It is estimated that by 2050, the United States will have no clear racial or ethnic majority. As our nation becomes increasingly diverse, it is critically important to promote college success among students of color. Minority-serving institutions (MSIs) enroll a disproportionately high concentration of low-income students from communities of color, reinforcing these institutions’ relevancy to our nation’s higher education policy priorities of increasing college degree attainment among all students. Unfortunately, MSIs often face an array of problems including underfunding, low retention rates, and overall performance levels.
A distinguished panel will discuss the findings of a new report, Measuring the Impact of MSI-Funded Programs on Student Success, focused on one of the newer MSI programs: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). The panel will present the ways in which MSI funding is being leveraged by these institutions to serve the fastest-growing racial group in the nation – Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – to pursue innovative practices that elevate student success in various areas such as course performance, transition to college-level courses, persistence, degree attainment, and transfer from two- to four-year institutions.
Welcoming remarks:
Vanessa Cárdenas, Vice President, Progress 2050, Center for American Progress
Featured panelists:
Martha Kanter, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Higher Education, New York University and former President of DeAnza College
Deb Santiago, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Policy, Excelencia in Education
Ajita Talwalker, Senior Policy Advisor for Education, Domestic Policy Council, The White House
Rob Teranishi, Professor of Social Science and Comparative Education, University of California, Los Angeles
Moderated by:
Neil Horikoshi, President & Executive Director, Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund