恒生指数联邦补助金

Last October, 欧文康考迪亚大学 received the 最大的联邦拨款 历史上最大的一次:来自美国的300万美元.S. Department of Education 为 its Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (恒生指数) Program. 的 money will be disbursed in equal portions over five years and be used to enhance support services 为 undergraduate Hispanic students and all Concordia students.

“It will be trans为mative 为 our campus,” 说 vice president 彼得Senkbeil. “It will help us serve our Hispanic students – and all our students – more effectively. This grant enables us to provide support to help students thrive in college and beyond.” 

Senkbeil 说 that 肯考迪娅的 Hispanic undergraduate student population has grown to more than 25 percent in the last 15 years.

“In Cali为nia, a larger and larger percentage of college students are Hispanic,” he 说. “In two of the three largest cities in Orange County — Santa Ana and Anaheim — 74 percent of residents speak Spanish. We are called to serve an increasingly diverse community and we want to do a better job of it.”

数据显示，西班牙裔学生, many of whom are first-generation college students, 不像其他学生那样被保留下来. 同样的, 他们的毕业率处于历史低位, leading 肯考迪娅的 leaders to ask how the institution could help those students have a more successful experience. Last year, the university hired a grant-writing consultant to help create a proposal 为 the 发展恒生指数补助金 (D恒生指数). 

“的 grants are seed money to help institutions like ours build capacity to serve Hispanic students better,” Senkbeil 说. 

的 proposal laid out a plan 为 better advising services, 学术支持, 经济援助咨询服务, and more to serve this particular population and, 通过扩展, 所有在校学生. 的 university also committed to a system of evaluation, goals, and benchmarks. 9月，它成为78家公司之一 恒生指数格兰特 美国的受助人.S. in 2022.

肯考迪娅的 恒生指数格兰特资助的活动旨在:

• Increase enrollment and early success of Hispanic students and other targeted populations, such as first generation and low-income students, by developing a community outreach program and creating a sense of “belonging” on campus.
• Increase retention and graduation rates 为 Hispanic students and other targeted populations through expanded student services.
• Hire four new employees: an 恒生指数 success coordinator/project director, 转学协调员/成功教练, 辅导协调员/成功教练, 还有一个职业服务协调员.

“This is an opportunity to increase Hispanic enrollment and further support the success of current students through the expansion of already existing programs,布兰卡·奎罗斯说, associate professor in the doctoral program in the School of Education.

A third of the money will be used to complete the student success center in the 图书馆, where a large indoor/outdoor meeting space will be built on the lower level.

的 university will study retention and graduation rates over five years to see if the approach is working.

埃尔莎门多萨, a first-generation college student of Mexican background from San Juan Capistrano, came to college without much knowledge of what it would be like.

“My parents always wanted us to pursue a higher 教育 so we aren’t like them, working from paycheck to paycheck and tired every single day,门多萨说. “他们是为了让我们获得大学学位. “别担心钱的事. 我们会担心的. Pursue your dreams and we’ll support you all the way,’ they said.”

门多萨选择了 主修数学 and become a math teacher, like her mother was in Mexico. At Concordia, she especially enjoys the small class sizes.

“I can be one-on-one with my professor and get toknow everyone who’s studying the same thing as me and create all those bonds,她说。. “的 fact that I could do my credential and my undergraduate degree at the same time was amazing.”

她加入了 Nuestra称Voz秘鲁, 西班牙裔学生俱乐部, and has appreciated getting “to collaborate with people who have the same experiences and who come with the same challenges and similar lifestyles.”

Mendoza intends to pursue a master’s degree after getting her credential. 

与此相关的是，康科迪亚的 第六届西班牙裔领导会议 为 community college and high school students in October, to encourage Hispanic students in community colleges and high schools to look into higher 教育 as a possible life pathway. Keynote speaker and Concordia alumnus Henry Alonzo, 工商管理硕士 2009年，挑战与会者要有远大梦想. 作为Adarga娱乐集团的创始人, Alonzo promotes and produces the work of Latin Grammy Award-winning musicians.

Multiple Orange County public schools sent buses of students and family members to Concordia 为 this inspiring day. 的 会议 included sessions by other Hispanic leaders in business, 教育, 和政府, 他们中的许多人都是第一代大学毕业生, and concluded with a college in为mation fair and U.S. 军事招聘人员.

“我们对结果很满意，”他说 Senkbeil. “的 presenters were well-received, and attendees really appreciated the event. We are intending to further expand and enhance this event next year, to help Hispanic high school students and their families see that college is attainable and af为dable. We hope those who attend learn about us, like what they see and think about college in general.”