Hispanic Serving Institution

Contact

Current Team Members

(updated fall 2018)

Agustin Rivera, Jr.

Student Success Specialist

(Peer Navigator/CRUISE)

Alexi Balaguer

Senior Student Services Assistant

(Peer Navigator/CRUISE)

Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk

Social & Behavioral Science Course Liaison

Cynthia Short

Classroom Tutor (CT) Coordinator

Juan U. Bernal

Math Course Designer

Mariam Kushkaki

Classroom Tutor (CT) Coordinator

Tracey Walker

ELAC Course Designer

Program Management

Leticia Lopez

Program Manager
619-388-2353, LRC-461

Ikuko McAnally

Administrative Technician
619-388-2995, LRC-440

Rena Alspaw

Project Assistant

619-388-2995, LRC-440

HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION (HSI) CONFERENCE

We look forward to seeing you! Spaces are limited.

Register Now!

FLEX# 100738

HSI program overview

San Diego Mesa College is proud to be formally designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by the United States Department of Education. The purpose of this designation is to provide Mesa College the opportunity to improve the academic attainment of Latino/a, Chicano/a, Hispanic, or similar identities, and low-income students. Being an HSI means we are a reflection of our students, their cultures, values, and life experiences. It guides the direction of the college and how we go about the work that we do. Every students deserves to feel connected and safe on campus and to have access to the programs and services to successfully reach their goals. As an Hispanic Serving Institution, Mesa is committed to be the Leading College of Equity and Excellence.

HSIs, or Hispanic-Serving Institutions, are designated as such in part according to enrollment. If Latinx enrollment is over 25% then the HSI qualifies for federal grant opportunities. Currently, Mesa’s Latinx enrollment is near 38%. Our Title V and Title III STEM grants ensure services and resources are available to low-income and Latinx student populations to promote academic success. These resources empower our diverse student body so they can reach their educational goals and succeed in their future endeavors.

HSI Conference Purpose

While we have continued to make huge strides to better support our students, one common area that seems to recur across all HSI institutions is that of service – we have enrollment numbers, populations of Latinx students are growing, but what does it truly mean to serve our students? If the designation of HSI is “Hispanic-serving institution”, how are we serving our students and communities?

For the purpose of this first conference at Mesa College – the 2019 HSI Conference – this year’s theme is, “What does it mean to serve as a Hispanic-Serving Institution?” We invite you to submit proposals that explore the following topics:

A. Decolonizing Hispanic-Serving Institutions

B. Building a Community of Service

C. What does HSI mean to you?

D. Equality, Equity, and Social Justice

E. Struggles of Service and How to Overcome

F. How to be equitable without sacrificing rigor

G.How to create an environment of activism

Students are welcome to submit if they are submitting with a faculty member. We want to hear from a variety of fields, but with special emphasis on social and behavioral sciences, due to their specialty on theories of teaching, learning, and social justice.

HSI Conference GOALS

Faculty members who participate in the HSI Conference learn enhanced tools and practices to:

Identify and apply innovative teaching practices through a culturally competent lens.
Identify and apply active learning principles.
Explain and demonstrate ways to engage students.
Collaborate with faculty to foster a community of practice in excellence in teaching and learning.

HSI Conference OUTCOMES

Improved student learning
Improved student retention
Increased student and faculty satisfaction with restructured modes of instruction
Improved faculty knowledge of what it means to teach at an HSI

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact HSI/Title V Grant Program Manager, Dr. Leticia Lopez at mesaproyectoexito@sdccd.edu.