CWU to host discussion on Hispanic-Serving Institution status with faculty/staff

CWU is examining what it would mean to become an official Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The U.S. Department of Education designation specifically pertains to higher educational institutions that have an undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment of at least 25 percent Hispanic students.

Provost Katherine Frank has charged a steering committee, of representatives from across the university, to explore the potential opportunities and challenges associated with this possible pathway for CWU.

Committee members have been in contact with Gina Garcia, an assistant professor in the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, pertaining to her research in this area. It focuses on issues of equity and diversity in higher education and understanding how to embrace and enact an organizational identity for serving HSI populations. She will come to the Ellensburg campus to meet with various stakeholder groups on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4 and 5.

Garcia’s visit will include a one-hour, open conversation with faculty and staff set for 2:00 p.m. on Thursday in Science II 103. Faculty and staff at the University Centers and instructional sites will also be able to participate in the conversation.

Media contact: Robert Lowery, Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-1487, Robert.Lowery@cwu.edu.