Abstract: Prior literature on resilience in the Latina and Latino community focuses on student resilience. In this paper we argue that it is also important to consider organizational resilience among the colleges and universities that enroll large percentages of Latina and Latino students. Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) often come under undue public scrutiny, sometimes inadvertently, when policymakers evaluate MSIs using the same standards that they use for more homogeneous institutions. In this multiple case study, we consider how structures and practices can support organizational resilience across different types of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Because prior research suggests that MSIs are disproportionately subjected to adverse actions from institutional accreditors, we focus on studying organizational resilience within the context of the institutional accreditation process. Consistent with theory on organizational resilience, we find that the structures and practices that supported organizational resilience resulted from relatively ordinary adaptive processes. We discuss implications for theory and practice.

Abstract: Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) increasingly provide educational opportunities for underrepresented groups such as Latinx students; however, their categorization as minority-serving institutions is a function of their enrollment data rather than an explicit commitment to serving specific cultural needs. The authors of this study add to the literature on HSIs by further recognizing the need for community colleges to delve further into the different experiences of Latino males based on the intersection of race and gender. This study as part of the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color explored how HSI community college might express a commitment to serving Latino males through the design and implementation of programming. The authors utilized a framework including concepts of HSI organizational identity, norms of racism in higher education, and gendered racism to conceptualize a Latino male-serving organizational identity. Findings revealed that colleges should go beyond Latino male outcomes to create a culture of commitment embedded throughout the college and not just isolated to men of color programming. This research has implications for the significant role that HSI community colleges can take in becoming leaders in serving Latino males through a purposeful and intentional commitment.

Abstract: Background: Noncognitive and affective (NCA) factors (e.g., belonging, engineering identity, motivation, mindset, personality, etc.) are important to undergraduate student success. However, few studies have considered how these factors coexist and act in concert. Purpose/Hypothesis: We hypothesize that students cluster into several distinct collections of NCA factors and that identifying and considering the factors together may inform student support programs and engineering education. Design/Method: We measured 28 NCA factors using a survey instrument with strong validity evidence. We gathered responses from 2339 engineering undergraduates at 17 U.S. institutions and used Gaussian mixture modeling (GMM) to group respondents into clusters. Results: We found four distinct profiles of students in our data and a set of unclustered students with the NCA factor patterns varying substantially by cluster. Correlations of cluster membership to self-reported incoming academic performance measures were not strong, suggesting that students’ NCA factors rather than traditionally used cognitive measures may better distinguish among students in engineering programs. Conclusions: GMM is a powerful technique for person-centered clustering of high-dimensional datasets. The four distinct clusters of students discovered in this research illustrate the diversity of engineering students’ NCA profiles. The NCA factor patterns within the clusters provide new insights on how these factors may function together and provide opportunities to intervene on multiple factors simultaneously, potentially resulting in more comprehensive and effective interventions. This research leads to future work on both student success modeling and student affairs–academic partnerships to understand and promote holistic student success.

Abstract: To identify and broadly engage the next generation of computer science researchers, the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI), an NSF INCLUDES Alliance, piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020. Funded by an NSF RAPID grant, the pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 50 students and 20 faculty drawn from 20 colleges and universities widely distributed throughout the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. The program used the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model to guide faculty mentors throughout the experience. ARG is a CAHSI signature practice with a focus on deliberate, structured faculty and student research skills development. At weekly meetings, Drs. Morreale, Villa, and Gates discussed and provided resources for specific skills that were appropriate at a specific point in time of a student’s research experience. Faculty mentors put skills development into immediate practice throughout their summer research program.

Abstract: Over the years, more colleges and universities have gained the designation of Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and emerging Hispanic-serving institutions (EHSIs). The Hispanic-serving community colleges (HSCCs) have a dual mission of authentically serving both Latinx students and other marginalized student population. This study aims to examine if community colleges have effectively served this dual mission by expanding access for Latinx students, low-income students, and other students of color upon being designated with the EHSI/HSI status. To answer the research question, we used a national dataset which was drawn from multiple sources between 2010 and 2017 and a generalized difference-in-differences approach. Our findings show that the EHSI/HSI designation increased the proportion of Latinx students and low-income students, but this expansion can be at a cost of access for other students of color. Practical implications are provided, including continuous federal funding, strategic enrollment management, and constant consideration of the dual mission of HSCCs.