Reaching out to Hispanic families; develop a realistic communication model, and your school can build a richly diverse campus

University Business, June, 2004 by Howard Greene, Matthew Greene

John and his sister, Diane (names changed to protect privacy), are Colombian, adopted at birth by an American couple. With clear South American features, they have grown up as suburban American teens raised in a Jewish household that doesn't speak Spanish.

Mary is the daughter of a Cuban emigre. Raised in New York, she has never visited Cuba, and only recently began seriously working on her Spanish language skills during her travels to South America and at her place of work at a lower-income daycare center in the city.

Dena and her sister, Lianne, were raised in a half-Cuban household in the U.S. Both are very interested in their cultural background, attended competitive high schools, and visited Cuba with family during their childhood.

Michael grew up as a member of a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. He became an ABC (A Better Chance) Scholar, moving to a Connecticut suburb to take advantage of a strong high school education during the school year, with the support of the ABC program. A bilingual student, Michael excelled in the sciences.

What do all of these students have in common? They were all recruited by colleges and universities such as the University of Michigan, Vanderbilt (TN), Cornell (NY), Lafayette (PA), Syracuse (NY), and Tulane (LA) as part of those institutions' multicultural admissions efforts. Each was considered by at least one college as a Hispanic student, though some colleges did not view that same student as an underrepresented minority candidate.

Today, the Hispanic population in the U.S. and the rest of the world is exceedingly diverse. The students and families profiled above represent only several segments of it. Others include Mexican-American, Central American, South American, Spanish, and the many varieties of families that consider themselves Chicano or Latino, nonwhite Hispanic, white Hispanic, biracial, bicultural, or multiethnic.

In fact, the Hispanic student population is now the fastest-growing college-bound group in America, and many demographics experts are forecasting a time later in this century when there will no longer be a racial or ethnic majority in the U.S. Still, it is dearly understood that today, Hispanic students of all backgrounds are seriously underrepresented in American colleges, and their lack of a college education will dramatically impact their future career choices and earnings. Four-year colleges and universities, and community colleges alike are trying to boost the enrollment and retention of Hispanic students through a range of efforts. How are they going about it? How should your institution be approaching it? Start with these two key principles that can help your college or university improve its efforts during the coming decade--and beyond.

PRINCIPLE #1: GETTING THE MESSAGE

If you cannot understand the message, then you cannot act on the information. We have tong contended in this University Business forum and elsewhere that educational planning is a family centered process. Few students make important educational decisions without the guidance of a parent, grandparent, or other relative. In order for all of us to help all families be involved in supporting students' learning, we must strive to make materials available to students as well as parents and relatives who do not have strong English skills.

For many families--and Hispanic families in particular--it has long been known that several hurdles currently persist. Many families lack knowledge about taking college preparatory classes; misperceive college costs and financial aid availability; and are unwitting to see their children study at campuses far from home. And Hispanic students are often hesitant to let go of responsibilities to their extended family in order to pursue their education. Overall, there is confusion about the value of a liberal arts or pre-professional educational program and how to take best advantage of it.

But targeted materials can empower these families to understand how much financial aid is available to help them afford college, and how to access this assistance. Such materials can help students and family members grasp the impact of college on their futures. They can assist families in learning how to navigate the college admissions process, and help them decipher the differences among colleges, and the array of academic programs available.

In fact, in an effort to foster greater outreach to students and their families from all walks of life, last year we worked with WTIU (the public television station at Indiana University, Bloomington), Interactive Frameworks, Inc., and PBS to produce Ten Steps to College with the Greenes. Ten Steps is a college planning "kit" that can actually serve as a model for colleges and universities serious about enhancing their Hispanic outreach and retention el forts. Our own "kit" comprised a college planning television program, Web site, workbook, and user's guide, but your institution's efforts could borrow from any combination of these components.