CSUSM accelerates campaign to increase Latino enrollment

By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer | Saturday, October 1, 2005 11:13 PM PDT ∞

SAN MARCOS ---- Cal State San Marcos officials are accelerating their campaign to boost Latino enrollment enough for the university to receive an important federal designation and the funds that go with it.

A task force appointed last year by university President Karen Haynes is ready to begin working with area school districts and community colleges to increase the number of qualified Latinos who apply to the university, she said last week. Such an effort is expected to boost undergraduate Latino enrollment from the current 21 percent to the 25 percent required for the designation by 2010 at the latest, according to Haynes.

The designation could mean millions in grant money for the university in coming years.

These efforts follow an informational campaign in which university officials explained to staff and students that the designation would not mean new preferences for Latinos in admissions and other areas, but would simply make the university eligible for millions of dollars in federal grants and programs that would benefit all students.

A previous effort to get the designation met with a backlash when it was introduced a few years ago by the former university president, Alexander Gonzalez, said Haynes, who took over as university president in January 2004.

The campus community misunderstood the concept at that time, according to Haynes.

"My predecessor got a negative response based on the common inference of what the term 'Hispanic-serving' meant," said Haynes, adding that her new campaign is benefiting from the previous mistakes.

This year's informational campaign has had the desired effect, according to psychology professor Gerardo Gonzalez, chairman of the task force.

"There had been some misconceptions because the name implies that it only benefits one group, but our efforts have been well-received," said Gonzalez, who is also director of the university's National Latino Research Center. "We are better prepared this time around to answer questions and explain the details of the program."

Students virtually always support the issue when they understand that receiving the designation will open up a whole new funding source for the university, according to Marc DeGuzman, president of Associated Students Inc.

"There were a few misconceptions at first that this would exclude other students," said DeGuzman, another member of the task force. "But there is less confusion now."

Effort endorsed

The Associated Students, which organizes campus activities and speaks on behalf of students, issued a resolution in January strongly endorsing the effort. And the Academic Senate, a panel of faculty members, issued a similar resolution at the same time.

Those groups and university officials strongly support the campaign because Latino-serving institutions received more than $100 million in federal education grants in 2004.

Cal State Bakersfield, which received the designation just a few years ago, received more than $1 million last year to expand multicultural library resources, add internships, enhance faculty diversity and improve educational access for Latino students.

Tomas Arcienega, who left Cal State Bakersfield last year after 21 years as university president, said the designation gave his campus a major boost.

"It is very helpful when you add grants like that to the pot of dollars," said Arcienega, who now works on leadership issues for the entire California State University system.

But Arcienega said that many people incorrectly think that receiving the designation will bring observable changes to the atmosphere and dynamics of a university.

"This designation is, in many ways, much ado about very little," said Arcienega.

The most significant impact of the designation is getting more Latinos in a community to attend a quality university, which can help change society, Arcienega said.

Haynes agreed that receiving the designation will be a "win-win" for the university and North County.

Tapping high schools

Urging high school counselors and school district administrators to increase the number of students who take courses required for admission to CSU campuses is a key goal of the university's new campaign. Haynes said that less than half the students in some school districts take the required courses, and that the percentage of Latino students is usually even lower.

Additionally, the university must increase its visibility in North County so that students start considering the university, Haynes said.

"We need to become an institution of first choice for students in North County," said Haynes. "We must also explain to students that college is important, accessible and possible."

Haynes said that shifting demographics in North County make it almost inevitable that the university will receive the designation at some point, but her campaign is designed to speed the process.

"I am optimistic for fall 2008, but I know it's a stretch goal," said Haynes, adding that the task force has committed to 2010 as a goal.

The percentage of Latino students at the university has been steadily rising in recent years. Statistics provided by the university indicate that the percent increased from 18.6 in 2002 to 20 percent in 2003, and then up to 21 percent in 2004. Numbers from this fall are not yet available, but university spokesman Rick Moore said there is no evidence that the forward momentum has stopped this year.

The number of bachelor's degrees that the university awards to Latino students has also been steadily increasing in recent years. The university granted 249 bachelor's degrees to Latino students during the 2003-04 school year, up from 180 the previous year. That ranks No. 93 in the nation, according to a survey by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine.

CSUSM was among 18 CSU campuses in the magazine's top 100, and 10 of those campuses have received the Latino-serving designation. They are: Pomona, Bakersfield, Dominguez Hills, Fresno, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Northridge, San Bernardino and Stanislaus.

The university has not yet decided what projects it will apply for when it receives the designation, Gonzalez said, but preparations will soon be under way.

"It's all about preparation when it comes to grants," he said. "We are telling people to have ideas in mind so we don't have to wait when it finally happens."

Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 761-4410 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.

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