In the higher education system of the United States, minority-serving institution (MSI) is a descriptive term for universities and colleges that enroll a significant percentage of students from minority groups.
Mercy University, previously known as Mercy College, is a private university with its main campus in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and additional locations in Manhattan and the Bronx. It is a federally designated minority-serving institution and the largest private Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in the state of New York. The university was historically affiliated with the Catholic church, but has been independent and non-sectarian since the early 1970s.
Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oregon College of Education, and Western Oregon State College. Western Oregon University incorporates both the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Enrollment is approximately 3,750 students.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City in the United States, simply known as Mellon Foundation, is a private foundation with five core areas of interest, and endowed with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the product of the 1969 merger of the Avalon Foundation and the Old Dominion Foundation. These foundations had been set up separately by Ailsa Mellon Bruce and Paul Mellon, the children of Andrew Mellon.
Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) is an academic preparation program for pre-college, community college and university-level students. Established in 1970 in California, the program provides academic support to students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds throughout the education pathway so they will excel in math and science and ultimately attain four-year degrees in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) fields. The program has successfully been replicated in over a dozen other states.
Latino studies is an academic discipline which studies the experience of people of Latin American ancestry in the United States. Closely related to other ethnic studies disciplines such as African-American studies, Asian American studies, and Native American studies, Latino studies critically examines the history, culture, politics, issues, sociology, spirituality (Indigenous) and experiences of Latino people. Drawing from numerous disciplines such as sociology, history, literature, political science, religious studies and gender studies, Latino studies scholars consider a variety of perspectives and employ diverse analytical tools in their work.
A Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) is defined in U.S. federal law as an accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institution of higher education with 25% or higher total undergraduate Hispanic or Latino full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment. In the 2021–22 academic year, 572 institutions met the federal criteria, up from 539 institutions in the 2018–19 academic year.
The Information Networking Institute (INI) was established by Carnegie Mellon in 1989 as the nation's first research and education center devoted to information networking.
Educational inequality is the unequal distribution of academic resources, including but not limited to school funding, qualified and experienced teachers, books, and technologies, to socially excluded communities. These communities tend to be historically disadvantaged and oppressed. Individuals belonging to these marginalized groups are often denied access to schools with adequate resources. Inequality leads to major differences in the educational success or efficiency of these individuals and ultimately suppresses social and economic mobility. Inequality in education is broken down into different types: regional inequality, inequality by sex, inequality by social stratification, inequality by parental income, inequality by parent occupation, and many more.
The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics is a multi-agency working group within the Department of Education charged with strengthening the nation's capacity to provide high-quality education while increasing opportunities for Hispanic American participation in federal education programs. In addition, the Initiative serves as a resource for information related to closing the educational achievement gap for Hispanic Americans. Finally, the Initiative provides staffing to support and coordinate the mission of a President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
Marybeth Gasman is Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education and a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University. She was appointed as Associate Dean for Research in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education in the fall of 2021 and was elected Chair of the Rutgers University-New Brunswick Faculty Council in 2021. In addition to these roles, Gasman is the Executive Director of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity, & Justice as well as the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
Gloria Bonilla-Santiago is a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor at the Department of Public Policy and Administration and Director of the Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership at Rutgers University–Camden. She is also the founder of Leadership, Education, and Partnership (LEAP) Academy University Charter School located in Camden, New Jersey. Created in 1997, LEAP is one of the 17 inaugural public charter schools in New Jersey. As the founder of LEAP, Bonilla-Santiago created a merit pay/pay-for-performance program designed to reward excellence in teaching and improve student academic outcomes.
Cesar Conde is an American media executive currently serving as chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, overseeing NBC News, MSNBC, and CNBC. Prior to this, Conde was chairman of NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. Before that, he was president of Univision's networks division.
Terrell Lamont Strayhorn is an American scholar who publishes on college student success and issues of equity and diversity in higher education. He is founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Do Good Work Educational Consulting, LLC, a private education research firm. Until his resignation on May 3, 2017, he was a tenured professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology's Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University. Strayhorn formerly directed the Center for Higher Education Enterprise. He is a cousin of famed musician Billy Strayhorn.
Adena Williams Loston is the 14th president of St. Philip’s College. She was installed as the new president in ceremonies on March 1, 2007. St. Philip’s College, located in San Antonio, Texas, is the only historically Black college and Hispanic-serving institution in the United States.
The Hispanic Federation (HF) is a U.S based non-governmental organization focused on supporting Hispanic communities through local, state, and national advocacy. The Federation was founded in New York City in 1990 by a small group of Latino leaders, establishing initiatives to advocate for the interests of the Hispanic community and has expanded to establish programs, and policies in 16 states. The organization's objective is to empower and advance the Hispanic community primarily through service pillars, membership services, advocacy, and community programs. The Federation has formed relationships with a network of 100 Latino grassroots nonprofits, as well as collaborating with organizations, government officials, and private sector partners to enact systemic change related to a variety of socioeconomic issues for Hispanic communities. The Federation has gained national recognition for its work in areas of education, health, immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, environment, and organizational development to strengthening Latino institutions to ultimately increase the quality of life within Hispanic communities.
The American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) represents professional academics, researchers, educators, and students in the United States of America and focuses on issues affecting Hispanics in higher education. It functions as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society.
Katherine A. Flores is a family physician and an Associate Clinical Professor in Family Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, in the United States. She is one of the founding members of the National Hispanic Medical Association. Flores founded and continues to direct a range of programs focused on increasing the number of culturally competent doctors serving the Latinx communities in California's Central Valley, particularly by supporting traditionally underserved student populations to successfully pursue education and medical careers. These educational programs include the California Borders Health Education and Training Center (HETC) program, Partnerships for Health Professions Education (PHPE), and the Hispanic Centers of Excellence (HCOE), the California Health Professions Consortium, and the Latino Center for Medical Education and Research. The Latino Center for Medical Education and Research is the home of Junior Doctors Academy and Doctors Academy, programs that support middle and high school students as they pursue education and careers in medical fields. She received a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award in 2010.
Maria Hernandez Ferrier is a former government official and the first president of Texas A&M University–San Antonio from 2010-2014. After working as an unlicensed nurse's assistant for minimum wage, Ferrier attended her first community college class at age 30, and she has received a doctorate from Texas A&M University and other degrees from Our Lady of the Lake University. In 1992 and 2002, she was named as the director of the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) separately under Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush; in this position, she served as the main advisor to the United States Secretary of Education for all matters related to students who speak limited-proficiency English.
Walter R. Allen is an American sociologist who is a Distinguished Professor and the Allan Murray Carter Chair in Higher Education at University of California, Los Angeles. His research considers social inequality, diversity in higher education and family patterns. He leads the longitudinal study CHOICES that studies the college attendance of African Americans and Latinos. He is a member of the National Academy of Education.
