Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Initiative
The University of California’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Initiative was launched in 2018. It includes researchers, practitioners, community-based organizations, higher education advocates and student leaders. A core tenet of the initiative is that premier research institutions can provide equity and opportunity for all students.
Five of the nine undergraduate UC campuses are federally designated HSIs as defined by the Higher Education Act (HEA), and at least one is pending designation.
What We Do
- Mobilize key UC constituents to pursue a field-building strategy that will strengthen the university's ability to serve an increasingly diverse population.
- Bring together researchers, practitioners, community organizations, higher education advocates and student leaders to cultivate fresh ideas and best practices along with the political will to help campuses leverage their HSI status.
- Foster collaborations among individuals and institutions to advance research and learning.
- Respond to the need for UC to prepare more students to join the state's workforce.
- Help UC campuses to establish what it means to be Hispanic-serving research institutions within an increasingly diverse and global society, using strategic approaches to cultivating and measuring student success.
Impact
- Convened more than 350 UC faculty, administrators, staff and students at HSI events
- Served as a catalyst for mobilizing HSI issues on campus
- Strengthened an interrelated system of networks to foster cross-campus conversation and collaboration
Advisory Board
A critical component of the UC HSI Initiative is an advisory board comprising faculty, staff and administrators from each UC campus (with the exception of UCSF). This advisory group is integral to:
- Informing the mission of the initiative and how it can best serve members' campuses.
- Serving as a conduit to individual campuses for information about the initiative and its actions.
- Providing critical leadership for the work that is taking place on each campus.
- Helping to make outside constituents, including other public sectors in California, aware of the work.
- Engaging in broader national conversations related to HSIs.
UC Berkeley
Gina Garcia, Professor, Education and Faculty Director, Latinx Thriving Initiatives
Elisa Huerta, Associate Vice Chancellor, Community Engagement & Transformative Care
UC Davis
Marcela Cuellar, Associate Professor, Higher Education Leadership
Luis Carvajal-Carmona, Associate Vice Chancellor Office of Academic Diversity, Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Pablo Reguerin, Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs
UC Irvine
Dyonne Bergeron, Vice Chancellor Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, Vice Provost for Educational Community
UCLA
Sylvia Hurtado, Professor, Education
Elizabeth Gonzalez, HSI Director
Arlene Cano Matute, Assistant Director, Chicano Student Programs
UC Merced
Edith Ramirez, Student Success Manager
Ricardo Cisneros, Assistant Professor, Public Health
UC Riverside
Mariam Lam, Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer
Estela Acuña, Director, Chicano Student Programs
Jennifer Najera, Professor
Elizabeth Romero, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Governmental & Community Relations
UC San Diego
Gerardo Arellano, Director, Raza Resource Centro and Director of HSI Initiatives
Maruth Figueroa, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Retention
UCSF
Lina Mendez, Executive Director
UC Santa Barbara
Mario Castellanos, Office of Educational Partnerships, Executive Director
D. Ines Casillas, Assistant Professor, Chicana and Chicano Studies Director, Chicano Studies Institute
UC Santa Cruz
Veronica Fematt, HSI Director
Charis Herzon, HSI Director
Rodrigo Lazo, Professor, Literature and Director of HSRU Initiatives
UC Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association
Taty Aguilera, Co-Chair for the UC Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association
Lupe Gallegos, Director, Chicanx Latinx Academic Student Development Center
Co-Lead, Latinos and the Environment Initiative Lecturer, Chicano Latino Studies
UCDC
Brett Palmer, Director of Education, Federal Government Relations
Ernesto Arciniega, Assistant Director for Education and Health
UCOP
Claudia Martinez, Executive Director, Educator Programs
Cynthia Dávalos, Associate Vice President, Graduate, Undergraduate and Equity Affairs
Arnold Sanchez Ordaz, Assistant Director, Educator Programs
Mario Guerrero, Legislative Director, Business Operations UC State Governmental Relations
Alejandro Sandoval, Policy Analyst