CSU-Pueblo among Top 50 schools best for Latino students

PUEBLO -- Colorado State University-Pueblo was recognized in the 2016 Nov/Dec issue of Latino Leaders Magazine among the top 50 schools for Latino students. Research conducted by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was used as well as private institutional statistics and reports from U.S. News and World Report among other agencies to calculate which institutions of higher education do the best job of serving the Latino. CSU-Pueblo was the only Colorado institution included in the listing.

Criteria used in compiling the list included the percentage of total Latino enrollment and the percentage of Latino faculty; the percentage of students who apply and receive financial aid; academic resources for minority students to acclimate to academic rigors of college life, and outreach efforts by schools to add to their overall diversity. To view the entire article, visit https://issuu.com/latinoleadersmagazine/docs/latinonov-dec-single. For more than a decade, Latino Leaders Magazine has featured the top Latinos in the United States, including politicians, sports stars, business owners and other relevant and successful leaders to inspire and recognize Latino success.

While CSU-Pueblo was one of the smaller schools in the listing (5,000), it boasts one of the larger percentages of Latino students. The student population at CSU-Pueblo is nearly 49 percent minority with 33 percent of students reporting being of Hispanic descent. More than 55 percent of the freshmen in Fall of 2016 reported being from a minority group. The University is considered a Hispanic Serving Institution, a federal designation for schools who enroll more than 25 percent of students of Hispanic origin. The University received HACU’s Outstanding Institution Award in 2008.

According to Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Chrissy Holliday, the University’s strategic plan includes ambitious goals for both retention and graduation rate improvements between now and 2020 for all student populations, including minority students, and is ahead of proposed goals for these areas.

“Our welcoming campus atmosphere, personal attention, and dedication to excellence is attractive to all potential students, including Hispanic students,” said Holliday. “We also make every effort to hire bilingual staff members when possible, in order to be more responsive to students and families who may be more comfortable conversing in Spanish.”

She said the University also is increasing efforts to better communicate the benefits of attending an HSI with potential students and their parents and implementing recommendations made by students relative to making the campus even more welcoming.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion works with all student populations to showcase the importance of their cultures and the positive contributions that all these populations have made and continue to make in this country and across the world. For the Hispanic student population specifically, the University coordinates programming on campus during Hispanic Heritage month and recently have added Latino Greek and student organizations to create a network and family that helps them to complete their college degree. A strong connection to organizations like HACU allow minority students to interact with individuals in high level positions, which helps them to envision themselves in such roles and to cultivate professional relationships.