Goshen College is entering the third year of its Hispanic Serving Institution designation and with that experience comes a more developed sense of what it means to be an HSI. 

The designation itself simply reflects that more than 25% of GC’s student body identifies as Hispanic – it says nothing about what a college must do to serve these students.

—

As far as change goes, much of what the college has been able to achieve is thanks to a Title V federal grant for Developing Hispanic Serving Institution (DSHI) programs. Gilberto Pérez Jr., vice president for student life and Hispanic serving initiatives, as well as dean of students, explained that GC received $3 million to serve Hispanic students, as well as others who have been historically underserved.

Jan Kauffman, assistant dean for student academic services and Title V project director, said that the purpose of this DHSI grant is to “build the infrastructure to help narrow the equity gap for Hispanic and other underserved students to persist and graduate from college.”

The grant is also widely applicable. Some of the money was used for Academic Success Center (ASC) renovations, providing bilingual resources for both students and their families, and to support eight different faculty members committed to receiving a Culturally Responsive Educator micro-credential to help foster a sense of belonging and an inclusive teaching environment. 

The HSI designation also places the college into an existing network of other institutions of higher education that are working to engage with their Hispanic students. One instance of this network at play was the recent Frank and Betty Jo Yoder Public Affairs Lecture delivered by Dr. Antonio Flores, the president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

Pérez described Dr. Flores’ visit as “an excellent way to learn more about various HACU initiatives that can benefit our students.” He also went on to explain another benefit of this network aspect is that “Goshen College’s HSI status opens the door to support other higher education institutions and at the same time provides [the college] an opportunity to partner with other schools for supporting Hispanic students.”

Alia Najera, a junior elementary education and TESOL major, said of her experience at GC that “being surrounded by so many individuals who cherish their culture makes me feel like I belong.”

Kauffman also said that the benefits of being an HSI extend beyond just Hispanic students, but to other traditionally marginalized groups on campus as well, such as other BIPOC, first generation, Pell-eligible, English Language Learner and commuter students.

Kauffman is eager for student feedback, saying that those who have “ways [for GC] to become more ‘serving’ and support our new majority (non-white) students,” should feel confident in reaching out. 

Pérez also went on to explain that in his eyes, “perhaps the most important thing about being designated as an HSI is that we have the opportunity to shape and chart the course for how we want to be as an HSI.” 

The designation itself simply reflects that more than 25% of GC’s student body identifies as Hispanic – it says nothing about what a college must do to serve these students. As of this year, the number sits as 28% of the student body that identify as Hispanic, according to the GC fact book. 

Pérez affirms that “All HSIs are unique and Goshen College will bring its own way of being an HSI. Living out our core values will help us flourish as an HSI.”