05/21/2012 Improving the transfer process by Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine

MAY 21, 2012

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VOLUME 22 • NUMBER 16

Also available in Digital Format

Latino College Expo

Campus Safety

Pew Census Data

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

Ricardo Fernández, President Lehman College Mildred García, President

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

California State University-Fullerton Juán González,VP Student Affairs University of Texas at Austin Carlos Hernández, President New Jersey City University

Administrative Assistant & Subscription Coordinator – Barbara Churchill

Lydia Ledesma-Reese, Educ. Consultant Ventura County Community College District

DC Congressional Correspondent – Peggy Sands Orchowski

Gustavo A. Mellander, Dean Emeritus George Mason University

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

Loui Olivas,Assistant VP Academic Affairs Arizona State University Eduardo Padrón, President Miami Dade College Antonio Pérez, President

Art & Production Director – Avedis Derbalian Graphic Designer – Joanne Aluotto

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

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

Editorial Policy

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

Article Contributors Frank DiMaria, Marilyn Gilroy, Mitchell A. Kaplan,Angela Provitera McGlynn, Eligio Martínez Jr., Sylvia Mendoza, Miquela Rivera, Jeff Simmons, Gary M. Stern

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Esquina E ditorial

ast summer, the American Association of Community Colleges formed a commission to come up with strategies that could “Reclaim the American Dream.” That commission is co-chaired by Augustine Gallego, Kay McClenney and Jerry Sue Thornton, and bolstered by other activists and reformers in the higher ed world. The chief goal is to prepare an additional five million two-year college students with degrees, certificates and other credentials – by 2020. What’s recommended? Boost completion rates by 50 percent. Double the pass rate for remedial classes. Cut in half the numbers who enter college unprepared for the work. “Sharply focus” career and tech ed on what existing and future jobs will require. Eradicate attainment gaps. Think it can’t be done? Read in this issue how Cleveland State Community College retooled its developmental math approach, and its pass rate rose from 54 percent to 74 percent! Another move that would help – striking down the doubling of the federal student loan interest rate, reduced in 2007 under thenPresident George Bush to 3.4 percent but set to rebound to 6.8 percent in July. Recently a student loan freeze bill was proposed in the Senate; and a student loan forgiveness bill, in the House. But can they make it into law? The elite Cooper Union has announced a change in its 110-year policy of free tuition to all who are accepted. Present students and undergrads entering in fall 2012 will get four years tuition free, but some grad students will have to pay. According to Richard PerezPena, The New York Times, the school also plans to add some programs to boost enrollment and revenue. We’re hoping that Cooper Union, so well stocked with brainpower, will find a way to keep granting talented working-class men and women, including minorities, a first-rate education. ¡Adelante! Suzanne López-Isa Managing Editor

vcu usca & V

COORDINATOR FOR STUDENT ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT (Administrative/Professional Faculty - FA 3700) Purpose of Position: The Coordinator for Student Organization Development is responsible for the implementation of all education, training, services and programs for over 450 student organizations at Virginia Commonwealth University. This position encompasses a wide variety of educational, administrative and supervisory duties in the areas of leadership development, policy and procedure enforcement, program management, student organization advising, and supervision of a graduate student. The Coordinator for Student Organization Development serves as a consultant and advises organizations to ensure programmatic success and participant safety and facility security in compliance with University policies, state and federal laws. Qualifications: Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, College Student Personnel, Counseling or related field required for faculty appointment. Additional Requirements: • One (1) year full-time or two (2) years part-time experience in student development related field required. • Experience in student organization advising and management. • Additional full-time/part-time/graduate assistant experience in student life/activities is preferred. • Excellent oral and written communication skills including presenting to groups and in a one-to-one setting. • Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU. • Experience at a non-traditional, urban campus setting is desired. • Willingness to work a flexible schedule, which may include evening and weekend hours. For more information about this position, visit http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/facjobs/ Application Process: Review will begin immediately and continue until filled. Applications must include a letter of intent, resume, and names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three references. Submit to: Mr. Gregory Weatherford, Chair of the Search Committee, P.O. Box 842032, Richmond, VA 232842032, uscajobs@vcu.edu. Please list position number in cover letter. For additional information about Virginia Commonwealth University, visit our website at www.vcu.edu VCU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. VCU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation or disability. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. If you feel you need special accommodation from University Student Commons & Activities, please contact Brandon Herbin, 804-828-6500. Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services

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Move Over, Macho Men!

lit

by Carlos D. Conde

i cal Beat

behind closed doors. In the macho world of Latin America’s politics there is, supposedly, no such thing as meddlesome or obvious first ladies, particularly in affairs of state. Most prefer a discreet role, and those who venture into the public arena prefer innocuous activities. For some, however, why bother with a first lady role when you have access to the whole enchilada? Peru is currently going through the travails of trying or wanting to rein in a wife who some speculate is not satisfied or fulfilled just being a first lady. Observers and critics of a His and Hers palace order say the president’s wife is not satisfied with the traditional distaff role like visiting orphanages or supervising the serving of tea and crumpets at palace socials. They say she is trying to be the president’s chief advisor on all affairs or, more pointedly, acting at times like she’s sharing the presidency. Some say she already is. President Ollanta Humala dismisses such images as ridiculous political mischief. First Lady Nadine Heredia de Humala (note the Latino style of identifying female spouses as “belonging to”) is telling friends and foes to take such nonsense and shove it. President Humala fends off the criticism by saying, “We have worked together in the construction of a party, but in affairs of state, I am in charge.” Still, some wonder. Both co-founded the Nationalista Party that propelled Humala in 11 short years to the presidency after he returned from Korea, where he had been exiled to embassy military duty after alleged sedition, and she became his political muse and chief advisor. Some say it has graduated to a co-presidency. The Peruvian Constitution prevents a marital line of succession, so the speculation is that the Humalas will amend that barrier through legislation that involves

IMA, Peru – Wives of presidents deny it, and their husbands say it’s ridiculous, but some first ladies, whether living in a democracy or not, usually have the president’s ear on ruling the nation. Call it pillow talk. The most influential, historians say, was Eleanor Roosevelt. Perhaps the nation’s most liberal first lady, she advocated for the downtrodden and all stripes of people’s rights. They say President James Madison listened when Dolly talked. And that wife Edith helped Woodrow Wilson with affairs of state when he became frail and infirmed. Then there was Rosalyn Carter, said to participate in some of Jimmy’s advisors meetings and, at times, wax loudly on policy. Nancy Reagan for sure had the ear of Ronnie, as she called him, and it’s said the Gipper paid attention to her, particularly on personnel. Only Eleanor, and perhaps Edith, could match Hillary Clinton’s involvement in presidential affairs. Maybe Hillary was not privy to her husband’s Oval Office romps, but she certainly was busy crafting and lobbying the president’s health bill and pursuing other legislative White House initiatives. Michelle Obama doesn’t seem that involved in her husband’s policy affairs or who to fire or hire, but as that country and western song goes, who knows what goes on

another female powerhouse, Congresswoman Keiko Fujimori, who heads a ranking political party. Together, they have the combined votes to make it happen. Ms. Fujimori, defeated by Humala in the 2010 elections, is the daughter of imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori, and therein may lie one of the main reasons for partnering with Humala’s legislative forces to change the law. Nadine Heredia could seek the presidency and probably win with this alliance, making her the first woman president in Peru and, bingo, Papa Fujimori goes free. Latin America is tearing down its macho mentality, but tradition and mindset die hard. And there is still some resistance to anointing women politicians to vie for the ultimate prize. Evita Peron of Argentina, immortalized in film and theater as a political icon, was not the first Latino woman president, as many mistakenly think. She was one of Latin America’s first women political leaders, if you want to call it that, under the patronage of Argentina caudillo Juan Peron, who was initially her lover. Some revered her as something akin to Mexico’s Virgin de Guadalupe, a more powerful image to some Latinos than a country’s presidency. Evita was mostly famous for embracing “Los Descamisados,” the poverty-stricken, working class in Argentina that propelled Peron to power, despite the oligarchy’s resistance. She became a first lady when Peron married her, and tried unsuccessfully for the vice presidency in 1951, when she was battling cervical cancer. She died the following year at age 33. Argentina’s military so feared an Evita veneration that they secretly exhumed her body, after overthrowing Peron in 1955, and whisked it off to a cemetery in Milan, Italy. It took the first woman president of Argentina and Peron’s third

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wife, Isabel Peron, who, as vice president, ascended to the presidency after her husband’s death in 1974, to bring Evita’s remains back home before she also was ousted from office by the military. Actually, the first duly elected Latino president was Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua who, in 1990, ousted Daniel Ortega, who eventually regained the presidency and still rules today. Ms. Chamorro, scion of a wealthy publishing family, was the first woman president in the western hemisphere, after Iceland’s Vigdis Finnbogadohir, and the only woman anywhere to defeat an incumbent president. During the last vestiges of exclusive macho rule in Latin America, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was elected president of Argentina in 2007, succeeding her husband, Nestor Kirchner, and winning 45 percent of the vote to her rival’s 22 percent. She was elected to a second term in 2011. Michelle Bachelet, an agnostic and free market socialist, was elected and served as president of Chile from March 2006 to March 2010, after having been expelled to Europe by military ruler Augusto Pinochet. The latest woman elected president of a Latin America country is Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, a jailed dissident in her youth who succeeded the popular God-like Lula in 2010. Come to think of it and on second pause, it doesn’t look that bad for talented and ambitious public women today in Latin America, where high-end politics and leadership were once the exclusive domain of men. Now it’s the men serving the coffee and passing the pastries. 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® MAY 21, 2012

CONTENTS Taking the “Shock” Out of the Transfer Process

by Marilyn Gilroy

Latino College Expo: Getting a Leg Up on Learning by Jeff Simmons

Revised Developmental Math Raising Success at Tennessee’s Cleveland State C.C. by Gary M. Stern

Campus Safety – Five Years Later

by Frank DiMaria

Page 8

Conservative Republican Hispanic Voters Increasing 18 Despite Rhetoric to the Contrary by Peggy Sands Orchowski Pew and Census Data Argue for Policy Shifts

by Angela Provitera McGlynn

Giving a Voice to Academic & Literary Writing by Sylvia Mendoza

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

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DEPARTMENTS Political Beat

by Carlos D. Conde

Move Over, Macho Men!

Scholars’ Corner

Interesting Reads

Book Review

by Eligio Martínez Jr.

by Mitchell A. Kaplan

Hispanics and the Future of America Page 16

H igh S ch oo l Fo ru m

Global High Schools Blend Instruction by Mary Ann Cooper

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

Hispanics on the Move Priming the Pump...

by Miquela Rivera

Silence Helps Latino Teens Prepare for Higher Education

Back Cover

Page 18

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REPORTS

Taking the “Shock” Out of the

by Marilyn Gilroy

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

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

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Average Number of Hours Seniors Spent in Selected Activities by Transfer Status

Dean, School of Education

Time spent in social activities Time spent in co-curricular activities

Institution native Transfer student

Time spent commuting to campus

Position: New Mexico Highlands University is seeking an innovative individual for the position of Dean of the School of Education. The successful candidate will have the experience and skills to advance the School of Education toward its goal of becoming one of the most distinctive Education programs in the Southwest. The Dean reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Duties and Responsibilities: The Dean provides leadership to the School of Education, including strategic planning and analysis; academic program evaluation and development; budget development; faculty recruitment and evaluation; liaison with center directors, alumni relations, and fundraising; and representing the School within the University Administration.

Time spent caring for dependents Time spent working off campus 0

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

year program, significantly increasing their opportunities to attain a bachelor’s degree. Specifically, it guarantees University of Maryland admission to qualifying community college students who complete the program requirements. These students are eligible for early access to Maryland advisors and other resources, including tuition discounts, in order to make them part of the “Maryland family” from the start. After earning 15 credits at the community college, students receive guidance for course selection toward the bachelor’s degree and may take one course per term at Maryland, thus putting them on an “unbroken” transfer path. Montgomery College is one of the two-year schools that participates in MTAP. In the past six years, a total of 1,347 of the college’s students have enrolled in the program. Joan Hawkins, a counselor in Montgomery’s student development office, says students welcome the opportunity to be part of the MTAP program. “Participation in the program helps Montgomery College students develop a connection with the University of Maryland and decide if Maryland will be a good fit for them,” she said. “They get invited to events and have a chance to use campus resources.” One of the greatest benefits, says Hawkins, is that students are guaranteed admission to the University of Maryland upon completion of a transfer studies certificate or associate degree and attaining a 3.0 grade average. Admission to the University of Maryland is extremely competitive, but these students are given priority and are well on their way to degree completion. The College Board report says having an academic plan is an essential ingredient for transfer success. UCLA’s outreach to future transfer students begins by offering several summer bridge programs for underserved students who plan to enroll at a community college and then transfer. The students reside in campus dormitories, meet with professors and advisers, attend lectures and seminars, and gain familiarity with the academic and research community. They also spend time planning their transfer strategy, giving them a head start on the path to a bachelor’s degree. “By the end of the program, these students begin to see themselves as UCLA transfer students,” said Herrera. “And they enter a community college with a plan of action that is essential for ultimate academic success.”

Minimum Qualifications: Minimum qualifications include an earned doctorate in one of the academic disciplines within the School; a distinguished record of scholarship, teaching, and service; administrative experience in Higher Education or in Public Education.

Preferred Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include an outstanding record of academic leadership, fiscal and human resources management within a collective bargaining environment, as well as community engagement and fundraising. Established outreach and collaborative efforts with public schools and educational and governmental entities; evidence of some impact on regional education; the use of technology; familiarity/experience with some of the evolving approaches to education; and successful experience with distance delivery. A demonstrated record of commitment to excellence in teaching and research; significant achievement in the promotion of diversity, Affirmative Action, and Equal Opportunity; and outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. K-12 experience.

Dean, College of Arts & Sciences

Position: New Mexico Highlands University is seeking a dynamic and charismatic individual who can effectively lead the College of Arts and Sciences; an individual who can inspire, energize, and motivate all college constituents to join his/her vision for the College; and an individual who is fair-minded, takes pride in the achievement of others, is a consensus builder, and will serve as a role model for faculty and students. The Dean reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Duties and Responsibilities: The Dean provides leadership to the College of Arts & Sciences, including strategic planning and analysis; academic program evaluation and development; budget development; faculty recruitment and evaluation; liaison with center directors, alumni relations, and fundraising; and representing the College within the University Administration.

Minimum Qualifications: Minimum qualifications include an earned Terminal Degree in one of the academic disciplines within the College; a distinguished record of scholarship, teaching, and service; administrative experience in Higher Education; or national recognition in the applicant’s field of expertise and administrative experience.

Preferred Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include an outstanding record of academic leadership, fiscal and human resources management within a collective bargaining environment, as well as community engagement and fundraising. A demonstrated record of commitment to excellence in teaching and research; significant achievement in the promotion of diversity, Affirmative Action, and Equal Opportunity; outstanding communication and interpersonal skills; evidence of instituting programs that improve retention/graduation/enrollment; experience with developmental education issues; and experience with distance delivery of programs. Application Process: Deadline: Screening of applications will begin June 1, 2012, and will remain open until filled. Anticipated starting date is August 1, 2012, or January 3, 2013. Salary: Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

To apply for this position, please send: A detailed letter describing the candidate’s interest, relevant experience, and qualifications; curriculum vitae; and complete contact information for at least three (3) references. References will be contacted during advanced stages of screening, and candidates will receive prior notification. E-mail applications are encouraged. Send to metrujillo@nmhu.edu. Or mail to: New Mexico Highlands University Office of Human Resources Search for Dean Box 9000 Las Vegas, NM 87701 For more information, visit www.nmhu.edu.

New Mexico Highlands University is an EOE and equal access institution. For disability accommodations, call (505) 454-3188 at least five (5) working days in advance of need.

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Latino College Expo: Getting a Leg Up on Learning CONFERENCES/CONVENTIONS

by Jeff Simmons

The

Antonio Aponte, director of Education Services, Boys’ Club of New York, driving force behind Expo

elevator ride at New York University’s (NYU) Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for University Life didn’t just transport this bunch of high schoolers to the 10th floor – it transported them into a world that was largely foreign to them. “Wow,” said one male student, backpack slung over his shoulder. “This elevator has carpeting. We don’t have carpeting in mine.” The remarks prompted his classmates to both laugh nervously and shake their heads in unified agreement. Once the elevator doors opened, the group – about 10 of them – stepped into a large room, two sides of which were floor-to-wall windows providing a crystal-clear view of New York City’s skyline, the sounds of a

vibrant Washington Square Park emanating from below. It was St. Patrick’s Day, and while New York City was awash in a festive atmosphere on a sparkling warm day on the cusp of spring, these students, and more than 350 like them, had ventured to NYU for some serious learning: about their future. The students came together for a leadership summit that opened the Latino College Expo Inc. Since it’s inception 22 years ago, the nonprofit Expo has endeavored to “elevate the educational aspirations” of New York City-area students, particularly those of Hispanic heritage. The students had traveled from across not just the city’s five boroughs, but from Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut, some with parents and others with high school guidance counselors. The group – mostly Hispanic, some Black and Asian-American – were from inner-city public schools, prep schools and boarding schools. For many students, who were in their sophomore or junior years in high school – programs were designed to demystify higher education – to not just impart skills on how to prepare academically for the transition but how to navigate financial aid, the admissions process, and campus life. “It’s always an honor to do this,” said an excited Antonio Aponte, the driving force behind the Expo, as he addressed the students in the opening sessions. “I want you to be a sponge. I want you to absorb.” Aponte, who serves as director of education services at the Boys’ Club of New York, was inspired to launch the Expo more than two decades ago after witnessing a nagging trend that dissuaded many Hispanic students from seeking higher education. He was troubled that many didn’t think college was right for them, and that family and financial obligations would preclude them from attending college. Handling multicultural affairs and retention at State University of New York’s (SUNY) Purchase College at the time, Aponte would visit schools and attend college fairs, and discovered that many Hispanic students were not asking the right questions. Students were unclear on finances, on access, on commuting versus living at school. “When I would talk to them and say I worked at SUNY-Purchase, they would say that’s too far,” he said. “I realized that we needed to get them to open up and understand. I wanted to empower them a little bit more.” The outgrowth of that concern was the Latino College Expo, held in its first year at the Borough of Manhattan Community College and later at Pace University, both in Lower Manhattan. Every year, the event has been held on a Saturday to avoid students having to skip school. “We needed to do a fair and give them some ownership, to give them a presence,” Aponte said. “To this day, it’s still a labor of love. I have a fulltime job, but we’ve kept it going.” The Expo has grown in size and reputation, drawing students from a wider swatch of the Northeast while attracting new participants to show-

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case their educational institutions. The event became so popular that it was split into two components four years ago: a leadership summit offering workshops in the morning followed by an exhibition. About 1,000 students routinely attend throughout the day, but demand overwhelmed space, and forced Aponte to cap the leadership summit at 400. While Hispanic college attendance has somewhat improved during the Expo’s existence, Aponte said, many students still face the same tug-of-war pitting family and financial obligations against academic studies. His hope, echoed by the volunteers who join him each year, is that the Expo provides a forum for students to listen and comprehend that college is possible, and to sit with peers experiencing similar dilemmas, fears, and hopes. “If we could get all of you into college, this would really be a transformation of this city,” Dr. Pedro Noguera, professor of education at NYU, said to the students, who were riveted by his words. “You don’t go to college to get a job. You go to college to get a career. Hopefully, you go to college to get a career that you love.”

George Cintron with son Brian, an Ozone Park, Queens, resident with one son in college, another on the way to college this fall, and a third now exploring college

It wasn’t just a labor of love for Aponte, but for the volunteers who strategize to get the word out each year with little funding but a lot of heart. Support comes from the Boys’ Club of New York, the NYU Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, and parent and student volunteers. After opening remarks, students hurried to two other floors and into smaller sessions. Workshops this year were titled “Lights, Camera, Action & Oral Presentation,” which offered insight to prepare for auditions and skills to improve public speaking, and “Gaining Admission and Affording College Through ‘Free Money,’” which imparted advice on crafting competitive applications and financial aid paperwork, and adopting other measures to make college more attainable and affordable. Students crammed into one seminar on “Life After Prep School/High School” to grill alumni on what happens after high school, while another seminar, newly added, asked student athletes “Are You Ready?” to apply for Division I, II, and III programs. “Your performance, both academically, and athletically, will impact scholarship eligibility and interest from coaches,” the description read. There was one seminar titled “Living Out the College Experience,” led by five students from the Brothers of La Unidad Latino, Lambda Upsilon Lambda University Inc. The description of the workshop said, “attendees will learn about the commitments, opportunities and benefits of college life.” Topics ranged from academic demands to extracurricular activities, and the five – four of whom still attend NYU, the fifth a recent graduate

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now preparing for law school – to student leadership, social life and other unique aspects of college life. Darwin Araujo, vice president of the fraternity, and his classmate Elvin Marmol told students to ask any questions that come to mind. Initially, since many students had never been to NYU before, they asked ones about the area: Where is the closest McDonald’s? How do you get to the Empire State Building from here? But after some giggles, the questions became more serious and the seminar developed into a candid discussion about the transition to college life. If anything, the fraternity brothers tried to impart a lesson in tough love, in hopes of resonating more with students who might slack off in high school classes. “It falls on you if you don’t go to class. The responsibility shifts on you. You have to put in the word,” Araujo said. “It’s going to be hard for you. You will have to adjust.” Students initially reluctant to speak began peppering the fraternity brothers with questions: What about Advance Placement courses? Does taking them earlier make it easier? What is a major? Can I take two minors? What if I don’t know what I want to major in? Where are the dorms?” Then one long-haired young woman, situated in the front row, raised her hand, and asked if being Hispanic helps in the admissions process. “Don’t you have a better chance of getting in because you are a minority?” she asked. The fraternity brothers dismissed the notion that ethnicity trumps hard work. “New York University is very selective,” added Johnny Méndez. “What helps you more is being involved in your school. It’s not just that you are a minority. It’s what you achieved in high school.” Marmol quickly noted that the admissions process is one step, but not the end of the road. “Getting in is only the beginning,” he said. “Staying in college is the challenge.” After the session, a number of students lingered, plying the five with more specific questions, about AP courses, campus life, and room and board questions. Meanwhile, their parents were not left to count the hours until the seminars ended. At this leadership summit and Expo, they also were put back in the classroom. Close to two dozen parents attended that morning and, after the opening remarks, stepped into a session called “Becoming a Partner in the College Process.” At the table in front of them sat three parents and a moderator, who also translated all remarks into Spanish. The advice was both forceful and delicate, representing the understanding that not all parents came equipped with equal levels of knowledge about the college process. “When I say ‘beg,’ you go out there and beg,” one parent panelist offered, insisting that parents should seek as much financial assistance and scholarships as possible to defray expenses. Several parents indicated that their children would be the first in the family to attend college. “My biggest fear is how am I going to pay for college,” one parent in the audience said. Others seemed nervous, jotting down notes, timidly asking questions. “Should I visit the college?” one mother asked, sparking a murmur in the room, and a chorus of “Yes.” “Absolutely,” the parent panelist said. “It’s ideal to go when they are in session. I recommend you take your kid. You look at the school. You look at the surroundings.” George Cintron, an Ozone Park, Queens, resident with one son in college, another on the way to college this fall, and a third now exploring college, said the visits are necessary to allay parental concerns and rein in student misperceptions. Cintron said one visit to a Maine college with his son turned him off immediately when he saw not one, not two, but three beer cans littering the campus. “That was too much for my son,” he said. “One would have been too many.”

And, when visiting campuses, he and other panelists stressed not to just show up, but to make appointments with admissions officers on campus. Such visits will help parents acquire more information, and to stand out from the crowd of applicants all clamoring for attention, access, and financial help. Cintron’s son Brian said his father’s encouragement is helping to ease the transition the most. “One of the biggest things my dad did was being there and listening,” the 18-year-old said. “I valued his input, and I valued it so much more after he heard what I had to say.” This past December, Cintron, who currently attends the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, received word that he’d received Early Decision acceptance to the highly regarded Williams College, a private, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Mass. At the leadership summit and Expo, his father said, parents and students could get a leg up, learn tips and tricks that help to ease the frustration and anxiety of the college application process. His son shook his head in agreement, pointing out the involvement of student leaders in the seminars. “Kids come here and can relate,” Brian Cintron said. “You always hear that college is important and getting an education is important. But hearing it from someone who has had the same experience makes it much more personal.” The workshops were only half of the Expo. After three hours of listening to advice on everything from choosing a major to settling in far from home, students then had a chance to turn the tables – or, more aptly, to visit the tables. The same room in which students first listened to opening remarks from a stage was now transformed into long rows of tables, equipped with everything from pamphlets on dorm life and pens and other giveaways to tuition costs and information on campus visits. This year, 68 tables were occupied, with representatives – many Hispanic faces speaking in Spanish with students and parents – from colleges and universities, and educational organizations. Several colleges within the City University of New York system – such as Hunter, Baruch, Queens and Lehman colleges – attended along with those from within the State University of New York system, from Binghamton, Brockport, Cobleskill and Oswego. Representatives from both private and public colleges, such as Adelphi University, the University of Bridgeport, Yale University, University of Maryland, and University of Virginia, as well as Providence, Sarah Lawrence, St. Joseph’s, and Wellesley colleges, also saw steady throngs of students hoping to make a connection. James Rodríguez, a 31-year teacher in the New York City public school system, said the Expo gives Hispanic students a fighting chance to succeed. Rodríguez should know. He has spent a good portion of his career analyzing the Hispanic dropout rate, and striving to elevate the rates of Hispanic students advancing to higher education. “I learned early on that, for the most part, there were not any postsecondary programs that catered to Latino students,” he said. He struck up a friendship with Aponte decades ago, when Aponte was at Purchase and would visit his school to talk with students about attending college. He worked with Aponte to launch the Expo, and today remains one of its strongest supporters. Rodríguez is currently coordinator of student activities at the Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, and reaches out to colleagues throughout the system to encourage them to spread the word about the Expo to Hispanic students. “You get kids to understand that the things they are learning in and out of the classroom in high school have their place in the postsecondary admissions process,” he said. “Colleges are looking for the whole student. You want kids who are academically eligible for certain schools, but it’s important to let kids know that no matter what your academic level, there is a college out there for you, but you have to do your homework.”

ounded in 1956, the University of South Florida is a public research university of growing national distinction. The USF System is comprised of member

institutions; USF Tampa, the doctoral granting institution which includes USF Health; USF St. Petersburg; USF Sarasota-Manatee; USF Polytechnic, located in Lakeland, separately accredited by the Commission Colleges of the Southern

Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). USF is one of only four Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities. More than 47,000 students are studying on USF campuses and the University offers 228 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialty and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference. And, USF is listed in the Princeton Review as one of the nation's 50 "Best Value" public colleges and universities.

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

Administrative Positions: Director of Parking Service

Director of Counseling Center

Director of Payroll (Human Resources)

Assitant Vice President Student Services (COM)

Director of Engineering Operations (Public Broadcasting)

Faculty Positions: College of Arts and Sciences

Engineering

Assistant Professor (1)

Assistant Professor (4)

Pharmacy Director (1)

Business

Academic Afffairs

Sarasota

Division of Administration

College of Nursing

Assistant/Associate Professor (1)

Associate Dean (1)

Assistant Professor (1)

Assistant/Associate Professor (1)

Nursing Faculty (2)

Associate to Full (1)

Assistant/Associate Professor (1)

College of Medicine

Assistant Professor (11)

Assistant/Associate Professor (2)

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

Associate Dean (1)

For a job description on the above listed positions including department, disciple and deadline dates: (1) visit our Careers@USF Web site at https://employment.usf.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp; or (2) contact The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, (813) 9744373; or (3) call USF job line at 813.974.2879. USF is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution, committed to excellence through diversity in education and employment. www.usf.edu • 4202 E. Fowler Ave,Tampa, FL 33620

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Revised Developmental Math Raising Success at Tennessee’s Cleveland State C.C. INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

by Gary M. Stern

leveland State Community College (CSCC), located in Cleveland, Tenn., just north of Chattanooga, has forged a name for itself by restructuring its developmental math program. At many community colleges, developmental math has become an obstacle for the many students who can’t pass it, preventing them from moving on to take other math classes, and contributing to their not earning a degree. Indeed, developmental math has become the crucible for many junior college students: many

Carl Hite, president, Cleveland State Community College

who pass the class manage to advance and often succeed and many who fail it drop out of college and never attain a degree. The traditional teaching method of having a math professor lecturing the class wasn’t working, explains Karen Wyrick, chair of the math department at CSCC. She says 20 years of data proved that the lecture approach was failing students. As of 2007, about 700 of its students took development math each year, but only 54 percent passed the course.

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Carl Hite, president of the college, says the math faculty were driven to redesign the class. “They were dissatisfied with the outcomes they were having,” Hite says. Developmental math had turned into a major stumbling block, preventing graduation. “If we fix it, it would go a long way to solving the problem,” he says. The college enrolls 3,500 credit students and 1,500 noncredit students. Most students at CSCC are working, and many have families. The average student age is 28. Annually, about 66 percent of its students take at least one remedial course, close to the national average of 60 percent. John Squires, then chair of the CSCC mathematics department and now chair of Chattanooga State’s math department, concluded that having 50 percent of students failing developmental math wasn’t acceptable and the class needed an overhaul. “If half your students fail, you can’t call that a success,” he says. He worked with the National Center for Academic Transformation and adopted its “emporium model,” which emphasized using math labs and involving students in learning. The college obtained a $30,000 grant from the Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) in 2008 that led to a pilot program to test using a computer lab to teach developmental math. The redesigned class reduces the time spent by a traditional teacher standing in front of the class lecturing to students who sit passively in their seats taking notes from the blackboard. That approach might have worked 25 years ago, but for students raised on iPhones and smart phones, the

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passive approach was failing. In the old teaching model, the professor lectured about a math problem, gave students a homework assignment based on the lecture, which some students did successfully and some didn’t. But students had to wait a week to get results. “That was a recipe for disaster,” Hite says. Using computer labs, the passing rate rose from 54 percent to 74 percent. The redesigned development math classes emphasize several strategies: customizing learning, employing technology and involving students. The class now consists of two hours in the lab and one hour in the classroom. Developmental math consists of 10 modules, which can be studied online in the math lab. Students demonstrate their mastery of each module by taking an online exam. While the faculty at CSCC thought highly of the emporium model, they thought it needed adjusting for its students. Wyrick says that faculty made short videos of each math lesson to add to the curriculum and put them on CDs for the students. After each video selection, students are assigned homework. The video derives directly from more traditional developmental math courses taught at CSCC, but students can work at their own pace and review each segment multiple times to master it. Hite describes the math lab and the emporium model as a “balance of high tech and high touch.” The computer does what it does best, and the faculty does what it does best. The result is that students are engaged and involved, not detached. In the math lab, professors don’t

lecture but help students individually. In one lab, there are about 60 computers, two faculty members and a tutor, and the other lab has 20 computers and one professor. Interviewed for a National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education report, Katie Hines, a student at CSCC, says she liked the class because she could work at her own pace. Student Tamara Upchurch says that she liked obtaining instant feedback on math questions and stresses that faculty still play a major role in answering

Karen Wyrick, chair of the math department at Cleveland State Community College

questions in the lab. When Wyrick, who taught math for 20 years at CSCC, first learned about the shift to teaching in a computer lab, she was skeptical. She wasn’t ready yet to give up teaching in front of the class, a technique with which she and most her colleagues felt comfortable. During the pilot, Wyrick saw students coming to class early and staying late to work on math problems. That didn’t happen under the old system, making Wyrick a con-

vert to math computer labs. With the new computer lab, the role of teacher has changed. The teacher is constantly walking around, facilitating learning, looking to help a student who may be having problems figuring out an answer. Wyrick says the teacher sometimes stands back and lets students figure out the answer and sometimes intervenes and offers assistance. No longer is the teacher the focal point of learning; now the student is the center. Learning in the lab is interactive. Students progress at their own pace and must solve problems in order to advance. Students must solve each problem before proceeding, so a sense of mastery sets in, which helps boost their confidence. Students receive instant feedback when solving a math problem and don’t have to wait a week or longer for a professor to grade their homework. In the traditional classroom, students were allowed to take a test and then retake it. But “no one ever did,” Wyrick says. In the computer lab, many students who receive a passing grade of 70 retake the test to try to score 100. “I love teaching in the computer lab. I wouldn’t want to go back to doing a lecture where many students are inattentive and didn’t do their homework,” Wyrick says. First, faculty asked that students get 70 percent of answers right to move on, which they did. Now faculty ask for 90 percent correct answers, and most students attain that level. The more professors raise the bar, the better students perform. After CSCC redesigned math to involve students in 2008, the passing rate, achieving a C grade or higher, rose to 74 percent of students. Students in college-level math, which averaged about 400 students per semester, increased to 500 to 600 students taking credit courses in math, algebra and intermediate algebra. Wyrick says that students passing college-level math has increased by 62 percent. Having had success in devel-

opmental math, students are moving on to take multiple math courses. Of course, not all students are succeeding. If 70 percent of students are passing developmental math, that means 30 percent are failing. Hite noted that “life gets in the way” of community college students who work and have families, and Wyrick estimates that about 20 percent of students who don’t pass developmental math have stopped coming to class. Most of the 10 percent who fail pick up where they left off in developmental math, and most pass the second time around, she says. CSCC faculty identified several factors in why the redesigned developmental math courses raised success rates: 1) students were motivated to do more work and invest more time in studying developmental math; 2) students were more engaged in working on the problems and solving them; 3) a variety of approaches, including watching video, taking notes, reviewing videos at home and taking exams online, grabbed students’ attention; 4) students learn sequentially and can take any of the math classes in whatever order they choose. The college is now considered a leader in teaching developmental math. It earned the Bellwether Award at the Community College Futures Assembly for math redesign, and President Obama mentioned it in a speech at the University of Texas in 2011. Hite noted that more than 200 colleges have either visited the Cleveland State to see the lab in action or attended conferences involving Cleveland State on developmental math. The college is redesigning its developmental English class, but that will take more time, Hite says. Computer labs can evaluate grammar, but English professors must still review each essay for content, coherence, thought and originality, and that makes establishing a new developmental English class relying on a computer lab more difficult. Bruce Vandal, director of post-

secondary education at the Denverbased Education Commission of the States, has studied CSCC’s developmental math transformation and attributes its effectiveness to several factors: 1) the emporium model enables students to work at different paces in a math lab environment; 2) the model encourages more individualized instruction, allowing students to work with a faculty member whenever they’re encountering a problem; 3) the course is more structured than other classes, requiring students to complete assignments to move on to the next assignments sequentially. Vandal adds that the old failure rate wasn’t necessarily a result of poor instruction. He says that in the old model, students had to keep pace with the instructor. “Those who needed more time fell behind and those who were capable of accelerating got bored and often dropped out,” he says. With 25 students in class, individual attention in the old model was difficult to

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achieve. Students receive more of it when working in the computer lab. “In the new model, faculty office hours are in the math lab, so faculty are more accessible,” he says. “Partly due to the success of Cleveland State,” says Vandal, “Chattanooga State and Jackson State have worked with the National Center for Academic Transformation to replicate the model.” Ultimately, why has the computer lab and new teaching approach worked at boosting student success in developmental math at Cleveland State? Hite says it involves a “shift from teaching into learning. We’re engaging our students more. The students are doing the work and becoming more successful. Our goal is to turn out effective learners.” Wyrick adds that in many students’ faces, she sees “signs of small successes. It’s working because we give one-on-one help, give them instant feedback, require they learn before they move on.”

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Campus Safety – Five Years Later

by Frank DiMaria

irginia Polytechnic Institute and State University was the site of the deadliest shooting incident by a lone gunman in U.S. history. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people – students and faculty – and wounded others in two separate attacks before committing suicide. It’s been more than five years since the shootings, and many of America’s colleges and universities face the continued challenge of assessing and mitigating threats posed by unexpected emergencies and natural disasters. In the aftermath of the shootings, 13 of the 32 families gathered together and discussed the possibility of creating a foundation. They recognized the need to ensure that the survivors would be taken care of for the rest of their lives, and that the parents, siblings and children left behind might need assistance also. But they did not just focus on themselves. Their goal was also to help others who might experience the same loss. They knew they had to try to prevent future tragedies on America’s college campuses and to create a living legacy for the 32 individuals lost in that tragic incident. In June of 2007, these families requested that the commonwealth of Virginia set aside funds for a “charitable purposes” foundation. Virginia granted their wish, and the VTV Family Outreach Foundation was born. It is not affiliated with Virginia Tech and cannot legally use Virginia Tech in its name. The foundation set out to make the world a better place. In 2010, it was instrumental in passing SB 608 and HB 1238, both of which required the presidents and vice presidents of public universities to certify their comprehension and understanding of the institution’s crisis and emergency plan and to annually conduct a functional exercise. Then in 2011, Lu Ann Maciulla McNabb, then director of programs and legislation at the foundation, enlisted Delegate Ken Plum to file HB 1748, which addressed bullying in public schools. Unfortunately, bills relating to bullying were set aside so that the Department of Education could

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research bullying policies. Later that year, McNabb enlisted Virginia Sen. Mark Warner as Senate sponsor for the Campus Safety Act of 2011, initially introduced by Congressman Bobby Scott. “I also enlisted a number of state legislators in the Virginia General Assembly to introduce bills for the 2012

Lu Ann Maciulla McNabb, former director of programs and legislation, VTV Family Outreach Foundation

session which addressed various aspects of the Virginia College Mental Health Study and the suicide of Daniel Kim. Those bills included HB 697, giving students the right to list contacts should they have mental health issues; HB 662, to create points of contact at community colleges for risk assessment and mental health action plans; SB 623, to coordinate between universities and mental health facilities regarding students receiving treatment; and SB 624, to notify parents when their student is suicidal.

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Unfortunately, none of these bills passed out of committee,” says McNabb. While McNabb was busy enlisting bill sponsors, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and ASME-Innovative Technologies Institute, LLC (ASME-ITI) were hard at work gathering information on best practices for campus safety. ASME published those best practices in 2010 as A Risk Analysis Standard for Natural and Man-Made Hazards to Higher Education Institutions. The standard is designed to identify, analyze and address risks on college and university campuses. It is based on the Risk Analysis and Management for Critical Asset Protection (RAMCAP) Plus process and has been officially approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The VTV Family Outreach Foundation first learned about the ASME standard at ANSI’s October 2011 annual meeting, through Jeff Pollard, executive director and professor in the department of psychology at George Mason University. The following January, McNabb sent a letter thanking ANSI for its role in the publication of the ASME standard. The standard laid out a risk management process to identify, analyze and communicate risks on college and university campuses and addresses threats to human life and well-being, as well as risks to facilities and infrastructure, and also encompasses potential operational hazards. In the letter, McNabb wrote that the standard has served as “an incredibly helpful and educational tool” in helping the VTV Family Outreach Foundation draft a national plan for campus safety. The standard also provides a platform for the exchange of best practices for safety and security among participating institutions. By using common definitions and methods to compare risk, resilience, and risk management benefits, decision makers are better positioned to allocate limited resources and assess and mitigate risk. Although it was ASME that published the standard, an individual owed a debt of gratitude for at least a portion of the standard is Gene Deisinger,

Ph.D., deputy chief of police and director of threat management services at Virginia Tech. Deisinger literally wrote the book on campus safety and, in particular, threat assessment management teams. In 2008, he teamed up with three others, including Marisa Randazzo, Ph.D., former chief research psychologist for the U.S. Secret Service, to write The Handbook for Campus Threat Assessment and Management Teams. It is their book that is the basis for the ASME standard, although the standard offers a much broader view of campus safety and does not just focus on threat assessment and management, something Deisinger is happy to see. The ASME standard is general and is meant to be that way. These standards are voluntary. “What’s right for Virginia Tech in implementing principles behind standards like that may not be what works for another institution,” says Deisinger. Following the shootings, Virginia Tech’s administration didn’t wait for ASME to promulgate a set of standards but implemented its own threat assessment process. It did so in early 2008 by presidential directive, as the result of the governor’s report on the 2007 shootings. Not long after Virginia Tech put its threat assessment teams in place, the commonwealth passed a law requiring Virginia’s 15 public, four-year colleges and universities to form panels with broad powers to investigate students’ academic, medical and criminal records. Panel findings are largely exempt from public disclosure laws. At the time of the Virginia Tech tragedy, Deisinger was working at Iowa State, heading up the threat assessment management program he had put in place during the 1993-94 school year. He was unaware that ASME was in the process of publishing standards in the campus safety arena. He learned of the standard while involved in a campus safety training session in northern Virginia. An ASME representative attending the session presented him with a personal copy of the standard and told him that ASME had used his book as a resource for its threat assessment standard. “The process that we use here at Virginia Tech is in accordance with processes I’ve learned and developed over the last 17 years. We were already doing this before the standards were published,” says Deisinger. Five years after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, the question remains: are America’s college campuses safer today than they were in 2007? The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool, a service of the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education, was designed to provide rapid cus-

tomized reports for public inquiries relating to campus crime and fire data. The data are drawn from the Office of Postsecondary Campus Safety and Security Statistics website database to which crime statistics and fire statistics (as of the 2010 data collection) are submitted annually, via a Web-based data collection, by all postsecondary institutions that receive Title IV funding. According to the website, since 2001 there have been on average 18.3 murders on America’s campuses per year. The year with the fewest murders during that 10-year period was 2006, when eight were committed. The year with the most was 200, which includes the Virginia Tech shootings. The total in 2007 was 45 murders. Deisinger says it’s hard to determine if America’s college and university campuses are safer than they were at the time of the Virginia

Gene Deisinger, Ph.D., deputy chief of police, director of threat management services, Virginia Tech

Tech tragedy. “In relation to the communities in which they exist, they were already remarkably safe. Are colleges and universities as a group more proactively involved in preparing for a broad range of emergencies and using more consistently and more broadly preventative approaches? Yes, I think that is fair to say,” says Deisinger. “Whether they are safe in terms of reduction in crime, reduction in injury – it’s hard to say at this time.” Whether campus safety has increased or

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decreased, colleges and universities seem to be trying to make them safer regardless. Deisinger is seeing a number of colleges and universities collaborating and sharing best practices regarding campus safety. “There are schools in close proximity to each other, especially the small private schools, that literally have formed a consortium. I provided training to one of those in the northeast,” he says. When schools form consortiums or collaborate to share best practices, they experience a great deal of practical utility in such relationships. It’s not uncommon in higher education, says Deisinger, for colleges and universities to share students. For example, a Virginia Tech student may enroll in a summer course at a community college, and what happens at that community college in terms of campus safety may be of interest to what goes on at Virginia Tech, he says. “Many campuses are reaching out to other campuses around them in collaborative relationships, and I think that is wise,” he says. Some schools, though, are still behind the curve. Throughout the year, Deisinger travels the globe offering seminars on campus safety and provides operational support and training for several local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. During his training sessions on America’s college and university campuses, he often references the ASME standard, along with other direct and indirect standards, and he finds that not everyone is aware that they exist. McNabb, who has left her position at the VTV Family Outreach Foundation, hopes that higher education institutions throughout the United States and overseas will study and implement the ASME recommendations “to assess and monitor risks and prevent a tragedy.” At present, the Clery Act requires that school safety plans be updated annually and also requires “timely notice” of crimes committed on campus, with schools facing fines of $27,500 for each violation. Last month, on the fifth anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings, U.S. Sen. Robert Menéndez of New Jersey proposed new legislation, the Michael Pohle Jr. Campus Emergency Alert Act, that would increase the fines significantly, “to between 2 percent and 10 percent of the school’s Department of Education Funding, not including funds received for direct loans to students.” The proposed legislation is named for a young man from New Jersey who was among those killed in the Virginia Tech tragedy.

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ORGANIZATIONS

Conservative Republican Hispanic Voters Increasing Despite Rhetoric to the Contrary

The

by Peggy Sands Orchowski dozens of grand hotel meeting rooms, ballrooms, conference halls and lounges were abuzz with suited-up men and women, recent and still-running Republican presidential candidates, cameraand laptop-lugging reporters as well as the occasional patriot in colonial American dress at the annual CPAC (Conservative Political Action Committee) conference in Washington, D.C., early last February. Among the thousands of Republicanleaning CPAC – an organization that has its roots as on-campus clubs for college conservatives known as The Young Republicans – conferees were a large number of heritage Latinos. On a late afternoon Feb. 10, more than 100 CPAC Latinos crowded into a large room to launch HISPANIC VOTE, a Super PAC designed to reach millions of Hispanic voters through social media with a conservative message. “The majority of Latinos align themselves with conservative ideology, but are unaware how that comes into play in American politics,” according to HISPANIC VOTE founders Dennis García, a Harvard Business School graduate named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the U.S. by Hispanic Business magazine, and Laura Ramírez-Drain, founder of the Hispanic Professional Women Association and the Alcanzada Metas educational foundation. “Most Hispanics believe in individual liberty, a strong national defense, free market economies, traditional values and limited government,” they say. HISPANIC VOTE intends to engage those conservative Latino voters who are being taken for granted by the Democratic Party or are ignored by the Republicans, the founders said in their launch speeches. “We intend to fill that gap by conveying conservative principals to the millions of Hispanics, especially under the age of 35 who, according to a recent AOL Cyber Study report, spend more hours connected online than does the general American public.” The Latinos at the Super PAC launch were of all ages and stages. They included Margaret

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Moran, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens; Juan C. Torres, M.D., Latino American Tea Party spokesperson; and Manuel A. Rosales and Gloria Campos, national chairman and vice president, respec-

David Rivera, R-Fla.

tively, of the National Republican Coalition. Part of the crowd as well was Gabriella Saucedo Mercer, an active resident in Tucson, Ariz., who is challenging Congressman Raúl Grijalva for his seat in the House – a seat he won after calling for a national boycott of all Arizona businesses two years ago, she reminded listeners. These activists are the tip of the iceberg of a growing number of Americans of Hispanic heritage who are eager to participate in public affairs and conservative politics. They are especially confident after the 2010 election, when all the new Hispanics elected to Congress (five) and the Senate (one) and the first Latina governor ever to win election in a state (N.M.), were Republican and conservative. Four of the first-term Republican Hispanic con-

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gressmen spoke in March to the annual legislative conference of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), a nonpartisan organization with more than 200 branches throughout the U.S. representing the more than three million Hispanicowned businesses in the country. Often the U.S. president addresses the chamber personally at the conference in D.C.; this year, White House Director of Domestic Policy Cecilia Muñoz; Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, M.D., and the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, were keynote speakers as well as several administration trade officials. Democratic Hispanic legislators including Henry Cuellar, Texas, Charles González, Texas, and Grijalva also spoke. While the USHCC is strictly nonpartisan, one official, who did not wish to be identified in print, estimated that between 60 percent to 70 percent of its members are Republicans. The new Republican Hispanic legislators focused their remarks mainly on initiatives to support small businesses, especially by limiting government regulations and lowering taxes. They spoke about how small Hispanic businesses were the backbone of the American economy and the epitome of the American Dream. “Hispanic immigrants all came here because America is the land of opportunity, a unique place where hard work can be rewarded,” said Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco, Texas. “Our job here is to ensure the American Dream stays alive.” “Government should ensure that entrepreneurs are free to do business, take risks, not be soft,” said Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, Fla., who was president of his own PR and marketing firm before becoming a state legislator and then elected to Congress in 2010. Jaime Herrera Beutler, at 34 the youngest member of Congress and the first Hispanic to represent the state of Washington, agreed. “Government has to stay out of the way and know that people are smart enough to make their own choices,” she said. David Rivera of Florida urged the USHCC to have a bigger voice in supporting free trade and fiscal reform where the federal government would be required, like many states, to balance its budget

every year and live within its means. Raúl Labrador of Idaho is an increasingly visible new Hispanic conservative Republican who got a lot of press early in the year when he demanded, to his face, that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. resign. Labrador favors an end to tax loopholes, a flatter tax system and a balanced budget amendment in the Constitution. Labrador is the first Mormon Hispanic to serve in Congress, but he certainly won’t be the last. In fact, in 10 years it is estimated that the majority of Mormons in the state of Utah and possibly Arizona and Nevada will be Latino. For those who know Latinos and Mormons, this makes perfect sense. There are many characteristics of the two cultures that match perfectly. Both are strongly family oriented, have conservative social values, are religious and are often active in highly structured sociable religions. They both are also aspirational cultures, especially regarding education and prosperity, are often bilingual, service-oriented and, yes, even historically macho. There are deep historic ties with Mormons in Mexico and other countries of Latin America; globally, the majority of Mormons already are Latino. But probably the biggest tie for Hispanics (and Mormons) to conservative politics is their focus on entrepreneurship, aspirations for prosperity and small business ownership. Latinos in general are not oriented toward government. Many of their immigrant family members fled their countries because of corrupt governments, and that left a visceral trace of distrust. The 2010 census shows that more Latinos in the U.S. work in business than government. They are known and valued throughout the country as hard workers, and statistically, the Latino population (including citizens, legal and illegal immigrants) has a lower unemployment rate than Black Americans (in March 2012, the Latino unemployment rate was 10 percent; African-American, 14 percent). Those Latinos who do work for government usually are either in the military or in law enforcement; the majority of males in the border patrol are Hispanic, mainly of Mexican heritage. These Latino characteristics that match in many ways conservative Republican values, go completely against the narrative about Latinos held by most members of the press and Democratic leaders. The chattering class tend to see Latinos as oppressed uneducated immigrant laborers whom only the Democrats, especially civil rights Democrats, can save. Almost daily, they claim somewhere in the media that Latinos are “fleeing the Republican party in droves.” “I don’t know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican,” Senate Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was quoted as saying during the 2010 election – which he barely won. In

any week, one can read headlines such as these in March: “Latinos Lost to Romney” (Politico), “GOP Cutting Throat with Hispanics” (The Hill) and “How Not to Win Friends” by Washington Post political columnist Dana Milbank, who wrote that “when it comes to Latinos, Republicans must have un impulso suicida.” The March 5 Time magazine cover story on the Latino vote called the inevitable dominance of the Democratic Latino electorate “demography is destiny.” Surprisingly, in the cover article, the new conservative Republican Latino congressional representatives elected in 2010 were never mentioned. Latino Voters and Immigration Reform Even some Republican leaders such as Karl Rowe have bowed to the hype that the Republican party is losing Hispanic voters. They all blame the GOP’s “harsh rhetoric on immigration.”

Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho

But poll after poll shows that immigration is not the most important issue for Hispanic citizen voters. At a March 8 White House press conference, José Rico, director of the Educational Excellence Initiative for Hispanics, noted that the top issues for Hispanics in America, in order of priority, are 1) health care, 2) increase of educational opportunities, 3) job creation, especially for small business and 4) immigration reform. In a new Pew Hispanic report showing the issues that were “very important” to Hispanics in the 2010 election, immigration came in eighth of 14. Current issues studies find similar results, Richard Fry, Pew senior research associate, told the annual legislative action meeting of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) on March 27. Conservative Republican Hispanic congressmen

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reflect this attitude. Their positions on immigration are nuanced. Both Rivera and Labrador, who was formerly an immigration lawyer, agree that a middle way to deal with some of the millions of illegal immigrants in the country (some 75 percent of whom are Latinos, mainly from Mexico) would be to legalize those with long histories (10 years plus) in the U.S. and clean police records, initially with temporary work and residency permits. At the same time, the encouragement of voluntary withdrawal (or self-deportation) as well as forceful removal of criminal immigrants should continue, as should some waivers for worthy deportees. The Mormon-driven Utah Pact is an example of such a compromise proposal. But for the foreseeable future, Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) is dead. In fact, only four Democrats remain on the House immigration subcommittee: Zoe Lofgren, former chair; two African-Americans – Jackson Lee of Texas and Maxine Waters of California; and the only Latino, Pedro Pierluisi, the Puerto Rican representative, who does not have a full vote. The only viable issues of immigration receiving congressional committee hearings and legislative proposals in the current 112th Congress are ones that will give green cards to educated immigrants, especially foreign student graduates with advanced degrees in science and engineering, and to investors and some business tourists. Abbreviated forms of the DREAM Act that would legalize a few illegal immigrants who graduated from American high schools have been suggested by some conservative Hispanic Republican legislators, including Rep. Rivera and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida – although the media’s attention on Rubio is focused almost entirely on his possible nomination as Republican vice president. All the attention on the Latino electorate, however, shows that the Latino vote is important to both Republicans and Democrats, although at present, the Hispanic electorate is relatively small. In the 2008 presidential election, only 50 percent of Hispanic eligible voters (U.S. citizens, and over the age of 18) cast ballots; they made up only 7.4 percent of the total vote (9,745 million out of 131 million). Election operatives in both parties, as well as several community Latino activist organizations, are dedicated to encouraging more Hispanics citizens to register and to vote. However, politically, the Hispanic vote is split much more than the Black vote. Despite the larger Hispanic demographic, African-American citizens outnumber Hispanic citizens in the U.S. and vote much more consistently Democratic. Historically, a solid 31 percent of Hispanic citizens always vote Republican, as they did in 2008, while Blacks vote over 95 percent Democratic. Not surprisingly then,

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more than twice the number of African-Americans voted for President Obama than did Hispanics: 15,800 million Blacks compared to 6,530 Hispanics voted Democratic in 2008. Of course, the proportion of the Hispanic vote varies according to state. But in fact, California is the only reliably Democratic “Hispanic state,” at least in the past 16 years. Other large Hispanic population states are red (like Texas, Utah and Florida); and others, like Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, are considered to be at best “battleground” states for Democrats, not yet even reliably purple (the other 12 identified battlegrounds do not have large populations of Hispanic

citizens). Popular conservative Republican Latino politicians are running for office in many of them. Perhaps the media misinformation that equates the Latino demographic with a monolithic and powerful Democratic electorate is due somewhat to the fact that a number of Hispanic Republicans are reluctant to identify themselves publicly. At the CPAC conference, a 30-something Floridian of Puerto Rican descent told me he was a committed Republican who had even considered running for office. He had been successfully climbing the executive ladder of a large corporation when he got Potomac fever and decided to move to Washington, D.C., to become involved in public organizations.

He found a wonderful job at a supposedly nonpartisan Hispanic nonprofit on the Hill, but he asked me not to reveal either his name or the name of his employer since it is completely Democratic-dominated; he had decided to wait to tell them of his conservative Republican political affiliation. One wonders how many more secret Hispanic Republican voters like this young man lie within the growing Latino electorate that is overwhelmingly oriented toward business and becoming rapidly middle-class American.

Scholars’ Corner They say that education is the means to achieve upward social mobility, yet it seemed that no matter how many degrees I obtained, I was still viewed the same way – an outsider to higher education. Having grown up in Santa Ana, Calif., and attended the University of California-Los Angeles, I felt I had achieved the American Dream. As a graduate student, however, I quickly realized that I was far from it. During my master’s courses, I constantly discussed the experiences of people of color in education and became that guy, the one who always brings up race. While some faculty members were supportive and encouraging of my research interest, others did not consider it serious academic work. I quickly became discouraged and attempted to research topics that were more mainstream but was not satisfied and became disillusioned with graduate school. On the brink of leaving my program, I attended the 2010 American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) Conference and came back with a purpose. I realized that what I was experiencing in my program were racial microaggressions that people of color experience on a daily basis. This was not something recent for me, but something that had been there all along. During the conference, I realized that I was not the only one who felt this way and found a support group of other students and faculty members. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there was a need to understand how these microaggressions affected students at different stages of the educational pipeline and how they limited the educational opportunity of Chicano/Latino students. Being selected as a 2011 AAHHE Graduate Student Fellow has become one of the pivotal points in my graduate career. At the conference, I had the opportunity to present, during the Graduate Fellows Research Symposium, a project that I was developing on the educational experiences of middle school Chicano/Latino males. I received critical feedback on my work during the symposium from other graduate and faculty fellows, but more importantly, I was encouraged to continue this work and turn it into something greater. Throughout the remainder of the conference, faculty and graduate fellows continued to discuss my project with me and made suggestions. After the conference, I received a copy of my paper back from Dr. Melissa Delgado with detailed comments on how to improve my research project. Shortly after returning from the conference, I realized that it is OK to study our community and that our issues and concerns do matter. The project on middle school Chicano/Latino males has now turned into my dissertation as I seek to understand how these young males come to understand how race and gender impacts their educational experience. AAHHE and the Graduate Fellows Program have provided me with a community of young scholars and mentors with whom I am confident I will enter the faculty ranks and develop a research agenda that will attempt to improve the educational experiences of all students.

By Eligio Martínez Jr. Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Washington-Seattle

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Interesting Reads The Blog: Bad Time for Poetry By Enrique Martínez Celaya In this hi-tech world of tweeting and blogs, this author created a blog called Bad Time for Poetry. He intended to show that this genre, like poetry, could be used to cultivate and preserve cultural commentary. This book is a compilation of his posts. 2009. 164 pgs. ISBN: 978-097997522-6. $22.95 paper. University of Nebraska Press, (800) 755-1105. www.unp.unl.edu

Why Aren’t We There Yet? By Jan Arminio, Vasti Torres and Raechele L. Pope The book is framed around the five elements of the process of tackling difficult conversations that not only advocate for change on the college campus, but also create change: self knowledge, knowledge of and experiences with others, understanding historical and institutional contexts, understanding how to change the status quo, and transformative action. 2012. 206 pgs. ISBN: 978-1-57922-466-0. $29.95 paper. Stylus Publishing, (703) 661-1504. www.Styluspub.com

In from the Cold Edited by Gilbert M. Joseph and Daniela Spenser The collection’s contributors examine international and everyday contests over political power and cultural representation, focusing on Latin America. In from the Cold seeks to contribute more generally to an understanding of the past and current Cold War conflict in the global south and how it has transformed the region. 2008. 456 pgs. ISBN: 978-0-8223-4121-5. $27.95 paper. Duke University Press Books, (919) 688-5134. www.dukeupress.edu.

Mexicans and Hispanos By Rúben Donato The author tells the story of the social and educational history of Mexicans and Hispanos (descendents of Spanish troops who came to the region in the late 1500s) in Colorado from 1920 to 1960. He examines both groups’ experiences in sugar beet towns – in Anglo American-controlled towns, and in a historically Hispano-controlled town. 2007. 180 pgs. ISBN: 978-0791469675. $55.00 cloth. State University of New York Press, (866) 430-7869. www.sunypress.edu/

Hispanics and the Future of America by Marta Tienda and Faith Mitchell, National Research Council of the National Academies, Panel on Hispanics in the United States, Committee on Population, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Washington DC, The National Academies Press 2006, 490 pages ISBN 0-309-10051-8 list $49 paperback, ISBN 0309-65478-5 PDF free download

ispanics and the Future of America, companion to an earlier work, Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies: Hispanics and the American Future published in 2006, uses an interdisciplinary approach to offer new insights into and summarize the social, cultural, economic, political and institutional factors that combine to shape the Hispanic experience in American society. The opening chapter sets the stage for broader discussion with a review of the history of Hispanic immigration to the United States and by identifying social factors that were key to that history. The authors point out that Hispanics are one of the oldest, most culturally diverse immigrant populations in the United States and that their recent emergence as the country’s fastest-growing ethnic minority represents an unprecedented demographic change. Drawing upon empirical data from research conducted by government agencies and nonprofit scientific foundations, the authors illustrate how the expanded growth of the Hispanic population is being felt in our nation’s education system, labor force, political process, and health care system. Throughout the book, the writers analyze research data to: describe the social dynamics of the Hispanic population from multiple perspectives, outline ways that Hispanics are different from other immigrant and ethnic minority groups in the U.S., and assess social integration prospects for recent arrivals and their native-born offspring. They argue that Hispanics possess a unique set of social and demographic characteristics that set them apart from other ethnic minority groups in the U.S. – the youthful age structure, common ancestral language, low levels of education attainment, higher concentration of workers in unskilled labor jobs, and the significant proportion who are undocumented. The writers believe that these salient characteristics exert a strong social and economic influence that will determine the group’s future chances for successful social integration and assimilation into the American mainstream. This excellent text provides social science researchers, policymakers, and other professionals with a rich source of knowledge about pivotal social issues affecting Hispanics in the U.S. I strongly recommend placing it on the reading list of college faculty teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in demographic studies, social problems, and cultural anthropology. It is also a good resource for social workers and other health care professionals who want to gain a better understanding of the social concerns of Hispanic and Latino immigrant communities their organizations serve. Reviewed by Mitchell A. Kaplan

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Pew and Census Data Argue for Policy Shifts REPORTS

The

by Angela Provitera McGlynn

Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization whose goal is to improve understanding of the diverse Hispanic population in America and to follow Latinos’ growing impact on the nation, does not take positions on policy issues. Any opinions based on the report’s findings are my own or those of others I cite. Pew released the report titled Unauthorized Immigrants: Length of Residency, Patterns of Parenthood on Dec. 1, 2011. Data for this report come mainly from the March 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS), jointly collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, and from the Pew Hispanic Center’s National Survey of Latinos (NSL). The data are augmented by the center’s analysis known as a “residual estimation methodology” that Pew has used for many years to track the unauthorized immigrant population. The report says that Hispanic unauthorized immigrants comprise 81 percent of the entire unauthorized immigrant population. Pew clarifies its use of terminology. For example, the term “unauthorized immigrant” refers to immigrants who are in the United States illegally. The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably. Additionally, “Foreignborn” refers to persons born outside of the United States, Puerto Rico or Share of Adults Who Are Parents of Minor Children, by Family Status and Legal Status, 2010

All

30%

U.S. natives

29%

Legal immigrants*

38%

Unauthorized immigrants

46%

Notes: Parents of minor children inclu de the family head and spouse of families with people younger than 18 * Includes naturalized U.S. citizens Source: Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the augmented March 2010 Current Population Survey; data adjusted for survey omissions PEW RESEARCH CENTER

other U.S. territories to parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. “Native-born” refers to persons who are U.S. citizens at birth, including those born in the U.S., Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories and those born abroad to parents at least one of whom was a U.S. citizen. The children of immigrant parents are native-born and foreign-born children under age 18 who have at least one parent that was born in another country. The children of U.S.-born parents are native-born chil-

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dren under age 18 who have two U.S.-born parents. Focusing on the length of stay and patterns of parenthood of unauthorized immigrants, the report notes that nearly two-thirds of the 10.2 million unauthorized adult immigrants in America have been here for at least 10 years; 35 percent have lived in this country for 15 years or more. Twenty-eight percent of unauthorized immigrants have lived in the U.S. for 10 to 14 years; 22 percent have lived here for five to nine years, and only 15 percent have lived in the U.S. for less than five years. Nearly half (46 percent) of unauthorized immigrants are parents of minor children. That’s about 4.7 million people. In contrast, just 38 percent of legal immigrant adults have minor children, and only 29 percent of U.S.-born adults are parents of minors. The disparity is largely due to the fact that unauthorized immigrants tend to be younger than the other two groups by about a decade, and therefore are of childbearing age. Looking further at family status, the report says that in addition to approximately one million unauthorized immigrants who are children, another 4.5 million people under 18 years old were born in this country to at least one unauthorized immigrant parent. The population of unauthorized immigrant children has decreased from its peak of 1.6 million in 2005. However, the number of U.S.-born children with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent has more than doubled since the year 2000. Moreover, at least nine million people are in what is known as “mixedstatus” families, that is, families that consist of at least one unauthorized adult and at least one U.S.-born child. This mixed status makes up 54 percent of the 16.6 million people in families with at least one unauthorized immigrant. And within these families, 400,000 unauthorized immigrant children have U.S.-born siblings. What we have seen essentially is that the percentage of unauthorized adult immigrants in this country who have lived here for at least 15 years has more than doubled since 2000, at which point only 16 percent had lived here for that duration. Additionally, the share of unauthorized immigrants who have lived here for less than five years has dropped by half during the same period. In 2000, 32 percent of unauthorized immigrants lived here less than five years, and in 2010, that number was 15 percent. These data show that the sharpest growth in this population occurred during the late 1990s and early 2000s and that the inflow has drastically slowed down in recent years. Multiple factors are probably at work. For one thing, the U.S. recession has made our country less attractive for immigrants seeking work. Another possibility is that border enforcement has tightened. Although according to Dowell Myers, professor in the Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, and the author of Immigrants and Boomers, in an Op-Ed piece titled, “The Next Immigration Challenge” (The New York Times, Jan. 12, 2012), “The most startling evidence of the falloff [in Mexican immigration] is the effective disappearance of illegal border crossers from Mexico, with some experts estimating the net number of new Mexicans settling in the United States at zero.” In other words, border tightening has not had as much of an effect (if any)

than the fact that large numbers of Mexicans have stopped coming to America. The Pew Report data support the idea of the reduced flow into the U.S. among Mexicans, who make up 58 percent (6.5 million people) of the unauthorized immigrant population. The United States saw a 70 percent decline in annual numbers of Mexican immigrants, comparing the first half of the decade to the second half. The numbers of immigrants returning to Mexico has remained fairly steady, but deportations are on the rise. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were approximately 390,000 deportations in 2010 – this is twice as many as in 2000. About 73 percent of deportees in 2010 originally came from Mexico. The lengthy stay of immigrants also reflects the fact that few return to their countries of origin voluntarily. As mentioned above, the Pew Hispanic Center gathers data without recommendations for policy changes. Looking at the data, however, leads many to conclude that the “immigration problem,” long part of the political agenda of the conservative political view, is one that needs to be completely re-thought. To those who speak about tightening the borders and putting up electrical fences, please consider two very important phenomena: immigration from Mexico is down to a trickle, and those Mexicans and other unauthorized immigrants from other countries are assimilating into our culture in striking ways. The changing demographics of our society require that we make some sweeping changes in the ways that we respond to both legal and unauthorized immigrants. Myers wrote in The New York Times article cited above: “... we must shift from an immigration policy, with its emphasis on keeping newcomers out, to an immigrant policy, with an emphasis on encouraging migrants and their children to integrate into our social fabric. ‘Show me your papers’ should be replaced with ‘Welcome to English class.’” Myers says, “There’s little doubt that immigrants’ potential as economic contributors turns on their ability to assimilate.” She cites new research showing that immigrant parents and their children are making extraordinary strides in assimilating. In large part, assimilation has to do with educational attainment. Although only about a third of adult immigrants have earned a high school diploma, their children are outperforming them. It is projected that by the year 2030, 80 percent of children of immigrants who arrived in the 1990s before they were 10 years old will have completed high school and almost one in five will have earned a bachelor’s degree. Of course, in the knowledge- and skill-based global economy of today and the future, the numbers of postsecondary minority degree holders must be much higher for America to establish and maintain a competitive edge. The world and our society are changing. With baby boomers retiring in droves, American immigrants and their children are crucial to picking up the slack for future economic growth. Those who have a retro, border-tightening mentality need a reminder from Emma Lazarus’ poem on the Statue of Liberty, the statue that has also been called the “Mother of Exiles”: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” – Emma Lazarus, New York City, 1883 When did America, “the land of the free,” become a place where millions of people are grabbed from their families and their lives and rapidly deported as if they disappeared in a kind of “rapture?” Following is a summary of the state and federal policy changes that must take place in America both for the sake of “human values” and for the survival of the U.S. economy.

Unauthorized Adults by Duration of Residence in the U.S., 2010

Less than 5 years 15 years or more

15%

35% 5-9 years 22% 10 -14 years 28%

Note: Based on adults age 18 and older at the time of the survey Source: Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the augmented March 2010 Current Population Survey; data adjusted for survey omissions PEW RESEARCH CENTER

According to Myers’ research: • The Department of Homeland Security would need to increase the money it currently spends from less than 1 percent of its budget to helping immigrants to assimilate • Instead of states with large immigrant populations cutting community and state college budgets, which are the colleges where low-income, firstgeneration, immigrant, and minority college students are most likely to enroll, these colleges need to be more heavily funded The anti-immigration, restrict-the-borders people will now argue that we are in a recession and must do belt-tightening – translation – reduce the deficit. This is an understandable but short-sighted argument. However, Myers explains that additional money is not necessarily required – what is required is shifting priorities: • The billions of dollars currently spent on border enforcement should be used to replenish and boost the education budget, particularly the Pell Grant program for low-income students; some money could be given to nonprofits such as Immigration Works and Welcoming America, which are both at the forefront of helping immigrants assimilate • Help immigrants become homeowners to foster assimilation • Immigration policy should not be the sole responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security; the departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education should play a greater role in immigration policy since immigration policy needs to be about cultivating workers; by extension, cultivating workers in our new world is all about education – we must ensure that immigrants and their children earn high school diplomas, skill and vocational two-year degrees, and bachelor’s degrees Myers reminds us that our foreign-born population is now 12 percent of the total. The way our country can retain and enhance its standing in the world is to change immigration policy so as to tap into the talents of its immigrants. Angela Provitera McGlynn, professor emeritus of psychology, is a national consultant/presenter and author on teaching and learning issues.

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MEDIA

Giving a Voice to Academic & Literary Writing by Sylvia Mendoza

The University Press: Bilingual University Press When Gary Francisco Keller took to the streets protesting back in the 1960s, he was working on his Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York. Caught up in activist movements involving freedom of speech, peace and revolutionary cultural awareness, having a voice was as important as individualism and embracing self-identity. The Chicano movement influenced him, especially after witnessing Luis Valdez and his Teatro Campesino when it came to New York. “There was this sense of Brown pride, and I wanted to be a part of it all,” Keller says. “I was swept up in it. I was a bottle swept up on the shores, and when it opened, I was at the eye of the universe. The movement attached itself to me.” The experiences offered him glimpses of Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban and ethnic studies. He attended conferences on Linguistics of Bilingualism, which were mostly in Spanish but other languages as well, among them Chinese, French, Italian and English. He had thought he would be a “staid professor” working in psychoanalysis, but instead his path took a different direction: he had power as a young assistant professor. Keller was asked to start a program in linguistics at a community college in New York. “After I earned my Ph.D., I had the opportunity to establish a program in Hispanic linguistics at the City College of New York. A group of us faculty and students thought to create a journal on the linguistics of bilingualisms.” With funding from New York University, The Bilingual Review Press – La Revista Bilingual (BRP) – was first published in January 1974. The journal was in press to present scholarly Chicano, Puerto Rican and Cuban-American literary analysis. The first issue was released with a number of emerging new authors who could not seem to get published elsewhere because of content or vision. “It opened a door to this new world of publishing,” Keller explains. “We created the beginning of Chicano and Puerto Rican fiction. We were radical and published young voices, and since women were marginalized still, we published the first women, first Latinas, like Ana Castillo, Judith Ortiz Cofer and Alma Villanueva.” The Theory and Practice of Feminist Literary Criticism was published in the 1970s, among other critical works. The Bilingual Press published scholarship, articles and stories while staying close to the heart of Chicano expression in art and the written word. It became committed to publishing fiction and poetry. The journal grew. It started out with $6,000, enough to publish three times a year. Then, taking Hispanic linguistics to heart, it started publishing in a “different” language. Linguistics students were bilingual but started “code switching.” Gary Francisco Keller “It’s not English; it’s not Spanish,” says Keller. “We thought, ‘Spanglish?’ No one has any interest in that. We were wrong.” In 1976, BRP published the first book, Bilingualism in the Centennial and Beyond, and became one of the largest publishers of fiction and poetry in the United States. It became a major source for publishing in a bilingual format, where approximately 70 percent was in English and 30 percent was in Spanish. “Bilingual education took off. We saw a need for it, first in bilingualism, then in ethnic studies, then in creative writing, then in film, then in art.” In 2000, a brand new writer, Elva Trevino Hart, who had never been published, came to Keller. “She was a senior executive at IBM, but a former migrant child who wanted to tell her story. We’d never really done memoir, but her story was compelling.” From that was born Barefoot Heart, which was in the top 10 books in the U.S. for a while and had exceptional reviews, says Keller. With the author’s blessing and success, the money generated for the Bilingual Review Press, in addition to a small amount of seed money from Keller’s institution, his salary, state and national grants, including funds from the National Endowment of the Arts, helped support the publishing of art books. “If not for Trevino, we would never have had this launch.” “Contemporary Chicano and Chicana Art was a triumph of our communities for Mexican-American art,” he says. “It’s been 25 years since the art book came out. It cost $42 million to publish. There were pages that pulled out and a softcover, for educational purposes. It was Chicano art for the millennium.” Other coffee table art books followed. Bilingual Review Press is able to publish about a dozen books a year. With a commitment to keeping all published books in print, it has a Clásicos Chicanos/Chicana Classics imprint. The Latina American Literary Review Press was founded in 1980 to feature Latin American literature. Always looking for a new adventure, Keller took on a new position as a regents professor at Arizona State in the mid-1980s, and the Bilingual Review Press came with him. “Life is interesting,” Keller says. “I reinvent myself every 15 years, and this job opening for a brand new researcher in Arizona became avail-

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able.” His reinvention makes him look at the evolution of the Bilingual Review Press and the need for its continued success as a voice for bilingual works. “I’m 70 now,” says Keller. “I’d like to see a transition of leadership. It’s time for another generation to take over.” The Source: NewPages.com Denise Hill, editor of NewPages.com for the last 10 years, cannot think of a better job than what she is doing – networking and connecting publishers and writers. NewPages.com actually started out as an independent bookstore 30 years ago. Casey Hill, the publisher, knew that the market was untapped for small independent publishers, radical political publishers and literary journals outside of the mainstream media. “It was radical. Political. Alternative,” says Hill. Libraries subscribed to his journal, where reviews were written, and he had the chance to interview famous people like Allen Ginsberg, says Hill. Now NewPages is one of the most comprehensive online resources for writers and provides one-stop shopping for writers, publishers, readers and various entities such as libraries and writing programs. “No matter if you get to publish your work if readers can’t read it,” says Hill. “I want to find a home for writers and publishers and others linked to the writing community, especially in academics. We can get your work in front of thousands.” Hundreds of university publishers, independent bookstores, small presses, literary magazines, blogs and writing-related websites are listed on the site. “University presses that are here, small independent university presses, have always been on our site because of what they offer – high content and academic focus of material,” says Hill. “Our purpose is to create a forum people can come to, but then we link out to other places. We help writers but also get people to read from a variety of publications and presses.” The NewPages.com slogan is “Good Reading Starts Here!” And the plug is news, information and guides to independent bookstores, independent publishers, literary magazines, alternative periodicals, independent record labels, alternative newsweeklies and more. Hill gets four to five requests per week from new magazines wanting to be added to the site. She reads and selects carefully those who will be listed. “Quality matters to us. We want to get quality writers, including professors and academic research to libraries. I literally look at the validity, quality and legitimacy of each site. I love doing this. It’s a service for my writing community.” Sections on the NewPages site include New and Noteworthy Books, as well as Book Reviews (archives available), NewPages Guide to Book Publishers, Literary Magazines (and Lit Mag Reviews), Alternative Magazines, Indie Bookstores, Creative Writing Programs, Writing contests and conferences, blogs and others. Hill and NewPages staff attend book or writing fairs such as the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Annual conference to represent literary magazines, promote the site and exhibit various journals and books. “This particular conference has the biggest collection of writers in academics,” explains Hill. More than 9,000 are represented. Across the nation, it’s about readers and subscribers, says Hill. NewPages is supported through advertising and sponsorship. If a university press wants to be listed or post about its latest books, it is absolutely free. If they want to post a picture with their entry, then it costs money, explains Hill. There is also an opportunity to advertise. The service NewPages provides includes promoting young authors’ contests and culturally relevant outlets. “We are super careful. These have to be absolutely free so young writers aren’t taken for granted. When there is a call for submissions for all writers, as long as the contests are not charging a fee, we will post for free so they can get quality content.” Amidst the hundreds of publishing houses, magazines and indie bookstores and outlets, there are publishers such as Bilingual Review Press, Rio Grande Review, UT El Paso, Puerta del Sol, New Mexico State Press and Cinco Puntos Press, for example. In short, there seems to be a connection for almost every type of writer. And because NewPages is all about connecting, a new service has been started. Because it is not always easy for people to get a hold of a university to order publications, the newest venture is to provide readers, libraries and other entities a chance to buy one or more issues of a variety of literary magazines, journals and books – through a NewPages store. This can provide access to new authors or publishing companies. “They can order four to five different magazines from a list of publishers, for example, and we’ll send them the copies,” says Hill. That way, they can get a taste of many quality works instead of going to each university, for example. This adds to the reputation we have – to satisfy the demand for highquality material and connect it to writing sources. It’s just what we do for the love of it.”

Perfecting Writing Association of Writers and Writing Programs The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (www.awp.org) is a nonprofit literary organization for teachers and writers. According to its website, it “provides community, opportunities, ideas, news, and advocacy for writers and teachers. We support over 34,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 100 writers’ conferences and centers.” This site offers a comprehensive list of national and international writing programs and conferences, as well as contests, career links, lists of writing awards and grants and a link to The Writer’s Chronicle, which “is published six times a year, presents essays, articles, news, & information designed to enlighten, inform, & entertain writers, editors, students, & teachers of writing.” Association of American University Presses Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the Association of American University Presses’ (www.aaup.org) mission is to “continue to be defined by an evolving response to assist our more than 130 member presses through professional education, cooperative services, and public advocacy.” It offers a breakdown of sections for scholarly publishers, members, authors and faculty, and libraries and offers an educational directory and a Scholarly Books in America bibliography.

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Global High Schools Blend Instruction

by Mary Ann Cooper ast year at this time, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine alerted its readers to the gap in Internet use between Whites and Hispanics and how that gap is beginning to affect education in America. The article was titled H.S. Hispanics Formula for Success: The Bottom Line Can Be Found Online. It detailed a Pew Hispanic Center report by Gretchen Livingston, senior researcher, Pew Hispanic Center, Kim Parker, senior researcher, Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, and Susannah Fox, associate director, Pew Internet & American Life Project, which showed that Hispanics lagged behind Whites in Internet use by 10 percent, making Hispanics less prepared for the rising tide of online courses and education programs transforming K-12 and college instruction. This year, The Hispanic Outlook is taking a look at the growth and development of online learning around the globe. Last year’s report summarized its findings this way: “As the use of computing and networking technologies in schools grows, educators increasingly incorporate online tools and resources into their curricula – some even replace traditional classroom interactions with “virtual” courses that take place entirely online. At the same time, administrators are concerned with helping students develop 21st-century skills while bridging the digital divide between students and adults. Today’s students are ready now to seize and shape the future by leveraging technology tools to implement their personalized vision for 21st-century education. Online learning is at the heart of this momentum as it satisfies the three essential elements of this new student vision: learning that is socially based, untethered and digitally rich.” Now, one year later, there are more studies designed to evaluate online education and its impact on classroom learning on all levels. Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011 is the ninth annual survey of the state of online learning in U.S. higher education. The survey is designed, administered and analyzed by the Babson Survey Research Group. Data collection is conducted in partnership with the College Board. This year’s study, like those of the previous

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eight years, is aimed at answering basic questions about the nature and extent of online education. Based on responses from more than 2,500 colleges and universities, the study addresses the fundamental question of whether online learning is seen by schools and institutions as an important part of their overall long-term education strategy. According to the report, the proportion of chief academic officers answering yes, that online education is critical to their long-term strategy, took an upward turn in both 2010 and 2011. Sixty-five percent of all reporting institutions said that online learning was a critical part of their longterm strategy, which represented a 2 percent increase over the same figure in 2010. The yearto-year change was greatest among for-profit institutions, which increased from 51 percent agreeing in 2009 to 69 percent in 2011. For-profit institutions are the most likely to have included online learning as a part of their strategic plan. More than six million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2010. That’s more than a half-million more students than the previous year. Almost one-third of all college students take at least one online course during their college experience. Although that is, arguably, an impressive number, researchers point out that the exploding growth of online study has “slowed” over the past two years. This could be attributed to two other survey figures that have remained unchanged over the years. While more than two-thirds of respondents said that they viewed online education “as good as or better” than face-to-face instruction, there is a stubborn one-third of all academic leaders who continue to believe that online education is inferior to face-to-face instruction. The report also notes that the perception of online education by “chief academic officers” has not changed significantly in the last eight years (less than one-third believe their faculty accept the “value and legitimacy” of online education). What will further increase the confidence in and demand for online education can be found at the K-12 level. While the U.S. has done a great deal to pioneer the use of the Internet, much can be learned from other countries. According to the iNACOL (International Association for K-12 Online

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Learning) report Online and Blended Learning: A Survey of Policy and Practice of K-12 Schools Around the World, the popular appeal of online tools is going to dramatically transform the 21stcentury classroom. The report is designed as a wakeup call for school officials to recognize and use digital education as an important learning tool. It includes a list of five international trends that explain what the U.S. and other countries are doing to promote and nurture K-12 online learning. The first trend cited has to do with geography. Blended courses (a combination of online and face-to-face instruction) and online courses are most available to students in urban areas in developed countries. Elementary and secondary-level students living in North America, Western Europe, Asia and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) have the most access to those choices, thanks to local and national funding of online access. At the other end of the spectrum, a third of countries from Eastern Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa have their online education infrastructure financially supported by their governments. Less than half of reporting countries indicated that blended or online learning was available to students in rural or suburban settings or to those attending small schools. In the U.S., access to online or blended learning is governed by economics. Hispanics and AfricanAmerican students in urban less-affluent school districts have less access to technology and equipment than students in school districts with the means to fund computer labs and training. This puts the former at a distinct disadvantage in higher education as more and more colleges and universities enlarge their online or blended offerings. The second trend cited is that online education has prompted local schools to form an alliance with national governments in developing blended or online programs. “Funding, it says, “has been used directly to support national initiatives, and indirectly through financial support of local school districts. Funded national initiatives have commonly taken the form of investments in infrastructure and hardware. Indirect funding through support of school districts has facilitated grass-roots development of online courses, programs and digital repositories for

curriculum and resources.” For example, China developed its first online school in 2006. It now has more than 200 online schools. The third trend cited is the lack of urgency around the world to require specialized teacher training for online or blended learning. Only 11 percent of countries with government funding for online or blended learning reported that a license or certificate was required for teaching a blended or online class. “More commonly,” says the report, “countries indicated that general teacher training and licensure were sufficient to teach in a blended or online classroom, though professional development was available to improve online pedagogy and technical skills. Seventy-two percent of the countries reported that their online and blended classroom teachers participated in professional development for online teaching, particularly after they started their positions.

Universities and colleges were reported as the primary source of training for educators, followed by regional centers and local schools.” The fourth trend cited is that more countries accept blended learning than accept the concept of exclusively online learning. For instance, Singapore reported that online learning by itself is not a priority for its students. However, officials see introducing online study as part of classroom study (blended learning) as a way to enhance classroom learning. And while 35 of the 54 countries surveyed for this report indicate that online and blended learning was part of their country’s education plan, the definition of online and blended education varies internationally. To some countries, the terms mean using “technology,” not necessarily the World Wide Web. When online and blended learning is strictly defined as not face-to-face or only partially

face-to-face learning, the number of countries defining themselves as online or blended study nations drops dramatically. The fifth trend in online and blended learning is the limitations set by countries to make online and blended learning mostly available only to students with “special circumstances” that prevent them from going to a physical, traditional classroom. Officials from Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia and Slovenia, for instance, said that online learning was used most commonly for student athletes, students with chronic illness and disease, and those who were hospitalized, homebound, incarcerated and severely disabled. Only countries like the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, China and British Columbia have extended online and blended learning opportunities to most of their student populations.

Theory into Practice They say you can’t tell the players without a program. The same can be said about online learning. You have to talk the talk before you can walk the walk. The term online or blended learning can mean many things to many people. In the report Going the Distance, online courses are defined as those in which at least 80 percent of the course content is delivered online. Face-to-face instruction includes courses in which zero to 29 percent of the content is delivered online; this category includes both traditional and Web courses. Blended (sometimes called hybrid) instruction has between 30 percent and 80 percent of the course content delivered online. With those definitions in mind, here are some useful terms and their definitions provided by iNACOL’s Online Learning Definitions Project for anyone trying to understand or develop a more robust online learning platform. Asynchronous learning – Unlike contemporaneous learning and discussion, this type of learning is characterized by communication exchanges that occur in elapsed time between two or more people. Examples of asynchronous learning are e-mail, online discussion forums, message boards, blogs and podcasts. Blended learning – Blended learning occurs any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery, with the student having some control over when and where study takes place and the pace of that study. Brick-and-mortar schools – Refers to traditional school or traditional school buildings, as contrasted with an online school. The term “brick and mortar” was originally created to describe retail stores when compared to online shopping experiences. Content repository – This is a cyberspace location where people can save and share content. It can be likened to a text, image and video common location, just as YouTube is a place to store and share videos. Digital learning – This is the comprehensive term used to describe online or blended learning. It does not imply total digital learning or partial digital learning experiences as part of its definition. Distance education – The general term used for any type of educational activity in which the students and instructors are not in the same location. They can be in separate locations at the same time (synchronous learning) or at different times (asynchronous learning). Face-to-face – When two or more people meet in person. This is the traditional learning model. Online course – Any course offered over the Internet. Online learning – The terms means learning in which “instruction and content” are delivered primarily over the Internet. But according to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Policy and Program Studies Service, 2010, “The term does not include print-based correspondence education, broadcast television or radio, videocassettes, and stand-alone educational software programs that do not have a significant Internet-based instructional component.” Synonyms for online learning are: virtual learning, cyber learning and e-learning. Synchronous learning – Online learning in which the participants interact at the same time and the same space.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

www.hispanicoutlook.com

Lumina Report Finds Modest Gains in America’s College Attainment Rates WASHINGTON, D.C.

As college completion rates continue to climb in other parts of the world, a new report released by Lumina Foundation shows that the U.S. must do significantly more to build on the modest gains in higher education attainment seen here at home. According to the report, A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education, 38.3 percent of working-age Americans (ages 2564) held a two- or four-year college degree in 2010. That rate is up modestly from 2009, when the rate was 38.1 percent, and 2008, when the rate was 37.9 percent. The report measures progress toward Goal 2025, a national movement to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025.

NCES Releases New Data on Postsecondary Enrollment, Graduation Rates and Student Financial Aid WASHINGTON, D.C.

For those attending public four-year institutions, average price before aid was approximately $16,900 and net price was about $10,200; for those attending nonprofit four-year institutions, average price before aid was roughly $32,700 and net price was about $16,700; and for those attending forprofit four-year institutions, average price before aid was approximately $27,900 and

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The Stronger Nation report shows that if the U.S. continues at its current rate of production, only 79.8 million working-age Americans (46.5 percent of those aged 2564) will hold degrees by 2025, which will leave this country more than 23 million degrees short of the national 60 percent goal. According to Lumina, a growing number of states have established goals for college completion, and many have committed to measuring progress. Numerous cities, business groups and higher education institutions have also set attainment goals. In a recent Gallup-Lumina Foundation poll, the vast majority of Americans said that they believe economic well-being is tied to holding a college degree. But there are barriers to moving the country to a 60 percent attainment rate. Many state universities and community colleges face both financial constraints and a lack of space. A majority of Americans in the Gallup-

Lumina poll also raised concerns about tuition increases and questioned whether college and universities are able to deliver the job-relevant learning that is required today. These realities have experts increasingly exploring ways to focus on productivity and quality in the system, says Lumina. According to Stronger Nation, 39.3 percent of young adults (ages 25-34) held a two- or four-year college degree in 2010. That is a full percentage point higher than for all adults and a good leading indicator of where attainment rates are headed. In 2008, young adults ranked below the adult population as a whole. The report also shows modest degree attainment gains from 2008-10 across U.S. adult population groups. The rates as of 2010 include: Asian-American (59.36 percent), White (42.96 percent), Black (26.84 percent), Native American (22.83 percent), and Hispanic (19.21 percent).

net price was about $23,800, according to new data released by the National Center for Education Statistics. Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2010; Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2010; and Graduation Rates, Selected Cohorts, 20022007 presents findings from the spring 2011 data collection of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences. Other findings include: • In fall 2010, Title IV institutions enrolled 19 million undergraduate and three million graduate students; of the 19 million undergraduates, 56 percent were enrolled in four-

year institutions; 42 percent, in two-year institutions; and 2 percent, in less-than-twoyear institutions • Approximately 58 percent of full-time, first-time students attending four-year institutions in 2004 who were seeking a bachelor’s or equivalent degree completed a bachelor’s or equivalent degree within six years at the institution where they began their studies • Overall, first-time undergraduate student one-year retention rates were higher for full-time students (72 percent) than for part-time students (44 percent) To view the full report, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp? pubid=2012280.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

New Study from the Kellogg School of Management: College Culture Contributes to “Academic Disadvantage” for First-Generation Students EVANSTON, Ill.

A college education is traditionally viewed as the great leveler in American society – an engine of social mobility that provides equal opportunities to all students. However, new research finds that students who are the first in their families to attend college – first-generation college students – are at an unseen academic disadvantage in college. A new study from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University identifies this factor as an important source of the widening social class achievement gap in American colleges and universities. The new study, Unseen Disadvantage: How American Universities’ Focus on Independence Undermines the Academic Performance of First-Generation College Students, suggests that the seemingly positive middle- and upper-class cultural norms

Ipsos U.S. Diversity Markets Report Describes Types of Latinos MIAMI, Fla.

Hispanic Group, an independent, minorityowned agency specializing in customized communications solutions across all disciplines of advertising, traditional, digital and social media, branded content, and more, recently sought to shed light on the types of Latinos living in the U.S., based on the Ipsos U.S. Diversity Markets Report released in March. According to Hispanic Group, with a

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that pervade traditional American universities – norms that emphasize independent values such as “do your own thing,” “pave your own path,” and “express yourself” – can undermine the academic performance of first-generation students. “Today one in six students at four-year American universities are first-generation students, but our research suggests that these students may face a ‘cultural mismatch’ when they head to college and that universities may inadvertently play a role in reproducing the very social inequalities that they hope to alleviate,” said Nicole Stephens, lead author and assistant professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School of Management. “Our research seeks to recognize the obstacles that contribute to the social class achievement gap and to lay the groundwork for developing strategies to address the problem.” The study distinguishes between the cultural norms and motives of middle-class students with one or more parents who have a fouryear college degree versus first-generation students from working-class backgrounds. The research has many implications for

how colleges and universities can change the way they approach first-generation students. For example, the study suggests colleges and universities should consider expanding the expectations of college students to include more interdependent norms common among first-generation students, such as working together and connecting with others. For example: • Admissions materials and mission statements of universities could be revised to reflect the importance of interdependent norms • In the classroom, professors could emphasize the importance of collaboration, require more group work and seek to develop ongoing relationships with their students • Universities could provide students with more structured opportunities that encourage ongoing connections with peers and faculty “These findings suggest that social-psychological interventions that more systematically expand the university culture so that they include ideas and practices of interdependence may go a long way toward remedying the unseen disadvantage experienced by first-generation students in American universities today,” the study concludes.

GOP primary and presidential elections on the horizon, the Latino vote is on everyone’s agenda, but classifying all Latinos as one cohesive group is shortsighted. Hispanics represent 16.5 percent of the population and account for 56 percent of the population growth of the last decade. However, it is level of acculturation – how long they’ve lived in the U.S. and embrace American values – that might predict political agenda. “There are four fundamental topics that are of interest to Latinos: immigration, education, health and employment,” said José

Luis Valderrama, president and founder of Hispanic Group. “But how those are ranked in order of importance varies from one ethnic group to another.” The U.S. Market Diversity Report, now in its 15th edition, is published every other year and covers demographics and market characteristics for the rapidly growing Hispanic market. The report breaks down Hispanic populations into segments from mostly acculturated (no distinction from a native born) to unacculturated traditional Latinos (who resist the American way of life).

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Herrera Named California Poet Laureate

Ponjuan Receives NEA’s 2012 New Scholar Award

García Honorary Chair at 2012 CSUSB LEAD Summit

University of California-Riverside (UCR) poetry professor Juan Felipe Herrera – known for chronicling the bittersweet lives, travails and contributions of MexicanAmericans – was named California’s Poet Laureate by Gov. Jerry Brown in March. Herrera, the son of migrant farmworkers, holds the Tomás Rivera Chair in Creative Writing at UCR. He joined the faculty in 2005. Herrera has a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology from the University of California-Los Angeles, master’s in social anthropology from Stanford University and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The award-winning Chicano poet said he was touched by the honor and acknowledged the influence of Tomás Rivera, a noted Chicano author, poet and educator who served as UCR’s chancellor from 1979 until his death in 1984, calling him “a leading light in the world of poetry.”

Dr. Luis Ponjuan was recently honored with the National Education Association’s (NEA) 2012 New Scholar Award. Currently an assistant professor in the College of Education and director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida (UF), Ponjuan was honored for his research on Latino faculty. He holds graduate faculty member status in the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He also holds faculty affiliate status in the Center for Latin American Studies. Ponjuan has a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of New Orleans, Master of Science in higher education administration from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. in higher education with concentrations in quantitative research methodology and organizational behavior and theory from the University of Michigan.

Ernie García was honored at the third annual Latino Education and Advocacy Days (LEAD) summit at California State University-San Bernardino (CSUSB) in March. He was named the LEAD 2012 honorary chair, or “el padrino de honor.” García spent 36 years in education, including 13 as a teacher and an administrator in K-12 schools and 23 years in higher education that included 11 years as dean of the CSUSB College of Education, where he also served as a professor and chair in the department of elementary education. He retired in 1990. García has an associate degree from San Bernardino Valley College, bachelor’s from the University of California-Riverside, master’s from the University of Redlands, and a doctorate in education from the University of California-Los Angeles.

DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY AND COMPLIANCE Fordham University has an excellent reputation as a dynamic Jesuit institution located in New York City. Founded in 1841, Fordham enrolls more than 15,100 undergraduate and graduate students in 10 Colleges and Schools. Fordham is seeking a discerning leader and facilitator with the experience and skills to serve as Director of Institutional Equity and Compliance. This leadership position works directly with administration and faculty at all levels on the University's three campuses. The Director is responsible for developing, disseminating and monitoring University non-discrimination policies and procedures; investigating and resolving discrimination complaints; and otherwise advancing equity and diversity. Candidates should have at least 10 years related administrative/managerial experience and a graduate or professional degree. Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit education. For more details on this position, please visit

www.fordham.edu/hr (See position A00825 at the Job Opportunities link under Administrative Opportunities)

Please send letter and resume to: Georgina Calia Arendacs, Ph.D. caliaarenda@fordham.edu

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Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Penn State Harrisburg Penn State Harrisburg invites applications and nominations for the position of Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. This senior leadership position will report directly to the Chancellor; and in the absence of the Chancellor, will serve as the chief executive officer of the College. The Senior Associate Dean is responsible for overall academic planning and assessment; curriculum development and review; and faculty development. This position plays a leadership role in shaping academic policy and practice, and sustaining academic standards consistent with programmatic accreditation; convenes the Academic Council and sits on the Chancellor’s Council, representing matters related to academic affairs. The Senior Associate Dean represents the College on the University Academic Council on Undergraduate Education (ACUE). Candidates should have significant academic and administrative experience with credentials appropriate for a tenured appointment at the rank of professor. For details, visit the website at http://harrisburg.psu.edu/open-positions. Letter of application, a current vita, and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of five references should be sent to: Chair, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Search Committee, c/o Ms. Dorothy J. Guy, Director of Human Resources, Penn State Harrisburg, Box HHE - 36151, 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057-4898 or to HBG-HR@LISTS.PSU.EDU. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Start date is negotiable. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.

DID YOU KNOW... We have Web Packages Available?

Dean, College of Arts & Sciences Florida State University is conducting a nationwide search for Dean of Arts & Sciences. The Search Committee invites letters of nomination, applications (letter of interest, full resume/CV, and contact information of at least five references), or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted prior to August 8, 2012. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the Committee and/or hiring authority. For a complete position description, please visit the Current Opportunities page at www.parkersearch.com. Laurie C. Wilder, Executive Vice President & Managing Director Porsha L. Williams, Principal 770-804-1996 ext: 109 pwilliams@parkersearch.com The Florida State University is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action Employer. Five Concourse Parkway

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The University of Central Florida is conducting a nationwide search for Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies. The Search Committee invites letters of nomination, applications (letter of interest, full resume/CV, and contact information of at least five references), or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted prior to August 8, 2012. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the Committee and/or hiring authority. For a complete position description, please visit the Current Opportunities page at www.parkersearch.com.

E-Mail us your text to: outlook@sprintmail.com Your ad is up in Minutes! And Visit us on the web www.HispanicOutlook.com

Laurie C. Wilder, Executive Vice President & Managing Director Porsha L. Williams, Principal 770-804-1996 ext: 109 pwilliams@parkersearch.com UCF is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and encourages the candidacies of women, members of racial and ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities. All searches and documents are subject to the Sunshine and public records laws of the State of Florida. Five Concourse Parkway

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SILENCE HELPS LATINO TEENS PREPARE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

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

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. – Mahatma Gandhi

Pods. MP3s. DSs. Television. Cell phones. For many teenagers, the noise is constant. In a rush to escape silence, many adolescents will tune into music or chatter however and whenever they can. For many Latino teens, the family home might be abuzz with relatives, young and old – talking, visiting, watching TV or simply going in and out frequently. Adolescents who get cranky or protest loudly that others “bug” might actually need some down time in the quiet, allowing themselves a place and some time to think, rest and be creative. That stillness can help them prepare for higher education. One might argue that the developing adolescent brain needs the stimulation to keep going and growing. At the same time, though, one of the most rejuvenating, mind-clearing and simple things a person can do for learning and productivity is to shut off the noise. Some Latino teens might protest silence, claiming it is “boring.” Others will proclaim, “Hey, this isn’t a library!” And a few might question, “How can you stand it in here with so much quiet?” Maybe we need to make it cool to be quiet. Perhaps if people realized how important silence is, they’d be more apt to seek and embrace it. Structuring silence into daily school life would help many Latino students perform better. The reasons for doing so are compelling. Silence gives your mind an opportunity for introspection. How can a Latino student come to know himself if he can’t hear himself think? Hispanic students who are comfortable in conversation with themselves function well alone and with others since they integrate learning into their lives with deeper understanding. Students who use quiet to develop introspection might also be less prone to participating in risky behavior promoted by peer pressure. A student who knows himself well is far less likely to stray to gain the favor of others or to search for himself in untoward ways. Silence helps Latino teens think more clearly. It is easy to consider

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an idea quickly and dismiss it. To think about it later, in stillness, helps the idea become clearer and more meaningful. Suddenly a student’s passing idea or quickly drawn opinion might take on a new twist or significance. It is also easier for a Latino student to discern choices wisely from among many options when it is quiet enough to ponder the consequences of each choice. Silence allows a person to follow a decision path to its logical conclusion, imagining the consequences and reducing the risk of making an unwise choice. Sometimes it becomes evident that more information is needed. Other times a new consideration arises and steers the decision making in a different direction. Silence is an invaluable tool in personal relationships, too. In any relationship, keeping quiet is sometimes the best response to a difficult situation that would not improve with words. Instead of fueling the situation with less-than-well-chosen comments, he who remains silent holds much power, especially if speaking would make the situation worse. Perhaps the greatest gift of silence, however, is the calmness of spirit it provides and the personal self-discipline it can foster. Things slow down in stillness. Events take on a clearer tone. Personal involvement in an event or situation, particularly when it is upsetting, can take a more objective tone with the more distant perspective that tranquility provides. And when the demands of work or studies mount, concentration can become heightened in silence rather than amidst noise. The strengthening of character is often greatest in silence, for discipline and spirituality have developed through self-imposed quiet. And humility – knowing the world and one’s place in it – comes from listening intently and heeding the call heard in stillness. Latino students can develop that discipline, humility, self-knowledge, insight, and clarity if we help them find the silence that is hard to capture in the din of everyday life. And, if you still wonder about the importance of silence, watch the calm settle in as the Hispanic student discovers the peace found in quiet. The answers they seek can almost be deafening, if only we would help them turn down the noise.