An emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) is an institution of higher education that is working towards an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students.
HSI institutions are able to receive federal funding to help aid in the support of students attending institutions where the percentage of Hispanics is above 25 percent, in the effort to improve access to the quality of post secondary opportunities for the largest minority population in the country. Upon graduation, our Hispanic graduate population will help meet the needs of business, industry and government through the development and sharing of resources, information and expertise.
There are two ways to become an HSI:
-
Recognition by national organizations such as the Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities (HACU), which provides support and advocates for designated and emerging HSIs.
and
-
Receiving a federal designation by the U.S. Department of Education.
To be recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities, at least 25% of the institution's undergraduate student body must identify as Hispanic.
To be recognized by the Department of Education as an HSI, the following criteria must be met:
- The higher education institution is eligible;
- The institution has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that equates to at least 25% Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application; and
- The institution needs to meet a certain percentage of students eligible for federal grants that apply to low-income, first-generation, and/or underserved students.
The demographics of our country, region, state, and city all show the trend of a fast-growing population of Hispanic high school graduates. In addition, our Strategic Plan, Envisioning 2024 places a strong emphasis on access and inclusion, as well as being a strong anchor institution in our community. When our Strategic Undergraduate Enrollment Plan was crafted in 2019, it was clear that aspiring to become an HSI was not only a sound enrollment strategy but was an extension of our mission, vision, and strategic directions. Additionally, in 2020, the Provost initiated an Academic Affairs Strategic planning process that further amplified the need to intentionally set up strategies to prepare for becoming an HSI, including recommendations for recruitment, retention, and student support mechanisms so that all students who identify as Latinx will succeed and graduate from USD.
Becoming a Hispanic Serving Insitution mean the campus community benefits for a diversity of backgrounds, thoughts and experiences that enrich the educational journey of every member of our community., Additionally, The U.S. Department of Education manages three discretionary grant programs that can be utilized to support infrastructure, programming, staff and support services for the institution in support of Hispanic students and the campus community as a whole. Having an HSI designation allows our institution to apply fo such programs.
Prospective students can learn experience a dynamic learning environment at a world-class university that recognizes the challenges of a more diverse, multicultural and global world.