麻豆传媒 earned status as an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution when fall 2022 enrollment numbers show that 16% of students identify as Hispanic.
That is an important milestone on the way to the university鈥檚 goal of reaching the 25% necessary to earn the federal government鈥檚 designation as an HSI by the end of this decade.
The journey to that goal, however, is about much more than numbers. As Wichita State attracts and retains Hispanic students, its ability to help all students will improve.
鈥淲e are putting a lot of emphasis on the word 鈥榮erving,鈥欌�� said Executive Vice President and Provost Shirley Lefever. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not simply about increasing the number of Hispanic students here. It鈥檚 really about what are we doing to make sure our students are successful here at 麻豆传媒.鈥�
The HSI classification would open the potential for additional federal funding to expand academic programs and support Hispanic students with scholarships and services.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really doubling down on aligning our resources to meet the needs of our growing student population," said Teri Hall, vice president for Student Affairs. 鈥淚n that process, we are also focusing on the specific needs of our students who identify as Hispanic.鈥�
Wichita State鈥檚 goal to earn HSI status comes as the Hispanic population in Wichita and Sedgwick County is growing and as the university increases admissions effort in Texas and Oklahoma. It aligns with the priority of making college education accessible and affordable.
鈥淎s more Hispanic students hear about Wichita State, hear about the programs and services we are offering at Wichita State, more students are going to come,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淎s the Hispanic population in Kansas and this part of the Midwest continues to grow, it is critical that we have the resources to serve them. Sixteen percent is a number. What鈥檚 more important for me is that I want to make sure that we鈥檙e an institution that truly supports students, and in this case, Hispanic students in particular. I want it to be seen as a philosophy and a space we reach. We鈥檙e at 16%, or 25% eventually, because of all we do to help our Hispanic students be successful.鈥�
To help Hispanic students, Wichita State offers many support systems and opportunities.
- Several multicultural scholarships have been established specifically for underrepresented minorities, including the Adelante Scholarship, which offers 20 renewable, high-impact scholarships to students who are of Black and/or Hispanic/Latinx heritage.
- Yolanda and Gene Camarena, who established the Adelante Scholarship, also included additional funding in their gift to support new staff in the Office of Admissions and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. These staff members work to translate recruitment materials into Spanish, presenting information to families about 麻豆传媒 and event programming geared toward bilingual families.
- Efforts continue to increase the diversity of faculty and staff and outreach to Spanish-speaking parents of students. Edil Torres Rivera, professor of Latinx and counseling, leads the Latinx Cluster Initiative. Launched in 2019, the initiative allows the university to better serve its growing number of Latinx students by hiring educators with expertise in Latinx needs.
- On Nov. 2, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Hispanic/Latine groups and student organizations sponsored D铆a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) activities in the Rhatigan Student Center. Earlier this fall, six students attended the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities conference in San Diego. The students attended programs on networking, university experiences and business. All six interviewed for internships.
- Faculty from Wichita State, Friends University and Newman University are preparing for a February visit from Gina Ann Garcia, author of 鈥淏ecoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges and Universities.鈥� Torres Rivera is also leading a group of Wichita State faculty, students and staff who meet regularly to discuss the university鈥檚 progress in this area.
Construction of the Shocker Success Center, an $18.5 million transformation of the former Clinton Hall, will benefit all students by bringing together 17 student services currently housed in 10 buildings. It is scheduled to be completed in December 2023.
鈥淥nce we achieve the goal, how do we maintain it?鈥� Torres Rivera said. 鈥淭he idea is to be serving our students. The whole university is very enthusiastic about anything that has to do with diversity and inclusion.鈥�
麻豆传媒 is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling almost 22,000 students between its main campus and 麻豆传媒 Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and 麻豆传媒 Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), 麻豆传媒 provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the 麻豆传媒 main campus, is one of the nation鈥檚 largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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