Abstract:

The emergence of Latina/o students in higher education throughout the United States has accelerated over the past 10 years as the general population in the country continues to surge. Currently, Latinos constitute 18% of the U.S. population and this is expected to reach 28% by 2060 (US Census Bureau, 2017). One result of this demographic shift has been the rapid rise of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI); over the past 10 years, the number of HSIs has increased by 98% across the nation. In California, the numbers are even more significant with 39.3% of the current population who identify as Latino/a (US Census Bureau, 2018) with a total of 48 institutions having received this designation.

In 2016, (identifying reference) was designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Existing in a county with 43% identified as Latino/a (US Census Bureau, 2018) and a current student population of 32% Latina/o, the university has needed to transition from being simply a Hispanic enrolling institution to one that is actually serving the students who are admitted.

In 2017, the university’s Graduate School of Education (GSOE) embarked on an effort to incorporate the principles of cultural proficiency into its community. The structure of cultural proficiency (Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell, 2009) argues for an “inside-out” approach, which “acknowledges and validates the current values and feelings of people, encouraging change without threatening people’s feeling of worth” (p. 23). This period of self-exploration is an initial step towards becoming more aware of one’s biases and barriers. The barriers identified by Lindsey, et al. (2009) that provided a framework for our work included the following: a resistance to change, being unaware of a need to adapt, a failure to acknowledge systemic oppression, and that one’s own benefits arise from positions of power and entitlement.

Over the last two years, the school’s faculty and staff have engaged in a process to address these barriers through the following methods: incorporation of cultural proficiency activities into department, staff, and school wide meetings, hiring of a professional facilitator to lead these activities, and engaging in a strategic planning process for the school to create structures that reflect these commitments.

The goals of this process have been to create spaces for faculty and staff to discuss their personal barriers in achieving cultural proficiency, create a school culture that identifies the structures and services that either inhibit or facilitate student success, and provide a shared identity that can be reflected in a strategic plan. The proposed presentation will document this work over the past two years in order to illuminate the difficult task of shifting an academic culture to one that serves this unique and vital population.

Keywords:

Hispanic, Latino/a, cultural proficiency, educational reform, higher education, leadership.