, cultural, ethnic, racial, and national backgrounds, as well as over 750 students in its one graduate program in Education. Morningside confers five baccalaureate degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Music Education, as well as Master of Arts in Teaching. The faculty is committed to the liberal arts as a foundation for every field of the professional and careercentered curriculum. The 68-acre campus includes 21 buildings and is situated in Sioux City, Iowa, a community recognized as the economic and cultural center of Siouxland, a metropolitan region with a population of over 140,000. Morningside College faculty typically teach five 4-credit courses per academic year to fulfill a 20-hour load and one May Term course every three years. Excellence in teaching, effective advising, scholarship, and service are expected for all faculty members. Morningside College is one of 10 small, four-year colleges in the United States named to the honor roll for The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2009 Great Colleges to Work For program. Morningside College is an Equal Opportunity Employer, strongly encourages women and minorities to apply, and is currently seeking qualified applicants for the following positions starting Fall 2012: Biology & Chemistry Department Chair and Associate/Full Professor of Biology & Chemistry Music Department Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Psychology Department - 2 positions Assistant Professor - Counseling Psychology Assistant Professor - Developmental Psychology Education Department Visiting Assistant Professor in Education

Application Procedure: Each position has specific application procedures. Please refer to our website (jobs.morningside.edu) for detailed information. Screening for these positions will begin immediately and will continue until the positions are filled.

BBROWN NIVERSITY ROWN U UNIVERSITY Open Rank Position in Global Environmental Social Science and Policy Center for Environmental Studies & Environmental Change Initiative Brown University announces a search for a social scientist with broad interests in the science and policy of global environmental change. We seek an outstanding researcher with a strong record of interdisciplinary collaboration whose strengths will complement and integrate existing research strengths at Brown. Examples of areas of particular interest include socioeconomic aspects of energy, water or land use decisions, energy and climate policy, environmental risk analysis, environmental governance, and climate change adaptation. Although we would prefer to hire at the senior (tenured) level, this appointment can be at any rank: Assistant, Associate Professor or Professor, tenured in an appropriate department such as in Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Sociology or one of Brown’s area studies departments. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to interdisciplinary research programs, teach environmental courses in their area of specialty, and advise undergraduate and graduate students, especially on thesis research projects. Requirements include an outstanding record of externally funded research and peer-reviewed publication meriting departmental appointment, commitment to excellence in graduate and undergraduate education; and potential for intellectual leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration. To apply, please send a letter of interest and a current CV to: Search Committee, Center for Environmental Studies, Box 1943, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912-1943. If you are applying for this position at the rank of Assistant Professor, please have three letters of reference sent to us. If you are applying at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, please include the names of 5 references with your application. For further inquiries, please contact Patti_Caton@brown.edu. Applications must be received by November 15, 2011 in order to receive full consideration, but the search will remain open until the position is closed or filled. Brown University is an EEO/AA employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

HMS CO. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is seeking to appoint outstanding scholars to tenure-track positions in Finance and in all areas of Economics, such as macroeconomics (including international economics) and microeconomics (including strategy). Applications are invited from individuals who have earned a PhD (or equivalent) or expect to receive a doctorate in the near future. Members of our faculty are expected to conduct original research of exceptionally high quality, to teach effectively, and to participate in and contribute to the academic environment. Junior candidates will be judged on potential, and we will rely heavily on the advice of established scholars. Each candidate should submit a curriculum vitae, a sample of written work, and the names of at least two scholars qualified and willing to evaluate the candidate’s ability, training, and potential for research and teaching. Applications will be accepted online at http://facultyapply.chicagobooth.edu. We will start formally reviewing applications on November 25, 2011 and strongly encourage you to complete your application by then. We will continue to accept applications until March 17, 2012. The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

P.O. BOX 231840 Centreville, VA 20120-1840

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Call toll free at 1-800-200-KYNG (5964) E-mail: hmsdc@aol.com or Fax 1-703-266-9055 10/03/2011

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

P ri min g the Pump. .. PARENTAL PERSPECTIVE AFFECTS THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN STUDENTS’ LEARNING

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

arental involvement is one of the greatest influences in a child’s academic success. It is puzzling, then, why some Latino families who are very involved in one another’s lives remain distant from the classroom, sending their children to school to learn but not participating in the process. Perhaps their parents didn’t participate in their schooling. Maybe they do not have extensive formal schooling themselves. It might be that they are overwhelmed with earning a living and making sure the family keeps afloat. Or maybe it’s simply that they don’t know that their involvement sends a crucial message to their children: that education is an important key to a higher quality of life. A Better Life, a new movie, is the story of an undocumented Mexican gardener and single parent, Carlos, in East Los Angeles, working hard to provide the best for his son, Luis. The movie opens with the two characters living parallel lives, almost disconnected from one another, as Carlos works harder and harder and Luis inches towards gang membership. As the story unfolds, a series of life events explains why things are as they are, reminding viewers that things are not always as they seem, even to the characters themselves. Until the end, Carlos does his best, facing the odds with honor and trying to teach his son that doing the right thing is more important than the outcome, and that persistence and honest effort are the best attempts at controlling what happens in life. Those who work with parents to increase academic involvement know there are four basic types: those who know what they should do for their children but don’t do it; those who don’t know what they should do (and therefore don’t do it); those who do not know what they should do to assure their child’s school success but intuitively try nonetheless; and those who know what to do and do it. The latter are the easiest to support; the first type listed are perhaps the hardest. And with everyone in between, it is important to remember that there is a story behind the attitudes and a reason for the choices parents make. Once we understand that, we begin to more clearly understand the child’s experience at home and school.

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The natural losses parents face as their children grow can be painful. Anyone who has parented knows the feeling as the child leaves the nest for the first time, returning slightly changed with each return. For the monolingual Spanish-speaking Latino parent, the losses are magnified by the chasm that grows if the child learns English but the parent lags behind. Imagine the feelings of the Latino parents who must rely on their child to convey sensitive or private information to a teacher, school administrator or doctor on their behalf because the professional does not speak Spanish. This forced, premature role reversal is humiliating to both, but more infuriating to the child. Too early, the parent stops being the parent, and the children might assume they are now the adults. Empathize with the Latino parents who watch their teenager change in a world that is unlike anything they have known. The frame of reference, the shared values, and the ways to relate increasingly narrow. A natural loss becomes a magnified, complicated event in which a parent stands by and watches, stunned, hurt, worried and afraid that the worst might happen to the people they love most. Schools telling Hispanic parents what to expect from their children academically and what is expected of them as caretakers is an important service to those who don’t know but are willing to try. Removing barriers and supporting those parents and others who already know what to do cover the majority of Latino families trying to do right by their children. And for parents who do not want to involve themselves (whether or not they know they should), supporting the Latino student directly will fall to the other adults in the child’s life – at school and beyond – who must assume the responsibility. The final scene between Carlos and Luis in A Better Life is poignant and heartbreaking, whether you view it from the perspective of the father or the son. Fortunately, like his father, Luis does the right thing. If only everyone were so wise.

These articles appeared online only in the 10/03/11 Issue

TARGETING HIGHER EDUCATION

21st-Century Classes

by Gustavo A. Mellander have launched yet another new academic year. It is an exciting time. Most entering Hispanic freshmen are animated and optimistic. The vast majority are the first ones in their families to attend college so there are elements of exhilaration, pride and fear. Fear because they know anecdotally of others who have not succeeded. Many come from poor high schools and carry family realities that might hinder them. Nearly half will drop out within two years. Less than half of those remaining will not receive a baccalaureate in four years. Our college dropout rate is outrageous. The reasons are legion and in that they are not that different from mainstream kids. So many Hispanics arrive on campus drenched with trepidation. Now, many colleges offer excellent summer orientation programs. Unfortunately, many young Hispanics have to work in the summer to earn needed cash. Nonetheless they arrive, more and more every year, Hispanic women outnumbering males by more than 5 percent. What elements should exist to give them a fighting chance to succeed? There are many. One of them, not addressed often enough, is the quality of teaching they encounter. We all have experience in that area. When I attended college, all of my teachers were qualified and loved their discipline. They did not, however, really care about individual students. One professor announced blandly. “Most of you are just field hands. The sooner you get back there the better we will all be. I give my lectures for the benefit of God, the angels and anyone else who might be listening.” Yes, that was a long time ago. I lasted less than nine weeks. I dared not return to college for a full three years and then only as a part-time evening student. It took five years to return as a full-time student. Oh, I failed to mention that I had previously been accepted in a premed program at an Ivy League school. When I attended college, all my professors lectured, even the science and mathematics ones. A few innovative ones used the chalkboard, but sparingly. Few of us dared asked a question, never contradicted a teacher for fear of being humiliated. We survived by learning early on to take copious notes and regurgitate those “professor-given pearls” on our exams. The system worked. At least it did for those who followed the routine. We learned what we had to. Training was acquired; education would come later – normally at the workplace. Most faculty are thoughtful, innovative, open to new ideas – except when it comes to changing their teaching methods. Many merely mimic their teachers for years on end. Some even use their old college notes to teach their classes throughout their careers. I know there are exceptions but they are just that – exceptions. Single one-way oral communication still dominates most classrooms. Teachers pontificate, students regurgitate. Some changes have filtered in. Inquisitive “kids” have forced changes to the blind lockstep methods of years gone by.

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For instance, students have forced many a faculty member to become computer literate. The role of the teacher has changed in many cases from the “sage on the stage” to the collaborator on the side. I might add, with mixed academic success. I visit a wide variety of colleges every year. I still observe a lot of faculty only lecturing, using antiquated notes and once in awhile strolling over to the blackboard. That’s their level of technology. It has been an accepted modus operandi since before this nation was founded. I fear the classroom revolution so often ballyhooed has yet to arrive on many of our campuses nationwide. Before I go off supporting more modern technology than chalk and blackboards, let me pay homage to those antiquated professors who, armed with vast knowledge and a love of their subjects, kept us spellbound – and learning. They were great lecturers. In my case, most were historians or literature teachers, but I also recall that my biology teacher was effective and inspirational teacher. I am sure many Hispanic Outlook readers had similar invigorating experiences. Let’s face the future. We can be optimistic for faculty already exist in every state who have adopted modern technology to reach their students. Some concerned faculty and administrators have changed their colleges by establishing a variety of new teaching methods. Technology has led, if not forced, these changes. Now more and more we have three modes of teaching: face-to-face lectures, online, and hybrid learning, the latter being a combination of the first two. Many college students don’t know much about online classes when they first arrive at college. Stereotypically, online students are perceived to be older and more career oriented. But teenage, social swinging freshmen without a single concept of what they are going to do in life get swept up in the undulating waves of online classes as well. The result is that in many universities from coast to coast students enroll in online classes or blended classes every semester. A good number take all three modes at once.

At the beginning, online courses were established to serve distant learners living miles away from the university. That was usually the motivation. In an attempt to meet the needs of underserved location-bound students, distance-learning programs were established. Later many institutions were surprised to discover that the majority of their long-distance students were actually living on campus. Frequently, more students enrolled from their university dormitories than real distance-learners did miles away. An example: Central Florida began experimenting with online courses in the mid-1990s, it didn’t expect demand from on-campus students. The target population has been potential students who lived far away. But it discovered that about 75 percent of online students were already on campus or lived nearby. Why? The university had a severe classroom crunch. It had grown from a commuter campus with 21,000 students in 1991 to 56,000 today; it remains 40 percent short on classroom space. Thus its evolution to a hybrid institution is understandable. Some students prefer watching lectures online to enduring a two-anda-half-hour class in person. Web courses also free up time for more campus involvement, be that playing baseball or taking other courses that don’t fit in one’s schedule. In the future, most students will have some online education. Marc Parry from The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the Maryland University System now requires undergraduates to take 12 credits in “alternative learning modes,” including some online. Texas has proposed a similar distribution, and the Minnesota system is planning to have students earn 25 percent of their credits online by 2015. Further, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, using the University of Central Florida as a model, has made “blended learning” a cornerstone of a new $20-million educationtechnology grant program. State planners hope that Web classes will expand access, reduce the time spent earning a degree, save money, manage classroom needs, and much more. Those trends raise a number of issues that could change the face of higher education. For instance, why pay to go away to college if you’re going to sit in your dorm room taking online classes? Stay home, complete your education – and save a lot of money. Critics have raised issues about academic standards and contend that the lack of personal supervision with online courses has led to increased cheating. The Chronicle trailed students to study how the shift is changing the student experience – and how students feel about their growing digital freedom. It found that these new uses of technology have provided good and not-so-good practices as universities move “from bricks and mortar to clicks and mortar.” Some Findings It is now exceedingly rare for all of one’s classes to be face to face. Most students shift between classroom, on- and offline modalities. Even in lecture classes, professors descend from their stage and prowl the classroom. Aided by a remote control device, she or he can flash PowerPoint charts on the screen regardless of his or her location in the room. Some courses are known as “blended” or “mixed mode,” meaning students meet their faculty face to face only once a week; the rest of the work is offered online. Blended classes generate the highest student evaluations of any learn-

ing mode at Central Florida. Students feel they get as much from the online work as they would from more time in class. Some mixed-mode professors like the online component because it forces students to grapple with material before they meet for class. Others worry that students view the reduced class schedule as time off. Students might customize their own unofficial blends. For example, an accounting major could take a business class with more than 1,000 students in a room that seats only 68. Students might show up more than an hour early for a seat, but attendance isn’t mandatory. Students can also view online videos of the lectures any time. Students frequently catch some lectures and skip others. They like the freedom of those video classes. Learning online can provide the opportunity for distractions. For instance, some students, while watching a lecture, can also have Facebook open right behind it. A logical question is – how much time does one spend on each? Are students paying action, actively taking notes, or are they surfing, chatting with their friends? There are a lot of potential distractions when pursuing courses on the Internet. Professors have complained that students are checking out their Facebook account, tweeting and e-mailing their friends even while in the classroom during a face-to-face lecture. We probably all recall classmates who doodled while in class and girls who knitted for hours on end. That never bothered me unless they received higher grades than I did. Students who attend superior high schools do not expect to take classes on the Web. They are accustomed to student-oriented teachers, far more supervision and frequent classroom tests. Not much chance to coast. So for some, it is an adjustment. One student noted, “It’s such a crazy mix; each semester is a new experience.” First experiences with an online course can be a struggle. It is easier to procrastinate, to skip a lecture, to fall behind. Since there is less personalized assistance, educators who prize human contact say it’s a poor development. Some faculty aware of that possibility bird-dog their students. “They email students, call them, tweet them, Facebook them, chat with them.” They create a variety of safety nets. That would seem helpful and commendable. But some critics of that approach call it inappropriate, they call it mothering. They argue that such intense assistance prolongs adolescence. Part of what students should learn in college, they contend, is self-discipline and self-reliance. Well, it’s not exactly sink or swim, but it smacks of it. The sad part is that the student who needs the extra guidance falls between the cracks. It’s an age-old dilemma. Some students who have succeeded with the new modalities have developed guidelines such as: Establish a study schedule. Select a quiet place, probably away from your bedroom, to study. Never socialize in person or on the Web in that area. Create a serious workplace. Concentrate on that day’s assignment. And so on. Not that different from what previous generations were told to do. As much as things change, as much new technology we adapt and adopt, the human element predominates. Education is a lonely journey. A person’s motivation and dedication go a long way.

Dr. Mellander was a college president for 20 years. More recently, he was a graduate dean at George Mason University.

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GRADUATE SCHOOLS/PROGRAMS/SCHOLARSHIPS

Soros Fellowships Target Immigrant Grad Students by Gary M. Stern

Paul and Daisy Soros, founders, Soros Fellowships

any scholarship programs only target American students and prohibit applicants who hold green cards from participating. But the Soros Fellowship for New Americans, which provides $90,000 in scholarships for two years of graduate study for 30 students annually, targets immigrants who hold green cards or are naturalized Americans. Of the 2011 Soros Fellows, seven are Latino, including four from

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Mexico and one each from Honduras, Colombia and Venezuela. Two were illegal immigrants when they entered the country. Soros Fellowships, launched in 1998, was started by Paul Soros, the Hungarian-born investor and philanthropist, and his wife, Daisy Soros. Paul is the older brother of George Soros, billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist. Since launching, grants have been provided to

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415 students. The scholarships offer a grant of $20,000 for tuition and $25,000 for living expenses annually. Applicants must be college graduates and full-time graduate students, studying in any discipline, and must meet one of the following immigration criteria: 1) possess a green card, 2) naturalized United States citizen, 3) born in the U.S. to at least one naturalized parent. Paul Soros has noted that “Immigrant laws can keep out people you don’t want, but they can also keep out Yo-Yo Ma.” Soros Fellowships are dedicated to attracting children of immigrants who are poised to become leaders. Warren Ilchman, director of Soros Fellowships since its inception, now about to retire, said Paul Soros wasn’t able to attend the graduate school of his choice because of high tuition costs. He established the scholarships to ensure that other immigrants didn’t face the same obstacles. Soros “wanted to make sure students could choose the education that best suited their future,” said Ilchman. Most fellowship programs emphasize GPAs and graduate record exam scores like the LSATs but not the Soros Fellowship. “We’re looking for accomplishments, a student having done something on a sustained basis in the community, and for a commitment to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights,” Ilchman said. If students scored low on the LSATs, that won’t prevent them from being accepted into the program, he added. Hence criteria for Soros Fellows go beyond academic credentials and include humanitarian pursuits. For example, students must demonstrate leadership and a commitment to human rights, the rule of law or opposition to encroachment of personal liberty. In addition, standards include demonstrated creativity, originality and initiative. About 1,000 students from 400 colleges annually apply for the 30 spots, so only one of 33 students gains a fellowship. Since its inception, Soros Fellows have studied at 182 different graduate schools.

Demonstrating the diversity of interests, most frequent majors have been: 1) medicine and public health, 2) law, 3) social sciences and public affairs and 4) fine and performing arts. The graduate schools that attract the highest number of fellows are Harvard Medical School, Yale Law School, Stanford Medical School and Harvard Law School. Soros alumni have written 48 books, gained 42 patents, obtained 61 clerkships for Federal judges and nine clerking for the U.S. Supreme Court. Paul Soros established the fellowships to attract “new Americans” who can follow in his footsteps. “Our purpose is to find people among today’s immigrants who have the potential to succeed in their chosen fields, by providing funds for their graduate studies,” he once noted. He said that many immigrants don’t have the networks of native-born students, which this fellowship provides. He compared Soros Fellows to Rhodes scholars. Soros scholarship winners must be accepted by a graduate school. In its 13-year history, two students were selected as scholarship winners but weren’t accepted by a graduate school and couldn’t use the scholarship. Ilchman said those two overstepped their bounds, applied to only elite schools and weren’t accepted. Twice a year Soros Fellows meet at a conference to get to know one another, a crucial aspect of the program. Forming a community of scholars is a major component of the program. Graduate students can learn from one another, network with one another, and collaborate on projects. As graduate school costs rise and law school tuition alone can cost $40,000 a year and more, the Soros Fellowship won’t finance a full postbachelor’s education. One goal of the scholarship is that graduate schools not drain a parent’s resources, so the fellowship makes higher education affordable, within reach and keep loans to a minimum. Soros Fellow Alexandra Villarreal O’Rourke Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Alexandra Villarreal O’Rourke arrived in Corpus Christi, Texas, at age 13 and didn’t speak a word of English. Tossed into ESL classes, she felt that she wasn’t learning, so she and her mom persuaded school authorities to enroll her in regular English classes. It was “sink or swim.” After watching hours of TV and immersing herself in classes, O’Rourke became fluent in English by year’s end. At the University of Texas-Austin, O’Rourke

Warren Ilchman, retiring director, and Stanley Heginbotham, incoming director, Soros Fellowships

majored in finance and business and became a Truman Scholar. But she could only accept that scholarship if she were a citizen. A local congressman managed to pass a private bill giving O’Rourke citizenship and enabling her to tap the scholarship.

Soros Fellow Alexandra Villarreal O’Rourke

After taking a couple of years off, she applied to Harvard and Yale Law School and was accepted by both colleges. She graduated from Harvard Law School, where a law professor had suggested she apply to Soros. To be accepted as a Soros Fellow, O’Rourke said, “You must have done something that shows a commitment beyond yourself.” As an undergraduate, O’Rourke started a bilingual mentoring program for children of migrants who had been abused. Her work epitomized giving these students an equal opportunity to succeed, demonstrating her commitment to American values. As a Soros graduate student, O’Rourke was motivated by other fellows. “They were the most inspiring people I’ve ever met,” she said. After graduating from Harvard Law School, O’Rourke was interested in becoming a clerk for a judge, and few Latinos have secured that role. But several Latino Soros Fellows had become clerks. She contacted them, and they offered tips and suggestions about how to nab the job. O’Rourke earned that position and had been clerking for Judge Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Raleigh, N.C. When O’Rourke was considering her options after clerking, Soros Fellows influenced her next career choice. The obvious move would have been to work at a large corporate firm where

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she could earn an impressive salary. “Soros put so much amazing hope in me that I couldn’t sell out. I needed to do something extraordinary and outside of the norm,” O’Rourke said. Instead of choosing a corporate legal career, she started this summer in the U.S. State Department’s Office of Legal Advisor as an attorney advisor. Legal advisors handle domestic and international issues that involve implementing foreign policies of the U.S. “Part of what Soros does is open the doors that are generally not open to immigrants. You can’t join the old boys’ network, so you have to make your own inroads. Soros provides the inroads you normally won’t have. It opens the doors you can’t open yourself,” O’Rourke said. Soros Fellow César Francia Like O’Rourke, when César Francia, a 22year-old native of Caracas, Venezuela, immigrated to Miami Beach at age 14 with his mother (leaving his three siblings behind), he too spoke no English. Immersing himself in learning English at Miami Beach High School, he was able to master English and speak fluently in a year. By the time he was a junior in high school, Francia launched Sibling, an organization dedicated to encouraging high school students to perform community service and act as big brothers and big sisters. Within a year, 500 students were involved in the program, mentoring other students in Big Brother/Big Sister programs, community organizations and local churches. Francia attended New York University, where he majored in international politics. He earned a scholarship in the Reynolds Program in Social Entrepreneurship, which paid $20,000 annually for two years. He also spent a summer’s internship in Rwanda, which was devastated by civil war and genocide. Reynolds staff encouraged him to apply for the Soros Fellowship. After graduating from New York University in

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Soros Fellow César Francia

spring 2010, Francia applied for and was named an aide to chambers for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. As an aide, he prepares her for the court, brings the necessary legal texts and serves as a liaison with her law clerks. Francia says the application for a Soros Fellowship was extremely demanding. He supplied three letters of recommendation and also provided articles written about him in college newspapers. Because the application asked for a commitment to human rights and public service, Francia emphasized his launching the Sibling community service organization in high school and his experience in Rwanda. Francia was named a Soros Fellow and started the program in fall 2011. He was concentrating on applying to law schools, with Yale Law School as his first choice. His goal is to become

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an attorney and then create an organization that combines nonprofit and profit-making capabilities that empower people. Earning that Soros Fellowship was critical to Francia achieving his dreams and aspirations. “It enables me to pursue a public service career straight out of school and not compromise my passion,” he said. The fellowship will pay for the bulk of law school, so he won’t have to relent and become a corporate attorney to pay his debts. Immigrants can view America with fresh eyes, enabled “to see how America has influenced the world and yet you remember how you perceived America before you came here,” Francia said. Moreover, immigrants want to take advantage of the opportunities that America offers and not squander them. As a Soros Fellow, Francia is meeting achievers in law and medicine with whom he might collaborate on future projects, when he launches a nonprofit organization. Stanley Heginbotham, who was Soros codirector and became director in June 1, 2011, said he wants Soros to reach more Latino students. He sees Latino alumni as effective recruiters and intends to strengthen alliances with minority advisors. Heginbotham sees the Soros Fellowships as “establishing a level playing field for applicants, which is important since applicants are immigrants. By paying attention to what applicants have actually done, we’re able to identify individuals with real potential for doing great things.” What exactly is expected of Soros graduates? “We expect that they’ll enter government, become scholars, pursue medicine and run hospitals. We want them to be leaders. They will remind Americans how important the contribution of immigrants is,” Ilchman said. Soros Fellows “have an instinct to achieve something significant. It’s in the DNA of immigrants. They chose to come to this country and want to make something of it,” he added.

LEADERSHIP

DePaul’s

Marisa Alicea, Dean,

School for

New Learning

by Jamaal Abdul-Alim

hen DePaul University (Ill.) administrator Dr. Marisa Alicea and her two siblings were busy working their way through college, back in the 1970s and 1980s, their parents had a simple message. “They used to say, ‘Our job is to work and maintain the house. As long as you’re studying, doing well, that’s your job,”’ Alicea recalled of her parents, Manuel and Ana, a steelworker and seamstress who’d journeyed to the United States as part of the large wave of Puerto Rican immigrants in the 1950s. “They had no idea or concept of what high school is like or going to college,” Alicea said of her mother and father, who only had a seventh- and third-grade education, respectively. “Even though they didn’t really understand what we were doing, they supported us.” Today, Alicea is buoyed by those memories from her college days as she sits in her spacious but modest office on the 14th floor at DePaul University’s School for New Learning, where she serves as dean. The school she oversees is one that provides customized programs for adults. It emphasizes individualized learning and learning from experience and employs a competency-based model in which students are assessed on their ability to solve problems.

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“The most important part of my job, of any dean’s job, is really to work with faculty, work to develop curriculum and an educational experience that really reflects what we’d like to see our students do,” she said. “For us, it’s a little different in that we have a curriculum that puts students more in the driver’s seat.” The self-described Latino activist scholar makes it a point to get university research on the ground where it can make an impact on the lives of everyday people. Throughout her career she has espoused “action research.” Asked to elaborate on what that means, Alicea said it is research “where I as a scholar or academic was going to nonprofits saying, ‘What kind of scholarly work do you need done?’ and doing research that spoke to their needs, that spoke to the reality of the Latino experience.” Case in point, as a course instructor in recent years, Alicea created a course called Latina Life Stories, and had her students assist on a follow-up to a 1996 study called Latina Portraits which was completed by Mujeres Latinas en Accion, a Chicago-based nonprofit. Alicea is a member of and past chair of its board of directors. The original study used census data relevant to labor-force participa-

tion and poverty rates among Latinas. It also examined the problems they faced in education, housing and health, and dealt with domestic violence and sexual assault. The study ultimately became a primary source of information for legislative and community leaders to advocate on behalf of Latinas to secure resources for the community, Alicea said. But once the study became dated, she saw not only a need to do a fresh study, but a way to accomplish it in the classroom by having her students conduct Participatory Action Research (PAR), described in an Alicea syllabus as calling for “scholars and students to collaborate with community groups and organizations to meet their research needs. As the name suggests, PAR seeks to collect data and information that community groups can use to address issues and problems and bring about change.” A major part of bringing about change is illuminating what Alicea refers to as “invisible realities.” These realities include issues of sexual orientation and mental health. While these areas are ones that Alicea, who resides with her longtime lesbian partner, says are often viewed as “taboo” within the Latino community, the researchers in the new study that she oversaw dealt with both. As an example of what they found of practical use on the issue of mental health, Alicea said, researchers in the follow-up study concluded that group therapy, in addition to getting good results, was a cost-effective way for nonprofits to work with Latina women around mental health issues. Another aspect of the research explored domestic violence within the Latina lesbian community. Among other things, the research found that the experience of Latinas in America “wasn’t a singular experience of heterosexuals who came from Mexico or Puerto Rico or Cuba, but diverse places in Latin America with different sexual orientations.” Alicea, 50, grew up on the north side of West Town, a Chicago community northwest of the Loop and not far from Humboldt Park, a home to Puerto Ricans since the 1950s. One of the defining moments in her academic career took place when she was in grammar school in the 1960s – a time when school and home life seemed like two different worlds. “It happened when I was in fifth grade,” Alicea recalled. “They announced that they were going to start a bilingual, bicultural education program at our school. “I had an interest in learning how to read and write Spanish. I knew how to speak it. Even at that young age, I thought it would be good to learn the language better.” Next year, in sixth grade, as she climbed the stairs toward the bilingual program on the third floor at Peabody Elementary School, she heard a woman speaking Spanish. “What really struck me was here I was in school and here someone was speaking Spanish. It just shattered this sort of cultural separation that is between home and school. “The thing that most struck me was when I finally got closer to that voice, when I looked through the window, it was a woman who also looked Latina, looked Puerto Rican. “For me, it was just like this amazing experience: A Puerto Rican can be a professional teacher,” she continued. “Not to take away from my fami-

ly and neighbors who were factory workers, et cetera, it’s just that I’d never realized that a Latina could be a professional. “It was really at that moment that I began to realize that I could go to college.” Alicea eventually enrolled at Northwestern University. Among other things, she took courses in African-American studies. The Black studies classes, she said, gave her a sharper sense of her own cultural identity within American society, as well as what makes for a good ethnic studies program. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1981, a master’s degree in sociology in 1986, and a Ph.D. in sociology, with a specialization in race ethnicity and immigration, in 1989, all at Northwestern. While working on her Ph.D., Alicea joined DePaul as associate director of the Center for Latino Research. She lectured in the sociology department at the university and has also lectured at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. In addition to scholarly articles, she has co-authored two books: Women Surviving Heroin: Interviews With Methadone Users (University Press 2001) and Migration and Immigration: A Global Perspective (Greenwood Press 2004). When she wrote her statement to achieve tenure and a promotion, she quoted a passage from Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, by bell hooks, a feminist author. The passage said, in part, “To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin.” “Her work spoke really clearly to me about how I see myself as an educator, or at least to what I aspired,” she said. Alicea was named a St. Vincent DePaul Professor in 2006, honored as a “top teacher,” and was named dean of the School for New Learning in 2008. She has been credited with making improvements to the school’s online learning and writing programs, as well as leading efforts to establish accelerated degree completion programs – a B.A. in leadership studies and another in applied behavior studies that is a joint effort with the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the College of Communication. “In terms of what we want to see them accomplish, it has to do with how do we help them become agents of their own learning and how do we work with them to help them understand how learning happens, the learning experience and who they are as learners, and how do we help them become more versatile as learners,” Alicea said. “The more you learn, the more you know about the learning process and who you are as a learner, the more effective you are as a learner.”

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