Becoming an Hispanic-Serving Research Institution: Involving Graduate Students in Organizational Change

Abstract

The changing demographics of higher education have led to an increase in the number and type of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). As research universities continue to see a rise in the enrollment of Latino/a students, a better understanding of the implications of this change within the existing institutional context will be essential to best serve this growing community of students. We position our study within a tradition of organizational culture theory that points to the importance of organizational actors' interpretations, perspectives, and actions in order to understand an organization's general behavior and change. By acknowledging the importance of graduate students within research universities, we focus on their perspectives at an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Research Institution (HSRI) and ask, "What are the organizational culture implications of an HSI designation for a research university?" Our analysis revealed four important themes: communicating institutional pride as an HSRI, engaging the benefits of an HSRI, operationalizing a serving mission, and involving graduate students as institutional actors at HSRIs. Institutional recommendations that follow from our findings include providing clear communication regarding HSI status, objectives, and commitment; assessing the campus climate; and increasing graduate student involvement as key leaders within HSRIs.

Does the Match between Gender and Race of Graduate Teaching Assistants and Undergraduates Improve Student Performance in Introductory Biology?

“…*p < 0.001. characteristics, it is important to develop and cultivate selfaware and empathetic GTAs who are better equipped to implement pedagogical strategies and improve the classroom climate (Dewsbury and Brame, 2019;Dewsbury, 2020). While female and URM GTAs may already be acting as mentors and role models for female and URM undergraduate students (Ong et al, 2011;Marin and Pereschica, 2017), the responsibility of creating inclusive classrooms should not be shouldered by only underrepresented GTAs. All GTAs can learn how to improve their teaching practices to positively impact on the student outcomes of students typically underrepresented in STEM fields.…”

“…GTAs are responsible for the majority of the laboratory or discussion sections for biology courses at many research universities and are typically the sole instructors for their lab or discussion sections (Rushin et al 1997;Sundberg et al, 2005). Latinx graduate students at an HSI recognize and feel a sense of responsibility to mentor Latinx undergraduate students (Marin and Pereschica, 2017). An increased percentage of female and URM STEM graduate students is associated with increased persistence of female and URM undergraduate students (Griffith, 2010).…”

Equity versus Excellence: Is the Pursuit of “Tier-1” Status Compatible With Social Justice?

“…Yet HSIs comprise only 13% of colleges and universities in the United States (Zerquera et al, 2017), and the percentage with actual majorities of Latinx students is much smaller. Furthermore, Marin and Pereschica (2017) report that only seven HSIs nationwide are in the “highest research activity” category. Núñez (2017) reflects that the emerging presence of HSIs among research universities poses “a watershed moment for higher education, demonstrating how the provision of access to demographically diverse groups does not have to preclude high research activity” (p. 280).…”

“…Núñez (2017) reflects that the emerging presence of HSIs among research universities poses “a watershed moment for higher education, demonstrating how the provision of access to demographically diverse groups does not have to preclude high research activity” (p. 280). Marin and Pereschica (2017) observe that most HSIs began as predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and many retain their whiteness. Nevertheless, Garcia (2017a, 2107b) observes that universities which have been historically founded to serve Latinx populations tend to be more culturally accommodating than those that become HSIs over time as demographic changes occur.…”

Is “Business as Usual” Enough to Be Hispanic-Serving? Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution

“…Exploring the list of HSIs further, of the 472 HSIs, 192 (41%) offer graduate degrees and 60% of those, or 115 institutions, offer doctoral degrees (Excelencia, 2018c). This is notable as “historically the vast majority of HSIs have included community colleges and teaching-focused comprehensive universities” (Marin & Pereschica, 2017, p. 155). Ultimately, these data highlight not only the increase in the number of HSIs but also the changing nature of HSIs, offering important reasons to better understand this evolving group of higher education institutions.…”