In order to recruit and retain more Hispanic students, Austin Community College President and CEO Stephen B. Kinslow will ask U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa,
D-Texas, for more funding today.
The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. at ACC's Eastview Campus.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of Hispanic students who graduate high school has risen 15 percent since 1997. Although the national rate of Hispanics between the ages of 25 and 28 who complete some college has risen 58 percent since 1977, currently only 32 percent of Hispanic high school graduates in the same age group complete some college.
While the gap between black and white students completing some college has narrowed, the gap between Hispanic and white students has remained about the same.
Kinslow's testimony today will highlight ACC's need for Title V federal funding, which helps colleges and universities recruit Hispanic students. To qualify for the grant, ACC must be recognized by the federal government as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, where at least 25 percent of the student population is Hispanic, and at least half of those come from low-income backgrounds.
Last fall, Hispanics comprised approximately 24 percent of ACC's student body, said Mariano Diaz-Miranda, director of the Latino and Latin American Studies Center at ACC.
"By doing this, [Kinslow] will bring the needs of this college out into the open," Diaz-Miranda said.
The center, which ACC history professors Diaz-Miranda and Terry Thomas created in 1995, offers scholarships and mentor opportunities to bolster Hispanic students' recruitment and success rates.
"A lot of times, Hispanic students come through the door, and their needs are not met," Diaz-Miranda said.
The number of Hispanic students who complete ACC degree programs is near the national average, but the college could do better, Diaz-Miranda said.
Obtaining additional federal funding will help ACC offer students more academic assistance by creating closer relationships between students and faculty members, he said.
"Currently close to half of our public school children are racial or ethnic minorities - one in five is Hispanic," Hinojosa said in a written statement. "It is clear that minority-serving institutions will only grow in importance and we must provide them the necessary resources so they can properly educate our next generation of college graduates."
Others expected to testify today include Larry Earvin, president of Huston-Tillotson University; Olivia Vanegas-Funcheon, president of Tohono O'odham Community College in Sells, Arizona; and George Scott of the Government Accountability Office.
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