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1 0 t h A N N U A L A A HH E N A T I O N A L C O N F E R E N C E
THE DECADE AHEAD
INQUIRE
INNOVATE
IMPACT
LA PRóXIMA DéCADA
INVESTIGAR, INNOVAR, IMPACTAR
MARCH 12-14 | 2015
Embassy Suites and Convention Center
Frisco, TX
table of contents
Conference At A Glance 4
ETS proudly supports AAHHE’s mission to
help Hispanic students achieve success
We collaborate with AAHHE on the:
• Sponsorship of the annual AAHHE–ETS Outstanding
Dissertations Competition
• Sponsorship of AAHHE’s annual Latino Student Success Institute
America’s Pr
osperity:
The Academ
ic Success of
Hispanics
by Yvette Dona
do
TomÁsR
Ame ricA
n ASSo ciAt
ivera Lect
ure Seri eS
•
ion of HiSp
Anic
2014
S in HigH
er edu cAti
on
(AAH He)
• Printing and distribution of ETS’s annual Tomás Rivera
Lecture Series report
• Support for design and editing of the AAHHE-ETS-UTSA
Perspectivas policy brief series
We congratulate the 2015 winners of the competition, along with
Anthony Carnevale, this year’s featured lecturer in the Rivera report
and Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education
and the Workforce.
New ETS exam, offered in English and Spanish,
helps Hispanic students earn a high school diploma
In addition to supporting various projects with AAHHE, ETS has launched the HiSET ® exam, a high
school equivalency test that can help open the doors of higher education to thousands of students.
Whether focusing on policy, initiatives or assessments, our mission to advance quality and equity in
education guides all of our work to expand opportunities for all learners.
Welcome 6
About AAHHE 8
2015 Conference Planning Committee 9
AAHHE Leadership 10
Fellows Schedule 13
Latino/a Student Success Institute 15
Pre-Conference Workshops 17
Conference Agenda 18
Conference Concurrent Sessions 20
Institutional Members 37
Individual Members 40
AAHHE & ETS Latino/a
Student Success Institute Presenters 44
AAHHE Scholarly Paper Authors 50
Pre-Conference Workshop Presenters 54
Keynote Speakers 60
AAHHE Book of the Year Award 66
2015 AAHHE Faculty Fellows 68
2015 AAHHE Graduate Fellows 74
Food & Agricultural Sciences Fellows 89
ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the
TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® General and Subject Tests and The Praxis Series® assessments —
Tomás Rivera Lecture 109
ETS Outstanding Dissertations Competition 112
in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide.
w w w. e t s. o r g
Copyright © 2014 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING., HISET,
GRE, THE PRAXIS SERIES, TOEFL and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 29535
Awards 121
Conference at a Glance
Welcome
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Friday, March 13, 2015
11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
A AHHE Board Meeting, Citation
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Coffee, Frisco 4-5
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Graduate Fellows Orientation, George Purefoy Suite
7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Conference Registration, Registration Room #1
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. USDA Fellows Career Preparation Institute, Comanche
7:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Exhibits Open, Frisco 4-5
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Faculty Fellows Introductions, Longhorn Hospitality Suite
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.USDA Fellows Career Preparation Institute, Comanche
6:00 p.m.
A AHHE/USDA Fellows Orientation Dinner, Hamilton/Lebanon Schools
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
A AHHE Graduate Fellows Workshop, Buffalo Trail
8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
A AHHE Faculty and Graduate Fellows Meeting, Shawnee
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
A AHHE Faculty Fellows Workshop, Longhorn Hospitality Suite
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
A AHHE Faculty/Graduate Fellows Workshop, Shawnee
8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions (8)
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Plenary Breakfast Session #2, Frisco 1-3
11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Plenary Luncheon Session #3, Frisco 1-3
2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. A AHHE/ETS Latino Student Success Institute, Bass Bush
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. USDA Fellows Career Preparation Institute, Comanche
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. A AHHE Graduate Fellows Workshop, Buffalo
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
A AHHE Faculty/Graduate Fellows Workshop, Shawnee
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Combined Fellows Luncheon, Atrium
12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
A AHHE/ ETS Latino/a Student Success Institute Lunch, Indian Trail
Saturday, March 14, 2015
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.New Leadership Academy, Frisco 8
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Coffee, Frisco 4-5
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Pre-conference Workshops:
1 Making an Impact on the Future Lives and
Jobs of Your Students, Gallant Fox Room
2 Re-conceptualizing the Latino Male Educational Imperative:
A Journey through the Dimensions of Data, Policy, Critical Inquiry, and Practice, Ranger Room
3New Paths to Increased Equity in Higher Education, Sea Biscuit Room
8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.USDA Fellows Career Preparation Institute, Comanche
8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
A AHHE Graduate Fellows Workshop, Buffalo Trail
1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Plenary Breakfast Session # 4, Awards, Frisco 1-3
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Closure, Frisco 1-5
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.Opening Plenary Session-Tomás Rivera Lecture, Frisco 1-5
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
4
Conference Reception (heavy hors d’oeuvres), Frisco Foyer 1-5
10 th annual national conference
A AHHE | www. aahhe.org
5
Welcome
Welcome
March 12, 2015
March 12, 2015
Welcome, AAHHE members, and 10th Anniversary National Conference attendees!
Dear fellow attendees of the 2015 AAHHE conference,
For 10 years, it has been my greatest privilege to welcome you to the annual AAHHE
conference. Every year, I proclaim it the best conference yet — and I’m pleased to say I’ve
been right each year. And this year’s 10th anniversary conference will easily surpass them all.
Welcome to the 10th anniversary AAHHE national conference! This is a significant
milestone I am very proud to be a part of, professionally and personally.
We have much to celebrate. I applaud the aggregate AAHHE community for the
achievements and progress this annual event has accumulated, from the quality of the
research and best practices presented in the sessions to the national attention garnered
by the special policy events. The 40 scholarly papers sponsored by AAHHE comprise a
substantial body of work and reflect the intellectual commitment of our brightest minds.
AAHHE has significantly influenced the careers of many Hispanic scholars and education
professionals, particularly its 87 Faculty Fellows, 190 Graduate Fellows, and 29 Outstanding
Dissertation Competition winners. These hugely successful programs have effectively
increased the competitiveness of these Hispanic academics early in their careers.
Pre-conference workshops, Tomas Rivera lectures, keynote addresses, annual awards –
these provide inspiration for the year ahead and recognition for excellence.
And yet, there is still much to accomplish: challenges to face, progress to make, outcomes to
change. Hispanics in higher education are not yet close to parity with White, non-Hispanics
in admissions, enrollment, graduation rates, doctoral degree completion, tenure-track
positions, or administrative roles. These are the inexcusable facts that must change, and
change rapidly, and which bring us together today. I challenge and encourage all of us to
address the issues head on, individually and collectively, and advance meaningful and
substantive solutions.
My deep personal thanks go to William Aguilar, our steadfast conference chair, the AAHHE
Board of Directors, and to all who have contributed to the planning, production, and
realization of our 10th anniversary conference. I am grateful for your attention to every last
detail and for your energy and enthusiasm throughout the process. I am honored to work
alongside each of you.
A special shout-out goes to our sponsors and members for their sustained leadership
and support over the past decade. On behalf of the AAHHE membership, I particularly
acknowledge Educational Testing Service and Southwest Airlines for their leadership,
expertise, and resources. These two stellar giants are difference makers in an expanding
Hispanic higher education community.
If this is your first AAHHE annual conference, you are in for an eye-opening experience.
You will be immersed both in the issues we are dedicated to and in the AAHHE familia.
Maybe that sounds odd at the outset, but by the end of the conference, I assure you that
it will have great meaning.
The AAHHE membership is an elite assembly of educators and scholars, collectively
committed to parity, activism, and excellence. We don’t just speak out to raise awareness;
we work diligently to find solutions and share new strategies that will make a difference.
We’re not generally a patient group; we want the trends that show improvements to
change drastically, now. We value achievement and passion, and honor those who
exemplify them. And, we support each other in our endeavors: research, policy,
advancement. Once you encounter the AAHHE familia, you will understand that it means
you have colleagues and mentors ready to help, listen, advise, and collaborate.
To all in attendance, both veteran and new participants, I thank you for bringing your
talents, skills, commitment, and intellect to address “The Decade Ahead” collaboratively.
Together, we can have an impact on the current status of Hispanics in higher education.
For true impact to be felt tomorrow and a decade from now, innovation is essential.
This national gathering can be an incubator for the level of inquiry that leads to
change-creating innovation. I encourage you to meet new people, find out what motivates
them, and what their experiences and goals are, and share yours. You will certainly find
commonalities and likely you will find new perspectives to consider. I hope you will light
the spark of new thought and innovation.
I’m impressed by the excellent quality of the sessions offered this year and advise you to
attend as many sessions as you are able. I’d like to thank AAHHE President Loui Olivas
and his team for the heavy lifting they do to coordinate this conference. I am indebted to
them for their hard work and dedication to AAHHE’s mission and to Hispanics in higher
education.
I wish you a most enjoyable and edifying conference. Happy 10th Anniversary, AAHHE!
Sincerely,
May “The Decade Ahead” be known for its impact and innovations. Please accept my best
wishes for an inspiring and productive conference experience.
Sinceramente,
William Aguilar
Conference Chair and Vice President
Loui Olivas
President
6
7
About AAHHE
The American Association of
Hispanics in Higher Education
is celebrating its tenth year — an
anniversary marked by many accomplishments by the association and its
membership. While looking back on these initiatives and advancements
with great pride, we remain steadfast in our commitment and acute
awareness of the need for significant change in the representation of
Hispanics in higher education.
Mission and Purpose
Consider that:
Hispanic faculty in tenure-track positions represent about 4% of the
total faculty in colleges and universities.
H
ispanic college and university presidents represent approximately
3% of all presidents.
Both of these percentages remain unchanged over the past fifteen
years.
U.S. demographic projections clearly show Hispanics will constitute
about thirty percent of the population within a few decades. Hispanic
student enrollments in elementary and secondary schools, community
colleges and public universities are expected to increase by 26 million
over the first half of this century. At the same time, white, nonHispanic is the only student enrollment population group expected to
decrease, by six million.
It cannot be overstated how imperative it is that replacement and pipeline
issues for Hispanics in higher education are addressed nationwide and
at the highest levels, and that broad, effective change is made. AAHHE
is well positioned to work with institutions of higher education,
foundations, business partners and other collaborative organizations that
seek to address these issues. AAHHE is committed to:
Addressing societal issues as they pertain to the growing population.
Convening public discourse focused forums to develop public policy
reflecting the changing demographics of our nation.
Preparing more Hispanics to pursue a career in higher education as
faculty, administrators, and policy makers.
Mentoring Future Leaders
AAHHE has worked toward these goals in a variety of ways. It created
a Latino/a Graduate Fellows Program providing Hispanic doctoral
studies students the opportunity to attend AAHHE’s national conference,
where they are introduced to Hispanic professors and administrators from
across the nation and are provided guidance, instruction, and mentors
to help them navigate the complexities of higher education. Over 270
doctoral students have participated in this program.
AAHHE also developed the Junior Faculty Fellows Program to
provide sponsorships for junior faculty to attend the national conference
— 115 Faculty Fellows have been featured at the conference. Nine former
Faculty Fellows now hold tenured professorships across the country.
8
2015 CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE
Showcasing and Celebrating Excellence
The Tomás Rivera Lecture is a highlight of each national conference,
drawing on some of the best known experts to speak to issues and
concerns facing our nation and our institutions of higher education.
Lecturers of the past include Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, U.S. Secretary
Henry Cisneros, Ron Takiki, Ann Reynolds, Tomás Arciniega, Piedad
Robertson, Raul Yzaguirre, Charles Reed, Jack Scott, Jim Cummings,
Luis Ubiñas, Michael Olivas, Rachel Moran, Francisco Cigarroa, Jamie
Merisotis, and Yvette Donado.
To celebrate and recognize the work of Hispanics in higher education and
national leaders, the AAHHE Annual Awards Program was created to
honor deserving individuals at a special plenary session each year at the
national conference.
Research and Scholarly Leadership
AAHHE’s leadership is exemplified by its strong relationships with
equally committed organizations. The annual Latino/a Student Success
Institute is being presented for the ninth year by Educational Testing
Service and AAHHE, entitled “Leveraging Latino Student Assets and
High Impact Practices to Foster Equity and Student Success.”
ETS and AAHHE have joined together for the seventh year to offer the
Outstanding Dissertations Competition and awards. The top three
winners will showcase their dissertation during one of the conference
concurrent sessions. The awards for this competition will be presented at
the annual Awards Breakfast on Saturday.
The scholarly commissioned papers, which are an annual conference
venue, focus on contemporary issues and offer solutions with policy
implications. At the request of AAHHE, leading researchers apply their
nationally recognized expertise to analyze current and projected data and
present corrective strategies.
Additionally, each conference participant will be receiving the fourth
edition of the AAHHE/ETS/UTSA Perspectives Policy Brief, entitled
“Design Principles for Equity and Excellence in Hispanic Serving
Institutions.”
Looking Ahead to the Next Decade
In keeping with AAHHE’s tradition of innovation and partnerships,
AAHHE has partnered with the National Center for Institutional
Diversity to present the New Leadership Academy Fellowship Program
based at the University of Michigan. The yearlong NLA Fellowship
experience, which will include a four-day institute held in Ann Arbor,
will focus attention on what leaders do when they are in positions to
influence events inside and surrounding their institutions.
As we look ahead to the next ten years and beyond, AAHHE will continue
these traditions and establish new ones as well, while serving as a leading
research and advocacy group for Hispanic higher education issues.
Josefina Castillo Baltodano
Senior Associate
External Relations, Center for Studies in Higher Education
University of California at Berkeley
Vanessa Monterosa
PhD. Student
College of Education
University of Southern California
Rebeca Burciaga
Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Leadership
San Jose State University
Yolanda Flores Niemann
Senior Vice Provost
Professor of Psychology
University of North Texas
Alonzo Campos
PhD. Student
Educational Studies
Claremont Graduate University
Loui Olivas
President
AAHHE
JoAnn Canales
Founding Dean
Graduate College
Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
Jaime Chahín
Dean
College of Applied Arts
Texas State University, San Marcos
Juan Delgado
Associate Professor
California State University, San Bernardino
Mildred Garcia
President
California State University, Fullerton
Frank Gomez
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Educational Testing Service
Elizabeth R. Gutierrez
Director of State Policy
Lumina Foundation
Leticia Oseguera
Associate Professor & Research Associate
Pennsylvania State University
Jessica Rodriguez
PhD. Student
Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
University of Washington
Luis Urrieta, Jr.
Assistant Professor
University of Texas, Austin
AAHHE Book of the Year
Selection Committee
Co-Chair, JoAnn Canales, Ph.D.
Founding Dean, College of Graduate Studies
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi
Co-Chair, Juan Delgado
Professor of English
Christine Granados
Writing Instructor, Texas Tech University-Fredericksburg
Jennifer Martin
Senior Associate Provost
Professor of Women’s Science
Texas Woman’s University
Arturo Madrid
T. Frank and Norine R. Murchison Distinguished Professor
of the Humanities
Trinity University
Rueben Martínez
Owner & Founder
Libreria Martinez Books & Art
AAHHE Board Member
Cesar Caballero
Dean of the John M. Pfau Library
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AAHHE Leadership
AAHHE Leadership
As of December 2014
As of December 2014
Officers and Directors
Board of Directors
Josefina Castillo
Baltodano, J.D.
Rueben Martinez
Ricardo Romo
Senior Associate
External Relations
Owner & Founder
President
Libreria Martinez Books & Art
University of Texas
at San Antonio
Center for Studies in
Higher Education
Loui Olivas
President
Professor Emeritus
W.P. Carey School of Business
Arizona State University
University of California
at Berkeley
AAHHE Emeriti Board Members
Jim Estrada
Lou Monville
Chairman & CEO
Trustee
Eduardo Padrón
Estrada Communications
Group, Inc.
California State
University System
District President
Miami-Dade College
AAHHE Emeritus
Board Member
Mildred Garcia
Elsa Nuñez
President
President
California State University
Fullerton
Eastern Connecticut
State University
Alfredo G.
de los Santos, Jr.
Research Professor
Hispanic Research Center
Elizabeth R. Gutierrez
Leticia Oseguera
Director of State Policy
Associate Professor of
Higher Education
Lumina Foundation
Pennsylvania State University
William Aguilar
Vice President
V.P. Emeritus
University Advancement
California State University
San Bernardino
Jaime Chahín
Treasurer
Dean, College of
Applied Arts
Texas State UniversitySan Marcos
JoAnn Canales
Secretary
Founding Dean of
Graduate Studies
Texas A&M University,
Corpus Christi
10
11
AAHHE LEADERSHIP FELLOWS Schedule
Wednesday
March 11, 2015
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
USDA Fellows Workshop
Room: Comanche
USDA Fellows Career
Preparation Institute
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Room: Comanche
Graduate Fellows Workshop
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Room: George Purefoy Suite
AAHHE/Graduate Fellows
Workshop
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Faculty Fellows Introduction
Room: Buffalo Trail
Room: Longhorn Hospitality Suite
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
AAHHE/Faculty Fellows
Workshop
AAHHE/USDA Fellows
Orientation Dinner
Without a Heart,
it’s just a machine.
So in 1971, a little Heart built a different kind of airline—one that
made sure everyone could fly.
Room: Hamilton/Lebanon
8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
AAHHE Faculty and Graduate
Fellows Meeting
Thursday
March 12, 2015
USDA Fellows Career
Room: Comanche
To us, you’re not 1A or 17B. You’re a person with a name, like Steve.
Here, we think everyone deserves to feel special, no matter where you
sit or how much you fly.
And with all the places we’re going next, we’ll always put you first,
because our love of People is still our most powerful fuel.
Some say we do things differently.
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Workshop
Room: Buffalo
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Workshop
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
We say, why would we do things any other way?
AAHHE Faculty/Graduate
Fellows Workshop
Without a Heart, it’s just a machine.
Room: Shawnee
Southwest Airlines® is proud to be the official airline of AAHHE.
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Workshop
Room: Shawnee
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Everyone has important places to go. So we invented low-fares to
help them get there.
FRIDAY
March 13, 2015
Saturday
March 14, 2015
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
USDA Fellows Career
Room: Comanche
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Workshop
Room: Buffalo Trail
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Workshop
Room: PLonghorn Hospitality Suite
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
AAHHE Faculty/Graduate
Fellows Workshop
Room: Shawnee
Combined Fellows Luncheon
Room: Atrium
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
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AAHHE/ETS LATINO STUDENT SUCCESS INSTITUTE & PRE-CONFERENCE WORkHOPS
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
College Partnerships
LatinO/A Student Success
Institute
Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux, Assistant Professor,
George Washington University
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Room: Bass Bush
Leveraging Latino Student Assets
and High Impact Practices to Foster
Equity and Student Success
This institute will provide the most current information
regarding reducing inequities in educational attainment
for Latino/a students, leveraging student assets to
foster success, and employing high-impact practices to
promote academic achievement.
We are a leading Hispanic Serving Institution
and one of the top universities in the nation!
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To reduce equity gaps in terms of college access, academic
achievement and graduation requires replacing deficitbased perspectives with asset-based student success
frameworks. Research studies are now suggesting that
deficit-based perspectives such as viewing students as
“high risk,” “incapable of learning,” “disadvantaged,”
etc. should be replaced with asset-based views that
embrace what Yosso (2005) calls “community cultural
wealth,” forms of capital that include: aspirational,
linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant.
Equity can also be achieved by ensuring that all
students benefit from high-impact practices (learning
communities, writing-intensive courses, undergraduate
research, etc.) that increase retention and foster student
engagement.
Welcome:
Loui Olivas, President of AAHHE
Laura I. Rendón, Professor & Co-Director, Center for
Research and Policy in Education, The University of
Texas-San Antonio
Yvette Donado, Chief Administrative Officer and
Senior Vice President, Educational Testing Service
Presenters:
Estela Bensimon, Professor & Co-Director, Center
for Urban Education, University of Southern
California
Maria Martha Chavez Brumell, Chief Education
Officer, Catch the Next, Inc.
Ross Markle, Senior Research and Assessment
Advisor, Educational Testing Service
Belinda I. Reyes, Associate Professor, San Francisco
State University
Luncheon and Keynote Address:
Room: Indian Trail
High Impact Practices and Student Learning
Tia McNair, Senior Director for Student Success,
Office of Diversity, Equity and Student Success,
Association of American Colleges and Universities
Pre-conference Workshops
1:00 P.M. – 4:00 p.m.
March 12, 2015
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Room: Gallant Fox
Pre-Conference Workshop 1
Making an Impact on the Future Lives and
Jobs of Your Students
Moderator:
Jaime Chahín, Dean, College of Applied Arts, Texas
State University, San Marcos & A AHHE Treasurer
Presenters:
Courtney Brown, Director of Organizational
Performance and Evaluation, Lumina Foundation
John Pryor, Senior Research Scientist, Higher
Education, Gallup Education
This workshop will introduce the Gallup Purdue Index, a
nationally representative study of more than 30,000 U.S.
college graduates regarding the outcomes of higher education. The presentations and discussions will focus on the
GPI data and provide tips and insights into how institutions
of higher education can use this data to better serve their
students.
Alfred Herrera, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic
Partnerships & Director, UCLA Center for Community
For more information about how to apply,
visit admissions.csusb.edu or call (909) 537-5188.
15
Pre-Conference Workshops
Proud to support
American Association of
March 12, 2015
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Room: Ranger
Re-Conceptualizing the Latino Male
Educational Imperative: A Journey
through the Dimensions of Data, Policy,
Critical Inquiry, and Practice
Moderator:
Elsa Nuñez, President, Eastern Connecticut University
& A AHHE Board Member
Presenters:
Juan F. Carrillo, Assistant Professor, School of Education,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Edith Fernández, Associate Vice President, Community and
Diversity Initiatives, Nevada State College
David Pérez II, Assistant Professor, Student Affairs in Higher
Education, Miami University
Luis Ponjuan, Associate Professor, Department of Education
Administration and Human Resource Development, Texas
A&M University
Victor Sáenz, Associate Professor, Department of Educational
Administration, University of Texas at Austin
After several decades of sobering educational attainment
trends for Latino males and other men of color, there is
renewed energy on improving their educational outcomes
through research-informed practices and critical inquiry. In
this vein, the presenters’ session will showcase Latino male
scholars whose collective works: 1) explore the complex
dimensions of empirical research; 2) propose emerging
theoretical frameworks; 3) evaluate innovative new
approaches and best practices; and 4) and engage with local/
state/federal policymakers on the growing imperative for
Latino males in education.
March 12, 2015
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Room: Sea Biscuit
New Paths to Increased Equity in
Higher Education
Moderator:
Elizabeth R. Gutierrez, Director of State Policy, Lumina
Foundation & A AHHE Board Member
Presenters:
Estela Mara Bensimon, Co-Director and Professor,
Center for Urban Education, Rossier School of
Education, University of Southern California
James Gray, Department Chair, Mathematics,
Community College of Aurora
David Longanecker, President, Western Interstate
Commission for Higher Education
“Equity in Higher Education” refers to creating opportunities
for equal access and success in higher education among
historically underrepresented student populations, such
as ethnic minority and low-income students. Within the
higher education community, “equity” is further defined by:
1) representational equity, or the proportional participation
of historically underrepresented student populations at all
levels of an institution; 2) resource equity, which accounts
for how educational resources are distributed to close equity
gaps; and 3) equity-mindedness, which involves institutional
leaders and staff demonstrating an awareness of structural
inequality and racialized practices.
This workshop will explore the concepts underlying equitymindedness, representational, and resource equity—what
they mean and how to articulate them in policy and practice.
Through conversations with institutional leaders and policy
makers, participants in this workshop will learn how to craft
an equity agenda for their institutions and how to ask the
“equity” question of policy and practice.
844-864-8461
Dallas.TuAmica.com
Amica Mutual Insurance Company, Lincoln, Rhode Island
17
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 12, 2015 – 1:00 PM u march 13, 2015 – 5:00 PM
Thursday
March 12, 2015
1:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.
2015 tomÁs rivera lecture
Room: Frisco 1-5
Introduction:
Elizabeth R. Gutierrez, Director of State Policy, Lumina
Foundation & AAHHE Board Member
Conference Registration
Room: Registration 1
Conference Reception
3:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.
Room: Frisco Foyer (heavy hors d’oeuvres)
Exhibits Open
Room: Frisco 4-5
friday
March 13, 2015
5:30 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.
Opening Plenary Session
7:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M.
Coffee
Room: Frisco 1-5
Room: Frisco 4-5
Welcome:
Loui Olivas, President AAHHE
7:30 A.M. – 7:30 P.M.
Presiding:
William Aguilar, Conference Chair
AAHHE Board Member
Presenting Sponsor:
Amica Insurance
7:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
AAHHE Faculty Fellows:
Jessica Rodriguez, Chair
Alonzo Campos, Co-Chair
AAHHE Faculty Fellows:
Luis Urrieta, Chair
Rebeca Burciaga, Co-Chair
Exhibits Open
Room: Frisco 4-5
8:00 A.m. – 5:00 p.m.
march 13, 2015 – 9:30 AM u march 14, 2015 – 5:00 PM
Plenary SessioN – Breakfast
Room: Frisco 1-5
Presiding:
Leticia Oseguera
AAHHE Board Member
USDA Fellows:
JoAnn Canales
USDA /NIFA Thesis Director & AAHHE Secretar y
Building Capacity:
Developing Latino Talent for Leadership
Roles in Higher Education
Speakers:
Maria Harper-Marinick
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
The Maricopa Community Colleges
Richard Durán
President
Oxnard College
Elva Concha LeBlanc
President
Nor thwest Campus, Tarrant County College District
Ted Mar tinez, Jr.
Past Superintendent/President of Rio Hondo College
Director, National Community College Hispanic Council
Leadership Fellows Program
University of San Diego
Rober t Vela
President
San Antonio College
USDA FELLOWS CAREER
PREPARATION INSTITUTE
AAHHE Book of the Year Introduction:
Juan Delgado, Co-Chair
Room: Comanche
Book Author:
Alicia Gaspar de Alba
Chair, LGBT Studies Program Professor of Chicano/a
Studies, English & Gender Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
[Un]Framing the “Bad Woman”: Sor Juana, Malinche,
Coyolxauhqui and Other Rebels with a Cause
9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
7:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M.
Coffee
Room: Frisco 4-5
7:30 A.M. – 7:30 P.M.
7:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Exhibits Open
Room: Frisco 4-5
9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
Plenary Session
Awards Breakfast
Room: Frisco 1-5
Presiding:
JoAnn Canales, AAHHE Secretary
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Program Closure
Room: Frisco 1-5
12:45 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.
Plenary Session – LUNCHEON
Presiding:
Room: Frisco 1-5
Presiding:
Jaime Chahín, AAHHE Treasurer
Speaker:
Mark Schlissel, President
University of Michigan
18
19
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 13, 2013 u 8:00 AM – 9:15 Am
concurrent sessions
march 13, 2013 u 8:00 AM – 9:15 Am
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 P.M.
Innovate
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 P.M.
Impact
A Closer Look at Hispanic Students
Participation in Educational Leadership
Graduate Programs
Room: Seabiscuit
Presenters:
Melissa Arrambide, Assistant Professor
Educational Leadership
Texas A&M University – Commerce
Ava Muñoz, Assistant Professor
Texas A&M University – Commerce
This particular study will take a focused look at Hispanic
identified students who are participating in Educational
Leadership Master’s and Doctoral programs in a Northeast
Texas, emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution. The
researchers will seek to understand student perceptions of
curriculum, cultural sensitivity, and barriers relating to second language acquisition. Findings will assist in furthering
core course development relevant to the specific and unique
needs of the graduate Hispanic student population.
Individualized Strategic Support
Practices for Hispanic and Low-Income
Students toward Academic Success
Room: Traveler
Presenter:
Nina Barcenas, Provost and Vice President
Academic Affairs
Heritage University
High Impact student support practices and strategies
at a small, private, rural university (53% Hispanic), has
increased student retention and graduation rates. A systemic
model of effective practice used to support Hispanic and
low-income students toward academic success, inclusive
of: strategic academic and financial planning, college and
departmental leadership, Title V funding, and academic
program support, will be presented. This is an example of
implementing the University Mission to champion quality
education to traditionally under served populations.
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Inquire
Effective Student Loan
Counseling: Findings of a
Multipart Research Project
Room: Citation
Presenters:
Carla Fletcher, Senior Research Analyst
Research and Analytical Studies
Texas Guaranteed Student Load Corp (TG)
Kasey Klepfer, Research Specialist – Public Policy
Research and Analytical Studies
Texas Guaranteed Student Load Corp (TG)
history, its present form, and what some schools have done
to enhance it. The presentation will discuss key findings
to obtain feedback and inform financial aid practitioners
of challenges and opportunities to promote more effective
student loan counseling.
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Friday, March 13. 2015
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Room: Winchester
Impact
Latinas in the Professoriate: Their
Professional Development as Scholars,
Teachers, Mentors, and Role Models
Room: Ranger
Presenters:
Cristina Gonzalez, Professor
School of Education
University of California, Davis
Gloria Rodriguez, Associate Professor
School of Education
Patricia Quijada, Associate Professor
School of Education
American universities have increasingly diverse student
bodies, yet the professoriate does not reflect that
diversity. There are relatively few women and minority
faculty members. Latinas, in particular, are significantly
underrepresented among the tenure-track faculty,
especially at research universities. Given their important
contributions to academia, their professional development
deserves attention. Drawing on the presenters’ research
and their personal experiences, they will discuss ways in
which universities can expand the number of Latinas in
the professoriate. In addition, the presenters will propose
specific strategies for Latinas seeking to succeed as scholars,
teachers, mentors, and role models.
Impact
Strategic Planning Leadership to
Improve the Achievement of Hispanic
Students in South Texas
Presenters:
Rosalinda Hernandez, Associate Professor
University of Texas – Pan American
Fred Guerra, Assistant Professor
Roberto Zamora, Assistant Professor
Velma Menchaca, Professor
Participants will learn the strategic process used to
determine participation with stakeholders, its desired
future, and specific actions it would need to better
serve Hispanic children along the Texas-Mexico border.
This session provides an analysis of data – internal and
external – to determine current status, existing gaps,
and emerging challenges in preparing aspiring Hispanic
principals at the University of Texas Pan American, a
Hispanic-Serving Institute.
We rely on mandatory student loan counseling to provide
students with crucial information; however, findings
of a recent research project suggest significant room
for improvement. TG, in consultation with NASFAA,
researched the counseling experience, examining its
20
21
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 13, 2013 u 8:00 AM – 9:15 Am
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Innovate
march 13, 2013 u 11:15 AM – 12:30 Pm
9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
Plenary SessioN – BREAKFAST
Going Beyond Assessment: HPN
Hispanic Student Campus Climate
Assessment at Texas State University
Room: Frisco 1-5
Room: Rockhill School
USDA Fellows:
JoAnn Canales, USDA /NIFA Thesis Director
Presenters:
Gloria Martinez-Ramos, Associate Professor
Sociology
Texas State University
Alyssa Garza, Master’s Graduate Student
Sociology
In the spring of 2014, Hispanic Policy Network at Texas State
University conducted an assessment of Hispanic students
at Texas State University to understand their experiences
and needs. Participants will learn about developing and
implementing an assessment and communicate the findings
to the university. Professionals who are interested in having
a discussion and dialogue about how to use an assessment to
develop an action plan to improve university and Hispanic
community engagement will benefit from this presentation.
USDA FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
2015 MASTER’S THESIS COMPETITION
Room: Gallant Fox
Presiding:
Leticia Oseguera
AAHHE Board Member
Building Capacity:
Speakers:
Richard Durán
President
Oxnard College
Elva Concha LeBlanc
President
Ted Mar tinez, Jr.
Past Superintendent/President of Rio Hondo College
Rober t Vela
President
San Antonio College
First Place Co-Winner:
Miles Medina
Environmental Studies
Florida International University
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Thesis Title:
Effect of Aquafeed on Productivity of Red Amaranth
and on Water Quality under Aquaponic Cultivation
Russian Roulette and the Hispanic
Vote: Immigration Reform and the
Future of Political Parties
First Place Co-Winner:
Carla Lorraine Mejías-Rivera
Environmental Risk Assessment and Management
Universidad Metropolitana, Cupey Campus
Thesis Title:
Three Species of Mangroves in Las Cucharillas Marsh,
Puerto Rico
22
Inquire
Room: Seabiscuit
Presenter:
Stephen Balkaran, Instructor
Philosophy
Central Connecticut State University
The political debacle of the current immigration debate has
left the U.S. divided along racial, ethnic, and political lines,
never seen before in our great country. The Comprehensive
Immigration Reform policies are directly related to the
future of America, both to the American people as to who
we are and what we stand for, but more so to the political
parties as they try to court America’s greatest asset—the
Hispanic Vote. The political importance of the Hispanic
vote is closely tied to Immigration reform and, whether or
not we admit it, the American Presidency will be dictated
by the Hispanic vote. This session will discuss the roles the
Democratic and Republican parties play in comprehensive
immigration reform, and the important future impact on
which political party, Hispanics, a swing vote demographic,
will align with.
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Inquire
From Hispanic English Language
Learners to Bilingual Teachers: Insights
for Educating Hispanic Students
Room: Traveler
Presenters:
Alfredo Benavides
Professor, Education
Texas Tech University
Eva Midobuche
Professor, Education
This session will address the dispositions that experienced
Hispanic bilingual teachers, formerly English language
learners (ELLs), identify as necessary for teaching Hispanic
students who are also ELLs. The personal and professional
insights of attitudes and perceptions regarding language,
culture, and curriculum including best practices provided
by these bilingual teachers are unique and add research to
an area that is very limited and has been neglected. Anyone
interested in the education of Hispanic students will benefit.
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Impact
The Managing and Coping of
Community College CEOs
Room: Ranger
Presenter:
Karla Cantu, Ph.D.
Educational Administration
The University of Texas at Austin
Coping with stress is essential for a CEO to remain effective
as a leader of a community college. This session is designed
to examine how community college CEOs in Texas are
experiencing stresses, with the added problems caused by
the economic crisis and a drastic increase in enrollment. It
will help understand why the mastery of self-development,
visualization, and building allies are essential tools for CEOs
to provide vision and direction for community college.
FRIDAY, March 13, 2015
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
ETS Outstanding Dissertations Competition:
Third Place Winner
Caught Up: Girls, Violence, and
Wraparound Incarceration
Room: Gallant Fox
Presenter:
Jerry Flores, Assistant Professor
Department of Social Work
University of Washington, Tacoma
Caught Up follows the lives of 50 Latina girls in “El Valle”
Juvenile Detention Center and “Legacy” community school
located 40 miles outside of Los Angeles, CA. Their path
through these two institutions reveals the accelerated fusion
of California schools and institutions of confinement. These
well-intentioned services are designed to provide youth with
support at home, at school, and in the actual detention center.
However, the presenter argues that wraparound services more
closely resemble a phenomenon that he calls wraparound
incarceration, where students cannot escape the surveillance
of formal detention despite leaving the actual detention center. For young people in Legacy school, returning to El Valle
became an unavoidable consequence of wraparound services.
23
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 13, 2013 u 11:15 AM – 12:30 Pm
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Impact
When the Ivory Tower Is a Glass
House: Building Competence in
Tokenized Contexts
march 13, 2013 u 11:15 AM – 3:30 Pm
opment of Latinos. They have been leaders for the National
Community College Hispanic Council an affiliate of the
American Association of Community Colleges, having
served as presidents of the Board.
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Room: Whirlaway
Presenter:
Yolanda Flores Niemann, Senior Vice Provost
Academic Affairs
This participatory session will focus on how impacts of
tokenized contexts can be diffused, mediated, and/or
moderated with strategic and tactical behaviors. Issues
addressed will include: negotiating the politics; using
service work as professional development, networking,
and support; using data as a counterpoint to rhetoric; the
language of self-presentation; countering attributional
ambiguity; the politics and strategies of silence and voice;
and social skills required for upper-level positions.
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Impact
Room: Winchester
Presenters:
Maria Harper-Marinick, Executive Vice Chancellor and
Provost
Office of the Chancellor
Richard Durán, President
Office of the President
Oxnard College
Elva Concha LeBlanc, President
Office of the President
Oxnard College – Northwest Campus
AAHHE SCHOLARLY PAPER #1
Examining the School to Prison
Pipeline Literature as It Relates to
Latina/o Students and Implications for
Higher Education
Room: Citation
Presenters:
Yanira Madrigal-Garcia, Graduate Student
Nancy Acavedo-Gil, Assistant Professor
Schools across America, particularly those in urban settings,
have become high security environments that rely on police
to address disciple. The authors examine the school to prison
pipeline for Latinas/os utilizing Gloria Anzaldua’s concept
of the borderlands. They frame the school system as a hostile
space and respond to Michelle Alexander’s call to address
the New Jim Crow, by examining the New Juan Crow
within urban high schools. Using a critical race theory in
education framework, the authors analyze qualitative and
archival data to reveal the schooling context that informs
the school to prison pipeline for Latinas/os in California
and Texas schools.
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Innovate
Debunking Deficit Perspectives About
Latin@ Students: An Asset-Based
Framework to Foster Success
Presenters:
Amaury Nora
Professor and Associate Dean for Research,
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
University of Texas at San Antonio
Laura Rendón
Professor/Co-Director, Educational Leadership
& Policy Studies
University of Texas at San Antonio
This session will present research findings from a TG
Philanthropy funded study of Latin@ students at a
Hispanic-Serving Institution. Researchers will address: 1)
the upside and downside of the Latin@ college experience;
2) asset-based theoretical frameworks that may be employed
to develop student success models; 3) 10 ventajas/assets and
conocimientos/knowledge that Latin@ students employ to
succeed in college; and 4) examples of leveraging strategies
that are aligned with Latin@ student assets and ways of
knowing.
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Latino Educational Leadership across
the Pipeline: For Latino Communities
and Latina/o Leaders
Room: Citation
Presenters:
Melissa A. Martinez, Assistant Professor
Cristóbal Rodríguez, Assistant Professor
Howard University
Fernando Valle, Associate Professor
The fastest growing and largest under served demographic
in schools across the United States is of a Latino or Spanishspeaking ancestry. Since Leadership and Leadership
Preparation Matter, educational leaders at all levels are being
challenged with providing, more than just an adequate
education, but rather, rich educational opportunities in
serving Latino communities. Latino Educational Leadership
acknowledges the unique perspectives that inform both the
support for Latino communities and the preparation of
Latina/o educational leaders throughout the education and
policy pipeline.
12:45 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.
Plenary Session – LUNCHEON
Room: Frisco 1-5
Presiding:
Jaime Chahín, AAHHE Treasurer
Speaker:
Mark Schlissel, President
Ted Martinez Jr., Director
National Community College Hispanic Council
Experienced college presidents will share their philosophy
about leadership, their journey to the presidency, lessons
learned and the work they do to support professional devel24
25
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 13, 2013 u 2:15 PM – 3:30 Pm
“The AAHHE Graduate
Fellows program is
dedicated to fostering
opportunities for
mentorship, guidance, and
professional development
in order to empower
present and future
Latina/o leaders. Having
been a graduate fellow, I
can attest to the vibrant
and supportive community
of Latina/o scholars and
leaders that comprises
the AAHHE familia.
As a graduate fellow,
your network grows
exponentially as you meet
other current fellows,
faculty fellows, AAHHE
alumni, and the greater
AAHHE community. To
grow personally and
professionally through
AAHHE is a great
experience that I will
continue to cherish.”
Vanessa Monterosa
Educational Leadership, California State University,
Long Beach, 2014 AAHHE Graduate Fellow
26
march 13, 2013 u 2:15 AM – 3:30 Pm
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Innovate
Innovate
Summer Collegiate Experience:
University Preparation and
Acculturation for Hispanic High School
and University Students
Developing Affinity Spaces and
Communities of Practice among
Latinas in STEM Fields
Presenter:
Guillermina “Gina” Núñez, Associate Professor
Sociology and Anthropology
University of Texas at El Paso
Presenters:
Jose Nanez, President’s Professor
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Frank Gracia, Undergraduate Student
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Maria Barajas, Master’s Student
School of Social Work
High School and university graduation rates have remained
persistently low among Hispanic, other minority, and low
SES students. Time to graduation has also increased. Some
major contributing factors will be discussed. A research
model designed to address the factors will be presented.
Audience participants will engage in an interactive
discussion of major impeding factors to academic success
and acculturation among Hispanics. Individuals who will
particularly benefit from this session include education
professionals and students.
Room: Ranger
This session provides findings from a three-year National
Science Foundation (NSF)- funded research project of
Latina university students in engineering and computer
science programs at a university on the U.S.-Mexico
border. Participants will engage in developing creative
strategies in their home institutions for fostering affinity
spaces and communities of practice in recruiting,
retaining, and graduating Latina students in STEM fields.
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Inquire
Exploring Latino Students’ Motivations
to Pursue Health Science Careers
Room: Seabiscuit
Presenters:
Kendy Olaguez, Sr. Research Specialist and Project
Director
Hispanic Center of Excellence in Medicine, Medical
Education
University of Illinois at Chicago
and peers. Through a multi-site, mixed-method design, this
study examines changes in Latino high school students’
motivation, beliefs, and behaviors related to pursuing health
sciences careers as well as tests whether the Multiple Worlds
Model can predict Latino students’ educational trajectories.
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Inquire
Examining Latino Families through the
College Years: A Focus on the Parents
Room: Traveler
Presenters:
Catherine Olivarez, Coordinator of Parent Programs
Orientation and Transition Programs
Margarita Perez, Research Associate
Latino Family College Access Project
Patrick Vasquez, Director
Office of Outreach
For Latino/a students, the connection between family
support and student success is critical.
This session will share findings from a qualitative study
that uses community cultural wealth as an interpretive
framework to explore the sociological and cultural
experiences of Latino families during the college years.
The purpose of presentation is to generate new ideas for
practitioners and researchers to understand how Latino
parents assist in the transition, persistence and success of
Latino/a students in college.
Jorge Girotti, Associate Dean and Director
Education
Jessica Barnes, Research Coordinator
Education
It is imperative to develop interventions that increase the
number of Latinos pursuing health science careers. Many
interventions have focused primarily on the academic
component yet the Multiple Worlds Model posits that
students act simultaneously in three worlds: school, family,
27
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 13, 2013 u 2:15 PM – 3:30 Pm
march 13, 2013 u 2:15 AM – 5:00 Pm
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Impact
Innovate
From AAHHE Graduate Fellows to
Faculty: The Experiences of Pre-Tenure
Latina/o Faculty
A Decade of Innovation: How Can
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Improve
Hispanic Students’ Graduation Rates?
Room: Whirlaway
Room: Winchester
Presenters:
Taryn Allen, Assistant Professor
University of Texas at Arlington
Presenters:
Luis Ponjuan, Associate Professor
Education Administration and Human Resource
Development
Texas A&M University
Amber Gonzalez, Assistant Professor
Department of Undergraduate Studies – Child
Development
California State University, Sacramento
Susana Hernandez, Assistant Professor
California State University, Fresno
Ignacio Hernandez, Assistant Professor
California State University, Fresno
Latina/o professors remain underrepresented in the
professoriate, and this session focuses on the experiences of
four Latina/o tenure-track faculty members. The panelists
will share how the AAHHE Graduate Fellows Program
influenced their strategies for balancing research, teaching,
and service. They will also offer their advice for successfully
navigating the first-year in academia. This presentation will
be particularly helpful for advanced doctoral students and
early career faculty.
28
Susana Hernandez, Graduate Research Assistant
Development
Leticia Palomin, Graduate Research Assistant
Development
Edith Fernández
Associate Vice President Community Engagement &
Diversity Initiatives
Nevada State College
Over the next decade, higher education institutions will have
significant increases in their Hispanic student population.
However, this heterogeneous student population reflects
diverse national origins and college readiness levels. Yet,
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs
play a critical national role in increasing this diverse group’s
degree completion rates. Relying on national data sets and
organizational theory, the purpose of the presentation is to
examine how HSIs can improve Hispanic students’ degree
completion rates.
2:15 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Second Place Winner
First Place Winner
Predictors of Sense of Belonging
among Latino Men in Community
College
Room: Gallant Fox
Presenter:
Marissa Vasquez Urias, Adjunct Faculty
San Diego State University
The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate
factors that were predictive of sense of belonging for Latino
males enrolled in community college. More specifically, this
study utilized national data from the Community College
Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) to examine
predictors of sense of belonging among five domains.
Findings from the analysis revealed several factors that
positively and negatively predicted sense of belonging
among Latino men in community college. These included
background characteristics (age, English language nativity,
enrollment status); environmental (family and friend
support, number of hours spent working and commuting
to school, and concern over a lack of finances); academic
(faculty-student engagement and in-class peer interaction);
social (interactions with diverse peers and involvement
with student organizations); and institutional (campus size,
urbanicity, and perceived academic, social, and financial
support). The goal of this study was to create a conceptual
model of Latino male sense of belonging that could guide
institutional leaders in developing interventions and policies
to support their success in college.
The Hope of Immigrant Optimism:
Examining Immigrant Optimism among
Latino Youth Using the Children’s
Hope Scale
Room: Gallant Fox
Presenter:
Sofia Bahena, Education Associate
Harvard University
Education scholars have cited immigrant optimism to explain
the academic resilience of children of immigrants. In much
the same way as immigrant optimism has correlated to academic success, psychologists have also found hope to be highly
predictive of academic performance. Yet immigrant optimism
has not been measured directly in much of the immigration
literature, nor have the hope measures been validated for
Latino populations.
Thus, this dissertation is comprised of two studies that aim
towards first establishing the measurement properties of an
instrument used to quantify hope among a Latino sample
(N=2,369), and then use this measure to examine a more
substantive question of hope’s relationship with academic
outcomes and immigrant generation. In the first article,
the author utilizes confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and
multiple-group CFA to identify a theoretically sound factor
structure for hope; examine the degree of invariance according
to several demographics; and establish evidence of concurrent
validity. The researcher’s findings suggest the Children’s Hope
Scale is a reliable and appropriate instrument to examine hope
levels among Latino youth. In the second article, the author
uses multiple-group structural equation modeling to examine
hope’s effect on academic outcomes – by immigrant generation
and documentation status. The author’s findings suggest that
there is no difference in hope among immigrant generations,
but indicate that undocumented students are more hopeful
than their documented counterparts, on average. And, those
higher levels of hope correspond to more positive academic
outcomes for undocumented students. Building on other
research, the author concludes that further attention should
be paid to educational environments that serve to either foster
or hinder hope in their students and the implications hope has
on academic performance.
29
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 13, 2013 u 3:45 PM – 5:00 Pm
march 13, 2013 u 3:45 PM – 5:00 Pm
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Impact
Impact
Inquire
Professional Development and the
Graduate School Experience
Evaluating the Impact the Cesar E.
Chavez Center for Higher Education
has on Latino Student Success at Cal
Poly Pomona
“Nobody’s going to Care about
You, You Care about Yourself”:
An Exploratory Study of Sense of
Belonging in Latina/o Students at a
Hispanic-Serving Institution
Room: Seabiscuit
Presenter:
Sonja Montas-Hunter, Associate Dean
University of Graduate School
Professional Development should be integral to the graduate experience as students prepare for opportunities in and
out of academia. The session will provide current and prospective graduate students with strategies for a successful
professional development plan. Discussion will focus on
applying for external funding, the importance of research
experiences, networking, and competencies that are
expected of graduate students transitioning into careers in
academia and/or industry.
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Inquire
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs):
Advancing research and
Transformative Practice
Room: Ranger
Presenters:
Anne-Marie Nuñez, Associate Professor
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Emily Calderón Galdeano, Director of Research
Excelencia in Education
Based on a new book advancing innovative scholarship by
both established and emerging scholars, the presenters will
provide an overview of current inquiry on HSIs as organizations. Participants will enhance their knowledge about
the history, diversity, data issues, cultures, and outcomes
of HSIs. The session will challenge conventional wisdom
about HSIs and benefit scholars, policymakers, and practitioners who wish to advance inquiry and create institutional
conditions to promote Latina/o student success.
30
Room: Winchester
Presenters:
Keiry Perez, Admin. Support Coordinator
President’s Office
California Polytechnic University, Pomona
Lorena Marquez, Coordinator- CECHE
Office of Student Life
California Polytechnic University, Pomona
Latinos have become the largest minority group in the United
States; however, they under perform at all levels of education.
This achievement gap is due to various reasons, but the focus
lies primarily on the environmental factors. In evaluating the
impact the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Higher Education has
on Latino student success at Cal Poly Pomona the presenters gained valuable knowledge on how cultural centers impact
student academic development, personal growth, and influence retention. Participation in ethnic organizations has a
positive correlation to student level of engagement, sense of
belonging, and cross-cultural interaction, which in turn has
been positively correlated to higher academic achievement,
greater personal development and higher retention rates.
of high school exit and college access at a school district
serving a predominately Latino population. The paper
will critically examine the policy implications at the high
school level influencing Latina/o student achievement
and the transition to college with a specific focus on
the influence high stakes testing has on their college
aspirations. A discussion on the future role of high stakes
tests and their unintentional but quite real consequences
concludes the study.
Room: Traveler
Presenters:
Kimberly Reyes, Graduate Research Assistant
School of Education
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Matt DeMonbrun, Graduate Research Assistant
School of Education
Forward Thinking, Forward Acting:
Addressing the Men of Color Gender
Achievement Gap through Strategic
Statewide Partnerships
The concentration of Latina/o students at Hispanic-Serving
Institutions (HSIs) demands a greater focus on how increased
Latina/o enrollment may influence the academic and social
integration of Latina/o students. Using a rich subset of qualitative data from the Wabash National Study and a unique
conceptual approach, this session will present findings from
an exploratory study of sense of belonging in Latino/a students
at an HSI. The authors invite discussion of the complexity
involved in studying diverse Latina/o populations, and in creating institutional practices at equally diverse HSIs.
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
The Impact of High Stakes Testing on
Latina/o Students’ College Aspirations
Room: Citation
Presenters:
Jessica Rodriguez
Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
Innovate
Presenters:
Victor B. Sáenz, Associate Professor
Department of Educational Administration
The University of Texas at Austin
Melissa McGuire, Assistant Vice President
Student Affairs
Eligio Martinez Jr., Coordinator
Student Success
Tarrant County College District
The presenters of this session will facilitate an interactive discussion
of the persistent Latino and African American male educational
achievement gap, and encourage institutional stakeholders to
proactively address this issue. Further, they will provide an
overview of the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students
of Color, its goals, and facilitate a panel discussion by local
institutional partners who will discuss the benefits of Consortium
membership and how their institution has benefited.
Lucy Arellano, Assistant Professor
Adult Education & Higher Education Leadership
Oregon State University
This study explores the influence high stakes testing has
on Latina/o student aspirations and subsequent college
enrollment. It quantitatively examines the critical juncture
31
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 13, 2013 u 3:45 PM – 5:00 Pm
march 14, 2013 u 8:00 AM – 9:15 Am
underrepresented in Ph.D. programs. This session will address
the factors that influence Latina/o undergraduate students’
aspirations to pursue education beyond the bachelor’s degree
as well as Latinas/os’ graduate school experiences. This session will thus be pertinent for researchers, practitioners,
students, and policymakers concerned with the recruitment and retention of Latina/o students in Ph.D. programs.
3:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Innovate
Track: Inquire
Transforming the University
Environment to be Inclusive of
Undocumented Students: Two Different
Institutional Approaches in the Midwest
The Effect of Attending a HispanicServing Institution: A Longitudinal
Examination
Room: Whirlaway
Presenters:
Stella M. Flores, Associate Professor
Public Policy
Vanderbilt University
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Toby J. Park, Assistant Professor
Educational Leadership & Policy
Florida State University
Virtual Mentoring Team: Piloting the
HSHPS Student Mentorship Program
for Hispanic Health Research (sMPH2r)
Presenters:
Angela Vidal-Rodriguez, Director
McNair Scholars Program
Northeastern Illinois University
Daniel Lopez Jr., Associate Vice President
Student Affairs
Undocumented college students face systematic challenges
inside higher education institutions. The presenters will
display a case study of a state university in the Midwest
that is stagnant on providing an inclusive environment for
these students regardless of being located in a state that
has historically implemented inclusive state policies for
unauthorized individuals. In contrast, they will present
the Undocumented Student Ally Program implemented
at Northeastern Illinois University a college located in the
same region. Participants will learn about the contrasting
ways that universities can respond to this issue, and innovative practices in which universities can create inclusive
policies to serve all students regardless of their current
immigration status.
Impact
Rompiendo Barreras: Developing
a Cadre of Physicians and Health
Practitioners
Room: Gallant Fox
Room: Winchester
Using state administrative data for three cohorts of college
enrollees from 1997 to 2008 and incorporating propensity score matching techniques, the presenters examine the
effects of attending an Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
on college-completion outcomes in Texas. Research showed
the income gap among Hispanic students particularly stark,
with economically disadvantaged students enrolling more
frequently at HSIs and those more economically advantaged
enrolling in traditional institutions. Further, after matching
similar students who attend and do not attend an HSI and
conditioning on institutional capacity factors, the presenters no longer see a difference between the bachelor’s degree
completion rates of Hispanic students who do enroll in an
HSI and those who do not for most of the cohorts examined. Next steps for research and project expansion will also
be discussed as part of the presentation.
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Impact
Room: Ranger
Presenter:
Michelle Quinteros de Czira, Executive Director
Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS)
The Student Mentorship Program for Hispanic Health
Research (sMPH²r) is a pilot program developed by
the National Association of Hispanic-Serving Health
Professions Schools (HSHPS), as the first structured
web and team-based national mentorship program for
undergraduate health degree students interested in pursuing
careers in Hispanic health research. This presentation will
present best practices and lessons learned during the first
year. Academic institutions and those interested in training
students from underrepresented minorities are encouraged
to attend.
Presenters:
Diana Rodriguez, Project Associate Director
Education
Kendy Olaguez, Senior Research Specialist & Project
Director
Education
Michael Almodovar, Project Coordinator
Education
University of Illinois at Chicago)
This presentation will provide an overview of the precollege initiatives in the Hispanic Center of Excellence at
the University of Illinois at Chicago aimed at increasing
the interest and motivation of Latino students pursuing
health science careers. In this session participants will be
provided with an overview of the programs; will become
knowledgeable of ways to form internal and external
partnerships; and engage in discussion over challenges and
opportunities related to establishing such programs.
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Inquire
Aspiring to and Navigating Graduate
School: Emergent Perspectives on the
Latina/o Ph.D. Pipeline
Room: Seabiscuit
Presenter:
Amber Gonzalez
Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Studies, Child
Development
California State University, Sacramento
Latinas/os represent the largest the fastest growing racial/
ethnic minority group in the country, yet they remain vastly
32
33
Conference agenda
conference agenda
march 14, 2013 u 8:00 AM – 9:15 Am
march 14, 2013 u 8:00 AM – 12:00 Pm
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Innovate
Innovate
Impact
Pedagogical Intentionality in Serving
Hispanic Students in Higher Education:
Decisions and Structure of Online
Programs—A Case Study
(Re)defining College Transitions with
Latino Student Voices: A Focus on
Familial Ties and Motivations
Latinas Determined to Complete
Doctorates: Pipeline Successes
Room: Citation
Room: Traveler
Presenters:
Nydia Sanchez, Research Coordinator
Presenter:
Rose Santos, PhD.
Educational Administration and
Human Resource Development
Presenters:
Paul Sale, Professor
Educational Psychology
The University of Texas – Pan American
John Lowdermilk, Professor
Educational Psychology
The University of Texas – Pan American
Participants in this session will discuss program barriers
and assets to graduate school (master’s level) completion.
Program design attributes for programs will be discussed
using both the extant literature and a case study approach
from an asynchronous, fully online distance education
program at a large, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
Data from the application/admission funnel, persistence,
and program completion will be described. Limitations
and future directions for program development will
be discussed.
Ah Cho, Research Associate
Diana Gomez, Coordinator of TWU and Terry Scholars
Terry Foundation Scholarships
Texas Women’s University
Latino students have well-documented familial cultural
values that make this population an ideal candidate
for research on family involvement in college. In this
session, the presenters will use quotes from Latino student
interviews to highlight how family participation occurs
at a four-year state institution. Participants will learn
how they transitioned to their first and second year of
college and how to increase engagement and persistence
for student groups with non-dominant culture family
structures, attitudes, and behaviors.
Room: Whirlaway
This presentation focuses on one of the fastest growing
racial/ethnic groups of women in the United States –
Latinas – and their successful completions of their doctoral
programs. The contributing factors that enabled Latinas
to successfully complete their pathways through their
terminal degree programs within the higher education
pipeline will be discussed. Various personal, social,
cultural, or environmental elements may positively or
negatively influence students’ completion decisions.
9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
Plenary Session
Awards Breakfast
Room: Frisco 1-5
Presiding:
JoAnn Canales, AAHHE Secretary
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Program Closure
Room: Frisco 1-5
Presiding:
8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.
Innovate
Following in the Footsteps of HighAchieving, First-Generation, Latina/o
College Students
Presenters:
Desiree Vega, Assistant Professor
CLAS
Amanda Afifi, Graduate Student
CLAS
This session will explore the experiences of first-generation,
high-achieving, Latina/o college juniors and seniors
attending a Hispanic Serving Institution. Participants
will develop an understanding of how these students
successfully navigated their college journey. Additionally,
participants will learn about students’ challenges and
support systems throughout their college experience. This
session will benefit graduate students and university staff
and faculty with an interest in the successful recruitment,
retention, and graduation of Latina/o college students.
34
35
institutional Members
As of Januar y 13, 2015
With 7,100 Hispanic students, 5,000
African American students, 2,500
international students and 2,400 Asian
students, UNT is one of the most
diverse universities in the nation.
Albertus Magnus College
Named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® for 19
consecutive years, the University of North Texas offers an
incredible educational value, rich in quality, resources
and accessibility.
Tempe, AZ
UNT offers 98 bachelor’s, 82 master’s and 36 doctoral
degree programs.
Start your college journey at UNT and build opportunity for
yourself, your family, your community, your future . . .
and generations to come.
New Haven, CT
Allegheny College
Meadville, PA
Arizona State University,
Tempe Campus
Arizona Western College
Yuma, AZ
Atlantic University College
Guaynabo, PR
Austin Community College
District
Austin, TX
Bastyr University
Kenmore, WA
Bronx Community College
AA/EOE/ADA © 2014 UNT
Bronx, NY
Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, MA
Congratulations Dr. Havidán Rodríguez
UTPA President Ad Interim • UTRGV Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education Award Recipient
California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona
Pomona, CA
California State University,
Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA
A New University...
In Fall 2015, The University of Texas at
Brownsville, along with The University of
Texas-Pan American, will become one
new university with a medical school and
a single identity – UT Rio Grande Valley –
the first major public university of the 21st
century in Texas.
Callifornia State University,
Channel Islands
Camarillo, CA
Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA
East Bay,
Hayward
Fresno
Fresno, CA
Fullerton
Fullerton, CA
BROWNSVILLE • EDINBURG • HARLINGEN
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA
Northridge
Northridge, CA
Sacramento
Eastern Washington University
Cheney, WA
Episcopal Divinity School
Cambridge, MA
Estrella Mountain
Community College
Avondale, AZ
Farmingdale State University
– SUNY
Farmingdale, NY
Sacramento, CA
Fitchburg State University
San Bernardino
Fort Hays State University
Fitchburg, MA
San Bernardino, CA
Hays, KS
San Marcos
Galveston College
San Marcos, CA
Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
Carlos Albizu University,
Miami Campus
Miami, FL
Chandler-Gilbert
Community College
Chandler, AZ
College of the Holy Cross
Galveston, TX
Gateway Community
College, Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ
Heritage University
Toppenish, WA
Hillsborough
Community College
Tampa, FL
Inter American University
of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla
Campus
Worcester, MA
Aguadilla, PR
Community College of Denver
Inter American University of
Puerto Rico, Arecibo Campus
Denver, CO
Dallas County Community
College District System
Arecibo, PR
Dallas, TX
Puerto Rico,
Barranquitas Campus
Doña Ana Community College
Barranquitas, PR
Las Cruces, NM
East Stroudsburg University
of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg, PA
Eastern Connecticut
State University
Puerto Rico, Bayamon
Bayamon, PR
Puerto Rico, Ponce Campus
Mercedita, PR
Willimantic, CT
37
Iowa State University
Ames, IA
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Kutztown University
Kutztown, PA
Laredo Community College
Laredo, TX
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
Maricopa County Community
College District
Tempe, AZ
Massachusetts Department
of Higher Education
Boston, MA
Massachusetts School of Law
Andover, MA
Mercy College
Dobbs Ferry, NY
Metropolitan College of
New York Main
New York, NY
MGH Institute of
Health Professions
Boston, MA
Miami Dade College
Miami, FL
Monroe College
The Bronx, NY
Mt. San Jacinto College
San Jacinto, CA
Naugatuck Valley Community
College
Waterbury, CT
Naval War College
Newport, RI
New Mexico State University,
Alamogordo Campus
Alamogordo, NM
New Mexico State University,
Las Cruces
Las Cruces, NM
New York City College of
Technology
Regis University
Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Denver, CO
Kingsville, TX
Rio Salado College
Tempe, AZ
Roosevelt University
Chicago, IL
Rutgers University
Brooklyn, NY
New Brunswick, NJ
Nichols College
Sam Houston State University
Dudley, MA
Hunstville, TX
North Carolina,
Central University
San Diego Mesa College
Durham, NC
Northampton
Community College
Bethlehem, PA
Chicago, IL
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
Northern New Mexico
Community College
Espanola, NM
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK
Paradise Valley Community
College
Phoenix, AZ
Pima Community College
District
Tucson, AZ
Quinsigamond Community
College
Worcester, MA
Rancho Santiago Community
College District
Santa Ana, CA
San Diego, CA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
San Jacinto College District
Pasadena, TX
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, CA
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
South Mountain
Community College
Phoenix, AZ
Southern New Hampshire
University
Manchester, NH
St. Edward’s University
Austin, TX
St. Vincent de
Paul Regional Seminary
Boynton Beach, FL
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX
Tarrant County College District
Fort Worth, TX
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX
38
10 h annual national conference
San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Texas A&M UniversityCommerce
Universidad de Puerto Rico,
Bayamon
Bayamon, PR
Universidad del
Sagrado Corazon
San Juan, PR
University of Arizona
Denton, TX
University of Richmond
Richmond, VA
University of Saint Joseph
West Hartford, CT
Commerce, TX
Tucson, AZ
Texas Christian University
University of California,
Merced
University of South Florida
Fort Worth, TX
Texas State UniversitySan Marcos
San Marcos, TX
Lubbock, TX
The California State University
Long Beach, CA
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA
The George Washington
University
San Diego, CA
Merced, CA
Tampa, FL
Riverside
University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga
Riverside, CA
Chattanooga, TN
University of Dayton
University of Texas, Arlington
Dayton, OH
Arlington, TX
University of Hartford
University of the Incarnate Word
West Hartford, CT
San Antonio, TX
University of Hawaii, Manoa
University of Wisconsin,
Madison
Honolulu, HI
University of Iowa
Madison, WI
Washington, DC
Iowa City, IA
Valencia College
The University of Texas
at Arlington
University of Maryland,
Baltimore County
Walden University
Arlington, TX
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, MD
The University of Texas,
El Paso
Webster University
El Paso, TX
Pan American
Edinburg, TX
San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Orlando, FL
Ann Arbor, MI
St. Louis, MO
University of Missouri,
System
West Texas A&M University
Columbia, MO
University of New Haven
Canyon, TX
Western Connecticut State
University
West Haven, CT
Danbury, CT
University of New Mexico
Worcester State University
Albuquerque, NM
Worcester, MA
Victoria, TX
University of North Carolina,
Charlotte
Xavier University
Trinity University
Charlotte, NC
The Victoria College
San Antonio, TX
Truckee Meadows
Community College
Cincinnati, OH
University of North Carolina,
Wilmington
Wilmington, NC
Reno, NV
39
Individual Members
Individual Members
Michael Almodovar
JoAnn Canales
Berenecea J. Eanes
Jorge A. Girotti
Diana Hernandez
Cesar Moreno-Perez
Project Coordinator
Interim Dean, College of
Graduate Studies
Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
Vice President for Student Affairs
California State Fullerton
Associate Dean and Director
Edelmiro Escamilla
Cristina Gonzalez
Director, Division of
Multicultural Affairs
Western Michigan University
Assistant Director Human Rights &
Community Relations Department
American Federation of Teachers
Melissa Cardenas
Assistant Professor
Professor
Francisco Hernandez
Will Moya
Antonio Estudillo
Carlos V. Grijalva
Vice Chancellor
University of Hawaii
ACOO
Berkeley College
Assistant Professor
Austin State University
Professor/Associate Dean
Rosallinda Hernandez
Patricia Murillo
Jaime D.Farias
Curtis Guaglianone
Associate Professor
The University of Texas, Pan American
College Coach
Making Waves Foundation
Instructional Dean
El Paso Community College
Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Heritage University
Sylvia Hurtado
Guillermina Gina Nuñez-Mchiri
Professor
Associate Professor of Anthropology
University of Texas, El Paso
Tito Guerrero III
Stephen Chapes Keith
Isela Ocegueda
Vice President
Middle States Commission on
Higher Education
Professor of Biology
Kansas State University
Director of Graduate Student
Professional Development
University of Texas, El Paso
Marisol Guevara
Associate Vice President for
Student Affairs
Northeastern Illinois
Rosa Alvarado
Admission Counselor
Samuel Merritt University
Floralba Arbelo
Program Director - Title V Developing
Hispanic Serving Institutions
Carlos Albizu University
Patricia Arredondo
President
The Chicago School of
Professional Psychology
Sherlene Ayala
Student
Montclair State University
Nina Barcenas
Professor
Heritage University
Jessica Barnes
Research Coordinator
James Barrio
Student
New Mexico State University
Mercedes Aguirre Batty
Dean, Arts & Humanities
Sheridan College
Lori Brackett
Department Coordinator
Bowdoin College
Phillip Bustos
Student
Ohio University
Margaret Susan Carter
Director of Research Development
Services (RDS)
University of California, Merced
Carlos CastilIo-Chavez
Director of Mathematical, Computational & Modeling Sciences Chair
Jaime Chahin
Dean, College of Applied Arts
Daisy Collins
Student
University of Missouri
Linda Bullock Contreras
Assistant Dean, Student Diversity
University of Houston, Clear Lake
Valerie Crespin-Trujillo
Graduate Associate and Fellow
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jorge De Avila
Student
Esmeralda de los Santos
Professor
University of the Incarnate Word
V.P. for Student Services
Central New Mexico
Community College
Walter Diaz
Anthony Campbell
Erin Doran
Associate V.P. for Student Affairs,
Dean of Students
Rider University
Doctoral Student
University of Texas, San Antonio
Dean of Students
Eastern Connecticut State University
Richard Duran
Professor
University of California, Santa Barbara
40
Edith Fernández
Associate Vice President
Jesus Fernandez
Associate Provost
DeVry University, South Florida
Ricardo R. Fernandez
President
Lehman College
Mike Flores
President
Palo Alto College
Jacob Fraire
V.P., Student & Institutional Success
Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp
Catherine Galarza-Espino
Doctoral Student
Benedictine University
Daniel Galvan
Director of Recruitment
and Admissions
Springfield College
Hector Guillen
Daniel Lopez
Arturo Madrid
Mayra Olivares-Urueta
Director of Student Development
Services
Tarrant County College District Trinity River
Graduate Student
Murchison Distinguished Professor
of the Humanities
Trinity University
LorenaGuillen
Stacey L. Manzano
Graduate Student
Academic Counselor
State University of New York at
Binghamton
James Ortez
Anthony Marin
J. Michael Ortiz
Director, Student Affairs
President
California State Polytechnic University,
Pomona
Rebecca Gutierrez-Keeton
AVP & Dean of Students
Cal Poly Pomona
John A. Guzman
Loui Olivas
Professor Emeritus
Assistant Dean
University of California, Merced
Research Assistant/Ph.D. Student
Vice President for
Academic Planning
Boricua College
RobertMartinez
Assistant Director
North Carolina State University
Priscilla Pereschica
Crystal Garcia
Fany D. Hannon
Velma Menchaca
Wendy Perez
Director
University of Connecticut
Professor/Department Chair
University of Texas, Pan American
Graduate Student
UCLA GSEIS
Sonja Montas-Hunter
Karla Perez-Velez
Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
Maricopa County Community
College District
Associate Dean
University of Northern Colorado
Alfonso Montero, Jr.
VP, Student Services &
Enrollment Management
Hillsborough Community College
Graduate Assistant
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Amanda Garcia-Williams
Student
Emory University
Lisa Garza
Director of University Planning
and Assessment
Student Success Institute
Lewis University
UC Santa Barbara
Kenneth Ray, Jr.
41
Individual Members
Individual Members
Pedro Reyes
Gloria M. Rodriguez
Doris Roundtree
Myra Segars-Szustak
Denise Trauth
Yolanda Zepeda
Executive Vice Chancellor,
ad interim
University of Texas System
Associate Professor
Coordinator, College Assistance
Migrant Program
Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College
Human Resources
University of South Carolina
President
Mary Jo Sekelsky
Michael Trevino
Assistant Provost for Diversity
& Inclusion
Ohio State University
Adrian Riojas
Executive Director
Hispanic Theological Initiative
Jose Ruiz
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
University of Michigan, Flint
Director of Undergraduate Admissions
University of California
Emma Solano
Joanna Fe Shaw Tucker
Student
California Lutheran University
Doctoral Student
The Spelman & Johnson Group
Roberto Zamora
Managing Partner
Assistant Professor
University of Texas, Pan American
Coordinator, IRE
Hill College
Alberto I.Roca
Executive Director, DiverScholar –
a project of Community Partners
Diana Rodriguez
Project Associate Director, Pre-College
and Research Initiatives
Joanne Rodriguez
Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska, Omaha
Enrique Romo
Director
Professor
Southern Illinois University
Victor Saenz
Associate Professor &
Executive Director
Robert Sanchez
Jenny Zorn
Associate Provost
San Bernardino
Director of Admissions
Northwestern Nazarene University
Exceptional
Opportunities
At The University of Texas at San Antonio, education is
about exceptional opportunities—in the classrooms,
in the laboratories, in the studios, in the recital halls
and on the playing fields. Education is about preparing
yourself to be a citizen of the world and a good
neighbor in your community.
With world-class faculty, quality classes, hands-on lab
experiences, and a vibrant campus life, including our
new football team—these are the kinds of experiences
that you’ll find at UTSA and that is what makes our
university top-tier.
Top-Tier Education | utsa.com
AAHHE & ETS
AAHHE & ETS
L atino/a Student Success Institute Presenters
Laura I. Rendón, Institute Chair
Estela Bensimon
Maria Martha Chavez
Yvette Donado
Professor & Co-Director
Center for Research and Policy in Education
University of Texas-San Antonio
Professor and Co-Director
Center for Urban Education
Rossier School of Education
Chief Education Officer
Catch the Next, Inc.
Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President,
Laura I. Rendón is
Professor of Higher
Education and
Co-Director of the
Center for Research
and Policy in Education
in the College of
Education and Human
Development at the
University of TexasSan Antonio. From
2005-2009, Rendón
served as Professor
and Chair in the
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
Studies at Iowa State University, College of Human
Sciences. Her current research focuses on access,
retention and graduation of low-income, first-generation
college students, and the transformation of teaching and
learning to emphasize wholeness and social justice.
Estela Mara Bensimon,
Ed.D., is a professor of
higher education at the
USC Rossier School of
Education and
Co-Director of the
Center for Urban
Education, which she
founded in 1999. She
applies her knowledge on
organizational learning,
leadership, and equity on
the ground, at colleges
and universities in several
states. With a singular focus on increasing equity in higher
education outcomes for students of color, she developed
the Equity Scorecard—a process for using inquiry to
drive changes in institutional practice and culture.
Maria Martha Chavez
has been driven by a
social mission and a
desire to find innovative
ways to solve social
problems that have
challenged the market
and the public sector.
Dr. Chavez currently
serves as chief education
officer for Catch
the Next, Inc., a
college readiness and
completion organization
replicating the UC Berkeley- Puente Initiative in Texas
for which she serves as director. She is also currently
a special assistant—dean of students at Yale College.
At Yale she helped establish and served as director of
the Asian Chicano-Native American Cultural Center;
the Chicano Boricua Studies Program; and Esfuerzo
Unido. While a doctoral student, Dr. Chavez directed
the first pilot Community School Program in the New
Haven CT school district, which later became a national
initiative under the Clinton administration’s crime bill,
and became the subject of her doctoral dissertation.
Rendón earned a Ph.D. in higher education
administration from the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor. She holds a M.A. in counseling and guidance
and psychology from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
She earned a B.A. in English and journalism from
the University of Houston, and holds an associate
of arts degree from San Antonio College.
Rendón is the author of Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking)
Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and
Liberation. She is also is co-editor of Transforming the
First Year of College for Students of Color, Educating
a New Majority, and Racial and Ethnic Diversity in
Higher Education ASHE Reader. Her scholarly work
on access and student success has been featured in the
Chronicle of Higher Education and the PBS documentary,
The College Track. She has received numerous awards
including the ASHE Distinguished Service Award,
and the NASPA Latino Knowledge Community
Outstanding Faculty Award. Rendón has also been
inducted into the Iowa Academy of Education.
Rendón is Chair of the Board of Directors for the National
Council for Community and Education Partnerships.
She also serves on the Board of Trustees for
Naropa University and the Board of the Center
for Contemplative Mind in Society.
44
Dr. Bensimon has published extensively about equity,
organizational learning, practitioner inquiry and change;
and her articles have appeared in journals such as the
Review of Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education,
Liberal Education, and Harvard Educational Review.
Her most recent publications include a co-edited book,
Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the
Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice. She is also the
co-editor of Critical Perspectives on Race and Equity,
a special issue of the Review of Higher Education.
Dr. Bensimon has held the highest leadership positions
in the Association for the Study of Higher Education
(president, 2005-2006) and in the American Education
Research Association, Division on Postsecondary
Education (vice president, 1992-1994), and she served
on the boards. She is the current Chair of AERA’s Social
Justice and Action Committee. She has received several
awards and recognition over the years including: an
AERA Fellow; the Association for the Study of Higher
Education Research Achievement Award; the USC
Mellon Mentoring Award for faculty and Distinguished
Service Award from the Association for the Study of
Higher Education; and she was a Fulbright Scholar to
Mexico in 2002. Bensimon earned her doctorate in higher
education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
In the California Central Valley, Dr. Chavez established
six community learning centers through Save the Children
Federation while Assistant Vice President for U.S.
programs. Dr. Chavez worked with 243 communities
across the nation, as a result of her research on America’s
101 Poorest Places. As Research and Engagement Associate
for Public Agenda Inc., Dr. Chavez served as ‘coach’ to over
80 colleges across 23 states to bridge the achievement gap.
Dr. Chavez serves as co-chair of the Yale Latino
Alumni Association; she is also a member of the
Association of Yale Alumni Graduate School Executive
Committee. Dr. Chavez has a master’s degree in
sociology from Yale University and a master’s degree
in education from Kansas State University.
Yvette Donado oversees
corporate quality and
process management;
communications, and
community relations;
human resources; and
facilities for Educational
Testing Service (ETS).
She leads a staff of over
400 employees in an
organization with more
than 3,000 people.
Donado chairs the
Council on the
Mission, an executive body that assures the alignment
of products, services, and programs with the ETS
mission to advance equity and quality in education
worldwide. She spearheaded ETS’s initiative to
address the needs of the nation’s English learners.
Donado is on the boards of the New Jersey Chamber
of Commerce, Junior Achievement of New Jersey,
Mercer County United Way Mercer County, Hispanics
Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement, and
the Advisory Council of the Pan American Development
Foundation. She is the former vice president, human
resources and communications, of the executive board
of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees
for Minorities in Engineering and Science.
Donado earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from
Queens College in New York and an executive MBA
from Harvard University. She completed the Executive
Development Program at Wharton Business School
and a labor relations/conflict resolution program
sponsored by Cornell and Boston universities.
In 2012, Hispanic Business named Donado one of the
50 most influential Hispanics and in 2013, Latina
Style honored her as one of the nation’s top five Latina
executives. Parents Step Ahead and 100 Hispanic
Women, among others, have honored her. An expert on
leadership and self-actualization, she enjoys speaking on
education and assessments and their role in successful
careers and productive citizenship. In 2014, Donado
was honored to present the Tomás Rivera Lecture at the
9th Annual AAHHE Annual National Conference.
45
AAHHE & ETS
AAHHE & ETS
Alfred Herrera
Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux
Ross Markle
Tia McNair
Assistant Vice Provost/Director
UCLA CCCP
Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration
The George Washington University
Senior Research and Assessment Advisor
Higher Education Division
Educational Testing Ser vice
Senior Director for Student Success
Office of Diversity, Equity and Student Success
American Association of Colleges and Universities
Ross Markle serves
as the senior research
and assessment
advisor for the Higher
Education Division at
Educational Testing
Service. In his role, he
supports ETS’ thought
leadership efforts in
higher education by
collaborating with
operational and
research areas, as
well as the higher
education community. Ross also works directly with
colleges and universities to promote the effective use
of assessments and data in student success efforts,
particularly with traditionally underserved populations.
Dr. Tia Brown
McNair is the senior
director for student
success in the Office
of Diversity, Equity,
and Student Success
at AAC&U. She
collaborates with all
AAC&U program
offices and takes a
leading role in advancing
AAC&U projects and
meetings on student
success and making
excellence inclusive. She is a co-PI on a newly funded
LEAP Project “Advancing Underserved Student Success
through Faculty Intentionality in Problem-Centered
Learning.” McNair also directs AAC&U’s Developing
a Community College Student Roadmap Project and
is a co-author on a publication Assessing Underserved
Students’ Engagement in High-Impact Practices.
Alfred R. Herrera is the
assistant vice provost for
Academic Partnerships
and the director of
the UCLA Center for
Community College
Partnerships. His work
focuses on developing
and strengthening
collaborative
relationships between
UCLA and feeder
community colleges, and
developing academic
enrichment programs focused on preparing underserved
students to become competitively eligible for UC.
Herrera has been an advocate for transfer students
and undocumented students for over 30 years and has
done training and presentations across the nation and
internationally. He was appointed to President Napolitano’s
recently created Advisory Board for Undocumented
Students, as well as her Transfer Action Team focused on
improving services to transfer students across the UC.
Herrera has received several prestigious awards
including the 2013 Inclusion, Access and Success
National Award from the National Association of
College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) and
the Dr. Winston C. Doby Impact Award from the
University of California Office of the President.
He is co-author for several articles including “Access and
Retention of Students from Educationally Disadvantaged
Backgrounds”, “Strategies to Support Undocumented
Students”, and the seminal piece “Critical Race Theory and
the Transfer Function: Introducing a Transfer Receptive
Culture,” which was published in the Community College
Journal of Research and Practice. He is the lead author for
two recent publications including “Increasing Access and
Diversity in the Absence of Affirmative Action” in Diversity
and Democracy and “Building a Transfer Receptive Culture:
Strengthening the Institutional Commitment of FourYear Universities” published in New Directions for Higher
Education. He received his B.A. from California State
Polytechnic University in behavioral science and his MPA
from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
46
Lindsey E. MalcomPiqueux is an
assistant professor of
Higher Education
Administration in
the Department of
in the Graduate School
of Education and
Human Development
at the George
Washington University.
Her primary
interest centers on
postsecondary access and success for minoritized women
and men in STEM fields. Following this interest, she
has conducted research in several areas including the
relationship between financial aid and STEM outcomes,
the role of four-year minority serving institutions
and community colleges in facilitating access and
success in STEM, and gender equity in STEM among
minoritized populations. Malcom-Piqueux also studies
the educational experiences and outcomes of students
of color at Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
predominantly Black institutions, Hispanic-serving
institutions, and Tribal Colleges and examines the
congruence of the minority-serving designation and
academic outcomes among their target populations.
Her work has appeared in Educational Researcher,
the Review of Higher Education, Harvard Educational
Review, among other journals, and in volumes edited
by Routledge, SUNY Press, and Stylus Publishing.
Malcom-Piqueux received her Ph.D. in urban education
with an emphasis on higher education from the University
of Southern California, and her M.S. and S.B. in
planetary science from Caltech and MIT, respectively.
He has also worked in ETS’ Research and Development
Division, focusing on the assessment of noncognitive and
twenty-first century skills, student success, and student
learning outcomes assessment in higher education.
Prior to joining ETS’ Higher Education Division, Ross
obtained his Ph.D. in assessment and measurement
psychology from James Madison University, and also
served as the director of co-curricular assessment
and research at Northern Kentucky University.
Prior to joining AAC&U, McNair served as the assistant
director of the National College Access Network (NCAN)
in Washington, DC. She was selected as a 2009 and
2010 Fellow to participate in the Association for the
Study of Higher Education’s Institutes on Equity and
Critical Policy Analysis. She has held leadership positions
within the regional and statewide TRIO associations as
a board member and state president. McNair earned her
bachelor’s degree in political science and English at James
Madison University and holds an M.A. in English from
Radford University and a doctorate in higher education
administration from George Washington University.
47
We’re Here to Help
You Succeed.
The University of Houston is committed
to the success of our Latino students.
UH is one of only three Tier One public research
universities in the nation designated as an Hispanic
Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education.
And through the Academic Achievers Program, UH
supports our Latino students with scholarships,
mentoring, tutoring, and leadership training.
Learn more about the changing faces
of our future leaders at uh.edu.
AAHHE & ETS
“When I received
notification that my
application for tenure
and promotion was
approved last month,
I stepped back and
thought of key mentors
and experiences
I’ve had that made
this accomplishment
possible. My
participation as an
AAHHE faculty fellow
is one of those turnkey experiences that
helped me reach
this goal, especially
learning from
outstanding Latino and
Latina faculty dedicated
to expanding the
pipeline of Latino and
Latina faculty in
higher education.”
Belinda Reyes
Associate Professor
Latino/Latina Studies
College of Ethnic Studies
San Francisco State University
Belinda I. Reyes is the
director of the César E.
Chávez Institute and
associate professor at the
Latina and Latino Studies
Department in the College
of Ethnic Studies at San
Francisco State University. She was formerly a
founding faculty member
at the University of
California, Merced, and
a Research Fellow at the
Public Policy Institute
of California.
Reyes’s work explores demographic changes and their
implication for policy, as well as the social and economic
progress of racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
She is particularly interested in the intersection of race,
ethnicity, and education. She has examined ethnic
representation in education and the potential consequences
of underrepresentation, as well as post-secondary
educational access for Latino children. Belinda leads the
Latino Educational Achievement Partnership (LEAP).
She is most interested in developing strategies for dialogue
and collaboration based on research and evidence basedpractice. She is also interested in how HSI status can impact
an institution, and the role of institutional leadership in
the successful implementation of HSI-funded programs.
Reyes has briefed various federal, state, and local
governmental bodies and addressed numerous civic
organizations. She has been a senior program associate
at PolicyLink; lecturer at the University of California,
Berkeley; a research fellow at the University of Michigan;
and, a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of
San Francisco. She holds a B.S. in economics from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. in
economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Eva Serrano
Assistant Professor, Foreign Languages and Latino Studies,
Aurora University, 2012 AAHHE Faculty Fellow
49
AAHHE
AAHHE
Schol arly Paper Authors
Nancy Acevedo-Gil
Lucy Arellano
Yanira Madrigal-Garcia
Melissa A. Martinez
Examining the School to Prison Pipeline Literature
As It Relates to Latina /o Students and Implications to
Higher Education
The Impact of High Stakes Testing: Impact on Latino
Students’ College Aspirations
Examining the School to Prison Pipeline Literature
As It Relates to Latina /o Students and Implications to
Higher Education
Latino Educational Leadership across the Pipeline: For
Latino Communities and Latina /o Leaders
Nancy Acevedo-Gil is
an assistant professor in
the College of Education
Doctoral Studies
Program at California
State University, San
Bernardino. Nancy
examines issues of access
to and completion
of higher education
for underrepresented
students. Dedicated
to engaging in critical
research, Nancy employs
qualitative and spatial analysis methods and applies critical
race theory in education. Nancy examines challenges and
promising practices in high schools, two-year colleges,
and four-year colleges. Nancy’s research bridges urban
high schools with colleges by identifying how urban high
schools guide students with two-year and four-year college
applications and how low-income students transition into
the colleges. Her goal is to develop effective educational
policies and practices that bridge the K-12 and higher
education systems in support of underrepresented students.
Lucy Arellano is an
assistant professor in the
College of Education at
Oregon State University.
Preceding her arrival at
Oregon State University,
she served as the research
and assessment specialist
in the Office of the Vice
Chancellor for Students
Hawaii at Mānoa.
While there, she was the
principal investigator of
a mixed-methods study identifying reasons why students do
not re-enroll at the University. Prior to that appointment,
she taught in the Higher Education Administration and
Policy Program at the University of California, Riverside.
Yanira MadrigalGarcia is a doctoral
candidate in the School
of Education at the
Davis. Utilizing an
urban policy lens,
Yanira examines issues
that hinder access
to higher education
for underrepresented
students. She is
committed to critical
research and employs
decolonial methodologies, collaborative research, and
critical race theory. Among her goals include developing
educational approaches that support the success of
youth that reside in low-income urban communities.
Her research focuses on persistence, retention, and degree
completion for emerging majority students. Concepts
of diversity, campus climates, campus engagement, and
student co-curricular involvement ground her work.
Furthermore, she examines campus environments and how
institutional agency influences student success. Current
and future work investigates student mobility across
multiple colleges/universities and varying institutional
types. Her work has been published in leading higher
education journals such as: Higher Education: Handbook
of Theory and Research; Research in Higher Education;
and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.
Yanira’s dissertation project will investigate the ways
in which violence, present in a low-income urban
community of Northern California, can shape the
educational outlook and trajectory of middle school
students. Yanira will employ critical ethnography to
develop a multi-level analysis that examines how the
policies and practices present in school mirror the violence
the students are exposed to in their community.
Melissa A. Martinez,
Ph.D. is an
assistant professor
in the Education
and Community
Leadership Program
in the Department of
Counseling, Leadership,
Adult Education, and
School Psychology at
in San Marcos, Texas.
She is a native of the
Rio Grande Valley,
and a former bilingual elementary school teacher and
school counselor. She earned her Ph.D. in 2010 from The
University of Texas at Austin in educational administration
with a portfolio in Mexican American studies. Her own
schooling experiences and roles as an educator have greatly
shaped her research agenda, which focuses on equity
and access issues along the P-16 education pipeline.
In her dissertation, “College-Going culture in an
underresourced urban high school: Examining Latina/o
college choice and navigation,” Nancy examined how
an urban high school, prepared students for college.
A native of northern California, Nancy earned bachelor
degrees in social welfare, legal studies, and Chicano studies
from the University of California, Berkeley. She went on
to obtain a master’s degree in Mexican American studies
from San Jose State University. She earned her doctoral
degree in 2014 from the Graduate School of Education and
Information Studies at the University of California, Los
Angeles. Nancy is an alumna of the AAHHE Graduate
Fellowship Program and a UC/ACCORD Fellow.
Last year Arellano was bestowed the honor of
winning second place in the AAHHE/ETS
Outstanding Dissertations Awards Competition.
Her dissertation titled, “Capitalizing Baccalaureate
Degree Attainment: Revealing the Path of the Latina/o
Scholar,” considered the educational trajectory of
15,745 Latinos across 459 institutions nationally.
Arellano earned her Ph.D. from the Higher Education
and Organizational Change division in UCLA’s Graduate
School of Education and Information Studies. She
holds a master’s degree from the Center for the Study of
Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University
of Michigan. As an undergraduate she majored in
computer animation, American culture, and Latina/o
studies also from the University of Michigan.
50
Utilizing a transnational approach, Yanira also
designed a study that examines the way teachers and
educators in Mexico make sense of the violence that
stems from drug cartels. This study is significant
because it is located at the vanguard of examining
the connection between the violence linked to drug
cartels and educational achievement in Mexico.
This study shifts the discourse of violence in Mexico
beyond something criminal to a difficult reality
low-income people particularly children face.
Yanira immigrated to the U.S. at a young age with
her family from Mexico and El Salvador. With the
support of family and school mentors she received
bachelor degrees in ethnic studies and Chicana/o
Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She
also received a master’s degree from San Jose State
University. More recently, she became alumni of
AAHHE’s Graduate Students Fellows Program.
She has published scholarship in some of the following
journals: Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, Journal
of Latinos and Education, The High School Journal, the
Urban Review, and the Journal of School Leadership. In
the fall of 2013, Dr. Martinez was named a faculty fellow
in the Greater Texas Foundation’s faculty fellowship
program, which will provide research support for Dr.
Martinez’s project—a case study of three traditional
public high schools in Texas that are finding success
in graduating a majority of their students of color and
students from low income backgrounds “college ready.”
Some of the preliminary findings from this project were
recently shared at Howard University in the fall of 2014,
and additional findings will be shared at subsequent
national conferences and through other scholarly
publications. Through her research and teaching, Dr.
Martinez is committed to examining issues of equity
along the P-16 pipeline and preparing future educational
leaders who adhere to the tenets of social justice.
51
AAHHE
AAHHE
Cristóbal Rodríguez
Jessica Rodriguez
Fernando Valle
The Impact of High Stakes Testing: Impact on Latino
Students’ College Aspirations
Dr. Cristóbal Rodríguez
is an assistant professor of
and Policy Studies in
the School of Education
at Howard University
in Washington, DC.
Rodríguez received his
Ph.D. at The University
of Texas at Austin
in education research,
evaluation, and policy
analysis with a Mexican
American social and
cultural historical focus. As more education policy is being
developed with consideration to the P-20 education pipeline,
the work in preparing school leaders in navigating policy
becomes even more critical in improving access for diverse
populations throughout the pipeline. Thus, Dr. Rodríguez’
research focuses on concentrated diverse demographics and
explores leadership and policy development, implementation,
and the impact of intended and unintended results and their
influence on access throughout the educational pipeline.
Jessica is in her fourth
year of doctoral studies
in the Educational
Leadership and Policy
Studies program at
the University of
Washington. She is
interested in issues of
access and retention for
underrepresented groups
in higher education.
Her primary areas of
research focus on the
role that accountability
mechanisms influence college readiness and the
transition to college while specifically, examining the
effects of high-stakes testing on Latina/o students’ sense
of self and their desire to pursue higher education.
11 ANNUAL
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Prior to beginning doctoral studies, Jessica earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California,
Davis in sociology with minors in Chicana/o studies and
social and ethnic relations. As a result of dissecting social
issues surrounding education, she pursued a Master of
Arts degree from San Jose State University in Mexican
American studies with an emphasis in comparative
ethnic studies where she examined the relationship
between the California High School Exit Exam and the
quality of education for Chicana/o-Latina/o students.
March 10–12
Fernando Valle is
currently an associate
professor of Educational
Leadership in the
College of Education at
Texas Tech University.
Valle is a native of the
Rio Grande Valley
in South Texas. He
received his Bachelors
of Science degree
in education from
The University of
Texas—San Antonio
and both master degrees in guidance and counseling
and school administration from The University of Texas
at Pan American. Dr. Valle received a Doctorate in
Educational Leadership from The University of Texas—
Pan American and after twelve years of service in South
Texas public schools transitioned to higher education.
Dr. Rodríguez’s recent work has been published in the
Journal of Latinos and Education, Harvard Journal of
African American Policy, and most recently in the Journal
of Hispanic Higher Education and a chapter in the book
Linguistic Minority Immigrants Go to College: Preparation,
Access, and Persistence (Kanno, Y & Harklau, L., Eds.).
Dr. Rodríguez has received numerous honors including
being nationally appointed by the University Council
for Educational Administration to serve as the associate
director of Graduate Student Development in overseeing
the Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Program, a program
dedicated to racially diversifying the professoriate in the field
of educational leadership and policy; AAHHE Graduate
Fellow (2007), and AAHHE Faculty Fellow (2010).
Most recently, Dr. Rodríguez coordinates and directs
a national effort entitled the Alliance for the Study of
Latino Leadership through the University Council for
Educational Administration, which was established to
enhance the preparation and practice of educational
leaders to serve Latino communities and advocate
for Latina/o leaders across the P-20 pipeline.
52
Throughout these courses of study and practical
experiences, Jessica learned that there are a myriad
of factors influencing the educational system for
underrepresented youth. This provided her the vantage
point to critically analyze former, current, and proposed
policies and upcoming best educational practices.
This combination of experiences serving the Latina/o
community directly supporting Latina/o students in
pursuit of their educational degrees and through her
research, she was motivated and encouraged by her
personal and academic mentors, Ms. Lupe Contreras and
Dr. Frances Contreras to pursue her doctoral degree with
the goal of becoming a tenured faculty member working
towards equity in education through research
and policy.
th
these dates
2016
Join AAHHE for
the 2016 National
Conference
Hilton Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, CA
Dr. Valle teaches both online and face-to-face competency
based graduate and doctoral level courses in educational
leadership, focusing on instructional coaching, datadriven decision making, and addressing problems of
practice. Dr. Valle also serves as leadership director for
the SEED (Supporting Effective Educator Development)
federal grant in the College of Education with five school
districts across the state. Dr. Valle has also served as
the AVID for Higher Education liaison, where he has
written the curriculum, taught the course and trained
faculty to develop the IS 1102 AVID for College Success
course for first year students at Texas Tech University. Dr. Valle’s research agenda is being shaped by the
facets of school change that advance leadership
development; through the lenses of school improvement
for all students—especially focusing on the scholarship
toward Latina/o students and leaders, as they impact
schooling across the state and the nation. Current
research efforts include research on instructional leaders
and cultural identity, the professional experiences of
Latin@ high school principals, spheres of leadership,
and advocacy for undocumented students, and the
impact of early college high school on border schools.
53
pre-conference
pre-conference
workshop presenters
workshop presenters
Estela Bensimon
Courtney Brown
Juan F. Carrillo
Edith Fernández
New Paths to Increased Equity in Higher Education
Making an Impact on the Future Lives and Jobs of your
Students
Re-conceptualizing the Latino Male Educational
Imperative: A Journey through the Dimensions of Data,
Policy, Critical Inquir y, and Practice
Re-conceptualizing the Latino Male Educational
Estela Mara Bensimon,
Ed.D., is a professor
of higher education
at the USC Rossier
School of Education
and Co-Director of
the Center for Urban
Education, which she
founded in 1999. She
applies her knowledge
on organizational
learning, leadership,
and equity on the
ground, at colleges
and universities in several states. With a singular
focus on increasing equity in higher education
outcomes for students of color, she developed the
Equity Scorecard—a process for using inquiry to
drive changes in institutional practice and culture.
Dr. Courtney Brown
is the director of
organizational
performance and
evaluation at the
Lumina Foundation.
In this role she works
across the Foundation
to evaluate the
development, outcomes,
and impact of the
work the Foundation
conducts both externally
as well as internally.
In addition she manages the performance measurement
system of internal and external metrics the Foundation
uses to measure progress toward GOAL 2025, to increase
the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees
and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025.
and her articles have appeared in journals such as the
Review of Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education,
Liberal Education, and Harvard Educational Review.
Her most recent publications include a co-edited book,
Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the
Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice. She is also the
co-editor of Critical Perspectives on Race and Equity,
a special issue of the Review of Higher Education.
Dr. Brown has worked in evaluation and performance
measurement for almost 20 years. She has a strong
background in research and evaluation methodology,
including experimental and quasi-experimental design
with significant experience evaluating educational
programs and grants in a wide array of venues. Prior
to coming to Lumina she worked at the Center for
Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University
where she managed a portfolio of evaluation and
research projects primarily focusing on postsecondary
education. She has developed and disseminated
manuals and working papers on various topics
related to performance measurement and evaluation
methodology more generally; has conducted webinars
on various issues related to evaluation in education; and
conducted workshops and trainings on evaluation and
performance assessment for multiple entities across the
nation. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. from the University
of Virginia in educational evaluation and research.
Dr. Juan F. Carrillo
is an assistant professor at the University
of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill School of
Education, and he is
a global studies affiliate faculty. He earned
a Ph.D. in curriculum
and instruction, with a
concentration in cultural
studies in education, and
a Mexican American
studies graduate portfolio at the University of Texas at Austin. At UNC-CH, Dr.
Carrillo teaches in many areas, including undergraduate
courses in the education minor, the Masters in Education
program for experienced teachers, and graduate courses
within the Cultural Studies and Literacies (CSL) program.
His primary academic home is within the Cultural Studies
and Literacies program. His research focuses on
Latin@/Chican@ education, the identities of academically successful Latino males, and the schooling
experiences of Latin@s in the new south.
Dr. Bensimon has held the highest leadership positions
in the Association for the Study of Higher Education
(President, 2005-2006) and in the American Education
Research Association, Division on Postsecondary
Education (Vice-President, 1992-1994), and she served
on the boards. She is the current Chair of AERA’s Social
Justice and Action Committee. She has received several
awards and recognition over the years including: an
AERA Fellow; the Association for the Study of Higher
Education Research Achievement Award; the USC
Mellon Mentoring Award for faculty and Distinguished
Service Award from the Association for the Study of
Higher Education; and she was a Fulbright Scholar to
Mexico in 2002. Bensimon earned her doctorate in higher
education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
54
Dr. Carrillo has received numerous awards and recognition
including the Spencer Foundation dissertation fellowship
for research related to education, a American Educational
Research Association Early Career Scholar of Color
fellow. At UNC-CH, and the 2014 UNC Chiron Award
winner for teaching excellence and service and a 2014
Faculty Engaged Fellow. His work has been published
in journals such as the Berkeley Review of Education, the
Harvard Educational Review, and The Urban Review.
Dr. Carrillo serves on UNC-CH’s Scholars’
Latino Initiative (SLI) operational board. SLI is
a program dedicated to providing mentorship to
Latin@ high school students throughout the state
of North Carolina. Currently, he is developing a
program that seeks to connect social capital and
holistic and empowering identity development
amongst Latino males in a NC public school.
Dr. Edith Fernández
higher education spans
twenty years working
with community college
and university students
with experiences in
financial aid, admissions, academic advising,
service learning, study
abroad, residence life
and student life.
She recently joined
as an associate vice
president. Within the Nevada System of Higher Education
she has worked at Nevada Cooperative Extension,
University of Nevada, Reno, College of Southern
Nevada and Nevada State College as a faculty member
and student affairs administrator. She has also worked
at the University of Michigan and a premiere Hispanic
Serving Institution in Texas overseeing an array of student
life programs to include a study abroad and a women’s
resource center, student organizations, campus activities
board, Greek life, diversity, and leadership initiatives.
Dr. Fernández is a quantitative and qualitative researcher.
She has been a principal investigator for research
projects focused on intercultural competence, intercultural learning skills, and civic engagement on a
global scale. Her current research focuses on student
achievement and Hispanic Servicing Institutions.
As a result of these experiences, Edith has been sought
out for numerous keynote engagements and is known
for leading inspiring leadership and development trainings. Edith has received recognition for excellence in
diversity and recipient of Ally of the Year for her dedication to social justice. As an Emerge Nevada alumna,
Edith is known as a leader who brings a new perspective
and just solutions to social and economic problems.
Dr. Fernández holds several degrees including Masters
of Public Administration from the University of
Nevada, and Ed.M. from Harvard University as well
as her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
55
pre-conference
pre-conference
workshop presenters
workshop presenters
James Gray
David Longanecker
David Pérez II
Luis Ponjuan
Re-Conceptualizing the Latino Male Educational
James Gray is the chair
of the Mathematics
Department at the
Community College
of Aurora in Colorado,
the college he graduated
from more than twenty
years ago. Upon
arriving at the college
as a student, he tested
into developmental
math and English. He
was inspired to study
mathematics by his
developmental math teacher, Frank Neckel, who was the
department chair at the time. After earning a Bachelor’s
degree in math from the University of Northern Colorado,
a Master’s degree in math from the University of Colorado,
Boulder, and spending two years teaching English in
China, James returned to CCA as faculty, where he now
fills the same role of department chair as his mentor did.
David Longanecker has
served as the president
of the Western Interstate
Commission for Higher
Education in Boulder
since 1999. Previously,
Longanecker served
for six years as the
assistant secretary
for postsecondary
education at the
U.S. Department of
Education. Prior to that,
he was the state higher
education executive officer in Colorado and
Minnesota. He was also the principal analyst for higher
education for the Congressional Budget Office.
David Pérez II is an
assistant professor in
the Department of
at Miami University
in Oxford, OH. Dr.
Pérez received his Ph.D.
in Higher Education
with a concentration
in Sociology from the
Pennsylvania State
University and was
awarded the 2012
Alumni Association
Dissertation Award. He was a former co-chair and fellow
of AAHHE’s Graduate Student Fellows Program.
Dr. Luis Ponjuan is
an associate professor
of higher education
administration and the
executive director of
the IDEAL (Investing
in Diversity, Equity,
Access, and Learning)
research project at
College Station,
Texas. He has 20
years of professional
higher education
work experience by also working at the University of
Florida, University of Michigan, and Florida State
University. He earned his Ph.D. in higher education
from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree from
the Florida State University, and a bachelor’s degree in
psychology from the University of New Orleans. He is a
first generation Cuban immigrant and college graduate.
In his time as department chair, James has led the
development of the math department’s concurrent
enrollment program from 22 students receiving college
credit in two high schools to more than 900 enrollments
in 12 high schools. This past June, he was invited to
speak on current enrollment issues with legislative staff
at the Education Commission of the States’ National
Forum on Education Policy in Washington D.C.
In 2013, he was chosen to be a leader of the college’s
Equity Scorecard project, a self-study designed to
identify and address achievement gaps that exist
amongst racial and ethnic groups led by the Center for
Urban Education at the Rossier School of Education
at the University of Southern California.
Longanecker has served on numerous boards and
commissions. He has written extensively on a range of
higher education issues. His primary interests in higher
education are expanding access to successful completion
for students within all sectors of higher education,
promoting student and institutional performance,
assuring efficient and effective finance and financial
aid strategies, and fostering effective use of educational
technologies, all for the purpose of sustaining the
nation’s strength in the world and increasing the quality
of life for all Americans, particularly those who have
traditionally been left out in the past. He holds an Ed.D.
from Stanford University, an M.A. in student personnel
work from George Washington University, and a B.A.
in sociology from Washington State University.
Dr. Pérez’s research focuses on increasing Latino
male access, persistence, and success at postsecondary
institutions in the United States. He is currently
conducting The National Study on Latino Male
Achievement in Higher Education, which integrates two
asset-based theoretical frameworks to illuminate factors
that contribute to the success of Latino males at twenty
selective U.S. colleges and universities. Dr. Pérez was
recognized as an Emerging Scholar by the American
College Personnel Association (ACPA) and the National
Association of Student Personnel Administrators
(NASPA) for his contributions to research. His most
recent publications have been featured in the International
Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, New Directions
for Institutional Research, and Ensuring the Success of Latino
Males in Higher Education: A New National Imperative.
Prior to pursuing a career in academia, Dr. Pérez served
as a student affairs professional at Syracuse University
and New York University. During his tenure in the
profession, he engaged undergraduates and graduate
students in residential leadership, peer education,
and social justice advocacy. As a Posse Scholar, Dr.
Pérez earned his B.S. in human and organizational
development and M.Ed. in educational leadership
and administration at Vanderbilt University.
Over the years he has developed a comprehensive research
agenda focused on access and equity in higher education
for underrepresented students and faculty members of
color. He has published in premier higher education
academic journals (e.g. Research in Higher Education,
Journal of Higher Education, Journal of Hispanic Higher
Education, Thought and Action) and higher education
policy briefs for national education organizations.
Due to his research agenda and professional
accomplishments, Dr. Ponjuan is the 2013-2014 College
of Education and Human Development Aggies Commit
to Transforming Lives Administrative Fellow, he was
also awarded the 2012 NEA New Scholar Prize, the
2009 Faculty Fellow for the American Association of
Hispanics in Higher Education, and a 2008 ASHE
and Ford Foundation Fellow for the Institute on
equity research methods and critical policy analysis.
The SAGE publishing company also designated his
co-authored article, The Vanishing Latino Male in Higher
Education as a SAGE 2010 most downloaded article.
Dr. Pérez is the proud husband of Gabriela
Bermudez and father to Immanuel D. Pérez.
56
57
pre-conference
workshop presenters
John Pryor
Victor Sáenz
Making an Impact on the Future Lives and Jobs of your
Students
John H. Pryor, Senior
Research Scientist,
leads higher education
research at Gallup. His
responsibilities include
directing the research
on the Gallup-Purdue
Index, which measures
the most important
outcomes of higher
education — the
degree to which college
graduates have great
lives and great jobs.
He also directs survey research on the Gallup/
Lumina Foundation poll and the Gallup-Inside
Higher Ed College and University President’s Panel.
Victor B. Sáenz, Ph.D.
is an associate professor
in the Department
of Educational
Administration at
the University of
Texas at Austin, and
he is a fellow in the
Sid W. Richardson
Regents Chair in
Community College
Leadership (2013-14).
He also holds a faculty
appointment with
the UT Center for Mexican American Studies and
is a faculty fellow with the UT Division of Diversity
and Community Engagement (DDCE). Dr. Sáenz has
published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and has
recently co-authored a book on Men of Color in Higher
Education (Stylus Publishing). He also has two other
book projects underway, including one on Latino males
in higher education. His current research on this topic
examines their experiences at both two-year and fouryear institutions as they navigate their college pathways.
Prior to joining Gallup, John was the director of the
Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP)
and the managing director of the Higher Education
Research Institute at the University of California,
Los Angeles. Before he became director of CIRP,
John was the director of Student Affairs Planning,
Evaluation, and Research at Dartmouth College.
John presents frequently on current trends and
concerns in higher education. He has published
many articles, monographs, white papers, and
opinion pieces in higher education publications,
including the Journal of College Student Development
and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
John received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from
Dartmouth College and his master’s degree in psychology
from the University of Virginia. He currently serves
on the steering committee of the National Resource
Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in
Transition, and he is a member of the Data Analysis
Research Network, a research and advisory group of
the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
A Liberal Education.
Practically Applied.
“I joined Best Buddies because I have always
loved working with children with disabilities.
I am looking forward to a career in social
work or the criminal justice system.”
Joerlizca Andino ’16
He has been a member of several distinguished
journal editorial boards in his field, and he is an
active member of several national associations
focused on higher education issues, including
ASHE, AERA, AIR, AAHHE, and TACHE.
Dr. Saenz received his Ph.D. from UCLA in higher
education and organizational change with a focus on
access, equity, and diversity issues in post-secondary
education. He was a Spencer Foundation pre‐doctoral
fellow while at UCLA, where he also completed a
master’s in education. He also received a master’s
degree in public affairs and a bachelor’s degree in
mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin.
www.easternct.edu
58
10
th
annual national conference
Scan to visit Eastern’s Viewbook
KEynote speakers
KEynote speakers
Richard Durán
Elva Concha LeBlanc
President
Oxnard College
President
Richard Durán is
president of Oxnard
College, a Ventura
County Community
College District
campus in Oxnard,
California. Dr.
Durán holds an
Ed.D. in educational
administration from
the University of
Northern Colorado
and a master’s degree in education and bachelor’s
degree in Elementary Education from Adams
State University in Colorado. He is certified
as a community college chief administrative
officer, Supervisor, and Counselor by the State
of California. Past positions include Founding
President, President, Vice Chancellor, Vice
President, Dean, Director, and Faculty Member.
Dr. Durán is active in numerous professional
organizations, including President of the National
Community College Hispanic Council; former Board
Member of the American Association of Community
Colleges; Community College League of California;
Economic Development Corporation of Oxnard;
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities;
and the Oxnard College Foundation. Dr. Durán
was selected as the Alumnus of the Year at Adams
State University in 2010. Dr. Durán has presented
on various educational topics, including ethnic
studies; career and technical education; assessment;
accountability; student success; and leadership.
As President of a multicultural, comprehensive
institution of higher learning, Dr. Durán has
extensive experience in serving students from
diverse backgrounds and works closely with the
community to provide students the opportunity
to achieve their educational goals.
Elva Concha LeBlanc
is president of the
Northwest Campus
of Tarrant County
College District
(TCCD). The
Northwest Campus is
one of five campuses
within TCCD, a
multi-campus, single
college district of over
49,000 enrollments.
Northwest Campus has an enrollment of well over
13,000 credit students. As president of the Northwest
Campus, she has led in the creation of a culture of
evidence, innovation, teamwork, and inclusiveness.
Previously, as president of Galveston College,
she led the transformation of the institution into
a “Learning College,” with a focus on student
learning, assessment and outcomes. Given the
limited local and state funding, Dr. LeBlanc led in
the acquisition of external funding including Title
V Federal funds, TRIO programs, and the Lumina
Foundation’s “Achieving the Dream” program.
Dr. LeBlanc has a Bachelor of Science, Master
of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy
degrees from the University of North Texas.
She also completed post-doctoral work at
Texas A&M University. Dr. LeBlanc was
elected to serve on the board of directors
and as member of the executive council of
the American Association of Community
Colleges. Additionally, she was elected to serve
on the Commission on Colleges, Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. She served
on the executive council of the Commission
on Colleges from 2005 to 2008 and was vice
chair of the commission from 2007-2008.
Dr. LeBlanc also serves on the boards of Higher
Education Resource Services, Community
College Humanities Association, National
Community College Hispanic Council,
Texas Statewide Health Coordinating
Council, and Arts Council Fort Worth.
Prior to serving at Galveston College, Dr. LeBlanc
was executive vice president for Instructional
Affairs at Austin Community College where
she provided leadership in the recruitment and
hiring of faculty and staff who contributed
activity to a culture of inclusiveness.
A former Tarrant County College student and
alumna of the University of North Texas, Dr.
LeBlanc served at TCCD as professor, faculty
chair, director of Institutional Effectiveness, and
dean of Instruction. She also taught graduate
courses at the University of North Texas.
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61
KEynote speakers
KEynote speakers
Ted Martinez, Jr.
Maria HarperMarinick, Ph.D.,
is executive vice
chancellor and provost
for the Maricopa
County Community
College District. She
works closely with the
chancellor to develop
and implement the
District’s strategic
plan; lead initiatives
to enhance access and increase student success; and
build the stature and recognition of the district and
its ten colleges locally, nationally, and internationally.
Dr. Harper-Marinick also provides oversight for all
areas within academic and student affairs; institutional
effectiveness and research; university relations and
transfer; grants development; international education;
high school to college pathways programs; workforce
development; and small business development.
Dr. Harper-Marinick serves on several boards
and councils including the federal Advisory
Committee on Student Financial Assistance (Chair)
by appointment of U.S. Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan; Western Alliance of Community
College Academic Leaders; National Community
College Hispanic Council; National Advisory Board
for the Center for Community College Student
Engagement (CCCSE); ETS National Community
College Advisory Council; American Association
for Community Colleges’ Commission on Diversity,
Inclusion, and Equity; League for Innovation in the
Community College; Arizona Minority Education
Policy Analysis Center (AMEPAC); Arizona Business
and Education Coalition (ABEC); Arizona Public
Engagement Task Force; Arizona’s College and
62
Career Readiness Partnership; Morrison Institute
for Public Policy’s Latino Public Policy Center
Advisory Board; Morrison Institute for Public
Policy’s Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Advisory Committee; Valley of the Sun United
Way Financial Stability Advisory Council; Arizona
Women in Higher Education Executive Board;
Arizona’s Latina Giving Circle; Thriving Together
Leadership Council; and Arizona Superintendent
for Public Instruction’s Hispanic Advisory Group.
From the Dominican Republic, Dr. Harper-Marinick
came to Arizona State University as a Fulbright
Scholar in 1982. She has authored scholarly articles
and chapters and presented at national conferences.
Dr. Harper-Marinick has been the recipient of awards
and recognition, most recently she was recognized
by Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for
Public Policy as a Distinguished Associate (2014)
and has been awarded a Circle of Friends Award
from Aguila Youth Leadership Institute (2014), the
2013 Arizona Diamondbacks Hispanic Community
Leadership Award, the NCSPOD 2013 Chancellor
Leadership Award, and the 2012 Victoria Foundation’s
Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Service in Higher
Education Award. In 2014, Dr. Harper-Marinick was
selected as one of the 50 Most Influential Women
in Arizona Business by the AZ Business Magazine,
highlighted by the Phoenix Business Journal in their
Executive Profiles, and featured in an article by Dana
Wilkie in the International Educator titled “Women
Making Their Marks.” In 2013 she was selected as one
of the 25 Most Influential Hispanic Business Leaders
in Arizona by the AZ Business Magazine and one of
the Valley’s Most Admired Leaders by the Phoenix
Business Journal, and was featured in Revista Mercado
(Dominican Republic), Latina Styles, International
Educator, and Hispanic Executive magazines.
Dr. Martinez is the
executive director
of the NCCHC
Leadership Fellows
Program, hosted
at the University
of San Diego; was
recently appointed to
serve as Marymount
California University’s
Latino Leadership
and Policy Program
facilitator; and serves as an adjunct professor at the
University of San Diego and University of Florida.
He retired after a 41-year career, capped by service
as the eighth superintendent/president of Rio
Hondo College in Whittier, CA. He also served
in teaching and administrative positions in Texas,
Chicago and San Diego. He has served as a member
of the AACC Board of Directors, was twice elected
as president of the National Community College
Hispanic Council (NCCHC), and is a champion
of preparing Hispanic leaders for public service.
A Texas native, Dr. Martinez has dedicated himself
to education, and has been a strong role model for
Latinos in academia. In a family of seven children,
he was the eldest male child. When he was 14, he
and his family joined the migrant farm worker
stream, but because his parents were determined
that he receive an education they did not go north
to the fields until school was out in June and were
back for the start of school in September. His
parents’ commitment to education paid off, and
all of their children completed high school.
Dr. Martinez earned both master’s and bachelor’s
degrees in business and economics from Sul Ross
State University in Alpine, Texas, and went on
to receive a Ph.D. degree in higher education
administration from the University of Colorado
at Boulder. He began his community college
career teaching occupational education classes at
Western Texas College. His community college
experience includes several administrative positions
with the El Paso Community College District and
the Dallas County Community College District
(Texas), the presidency of Richard J. Daley College
in Chicago, and associate vice chancellor of the
City Colleges of Chicago. Dr. Martinez also
served as president of Grossmont College (east San
Diego County). He was elected president of the
San Gabriel/Foothill Association of Community
Colleges (SANFACC), a regional consortium of six
community colleges, and was also appointed to the
Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board.
Nationally, Martinez has been an effective force in
building the NCCHC Leadership Fellows Program
to prepare mid-management personnel as future
community college leaders at the executive level. He
has also served as a board member of the Hispanic
Association of Colleges and Universities; and as
president of the National Council for Occupational
Education; and he served as co-chair of the
United States Department of Agriculture HACU
Leadership Group. His commitment to excellence
in education has been recognized by several honors
including the 2014 NCCHC Outstanding CEO
Leadership Award, Outstanding President Award
from the California Community College Council
for Staff Development, the District 6 Pacesetter
of the Year Award from the National Council for
Marketing and Public Relations, and the Phi Theta
Kappa Alumni Key Award from the international
honorary society for students in two-year colleges.
63
KEynote speakers
KEynote speakers
Mark Schlissel
Robert Vela
President
President
San Antonio College
Dr. Mark S.
Schlissel is the
fourteenth president
of the University of
Michigan and the first
physician-scientist to
lead the institution.
He became president
in July 2014.
His research has focused on the developmental
biology of B lymphocytes, the cell type in the
immune system that secretes antibodies. His
work has contributed to a detailed understanding
of genetic factors involved in the production of
antibodies and how mistakes in that process can
lead to leukemia and lymphoma. He is the author
or co-author of over 100 scientific papers and has
trained 21 successful doctoral candidates in his lab.
President Schlissel
previously was provost
of Brown University, where he was responsible for
all academic programmatic and budgetary functions
within Brown’s schools and colleges, as well as
the libraries, research institutes, and centers.
He was UC-Berkeley’s dean of biological
sciences in the College of Letters & Science
and held the C.H. Li Chair in Biochemistry
until his appointment as Brown’s provost in
2011. He served as vice chair of the Molecular
and Cell Biology Department from 2002-07.
A graduate of Princeton University (A.B., summa
cum laude, 1979, Biochemical Sciences), he
earned both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
(1986, Physiological Chemistry). He did his
residency training in internal medicine at Hopkins
Hospital and conducted postdoctoral research
as a Bristol-Myers Cancer Research Fellow
under David Baltimore at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology’s Whitehead Institute.
Nationally, he has served as member and chair of
the Immunobiology Study Section at the National
Institutes of Health and on the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute’s Scientific Review Board.
President Schlissel began his career as a faculty
member at the Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine in 1991, where he earned a number of
awards and fellowships for his research and teaching.
He moved to the Department of Molecular and Cell
Biology at the University of California–Berkeley
in 1999 as associate professor, advancing to full
professor in 2002. He taught undergraduate and
graduate courses in immunology as well as a large
introductory course in biology for life science majors.
64
President Schlissel was elected to the American
Society of Clinical Investigators in 1998 and
the American Association of Physicians in
2013. He has been a member of the American
Association of Immunologists since 1992 and
was named a Fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science in 2013. He has
helped organize major international scientific
meetings and is a frequent seminar speaker
at universities through the United States.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., President Schlissel is
married to Monica Schwebs, an environmental and
energy lawyer. They have four grown children.
Robert Vela is the
twelfth president of
San Antonio College. His educational
background consists
of a Bachelor of
Arts in psychology
and sociology with
a minor in Spanish
and a Master of
Science degree in
counseling and
guidance from Texas A&M University – Kingsville.
He earned his doctoral degree in a joint doctoral
program in educational leadership from Texas A&M
University – Kingsville and Texas A&M University
– Corpus Christi. He is a licensed professional
counselor and a national certified counselor.
His honors include the 2008 National Community
College Hispanic Council – Leadership Fellows
at North Carolina State University, and the
National Institute for Staff and Organizational
Development Excellence Award in Teaching,
Leadership and Learning 2007.
He is a member of numerous professional
organizations, including the board of directors for
the National Community College Hispanic Council,
National Council on Student Development, the
Texas Public Policy Committee Representative
for NASPA Region III, National Association of
Student Personnel Administrators, American
College Counseling Association, Texas Association
of Chicanos in Higher Education, Hispanic
Association of Colleges and Universities, National
Institute for Staff and Organizational Development,
American Counseling Association, National
Association of Developmental Education, and
Texas Community College Teachers Association.
65
AAHHE Book of the Year Award
Conference Book Author
Alicia Gaspar de Alba
Chair, LGBT Studies Program Professor of Chicano/a
Studies, English & Gender Studies
[Un]Framing the “Bad
Woman”: Sor Juana, Malinche,
Coyolxauhqui and Other Rebels
with a Cause
A native of the El Paso/Juárez
border, Alicia Gaspar de Alba
is a Chicana writer/scholar/
activist who uses prose, poetry,
and theory for social change.
With a Ph.D. in American
studies from the University of
New Mexico (1994), Alicia is a
Professor of Chicana/o Studies,
English, and gender studies at UCLA, where she has taught
since 1994, when she was hired as a founding faculty member
of the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano
Studies. She served as chair of Chicana/o Studies from 2007–
2010, and is currently chair of the LGBT Studies Program.
Alicia has published 11 books, among them, the awardwinning novels, Sor Juana’s Second Dream (University of
New Mexico Press, 1999), which was named Best Historical
Fiction by the Latino Literary Hall of Fame in 2000, and
Desert Blood: The Juárez Murders (Arte Publico Press, 2005),
which received both the Lambda Literary Foundation
Award for Best Lesbian Mystery in 2005 and the Latino
Book Award for Best English-language Mystery in 2005.
Her most recent book, [Un]Framing the “Bad Woman”:
Sor Juana, Malinche, Coyolxauhqui and Other Rebels with
a Cause, (released in July 2014 by University of Texas
Press), is the winner of the 2015 Book Award by the
American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education.
The book compiles twenty years of Alicia’s research into
the gender stereotypes by which women across time and
culture have been “framed,” i.e. bad girls, bad mothers,
bad sisters, bad daughters, and “mujeres malas,” with
special attention to three iconic female figures of Chicana/
Mexicana history. All of her books are available on
Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more about
Alicia’s writings, or to order copies of her books, see her
website: www.aliciagaspardealba.net. She lives in Los
Angeles with her wife, the visual artist, Alma Lopez,
and their two feline guardians, Ruby and Luna.
AAHHE Conference Book Authors
2014
Felicity Amaya Schaeffer
Love and Empire: Cybermarriage and Citizenship across the
Americas
2013
Ar turo Madrid
In the Countr y of Empty Crosses:
The Stor y of a Hispano Protestant Family in Catholic New Mexico
2012
Rubén Mar tinez
Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
2011
David Montejano
Quixote’s Soldiers: A Local Histor y of the Chicano Movement,
1966-1981
2010
Gustavo Arellano
¡Ask a Mexican!
2009
Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street
2008
Mir ta Ojito
Finding Mañana
2007
Sonia Nazario
Enrique’s Journey
2006
Jeanett Castellanos and Alber ta M. Gloria
The Latina/o Pathway to the Ph.D.: Abriendo Caminos
Cal Poly Pomona is a special place – where learning takes many forms,
where opportunities for personal growth abound, and where service to
the community is embedded in our culture.
Diversity is a hallmark of our university. Our graduates are ready for
new challenges and opportunities, taking an active role in a global,
multicultural environment. They are the change agents of the world.
Learn more about how we transform lives at www.csupomona.edu.
66
67
2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
FAcult y Fellows
The Faculty Fellows program allows faculty
on tenure track positions to focus on and
find solutions for Latino issues that impact
higher education. These junior faculty
members rarely have an opportunity to
attend a national conference out of their
discipline area to meet other Latino
faculty and senior-level higher education
administrators, connect into networks, and
establish professional relationships that lead
to publications and leadership skills. Key to
their development is learning how to become
stronger faculty citizens, creating a strategic
venue for publications, and establishing a
sense of service toward their communities.
“The AAHHE faculty fellows
program provided me with
support, mentorship, and
a sense of familia unlike
anywhere else in higher
education. I also learned from
seasoned scholars and leaders
what it means to give back to
our community in the role of a
professor. Some things cannot
be overstated; and the support
I received from AAHHE is one
on them.”
Kenneth P. Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Professor of Education Depar tment of Educational Leadership
California State University, Fuller ton
Facult y fellows
Luis Urrieta
Rebeca Burciaga
AAHHE Faculty Fellows Chair
AAHHE Faculty Fellows Co-Chair
Dr. Luis Urrieta, Jr. is
associate professor and
program director of cultural
studies in education at the
University of Texas at Austin.
He is (by courtesy) affiliated
faculty in the Mexican
American and Latino Studies
Department; the Native
American and Indigenous
Studies Program; and the
Lozano Long Institute of
Latin American Studies, where he chairs the Mexican
Center Faculty Committee. Dr. Urrieta’s research interests
include: 1) cultural and racial identities, 2) agency as social
and cultural practices, 3) activism related to education,
and 4) learning in family and community contexts. He is
specifically interested in Chican@, Latin@, and Indigenous
cultures, identities, and activism as a social practice in
educational spaces, in collective movements, in oral and
narrative traditions in qualitative research, and indigenous
knowledge systems and research methodologies.
Rebeca Burciaga is an
assistant professor in the
Department of Educational
Leadership and a member
of the Core Faculty for
the Ed.D. in educational
leadership in the Connie L.
Lurie College of Education
at San José State University.
Dr. Burciaga’s research
centers on understanding
and challenging educational
practices and structures that (re)produce social
inequalities for historically marginalized communities,
including/specifically Latino students. Her research
in schools and communities spans over 20 years and
includes mixed-methods research on pathways from
preschool to the professoriate, the experiences of students
who leave high school before graduation, and the ways
in which geographic regions structure inequalities.
She specializes the study of qualitative research
methodologies including testimonio and ethnography.
Luis Urrieta received his Ph.D. at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003. He is a Gates
Millennium Scholar, and has also been recognized as a
fellow by the American Educational Research Association,
the Spencer Foundation, and the U.S. Department of State
Fulbright Commission. In 2012 he received the Alumni
Achievement Award from the School of Education at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and on
March 31, 2014, Dr. Urrieta was one of ten people honored
for his community leadership at the U.S. White House
with a César E. Chávez, Champions of Change Award.
Burciaga’s current research and teaching is focused
on cultivating asset-based mindsets in teachers and
administrators that work with youth of color. Dr.
Burciaga is a co-founder and co-coordinator of
the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial
Justice. She has an undergraduate degree from the
University of California at Santa Cruz, a master’s degree
from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and
a Ph.D. in education from the University of California
at Los Angeles. Her research has been supported
and recognized by the Spencer Foundation, the Ford
Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the
American Association of University Women. Her most
recent scholarship can be found in Equity and Excellence in
Education, the Association of Mexican American Educators
Journal, and the Educational Administration Quarterly.
Dr. Urrieta is the author of Working from Within:
Chicana and Chicano Activist Educators in Whitestream
Schools with the University of Arizona Press, in
addition to an extensive publishing record.
Claudia Cervantes-Soon
Dr. Claudia CervantesSoon is assistant professor
in the School of Education
at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She received her Ph.D. in
curriculum & instruction
with a specialization
in Cultural Studies in
Education and graduate
portfolios in Mexican
American studies and
women’s and gender studies from the University
of Texas at Austin. Dr. Cervantes-Soon also holds
a Master of Education in bilingual education
from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Dr. Cervantes-Soon’s scholarship incorporates critical/
postcolonial theory and Chicana feminist epistemology
in analyses of Latin@ bilingual/bicultural learners’
and marginalized women and youth in education.
Specifically, she is interested in the interplay between
sociocultural factors, pedagogy, identity and agency
to disrupt conventional modes of thinking about
historically marginalized youth and about how critical
education can and is enacted by members of local
and transnational/global communities. Her initial
ethnographic research at a critical pedagogy highschool in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico aimed to offers an
interpretation of how subaltern girls coming of age in
Juarez during the most devastating year of the drug wars
engaged their agency and developed identities within the
dystopic context of the borderlands, but also influenced
by their gendered experiences and the strong critical
orientation and grassroots activism of their school.
Dr. Cervantes-Soon’s most recent research is focused
on offering new ways of thinking about how bilingual/
bicultural education may be reconceptualized and
articulated in more critical and transformative
ways in unique contexts, such as new U.S. Latina/o
destinations and Latina/o majority school settings.
Her research has appeared in journals such as
Harvard Educational Review, Equity & Excellence
in Education, The Bilingual Research Journal, and
the Journal of Latino/Latin American Studies.
Founding Faculty & Graduate Fellows Coordinator
68
69
2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
FAcult y Fellows
Facult y fellows
Genevieve Negrón Gonzáles
Marcos Del Hierro
Pedro Nava
Genevieve Negrón-Gonzales
is an assistant professor in
the School of Education
at the University of San
Francisco, in the Higher
Education and Student
Affairs (HESA) Program.
Growing up on the U.S.Mexico border, she has been
involved in social justice
work around immigrant
rights and educational
justice since she was a teenager, which deeply impacts
her scholarship and her identity as an activist-scholar.
She earned a B.A. in ethnic studies at UC Berkeley,
and returned to UC Berkeley to complete her M.A.
and Ph.D. in social and cultural studies in education.
Marcos J. Del Hierro is an
assistant professor of English
at the University of New
Hampshire. He received his
Bachelor of Arts in English
from Baylor University in
2006, his Masters of Arts
in English and American
Literature from the
University of Texas at El
Paso in 2009, and his Ph.D.
in English from Texas A&M
University in 2014. His research focuses on intersections
in rhetoric and composition, technical communication,
and hip-hop studies. He is particularly interested in
how black, Latina/o, and indigenous cultural traditions
influence the development and use of hip-hop rhetorics
and technologies. His essay, “Fighting the Academy One
Nopal at a Time,” appeared in El Mundo Zurdo: Selected
Works from the Meetings of the Society for the Study of
Gloria Anzaldúa in 2012. As a member of the Calmécac
Collective, he co-authored the performance piece, “The
Calmécac Collective, or, How to Survive the Academic
Industrial Complex through Radical Indigenous Practices”
in El Mundo Zurdo: Selected Works from the Meetings of
the Society for the Study of Gloria Anzaldúa in 2013.
Pedro E. Nava is an
assistant professor
of education in the
Program at Mills College
in Oakland, California.
He completed his Ph.D.
from UCLA’s Graduate
School of Education in
the Urban Schooling
division. His dissertation
was titled Sin Sacrificio
No Hay Recompensa: Apoyo as (Im)migrant Parental
Engagement in Farmworking Families of the California
Central Valley. In his thesis, using critical race and
political economy theory, he explored this process by
conducting a qualitative case study examination through
life histories and in-depth interviews of families in an
agricultural community in California’s San Joaquin
Valley. For this research, Pedro was recognized and
supported by both the Ford Foundation and the
University of California Office of the President in the
form of dissertation fellowships, and by the Institute of
American Cultures at UCLA through a research grant.
Genevieve is an interdisciplinary researcher of
immigration, activism, and education. Her research
and teaching interests are: political activism and
educational trajectories of undocumented students,
undocumented students and higher education, the neoliberalization of higher education, and racial politics
in California. Genevieve’s current research focuses on
undocumented Latino community college students
in California’s Central Valley and constructions of
“deservingness” and the politics of respectability
in relation to immigration policy reforms. Her most recent work appears in Aztlán (forthcoming
Spring 2015), Latino Studies (2014), The Journal of Latinos
and Education (2014), Children and Youth Services Review
(2013), and as a co-authored chapter in an edited book
titled, Constructing Immigrant ‘Illegality’: Critiques,
Experiences, and Responses (ed. Menjívar and Kanstroom
2013). She is also the writer and narrator of a short video
titled “Will Hope End Inequality” (2013), produced as
part of the #GlobalPOV video series at UC Berkeley,
which combines critical social theory, improvised art, and
digital media to explore innovative ways of thinking about
poverty, inequality, and undertaking poverty action.
70
In addition to his publications, Marcos has won
several awards, including the Charles Gordonne
Award for Creative Nonfiction for his essay, “I Fight
the Oppression with Nopalitos” (2011); the National
Book Award BookUpTX Fellowship (2012); and the
Chairs’ Memorial Scholarship from the Conference on
College Composition and Communication (2013).
Marcos is currently working on his first monograph
project, tentatively titled, Everyday I’m Hustlin’: Hiphop
Rhetorics and the Art of Makin’ Do, which theorizes the
“Art of Makin’ Do” as a rhetorical tactic that looks at
discarded knowledges, materials, and technologies as
always/already reimaginable, reusable, and recyclable.
Before becoming an assistant professor he was a
postdoctoral scholar with The College & Career
Academy Support Network (CCASN) at UC
Irvine. At CCASN he primarily focused on
supporting Linked Learning school administrators
and teachers by providing technical assistance
in Los Angeles Unified and Pasadena Unified
schools with college and career pathways.
The focus of his research and teaching are in urban and
rural schooling inequality, critical pedagogy and critical
race theory, immigration and education, family-school
engagement, and participatory action research. Pedro
has been published in InterActions: UCLA Journal of
Education and Information Studies, Teachers College
Record, and in Latino Studies. Prior to his time at
UCLA, he completed a master’s degree at Harvard’s
Graduate School of Education with a specialization
in administration, planning and social policy, and
bachelor’s degrees from California State University
at Fresno in liberal studies and Chicano studies. Brandy Piña-Watson
Dr. Brandy Piña-Watson is
an assistant professor in the
Department of Psychological
Sciences’ Counseling
Psychology program at
Texas Tech University.
Before this position, Brandy
received a bachelor’s degree
in psychology in 2006 and
a master’s in psychology
in 2008 both from Texas
A&M – Kingsville.
After completing her master’s degree, Brandy obtained her
Ph.D. in 2014 from Texas A&M University’s Counseling
Psychology program in College Station, Texas. During
this time, she received the American Psychological
Association Advanced Training Institute Scholarship,
College of Education and Human Development
Research Grant, and the National Latina/o Psychological
Association Cynthia de las Fuentes Dissertation Award.
Brandy has received multiple fellowships, including
APA Minority Fellowship Program, Carolyn LohmanHeep Fellowship, and the College of Education
and Human Development-Strategic Fellowship.
In her current position, Brandy has developed the Latina/o
Mental Health and Resiliency Lab at Texas Tech University.
Her research focus is on developing an understanding of
how individual factors, family dynamics, culture, and
society impact Latina/o adolescent and emerging adult
depression, suicidality, and well-being with a particular
focus on the Mexican American population. Brandy has
been published in numerous journal such as Journal of
Multicultural Counseling and Development, Psychology
of Men & Masculinity, Journal of Latina/o Psychology,
and Archives of Suicide Research just to name a few.
Brandy is currently the Leadership Development Fellow
for the National Latina/o Psychological Association
(NLPA) as part of the Council of National Psychological
Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority
Interests (CNPAAEMI) Leadership Development Institute
(LDI). Brandy teaches undergraduate and doctoral level
courses including Ethnic Minority Psychology, Counseling
Practicum, Developmental Psychology, Latina/o
Psychology, and Introduction to Counseling Psychology.
71
2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
FAcult y Fellows
Facult y fellows
Daisy Verduzco Reyes
Lauryn Salazar
Desireé Vega
Daisy Reyes is an assistant
professor in the Department
of Sociology and El Instituto:
The Institute of Latina/o,
Caribbean, and Latin
American Studies at the
University of Connecticut.
In a series of research
projects, she examines
how institutions and
organizational settings shape
the construction of racial,
ethnic, and political identities. She is currently working on
a book manuscript based on a comparative ethnography
of six Latino student organizations at three different
institutions of higher education—a private liberal arts
college, a public research university, and a public teaching
university—where she interrogates how institutional
contexts influence Latino students’ identities, outlooks on
opportunity and inequality in America, and participation
in collective action. She has also conducted sexuality
research examining the ways Mexican-origin mothers
convey sexual messages to their U.S. born daughters.
Lauryn Salazar is an assistant
professor of musicology
at Texas Tech University.
She holds a B.A. from
Carleton College (Magna
Cum Laude) in music, and
her master’s and Ph.D. in
ethnomusicology from the
University of California, Los
Angeles. Prior to teaching
at Texas Tech University,
she taught at UCLA, UC
Santa Cruz and the California Institute of the Arts.
Dr. Desireé Vega is an
assistant professor of school
psychology at Texas State
University. She earned her
Ph.D. in school psychology
with a minor in research
methods in human resource
development from The
Ohio State University.
Dr. Vega worked as a
school psychologist for
three years in Omaha,
Nebraska following the completion of her graduate
studies. She is a Nationally Certified School
Psychologist (NCSP) and a Licensed Psychologist.
She currently serves on the board of directors for
the Sociology of Education Association and the executive
committee of the New England Consortium of
Latino Studies.
She teaches courses about social movements, political
sociology, race and education, and Latinos in the
United States. She earned a B.A. in sociology with
a minor in history from the University of California
Santa Barbara, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology
with an emphasis on Chicano-Latino Studies from
University of California Irvine. Prior to joining
the faculty at the University of Connecticut, she
taught at the University of California Merced.
Through archival and field-based research, her work
focuses on mariachi music in Mexico and the United
States and its institutionalization vis-à-vis American
academic programs at the primary, secondary,
and collegiate levels. Utilizing the frameworks of
postcolonial and practice theories, her research explores
the ramifications of mariachi’s formalization in terms
of pedagogy, performance practice, and meaning.
Musical performance is central to her research and
teaching: As a performer of the Mexican harp, she has
played with ensembles in both Mexico and the United
States. And as a specialist in traditional Mexican musics
in Mexico and the American Southwest, she has studied
the arpa jalisciense (mariachi harp), arpa jarocha (son
jarocho harp), and violin (mariachi style), as well as several
other regional Mexican instruments. Piano (twenty years)
and voice (ten years) comprise the focus of her Western
classical performance training, with additional study
in organ, harpsichord, and harp at the college level.
With over ten years of experience as a mariachi musician
and educator, from 2006-2013, she led UCLA’s award
winning Mariachi de Uclatlán. Under her direction,
they won first place at the Anaheim Mariachi
Competition, and second place at the Mission San Juan
Capistrano, the Albuquerque Mariachi Festival, and
the Rosarito (Mexico) Mariachi Festival competitions.
She regularly serves as an adjudicator for mariachi
competitions throughout the American Southwest.
At Texas State University, Dr. Vega teaches graduatelevel courses in school-based consultation, alternative
evaluation, and multicultural issues in school psychology.
She also supervises clinic and school-bases practicum.
Dr. Vega’s research and teaching interests intersect to
address issues such as access to higher education among
first-generation, Latina/o youth; assessment of culturally
and linguistically diverse students; bilingual school
psychology; and the relationship between structural,
school, and psychological factors and academic outcomes
among African American and Latina/o youth.
Dr. Vega is a co-principal investigator for Project SUPERB
(Scholars Using Psychology and Education to Reach
Bilinguals), a five-year, $1 million grant from the United
States Department of Education for program development
and preparation of Spanish-English bilingual school
psychologists. Additionally, she is the recipient of a Research
Enhancement Program grant to examine the experiences
of first-generation, high-achieving, Latino college
juniors and seniors. Dr. Vega also serves as a reviewer for
Contemporary School Psychology and Urban Education.
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73
2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
Gr aduate Fellows
Graduate fellows are candidates in their
doctoral programs and represent an array of
disciplines; focus on the discovery of other
doctoral programs, students, and career
opportunities; and on forming a support
group for completing their coursework and
beginning the dissertation process. These
graduate fellows have an opportunity to
present their graduate proposals at the
AAHHE national conference, and to
publish in The Hispanic Outlook in Higher
Education and in the Journal of Hispanic
Higher Education. Both of these publications
are AAHHE partners.
“Being selected as a 2011 AAHHE Graduate
Fellow has become one of the pivotal points
in my graduate career. At the conference, I
had the opportunity to present, during the
Graduate Fellows Research Symposium, a
project that I was developing on the educational
experiences of middle school Chicano/Latino
males. I received critical feedback on my work
during the symposium from other graduate
and faculty fellows, but more importantly,
I was encouraged to continue this work and
turn it into something greater. AAHHE and
the Graduate Fellows Program have provided
me with a community of young scholars and
mentors with whom I am confident I will enter
the faculty ranks and develop a research
agenda that will attempt to improve the
educational experiences of all students.”
Eligio Mar tinez Jr.
Doctoral Student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies,
University of Washington-Seattle, 2011 AAHHE Graduate Fellow
74
Gr aduate Fellows
Jessica Rodriguez
Alonzo Campos
AAHHE Graduate Fellows Chair
AAHHE Graduate Fellows Co-Chair
Jessica is in her fourth year
of doctoral studies in the
Educational Leadership and
Policy Studies program at the
University of Washington.
She is interested in issues
of access and retention for
underrepresented groups
Her primary areas of
research focus on the
role that accountability
mechanisms influence college readiness and the
transition to college while specifically, examining the
effects of high-stakes testing on Latina/o students’ sense
of self and their desire to pursue higher education.
Alonzo Campos is a thirdyear doctoral student in the
School of Education Studies
at Claremont Graduate
University in the emphasis
of teaching, language, and
culture. He is a product of
California’s three-tiered
higher education system
beginning his postsecondary
pipeline at Sacramento City
College then transferring
to the University of California, Los Angeles earning a
bachelor’s degree in Chicana and Chicano studies. He
earned a master’s degree from San José State University
in Mexican American Studies. His research interests
are focused around Latina/o student experiences in
suburban settings, specifically understanding high
school culture, college choice, and student outcomes.
A native Southern Californian, Jessica’s roots are in
the southeastern Los Angeles city, Santa Fe Springs.
Here, she began and continues to mentor students of
her high school alma mater. While at the University of
Washington, Jessica assisted with Project GRADUATE,
exploring the use of school district-level data that can
be used to develop early warning systems to prevent
high school dropouts and raise college readiness among
Latinos. Her current work includes a project seeking to
understand Latino students’ experiences at a high school
implementing a Problem Based Learning curriculum.
Prior to beginning doctoral studies, Jessica earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California,
Davis in sociology with minors in Chicana/o studies and
social and ethnic relations. As a result of dissecting social
issues surrounding education, she pursued a Master of
Arts degree from San Jose State University in Mexican
American studies with an emphasis in comparative
ethnic studies where she examined the relationship
between the California High School Exit Exam and the
quality of education for Chicana/o-Latina/o students.
Throughout the past years in higher education, Alonzo
has worked closely with outreach and mentoring programs
ensuring high school students have the option of pursuing
higher education. He acknowledges the mentorship he
received throughout his postsecondary pipeline as being
instrumental in all of his academic accomplishments.
In the past, he has had the privilege volunteering
his time with organizations including the Hispanic
Youth Symposium, College Summit Los Angeles, and
Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project (CLYLP).
Alonzo’s life-long commitment to educational equity is
a result of his lived and educational experiences growing
up in Davis, California, a community known for its
achievements that historically have overlooked students in
the shadows of academic achievement. He hopes through
his research, he can contribute to a discourse on suburban
education inequities. His long-term career plan is to
obtain a career in academia while bridging the community
and the university through activist scholarship work.
Milena Bobea
Milena Bobea Rodriguez
is a fourth-year doctoral
candidate in the Department
of Materials Science and
Engineering at North
Carolina State University
(NCSU) in Raleigh, NC.
She obtained a Bachelor
of Science in physics from
the University of Puerto
Rico, Rio Piedras and
a master’s in materials
science and engineering from NCSU. She is currently
a member of the WideBandgaps Research Laboratory
directed by Dr. Zlatko Sitar and Dr. Ramón Collazo,
conducting research on III-nitride semiconductors. Her
studies involve the characterization of III-nitride bulk
crystals and thin films for the development of AlN
and AlGaN-based devices for numerous technological
applications, including high-power, high-frequency
electronics and short-wavelength optoelectronics.
Her work has produced fourteen peer-reviewed
articles in prestigious scientific journals and more
than twenty-five presentations in professional fieldrelated conferences, including the Materials Research
Society and the International Conference of Nitride
Semiconductors. Furthermore, her research expertise has
led to collaborative research with various institutions
in the U.S., Poland, Slovenia, and Germany.
In addition to her academic work, Milena actively
promotes the participation of underrepresented minorities
in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) careers. She is a member of several professional
and student organizations, including the National Center
for Faculty Development and Diversity, Latin@ Student
Support Network, Latin American Student Association
and Society for the Advancement of Chicanos, and
Native Americans in Science. As a leader, she serves as
the vice president of Academic Affairs for the University
Graduate Student Association at NCSU and as the
Regional Graduate Representative for Region 7 for
the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Her
mission is to challenge the status quo by continuously
working towards the development, accessibility, and
expansion of resources and academic opportunities
for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.
75
2015 AAHHE
Gr aduate Fellows
are proud to support:
The 2015
American Association
of Hispanics in
Higher Education Conference
Juan Hincapie Castillo
Sarah Chavez
Juan Hincapie Castillo
is a second-year doctoral
student in the Department
of Pharmaceutical Outcomes
and Policy at the University
of Florida. Born and raised
in Colombia, Juan moved
to the United States in 2007
and received his Associate
in Arts degree from the
Florida State College at
Jacksonville in 2009. He
obtained his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree
with honors from the University of Florida in 2013, and
he is currently a licensed pharmacist in this State.
Sarah Ynez Chavez is in her
first-year of doctoral studies
in the Department of Health
Outcomes and Policy at
the University of Florida.
Sarah’s research interests
are in the aging population
as well as Medicaid
eligibility. Additionally, she
is particularly interested
in studying Hispanic’s
access to comprehensive,
quality health care services in Texas. Prior to attending
UF, Sarah earned her Bachelor of Science in biology
from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and
her Master of Public Health in biostatistics from the
University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston.
Under the mentorship of his advisor Dr. Almut
Winterstein, Juan is specializing in pharmacoepidemiology
with a clinical focus on pain management and substance
abuse. He is also interested in drug policy and its
impact on medication safety and access. Juan has
published articles on pediatric drug utilization, safe use
of drugs in the treatment of pain, and a book chapter
on the role of pharmacists in the medication therapy
management of pain patients. He is currently involved
in multiple research projects aimed at identifying
preventable adverse drug events in the inpatient
setting, evaluating harms, and utilization patterns of
pediatric psychotropic polypharmacy, and assessing
the risks of analgesic drug misuse in adolescents.
Besides his involvement on research and professional
organizations, Juan is a teaching assistant and facilitator
in PharmD curriculum. He enjoys teaching classes
focusing on professional pharmacy communications,
evaluation of medical literature, and impact of prescription
drug abuse in society. Juan hopes his research can help
optimize patient outcomes and guide better treatment
of chronic pain especially in underrepresented groups
with a higher burden of prescription drug abuse.
Sarah most recently participated in the University of
Florida 2014 Board of Education Summer Fellowship
through the Office of Graduate Minority Programs.
Sarah was also involved in a summer research project at
the University of San Antonio cell biology laboratory to
test a time interval on osteosarcoma cell apoptosis. She
presented her research findings in a poster presentation
at the University’s annual biology research conference.
Currently, Sarah is a research coordinator for the
Institute for Child Health Policy, the External Quality
Review Organization for Texas Medicaid, and Children’s
Health Insurance Program. She has been working
closely with the validation of performance improvement
projects (PIPs) and quality improvement (QI) activities.
As a 2015 AAHHE Graduate Student Fellow, Sarah
is grateful for the opportunity to build professional
relationships and collaborations with other emerging
scholars. Her passion to work toward overall better
health outcomes for the Hispanic population is rooted
in experiences growing up in Brownsville, Texas. She
plans to pursue a career in higher education and support
the Hispanic population through research and policy.
Chandler-Gilbert I Estrella Mountain I GateWay I Glendale I Mesa I Paradise Valley I Phoenix I Rio Salado
Scottsdale I South Mountain I Corporate College I Maricopa Skill Center I SouthWest Skill Center
maricopa.edu
The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity
employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
77
2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
Gr aduate Fellows
“On my journey to the doctorate,
there have been many stepping
stones along the way that have
provided affirmation on my quest
to dismantle the master narrative
in the academy. One has been my
experience as a 2013 American
Association of Hispanics in Higher
Education (AAHHE) fellow. My
experience as an AAHHE fellow
felt much like Sunday dinner at
Abuela’s house. I was surrounded
by mi gente, gained consejos from
those who have gone before me,
and reconnected with mi familia.
Moments like these with AAHHE
familia are instrumental in
remembering that we are all in la
lucha together.”
Jasmine M. Hay wood
Higher Education & Student Affairs, Indiana University,
2013 AAHHE Graduate Fellow
Gr aduate Fellows
Erin Doran
Lorena Guillen
Erin Doran is in her fourth
year in the educational
leadership doctoral program
at the University of Texas
at San Antonio with
an emphasis in higher
education administration.
She researches issues of
student success, access, and
equity in higher education,
including organizational
change, faculty perceptions
of students, and bridging the gap between developmental
and college-level coursework. The primary focus of
her research is the effects of integrated reading and
writing in Texas, particularly for Latina/o students.
Erin’s dissertation, chaired by Dr. Anne-Marie Núñez,
focuses on the response of faculty to the integration of
developmental reading and writing at a Hispanic-Serving
community college in South Texas. As a qualitative
researcher and historian, Erin’s dissertation employs
Cultural Historical Activity Theory, which allows her to
examine the implementation of integration of reading and
writing in a way that contextually rich and dynamic.
Lorena Guillen is a doctoral
candidate in the College of
Education at the University
of Washington, Seattle. She
is studying teacher education
with a focus on curriculum
and instruction. Her research
and teaching interests
include partnerships between
teacher education programs
and the communities
they serve, social
justice teaching and policy, and the recruitment
and retention of teachers of color.
While juggling the demands of doctoral work, Erin
currently works with master’s and doctoral students in
the College of Education and Human Development as
a student development specialist and teaches evening
history classes at a community college in the San
Antonio area. Erin has also been a proud part of the
Puente program as a student mentor at Palo Alto College
in San Antonio since 2013 and was made a Scholar/
Mentor by Puente-Catch the Next in 2014. She hopes
to continue her dual roles as a scholar and mentor as a
tenure-track professor after she graduates in May 2015.
Alarmed by high teacher turnover at John Muir High
School, Lorena decided to investigate the methods
by which university programs prepare teachers for
working in underserved, urban schools. Her research
examines the partnership between community mentors
and a university-based teacher education program
using critical race and border theories as frameworks.
Lorena’s current study explores the development of
critical consciousness among pre-service teachers, as
well as the university program’s epistemological shift
toward valuing and empowering teachers of color.
Erin attended UTSA as an undergraduate, where she
earned a B.A. in 2006 and M.A. in 2008, both in history.
78
Before returning to graduate study, Lorena taught English
for six years at John Muir High School in Pasadena, CA.
Go Mustangs! Lorena helped to create interdisciplinary,
project-based curriculum units and was particularly
invested in family partnerships through the Puente Project
in which she served as an instructor. As a Puente teacher,
she implemented a culturally responsive pedagogy specific
to the Latin@ community context of the Los Angeles area.
She has transferred this asset-based view of families and
communities to her work in university teacher preparation.
Currently, Lorena works in the secondary teacher
education program at the University of Washington
where she has been teaching the “Working in
Schools” field course for three years. Lorena received
her bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford
University and her master’s degree in teaching
secondary English from Brown University.
“I began a doctoral program
at the University of California,
Los Angeles’ Fielding School
of Public Health in order to
advance a research agenda that
is committed to improving the
health and educational level of
Hispanics. As the daughter of
Mexican immigrants, I knew that
my experiences could be helpful
in both conducting research and
in framing a research agenda that
was sensitive to the ways in which
immigrant families experience
a slew of transformations in the
migration process. As a 2013
AAHHE graduate fellow, I have
gained confidence in my goals as
an academic, have expanded my
network, and feel more prepared
than ever to take the helm of
responsibility awaiting
my generation.”
Mirna Troncoso
PhD. Candidate, Fielding School of Public Health, Depar tment
of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los
Angeles, 2013 AAHHE Graduate Fellow
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2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
Gr aduate Fellows
“The American Association of
(AAHHE) has served as one of the
staunch leaders in supporting the
educational pursuits of Latinas, like
me, who come from low-income,
under-resourced communities.
As a 2013 AAHHE Fellow, several
moments come to mind about the
unparalleled experience I had
during and after the conference,
but a true testament to our bond
occurred earlier this year during
the Boston Marathon bombing. One
of our very own ran the marathon
that day and within hours of hearing
the news, the AAHHE community
gathered via social media ensuring
that our dear colleague was okay.
Fortunately, our colleague survived
that attack and I was once again
reassured that I have an extended,
caring and supportive familia
in AAHHE.”
Llanet Mar tín
PhD. Candidate, Higher education and Organizational Change,
University of California, Los Angeles,
80
Gr aduate Fellows
Edwin Hernandez
Juan Medina
Edwin Hernandez is a
second year doctoral student
in the Social Science and
Comparative Education
(SSCE) program at the
Los Angeles and a research
associate for the Institute for
Immigration, Globalization,
and Education (IGE). Edwin
obtained his Bachelor of
Arts in sociology and minor
in Chicana/o studies from California State University,
Northridge and a Master of Arts in bilingual school
counseling from New York University. Edwin’s research
interests include examining educational pathways, college
access, and spaces of transformation for students of color,
with particular focus on Latinos and immigrants and
the criminalization of young boys and men of color.
Juan Carlos Medina is
currently a second-year
doctoral student in the
Educational Policy Studies
department within the
School of Education
Wisconsin-Madison.
In addition, he plans to
enroll as a dual-program
doctoral student in history
and educational policy
studies. His educational background includes
obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in history and a Master
of Arts in teaching – history, along with a BCLAD
Certified California Teaching Credential, from
Occidental College in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
In his role with IGE, Edwin is currently working
on the UndocuScholars Project, a national research
project that focuses on the educational experiences of
undocumented students in higher education. In addition
to his research, Edwin works closely with students of
color as both a school counselor and mentor through
community based organizations in New York and
California. In California, Edwin volunteers with the
Puente Program at a community college by providing
one-on-one mentorship and leadership development to
a young Latino male to increase his academic success.
As a Latino student and scholar, it is important to him
to engage in meaningful work that creates opportunities
for low-income students through education. His
passion for research and mentorship is rooted in his
own challenging experiences growing up in South
Central Los Angeles that brought him face-to-face
with violence, criminalization, and social inequity.
He hopes his research and advocacy will transform
policies and practices in schools, communities, and
juvenile justice systems and create change for students
of color in their educational journey and life.
While at Occidental, Juan worked and volunteered
extensively with the Neighborhood Partnership
Program whose primary objective was supporting
the educational goals of traditionally marginalized
student populations in low-income neighborhoods
and preparing them for higher education. Similarly,
he joined MEChA*ALAS a multi-ethnic, multi-racial
student organization dedicated to the socio-emotional
support of diverse student populations and advocacy
for increased student diversity, as well as helped found
COMPADRES, a small, student support organization
dedicated to the persistence of Latino men at Occidental.
Juan’s research interests include studying the structure
of Community-Based Educational Spaces (CBES); the
equity of traditionally marginalized students’ access to,
preparation for, and persistence in higher education; and
the history, culture and structure of the current K-12 urban
school system. Juan is currently working with Dr. Bianca
Baldridge while specifically studying the racialization
and politicization of Spanish-speaking populations in the
American Southwest while paying considerable attention
to how the formation of the image of the “other” can be
dismantled within CBESs, and the possibilities available
to holistically educate Spanish speaking populations
through community-based educational spaces.
“As a 2013 graduate student fellow
of the American Association of
(AAHHE), I had the privilege of
meeting supportive scholars,
colleagues and mentors who are
committed to social justice. The
AAHHE community stands true
to my values and principles of
justice and validates my passion
and commitment to social justice
for Latinas/os. AAHHE seeks to
support the next generation of
scholars by providing fellows
with resources to help us prepare
for the professoriate, as well
as how to maintain well-being,
while remaining committed to
teaching, service, and research. I
am forever indebted to AAHHE for
the opportunity and privileging
experience.”
Jesica Siham Fernández
PhD. in Social Psychology, Designated Emphasis in Latin
American & Latina /o Studies, University of California Santa
Cruz, 2013 AAHHE Graduate Fellow
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2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
Gr aduate Fellows
“Moving through my doctoral
program it is clear that what I
learned as a child continues to
apply: access to resources is critical
for continued success. I can think of
no better support system than my
America Association of Hispanics
in Higher Education familia. Most
important, my AAHHE experience
provided a national network of other
Hispanic educator, researchers and
pioneers who are shaping the future
of academia and education. These
absolutely invaluable relationships
and resources make me a stronger
scholar so I can help other Hispanic
students obtain access to higher
education and become fellow
educators, paving the way for more
equity in our education system.”
Cr ystal Caldera
J.D./PhD. Program in Sociology, University of California, Ir vine,
Gr aduate Fellows
Rudy Medina
Rocío Mendoza
Rudy Medina is currently
a second-year doctoral
student in educational
leadership and policy at the
University of Utah. Rudy
received his Bachelor of Arts
in human communication
with an emphasis on
Chicano studies from
Monterey Bay and his
Master of Education with an
emphasis in student affairs from the University of Utah.
Currently, Rudy serves as the Interim Director of the First
Year Experience and Chicana/o Latina/o Programs for
Student Equity and Diversity at the University of Utah.
Rocío Mendoza is a secondyear doctoral student in
the School of Educational
Studies at Claremont
Graduate University.
Her research interests
focus on the academic
trajectories of Chicana/oLatina/o college students,
which include college
access and opportunity,
persistence, and graduate
school pathways. Rocío earned a Bachelor of Arts degree
in sociology, with a double major in human services
from California State University, Fullerton and holds a
Master of Education degree in Educational leadership
and policy studies with a concentration in Higher
Education from the University of Washington.
Through his work and personal educational experience,
Rudy recognized the frustration youth at the high
school and college level experienced in the classroom.
Rudy’s work argues that students view education as a
way for upward mobility for themselves, their families,
and their community; however, schools and universities
fail to provide students with curriculum that support
students in developing their careers around social
justice work that is relevant to their community’s
needs. For that reason, Rudy’s scholarship focuses on
pedagogical spaces developed outside of the classroom
by Chicana/o Latina/o students to learn about their
identities and experiences as students of color. He
argues that these pedagogical sites prepare students
from urban backgrounds to critically analyze their
placement in the world as historically marginalized
populations and teaches them how to take action in
their communities. In other words, students create these
pedagogical sites to foster resistance and activism.
Lastly, Rudy is extremely excited for the opportunity
to learn and share his research with other scholars and
practitioners at the 2015 AAHHE conference.
82
Prior to returning to pursue her doctoral degree,
Rocío served as a director for the TELACU Education
Foundation Upward Bound Program in East Los
Angeles and also worked with other educational equity
programs including the Educational Opportunity
Program (EOP) and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars
Program. Rocío attributes her own academic and
professional trajectory to the countless opportunities
afforded through these programs as well as to the critical
mentors who have supported her along the way.
“Being part of the AAHHE 2013
cohort of graduate fellows was
an eye opening experience that
increased my awareness and
confidence as a social science
scholar. Ideally, I hope to
replicate AAHHE’s mission and
invest in future generations of
Latina/o students as I ‘pay it
forward,’ striving toward
improving the educational
conditions of underrepresented
immigrant students.”
Argelia Lara
Social Science and Comparative Education Division, Race and
Ethnic Studies Concentration, Graduate School of Education
and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles,
Currently, Rocío is as a research assistant with her
advisor, Dr. Deborah Faye Carter and is exploring the
undergraduate research experiences of Latina/o and
African American students pursuing science, technology,
and engineering and math fields. In her own research,
Rocío is exploring how Chicana/o-Latina/o students
understand their multiple identities through undergraduate
research opportunities in the humanities and social
sciences. Rocío also serves as the editorial assistant for The
Journal of Higher Education and is committed to advancing
research that challenges social and academic inequities
and creates opportunities for first-generation, low-income
Students of Color. Rocío is the oldest daughter of Mexican
immigrants and grew up in city of La Puente, California.
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2015 AAHHE
2015 AAHHE
Gr aduate Fellows
“Being present at AAHHE, I
witnessed collective mentorship
taking place: faculty and
administrators sharing their
individual and collective struggles
and triumphs with graduate
student fellows. What an honor
and privilege, but also a learning
experience. Meeting other
graduate students, faculty, and
administrators really gave meaning
to the saying, “it takes a village.”
Indeed, it does take a village! I am
thankful for my experience as an
AAHHE Graduate Student Fellow.
I look forward to continuing my
graduate studies as Claremont
Graduate University with the
support of esteemed colleagues
and professors, while representing
AAHHE and encouraging others to
apply for the fellowship and seek out
an experience similar to mine.”
Alonzo Campos
MA, Doctoral Candidate, Schol of Educational Studies,
Claremont Graduate University,
2015 AAHHE Graduate Fellow Co-Chair
84
Gr aduate Fellows
Jorge Moraga
Catherine Olivarez
Jorge Enrique Moraga is a
third-year Ph.D. candidate
in the American studies
program, housed in the
Department of Critical
Culture, Gender and
Race Studies (CCGRS)
at Washington State
University (WSU) in
Pullman. His dissertation
investigates the historical and
contemporary relationship
between sport and the ‘browning of America’.
Specifically, his doctoral study looks at the ways
the browned body negotiates, disrupts and resists
dominant narratives central to race, gender, ethnicity,
nationality, and citizenship. Additional research interests
include: the Chicana/o education pipeline; hip hop
as critical pedagogy; and student social movements.
Catherine Olivarez is
a fourth-year doctoral
candidate in the higher
education program at the
University of North Texas.
She serves as a research
associate to the Latina/o
Family College Access
Project (LFCAP), a research
and community service
collective in the program.
With LFCAP, she engages
in researching Latino/a family issues in higher education,
serving, educating, and collaborating with local K-12
schools and community organizations. Catherine’s
dissertation research will focus on understanding college
access and choice for Latino/a students in college,
specifically looking at the role of familial and other
kinship networks on Latino/a college undermatch.
Before arriving to the Pacific-Northwest, Jorge
double majored in Central American studies and
history, and in 2012, graduated from California
State University, Northridge as a Ronald E. McNair
Scholar. Since then, Jorge, via a Graduate Teaching
Assistantship, has been fortunate to gain valuable
teaching experience as an instructor of record in the
Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies (CES).
Currently, Catherine serves as the graduate student
representative to the Community Colleges Division
for the National Association of Student Personnel
Administration (NASPA). In this role she co-chairs a
committee for graduate students and new professionals.
In addition to balancing graduate studies and
teaching, Jorge has been active in multiple on-campus
student organizations, serving as co-chair of
CAMARADAS—the Chicana/o Latina/o Graduate
& Professional Student Association—during 20132014. Jorge is currently serving consecutive terms
as a senator for the Graduate Professional Student
Association and as the graduate student representative
for the CCGRS Graduate Studies Committee.
Jorge was first published in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano
Studies, and has forthcoming work in the Sociology of
Sport Journal and Cogitatio Press. Jorge’s most recent
publication, “You Made El Team-O! The Transnational
Browning of the National Basketball Association through
the Noche Latina Campaign,” will be part of a special
issue in the open access journal Social Inclusion.
Catherine is passionate about the research she has
done with the LFCAP team. She uses the skills and
knowledge gained from this research to guide her
work as the Parent Programs Coordinator in the
Office of Orientation and Transition Programs at
UNT. There, she has been instrumental in providing
programming and resources for Latino/a students
and their families through the establishment of the
Spanish Language Family Orientation program.
Catherine aspires to be a tenure-track professor. She hopes
to blend her research agenda with her experiences as a
practitioner to continue to uplift the Latino community
and become a mentor other Latino/a students. Catherine
holds a bachelor of arts in psychology and master of
education in educational leadership and policy studies
from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
“In searching for a supportive
community, I learned of the
Graduate Student Fellows Program
as part of the American of Hispanics
in Higher Education. Participating
in the program was an amazing
experience that allowed me to
create a nationwide network,
provided me with invaluable
professional development, but
mostly it opened my eyes to the
endless possibilities that lay
ahead. I had never imagined that
I could one day become president
of a university until I listened
to the panel on perspectives of
Latinas/os in higher education.
Being welcomed in the home of a
university president showed me
that being a president is a realistic
goal and is not impossible, as I had
once imagined. Additionally, the
inclusion of graduate students,
faculty and administrators
demonstrated the pipeline
trajectory, and I was able to make
connections and seek guidance from
people in all stages.”
Jessica M. Rodriguez
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Higher Education,
University of Washington, 2015 AAHHE Graduate Fellow Chair
85
2015 AAHHE
Gr aduate Fellows
Axel Ramírez-Madera
Axel O. Ramírez-Madera
is native of Lares, Puerto
Rico. He holds bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in
agronomy, both from the
University of Puerto Rico
at Mayagüez (UPRM).
He is currently pursuing
a Ph.D. in plant breeding
and plant genetics with a
minor in plant pathology at
the University of Wisconsin
in Madison (UW). His professional portfolio includes
research, teaching, and service within academia, as well
as working in the private sector as an agronomist.
Axel’s research experiences include working on projects
focused on dairy compost application and its effect on
growth of Zoysia turfgrass (UPRM), and subcelullar
localization of the SUNN protein in Medicago truncatula
(UW). Now in his fourth year as a Ph.D. student,
Axel is conducting research on the genetic analyses
of the appearance of spontaneous tetraploid plants in
cucumber, a trait with undesirable effects on fruit shape
and yield. His interdisciplinary research experiences
seek to help farmers around the world to achieve more
stable and predictable agricultural production.
Axel has been actively engaged in service inside and outside
academia. He currently serves as president for the UW
Plant Sciences Graduate Student Council, and is an active
member of the Science and Medicine Graduate Research
Scholars Program at UW particularly in outreach events.
Axel has been awarded several scholarships and
fellowships such as the Gabelman-Seminis Distinguished
Fellowship in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics and
the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship. At UPRM he
has been awarded the National Wildlife Federation
(NWF) Campus Ecology Fellowship Program given
to an undergraduate or graduate student interested in
developing an environmental friendly project and “Premio
Luis de Celis” (Luis de Celis Prize) given to the student
with the highest GPA in the Department of Agronomy
and Soils, College of Agricultural Sciences, UPRM.
“Being an American Association
of Hispanics in Higher Education
(AAHHE) Graduate Fellows was
an exceptional experience. I
had the opportunity to network
with amazing Latina/o scholars,
faculty and administrators from
around the country. The AAHHE
conference was a space for
professional, intellectual and
spiritual growth. I learned about
the latest research on the Latina/o
educational forefront and shared
ideas with other scholars and
practitioners who are passionate
about the betterment of educational
experiences for Latinas/os as a
whole. Overall, the AAHHE program
was a rejuvenation of the spirit
because it was an atmosphere
of encouragement, change and
motivation for the future.”
Rebecca Romo
Sociology Depar tment, University of California, Santa Barbara,
Committed to
StUdeNt SUCCeSS
Committed to student success and providing an exceptional educational
experience, we’re proud of our record supporting Hispanic student
achievement in higher education.
In fact, we’re ranked first in California and consistently among the top 10
in the nation for the number of degrees awarded to Hispanic students.*
86
*Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education’s “Top 100 Colleges for Hispanics” (May 2014)
Food and Agricultural Sciences
2015 Outstanding Thesis in the Food and Agricultur al Sciences Competition
We’re Hispanic Serving
a n d t he n u m be rs p ro v e i t .
March 11, 2015
More than
Welcome to the fourth annual national Career Preparation Institute. It is my great pleasure
to welcome you to what I hope will become an annual tradition at the Annual Meeting of
the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE).
20%
At the 2011 Annual AAHHE meeting in San Antonio, Texas, an ongoing discussion of creating
a master’s thesis award program in the sciences, led to an opportunity for funding from the
United States Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDANIFA). The result was a funded collaborative initiative between USDA-NIFA, AAHHE, and
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi known as Connecting Under-Represented Latinos to
Integrate Values and Academic Resources (CULTIVAR). The goal of this project is to identify
young Hispanic scholars primed to pursue a career in the food and agricultural sciences by
creating a Master’s Thesis Award Program in Agriculture, Natural Sciences, and Technology,
recruiting students for a Latino Graduate Fellows Program, and implementing a Career
Preparation Institute designed to nurture individuals from the master’s degree program to
the doctoral program and/or workplace.
of o u r d i pl om a s
a re ea r n e d b y
Hi s pa n i c st u d e nts
We a r wa rd e d m o re
bachelor’s degrees
to Hi s pa n i c st u d e nts t ha n
99%
of c ol l ege s a n d
u n i ve rs i t i e s i n t he U. S .
The Cultivar Project is innovative in its synergy. While there are theses award programs,
graduate fellow programs, mentoring programs, career preparation institutes, and
internships, few if any of these initiatives are integrated to work in collaboration with
federal agencies, institutions of higher education, and professional organizations committed
to advancing the Latino population.
The that end, USDA Graduate Fellows were identified through an outstanding thesis award
competition and by faculty in the food and agricultural sciences to participate in a
leadership development program, network with peers and nationally recognized faculty
researchers and USDA agency representatives and create a leadership plan focused on
developing human capital relevant to meeting the USDA labor force needs.
My deepest gratitude and appreciation to the participants and mentors who so willingly and
graciously gave their time and energy when approached with this initiative. This heartfelt
gratitude and appreciation also extends to the USDA Graduate Fellows 2015 cohort for their
willingness to venture into new territory and connect with seasoned professionals. A special
note of gratitude to USDA-NIFA for their vote of confidence in funding the grant proposal
that made this dream possible, to AAHHE whose commitment to improving the pipeline for
future Hispanic leaders in education continues to be a driving force, and to the staff and
administrators at TAMUCC who have embraced and supported this innovative undertaking.
JoAnn Canales, PhD
USDA/NIFA Master Thesis Director
txstate.edu
Statistics based on 2013 –2014 academic year.
Texas State Universit y is a tobacco-free campus.
89
2015 Outstanding Thesis in The Food and Agricultur al Sciences Competition
2015 Outstanding Thesis in the Food and Agricultur al Sciences Competition
First Place Co-Winner & Fellow
Miles Medina
First Place Co-Winner & Fellow
Carla Lorraine Mejías-Rivera
Discipline: Environmental Studies
Universidad Metroplitana, San Juan, Puer to Rico
Discipline: Environmental Risk Assessment and Management
Thesis Title: Effect
of Aquafeed on
Productivity of
Red Amaranth and
on Water Quality
under Aquaponic
Cultivation
Originally from Miami,
Miles Medina holds a
Master’s of Science in
environmental studies with
a Certificate in agroecology
from Florida International University. During his first
year as a graduate student, Miles managed FIU’s two-acre
organic garden, and his poster on the role of the garden
in agri-science research, education, and outreach won
a First Place award at the 2012 USDA-HSI Directors’
Conference. Miles also sat on the FIU President’s
Sustainability Committee where he collaborated with
top university staff on campus sustainability initiatives.
During his second year, Miles conducted research on
aquaponic crop production. He designed and built six
aquaponic units and ran a 60-day experimental trial with
tilapia and red amaranth in order to compare the effect of
two fish feeds on crop yield, water quality, and farm revenue. The study demonstrated that a higher crop yield (and
enhanced total aquaponic farm revenue) could be achieved
with lower inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus from a
plant-based fish feed as compared to a standard fishmealbased feed. This work was recognized with an award for
Best Environmental Studies Thesis for 2013-14 by the FIU
Earth and Environment Graduate Committee. In May,
he was invited to the White House to interview for three
presidential appointment positions at federal agencies.
“I view AAHHE’s Graduate Fellows
program as ultimately providing
a transformational pathway for
Latina/o scholars to continue to
develop well-rounded careers,
both in terms of potential impact
in academia as well as our societal
roles. As a 2011 Graduate Fellow
of AAHHE, what I gained most was
an empowering reaffirmation to
being one of many links that are
ultimately helping to secure the
critical success of Latinas/os in
higher education and beyond.”
Antonio G. Estudillo
PhD. Candidate, Learning and Developmental Sciences,
Indiana University, 2011 AAHHE Graduate Fellow
Thesis Title:
Exploratory Evaluation
of Retranslocation and
Bioconcentration of
Heavy Metals in Three
Species of Mangroves
in Las Cucharillas
Marsh, Puerto Rico
Carla Lorraine MejíasRivera obtained both
a bachelor’s degree in
chemistry and a master’s
degree in environmental risk assessment and management from Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) in San
Juan, Puerto Rico in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Since
2004 she has been involved in scientific research projects
related with organic synthesis and biogeochemistry and
disseminated the results of her work in various scientific meetings through poster and oral presentations.
During her graduate school years she was involved in
volunteer work with the San Juan Bay Estuary program
where she obtained water quality monitoring certification.
As part of her commitment to science and youth development, she actively participates as a judge and mentor for
undergraduate students at UMET’s symposia and collaborating with colleagues from other professional disciplines.
Currently, Carla works as an environmental health and
safety specialist at a private environmental consulting company in Puerto Rico. In the future, she seeks
to expand her knowledge in environmental issues and
contribute her best to solve the associated concerns.
Embraced by a strong commitment to ethics and the
environment, in 2009 she developed her master’s thesis research under a project funded by the U.S. Forest
Service, Southern Research Station (USFS-SRS). The
study aimed to assess the differences on the efficiency
of three species of mangroves to accumulate heavy metals at the San Juan Bay area. She presented the outcomes
of her study at various scientific meetings in the United
States and Puerto Rico, including the USFS-SRS, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USFS
International Institute of Tropical Forestry and Restore
America’s Estuaries, among others. Carla published the
results of her research in a peer reviewed journal in 2013.
Miles’ research interests include dynamic systems modeling, sustainable development, and tropical agriculture,
conservation and ecology. In 2013, he participated in
an intensive two-week workshop on Agroecology and
Biocorridor Restoration in Costa Rica. In January 2015, he
started his doctorate program at the University of Florida’s
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
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91
2015 USDA /NIFA FELLOWS
Adriana Aleman
Nina De la Rosa
Christopher Lucas Estevez
Mayra Muñoz Gomez
Discipline: Sustainable Food Systems
University of California-Davis
Discipline: Nutritional Biology
Adriana Aleman received her
Bachelor of Science degree
in animal science with an
emphasis in pre-veterinarian
studies in May 2013 from
Texas A&M University –
Commerce in Commerce,
Texas, while working as
a veterinarian technician.
Upon graduation, she was
accepted to a new Master’s of
Science program in sustainable food systems geared toward Hispanic students, at
Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas sponsored by
the USDA. This offered her an opportunity to be part of a
two week “study abroad” program to Costa Rica. Where,
she experienced true sustainable framing practices locals
and gained insight into their educational programs.
Nina De la Rosa received
her Bachelor of Arts in
environmental studies
in 2012 from Florida
International University
in Miami, Florida. In
addition, she also received
a Certificate in agroecology
and a Certificate in
biodiversity conservation
and management. She is
currently enrolled in the
same institution where she will receive a Master of Science
in environmental studies. For her thesis, she studied the
use of canal water from the Everglades Agricultural Area
as a base medium for the mass production of algal biomass
for the production of biofuels. This, she hopes, could serve
as a new crop and additional income for farmers, as well
as a contribution to the regional expansion of green fuels.
In addition, she had the opportunity to join the Plant-Soil
Lab at Florida International University where she studied
the microbial population differences in the rhyzosphere
of avocado trees under different farming settings.
Christopher Lucas Estevez
received a bachelor’s degree
in international economics
and international relations
from American University,
Washington D.C. (2010).
He is currently a graduate
research assistant at Florida
International University’s
School of Environment,
Arts and Society (SEAS).
He is pursuing a Master
of Science in environmental studies with a scholarship
from the USDA-HSI. His work is focused on the
intersection of environmental and socio-economic policy.
Mayra Muñoz Gomez
received her Bachelor of
Science in neurobiology,
physiology, and behavior
from the University of
California, at Davis.
Mayra became interested
in nutrition after taking
introductory nutrition
courses during her
undergraduate education.
She enjoyed disseminating
the nutrition information she gained in class to members
of her family in an easy to understand manner.
Her research is aimed toward detecting the prevalence
of Trypansoma cruzi in Texas rodent populations using
molecular tools. T. cruzi is a protozoa parasite that lives
in the hindgut of the Triatomine insects. The kissing bug,
as it is also known, is the main vector for this pathogen.
Insects infect mammals by defecating on the skin after
a blood meal. After the mammal smears the feces into
the wound, the protozoa gains entry into its new host.
T. cruzi is found predominantly in Latin American,
but has been slowly migrating into North America. It
has been known to be present in the rodent population
and many other wild and domesticated animal populations. T. cruzi affects the heart of the host, which can
lead to severe heart conditions and eventual death.
Adriana plans to use her new found knowledge to expand
her research into a doctoral degree in infectious disease.
She has received several scholarships, including
a USDA-NIFA National Needs Fellowship and a
Mathematics and Science Partnership grant, and
she has presented her work in numerous national
conferences focusing on Bioenergy Production.
His thesis work is a market analysis of organic and
fair-trade coffee production in collaboration with InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture
Bolivia (IICA-Bolivia). Christopher’s research seeks
to answer questions regarding how the Bolivian coffee
market functions, how it is structured and whether or not
farmers participating in organic and fair trade schemes
do in fact, benefit from their participation. The success
of coffee in Bolivia is especially important because
coffee is the primary alternative crop to coca. Coca,
the primary ingredient in cocaine requires producers
to clear-cut and terrace hillsides, destroying tropical
forest and causing tremendous environmental harm.
Her interests include applying scientific concepts and
empirical knowledge to the development of innovative
solutions that will aid socially disadvantaged farmers.
Specifically, she is interested in the use of algae as crops
and feedstock for biofuels at a regional level. After
completing her Master of Science, she hopes to obtain
a position where she can be of service to farmers and
land stewards; thus, she is interested in joining the
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
In addition to his work at FIU, Lucas has interned
with Miami-Dade County’s Board of Commissioners
to develop policies and assist constituents with their
needs. Christopher is a volunteer at the National
Tropical Botanic Garden-Kampong to promote a love
of history, agriculture, and tropical plants in South
Florida. His past work in horticulture includes an
internship and volunteer work at Fairchild Tropical
Botanic Garden’s Tropical Fruit Program.
His research interest includes agricultural policy, socioeconomic policy, environmental policy, and sustainable
development. After graduate school, Christopher aspires to
work in sustainable development both in the United States
and abroad. He is interested in working for the following
USDA agencies Economic Research Service, Foreign
Agricultural Service, and Agricultural Marketing Service.
92
Upon graduation, she became involved in a childhood
obesity intervention targeting Mexican-origin children and
their family members in rural communities in California’s
Central Valley called Niños Sanos, Familia Sana
(Healthy Children, Healthy Family). She was involved
in conducting surveys and collecting anthropometric
measurements from each participant enrolled in the study.
She is currently working on completing her Master
of Science in nutritional biology at the University of
California, at Davis. As a graduate student, Mayra
focuses her efforts on analyzing the effects of personalized
nutrition and health information on behavioral changes
for participants enrolled in Niños Sanos, Familia Sana.
She also helps develop nutrition education material for
the participants enrolled in the study. She is interested
in childhood obesity prevention and would like to
expand her research in the area of food and stress
interaction. She is currently a diabetes educator at
Clínica Tepati, a student run clinic, working with the
underserved population in the city of Sacramento.
Mayra received the Carpenter Award Fund to
attend the 2014 Society for Nutrition Education
and Behavior conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
There she presented her preliminary findings
regarding the effect of personalized nutrition and
health information on behavioral changes.
93
Ana Guzmán-Ocasio
Mayra Lopez
Shawntel Lopez
Erica Molina
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Discipline: Environmental Science
Discipline: Sustainable Food Systems
Discipline: Biology-Sustainable Agriculture
Ana Guzmán-Ocasio
received a Bachelor of
Science in biology from
the University of Puerto
Rico, Mayaguez Campus in
2012. As an undergraduate
student, she became very
interested in ecology and
environmental studies.
During her undergraduate
years, she interned
with the Smithsonian
Environmental Research Center in the forest ecology
lab, research in climate change and its impacts on tree
growth patterns. Throughout her junior and senior
years, she assisted in various ongoing restoration ecology
research projects. In particular, she participated in an
investigation related to the interaction between grass
cover, nutrient cycles and microbial communities,
which influence ecosystem function within abandoned
agricultural land in the dry zone of Puerto Rico. This
array of experiences led Ana to become very interested
in applying interdisciplinary scientific research to the
conservation and management of natural resources in the
face of climate change and other anthropogenic impacts.
Mayra Lopez earned a
Bachelor of Science in
environmental science
with a concentration in
environmental policy and
regulations at Texas A&M
University – Corpus Christi
(TAMU-CC) in 2011.
Currently, she is pursuing
a Master of Science in
environmental science at
TAMU-CC and is a graduate
research assistant at the Harte Research Institute for
Gulf of Mexico Studies. She is mentored by Dr. David
Yoskowitz, Endowed Chair of
Socio-Economics at the Harte, and funded through the
NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center.
Shawntel Lopez received
her Bachelor of Science
degree in biology from Texas
State University in 2013.
As an undergraduate, her
focus was primarily on the
anatomy and physiology
of vertebrates. She has
developed a wide knowledge
of working with and caring
for animals, both exotic and
domestic. Upon graduation
she was presented with the opportunity to participate in a
Master of Science in sustainable food systems fellowship
program funded by the USDA. Through this program
she was able to travel to Costa Rica, gaining knowledge
on both sustainable and unsustainable practices abroad.
She traveled across the country of Costa Rica where
she experienced, hands-on, the development of various
food products produced in the country. Through this
experience, Shawntel has begun to focus on the large
scale production of sustainable food products.
In May 2008, Erica Molina
became a board certified
Licensed Veterinary
Technician (LVT). After
obtaining the LVT she
pursued a Bachelor of
Science in animal science,
with a minor in biochemistry
from Texas State University,
San Marcos, TX. Currently,
Erica is working on her
master’s in biology with a
focus on sustainable agriculture at Texas State University.
For her graduate thesis she is analyzing the physiological
effects of increased salinity and temperatures in Juvenile
Red Drum. She also has had the opportunity to assist in a
study to determine the population boundaries of Apalone
turtles in Texas, using DNA markers. In the summer
of 2014 she participated in a study abroad experience,
in Costa Rica, where she experienced a wide variety
of sustainable agricultural practices as well immersion
within a different culture. Erica received the Houston
and Livestock show scholarship in 2013 and 2014.
In the interest to pursue a higher education, Ana
joined the Earth and Science department at Florida
International University. Currently, she is pursuing a
master’s degree in environmental studies and acquiring a
certificate in biodiversity conservation and management.
She also works as a graduate assistant, teaching in
environmental science and sustainability laboratory to
undergraduate students. Her ongoing thesis project is
related to protected areas management, climate change
impacts, and local communities’ perceptions. This
study is currently being conducted on the municipal
island of Vieques, Puerto Rico where she travels on a
regular basis to collect data. In the future, Ana hopes to
apply her knowledge in the natural and social sciences
towards the conservation and management of natural
resources that are of agricultural and ecological value.
94
Her research is focused on understanding socio-economic
processes and how they drive environmental education,
management, and policy. This knowledge can be used
to comprehend how the public’s perception of ecosystem
services (the benefits that humans gain from the natural
environment, such as clean water and food) can affect
natural resource management and economical/ecological
resilience. The valuation of ecosystem services is a relatively
new, yet very significant concept, which has become
increasingly recognized and widely accepted in science
and policy as a means of assessing ecosystem health.
Mayra is also involved in several community outreach
events that encourage young, underprivileged students,
to pursue the STEM fields for their college education.
She believes that effective mentorship is the key to
motivating students from underrepresented groups to
conduct scientific research and attain a graduate degree.
In the future, she would like to work as
a sustainability analyst; developing and
implementing policies that encourage sustainable
management practices as well as increase ecosystem
resilience to enhance human wellbeing.
Shawntel’s research focus is on aquaculture, researching
the effects of dietary supplements utilized in the
production of aquatic food sources. She is hoping to gain
a fundamental understanding of the physiological and
microbial effects of a dietary addition of salt and prebiotics
prior to a stress event in Red Drum that have been
transported from hatchery settings. She has worked in the
lab analyzing the physiological indicators, and has utilized
various molecular techniques in determining the effects on
gut microbiotia. She hopes that through her research she
can aid in the development of a safe and efficient means
for large hatchery production of fish, while still providing
a quality source of food for people around the world.
Erica’s research interests include physiology, genetics, and
implementation of sustainable practices that can be applied
in everyday practices. In addition to her research interests
she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteers
with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Texas.
95
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Melinda Martinez
Cecilia Monclova-Santana
University of Puer to Rico-Mayagüez Campus
Discipline: Environmental Science
Discipline: Plant Pathology
Melinda Martinez received
in marine and freshwater
biology from The University
of Texas at Austin. As an
undergraduate research
assistant, she was exposed
to a wide variety of
research topics in marine
biology which include
genetics, botany, and
ecology. Her background
in marine biology is
an example of the geoscientist needed to address
sedimentary and geomorphic problems rooted in
biophysical processes. After graduation, she was a
research assistant with El Centro Ecológico de Akumal
in Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico to aid in sea grass
conservation efforts for marine protected areas. She
also, helped develop the sea grass monitoring program
in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Cecilia Monclova-Santana
completed her bachelor’s
degree at the University
of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
Campus in agronomy. As
an undergraduate student,
she had two research
experiences; food science
and plant pathology. As
part of the food science
research she learned how
to measure the nutritional
and marketing value of exotic fruits such as Achachairú.
Using different solutions to evaluate phenolic,
antioxidants and vitamins contents, combined with
sensory panel to evaluate the overall public acceptance
of the fruit, was the core of the research. During the
summer of 2012 and 2013 she did internships with the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the
North Dakota State University, respectively. Those were
focused on plant breeding of wheat, oat and sorghum,
and barley, evaluating the potential plant pathogenic
threats in endemic endangered plant species.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in
environmental science at Texas A&M University –
Corpus Christi. Melinda conducts research in the
Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Her research topic focuses on short-term wetland
sediment accretion rates on Mustang Island, Texas. She
is examining sedimentation rates over a range of time
scales to provide insight into factors controlling marsh
elevation and sedimentation processes. Her research
seeks to contribute to coastal research fields by providing
modern accretion rates and assess major influences that
could possibly be used to improve models that help
predict evolutionary changes of coastal wetlands, such
as the Sea-Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM).
Melinda’s research interests include coastal research,
using Geographic Information System, remote sensing,
and field techniques for inventory and monitoring of the
coastal environment. She would like the opportunity
to use her skills obtained through her research efforts
to aid in coastal management and planning.
After the undergraduate research experience, she realized
that plant pathology is her biggest academic passion,
which later became her thesis theme. In 2013 she
started her master’s degree in plant pathology focused
on tropical forest conservation, including aspects of
pathosystems ecology. Following the Koch’s postulates
including pathogenicity tests, she determined which
fungi and bacteria isolates resulted to be more or less
detrimental for the plants. Morphological and molecular
characterizations were performed to identify and report
the isolates. To become a professor at the university
level, teaching and conducting research, is her greatest
goal. She desires to promote ecosystem conservations to
preserve our natural resources for future generations.
97
Elizabeth Guerrero Mosqueda
Emilio A. Ortiz
Dagoberto Osorio
Maria C. Rodriguez
California State University-Fresno
Calfornia State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Discipline: Plant Science
Discipline: Plant Science
Discipline: Agricultural Education
Elizabeth Guerrero
Mosqueda is currently a
Master of Science student
in the Department of Plant
Science at California State
University, Fresno. She
holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in plant science
with an emphasis in Plant
Health (2013) also from
Fresno. Throughout her
undergraduate career, Ms. Mosqueda has held internships
with Chiquita/Fresh Express, the Fresno State Ornamental
Horticulture Unit, and as a student assistant researcher
in the field of Weed Science. A more notable experience
for Elizabeth was with the UC Cooperative Extension
(UCCE) of Monterey County. The combination of
working on current grower issues while educating the
public on agriculture practices and standards influenced
her to pursue a career in the field of agricultural research.
In 2011, Emilio A. Ortiz
obtained a Bachelor of
Science in computer
engineering from California
State Polytechnic
University, Pomona. After
graduation, he joined Dr.
David Still’s laboratory
where he was exposed to
research in the agricultural
science and utilized
bioinformatics firsthand.
In 2012, he started his Master’s of Science in
plant science at the same institution.
Dagoberto Osorio earned
a bachelor’s degree in
agriculture from Texas
State University in
fall 2011. During his
undergraduate studies, he
developed an interest in
agroecology, soil science,
and integrated farming
systems. Before graduating,
he helped establish the
Student Sustainable
Farm project, which currently aims to provide an
extended learning facility for students while producing
marketable crops for campus. These ventures also
led him to pursue a graduate degree at Texas State,
where he works to advance the student farm project
while conducting experimental research.
In the spring of 2013, Maria
C. Rodriguez received
her Bachelor of Science in
ecology. Throughout her
undergraduate education,
Maria gained valuable
research experience. She
has studied the microbial
community of coral species
found in the waters off of
Palau, Micronesia, and
has looked at predatorprey interactions associated with hatchery reared fishes
in the coastal waters of Texas. Her most recent research
was to examine the dynamics of oyster reef restoration.
These valuable ecosystems are disappearing at an
alarming rate due to overexploitation, disease and climate
change. Without restorative and conservation measures
oyster reefs found around the world will be lost.
She is currently conducting her master’s thesis research
on a comparison of automated versus hand thinning
of lettuce in the Salinas Valley. Her work will give
growers pragmatic insight to a new technology regarding
thinning of lettuce and its influence on weed growth
population as well as its effects on density flushes.
Elizabeth is currently employed with the United States
Department of Agriculture in Parlier, California. She
is looking into establishing Boron (B) and Selenium
(Se) tolerant companion crops, such as those of the
Salsola genius, into cropping systems of the Central
Valley, whose soils have been polluted by B and Se by
sub surface drainage water and shallow ground water.
Elizabeth’s goal is to obtain a doctoral degree in
the field of plant science. She wishes to then obtain
a position with the UCCE as a farm advisor. After
many extensive years of research, Elizabeth wishes
to inspire the next generation of agriculturalists by
becoming an educator in the university system.
98
His thesis project focused on the de novo assembly of the
flowering model plant gerbera daisy. This stimulated him
to think about ways in which new computer algorithms
could be used for computational biology, big data
analytics, database theory, and artificial intelligence. One
idea that particularly fascinates him is that by providing
algorithms, databases, and statistical tools, bioinformatics
make it possible to do exciting things such as compare
DNA sequences, generate results, interpret data, and
assign meaning where none currently exists. He enjoys and
is confident in areas that require logical, mathematical,
and analytical thought, and looks forward to combining
his interest in bioinformatics with his technical skills.
His current thesis research involves the use of lowmolecular-weight organic acids for phosphorus nutrient
mobilization and vegetable production in semi-arid
soil regions. His other research interests include
soil morphology, rhizosphere processes, nutrient
management, and water conservation practices.
Dagoberto will receive his master’s in agriculture
education in spring 2015 and plans to pursue a doctorate
in soil science. Future research directions include
focusing on the dynamics between soil-plant-water
interactions to better understand water fluxes related
to field conditions and climate change patterns.
Dagoberto’s career goals include working as a soil
scientist within the realm of sustainable agriculture and
specializing in soil and water conservation practices by
assisting growers and agencies using best management
practices. In due time, he hopes to gain the knowledge to
perform continuous agricultural research while helping
to preserve natural resources and serve as a facilitator for
future students through higher education and mentoring.
Maria’s passion for conservation motivated her to pursue
a master’s degree. In the spring of 2014, Maria accepted
a NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center
fellowship, and has entered into the environmental science
graduate program. She works in the Coastal Conservation
and Restoration Ecology Lab at TAMU-CC. Her research
focuses on the oyster disease, Dermo, which is caused by
a protozoan parasite. This disease is found in waters along
the eastern coast of the U.S. and down through the Gulf
of Mexico. She monitors the Mission-Aransas Estuary
near Rockport, Texas for the prevalence and intensity of
this disease. This research will aid in the understanding
of ecological implications of reduced freshwater
inflow to bays and estuaries due to climate change.
After completing her master’s degree, Maria would like
to continue in the field of conservation. She hopes to
take her knowledge and experience and apply it to the
conservation and management of natural resources.
99
Ramon Salazar-Ortiz
Elise Claire Valdes
David Vela
Cristina Zambrana-Echevarria
University of Puer to Rico-Mayagüez
Discipline: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
Discipline: Agricultural Education
Discipline: Plant Molecular Biology
Ramon Salazar-Ortiz earned
a Bachelor of Science in
environmental technology
from the Inter American
University of Puerto Rico,
Bayamon Campus, in
2008. As an undergraduate
student, Ramon gained
extensive experience in
the field of environmental
science by participating
in studies related to the
soil properties and the microbial and physical-chemical
parameters of water in Tortuguero Lagoon Nature
Reserve. During this time, he was exposed to a variety
of analytical and technical procedures including: use of
equipment to measure water chemical/physical properties,
microbial membrane filtration and culture techniques,
and plant identification. As a result of his educational
experiences, he developed a strong interest in plant
sciences, sustainable forest management and agricultural
systems, areas where he decided to focus his career path.
In fall 2011, Elise Claire
Valdes received her bachelor’s
degree in agriculture-animal
science from Texas State
University in San Marcos,
Texas. Upon graduation,
she worked with Houston
SPCA as an animal rescue
driver. She was part of
a team of four people
who worked twenty-four
hours a day, seven days
a week driving all over the city of Houston rescuing
injured wild or stray animals and bringing them in for
treatment. In early 2013, she had the opportunity to
go to the Galapagos Islands where she first started her
understanding and appreciation of sustainable living.
In summer of 2013, she received an invitation from her
professor to enroll in a brand new master’s program
in sustainable food systems funded by the USDA.
David Vela obtained a
Bachelor of Science in
agriculture in 2013 from
Texas State University in
San Marcos, TX and he
is currently enrolled in
the Master of Education
in agricultural education
program in the Department
of Agriculture. He is
teaching a freshman seminar
course focused on creating
strong academic and professional pathways throughout
the pursuit of a degree in an agriculture-related field.
In 2013, Cristina ZambranaEchevarria received a
bachelor’s degree Cum
Laude in biology from the
University of Puerto Rico,
Mayagüez campus (UPRM).
As an undergraduate,
Cristina developed an
interest in molecular biology
and plants, and joined a
plant molecular biology
and biotechnology research
lab. She participated in diverse projects that benefitted
agriculture and society and involved biofortificated plants
and gene expression studies of post-harvest deterioration in
cassava. Not only was Cristina interested in agriculturalrelated projects, she was also committed to spreading
knowledge about science. As a member of a student
association, she created a periodical magazine focused on
biotechnology and related subjects that included faculty
interviews as well as articles written by student members.
Ramon joined Florida International University’s
Environmental Studies Master’s Program in 2012.
As a recipient of a USDA-Food and Agricultural
Sciences National Needs Fellowship, Ramon has been
an enthusiastic member of the Department of Earth
& Environment Agroecology Program. His role as a
research assistant in the program includes mentoring
undergraduate students in different phases of their
research, hosting educational workshops, and providing
tours to visitors of the university’s organic garden. His
thesis project focuses on the ecophysiology of tropical
dry forest species. Specifically, he addresses co-variation
between water stress and nutrient stress by examining
leaf functional traits and forest structure along rainfall
gradients in South Florida and Puerto Rico.
Ramon’s career interests are to find a position where
he can use his knowledge and strengths to advance
the mission of his fields of interest, either through
increasing understanding of plant or ecosystem
functioning, conserving natural resources, and/
or producing sustainable agricultural products.
10 0
She received a scholarship from the Houston Livestock
Show and Rodeo for 2013-2014 and is currently being
sponsored by Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farm, Inc.
located in Gonzalez, Texas to continue her research
in compost tea. In May 2014, she travelled to Costa
Rica for a two week study abroad. There they visited
EARTH University, the Solstice Center, and Centro
Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza
as well as several plantations and local farms. Able to
fully immerse herself in their culture and way of life,
she gained an in-depth understanding of what it means
to be sustainable as well as see the stark differences
between industrial and sustainable farming practices.
Elise research interests include using microbiological
techniques to determine the effectiveness of compost
tea as a soil amender for low nutritive soil and
testing the roles of microbes versus nutrients in
compost tea based on corn yields over time.
Coming from a ranching family background, David
developed a strong passion for understanding the many
aspects of agriculture and teaching it to others which
ultimately led him to pursuing those degrees. Throughout
his college career, David attained four internships with the
USDA Forest Service in Illinois, Colorado, and Texas, as
well as working for USDA – NRCS (Natural Resources
Conservation Service) in San Marcos. These internships
have varied from wildlife biology to environmental
education and natural resource consultation and public
affairs. He also had the opportunity to participate in
a graduate study abroad course in the summer of 2014
that focused on methods of sustainable agriculture and
development in different regions throughout Costa Rica.
His research interests include developing effective methods
for advocating agricultural and environmental education
across different age groups. Specifically, he is interested
in determining the best practices for implementing
innovative sustainability curriculum in Texas high schools.
David is also a fall 2014 recipient of the USDAHSI FATE Grant, which provides funding,
research, and academic opportunities to Hispanic
students at Texas State University.
Cristina became a graduate student in 2013 and joined
the same lab in UPRM with a thesis project related
to agriculture. She is studying the genetic diversity
of Papaya ringspot virus in Puerto Rico as a way to
implement a disease control approach based on the
genetic information obtained. During her time as a
graduate student, she’s had the pleasure of mentoring
undergraduate students in research techniques and
participating in the organizations outreach activities.
Cristina wants to take part in creating a better world
through science, while inspiring others to pursue the
same. Her research interests include plant genetics, gene
expression, post-harvest biology, and plant virology.
She aims to use her acquired knowledge and skills to
improve agriculture and increase food security.
101
CAREER PREPARATION INSTITUTE CHAIRS
CAREER PREPARATION INSTITUTE MENTORS
Stephany Alvarez-Ventura
Lorraine Rodriguez-Bonilla
Chair
Co-Chair
University of Puer to Rico, Mayagüez Campus
Ms. Stephany AlvarezVentura received both
and Master of Science in
environmental studies
from Florida International
University, Miami, FL. She
also received a Certificate in
agroecology and a Certificate
in biodiversity conservation
and management. As a
graduate student, Ms.
Alvarez-Ventura analyzed the impacts of Neem oil and
Amitraz mixtures on Varroa destructor and Apis mallifera
colonies in different agricultural systems of South Florida.
She had an opportunity to take part in “Study Abroad”
program travelling to India, and gained rich cultural and
scientific experience on Green Biofuels. In her educational
career path, she has received several scholarships from
USDA-HSI and MSP grants, and participated in an
internship at the U.S. EPA, Office of Ground Water
and Drinking Water, where she analyzed total coliform
data for the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule. She enjoys
providing education to local communities by organizing
workshops and outreach activities on highlighting the
principles of agroecology, and exemplifying practical
solutions for sustainable food systems. Her interpersonal
skills, co-ordination, and collaborative efforts lead her
in several newspaper articles where she continuously
emphasizes the significance of sustainable agriculture,
particularly organic, urban agriculture, and food
security issues for the 21st century agriculture.
In 2010, Ms. RodriguezBonilla obtained a Bachelor
of Science degree in
industrial microbiology
from University of Puerto
Rico, Mayaguez campus.
After taking a botany class,
she discovered her interest
in plants. Throughout her
undergraduate years she
worked on various research
projects in plant ecology
and botany including tissue culture and identification of
bryophytes. In Lorraine’s junior and senior years she joined
a plant biotechnology and molecular biology laboratory in
which she learned the molecular aspects of plant biology.
Not only did she study the connection between genetics
and plants characteristics, during those years she also had
the opportunity to be exposed to different issues in our
society such as hunger and malnourishment. Lorraine
has become more observant and aware of the different
problems and alternative ways to overcome some of them.
She knew then that she needed to do something to help.
Her research interests include applying scientific,
experiential, and experimental based knowledge
to the sustainable management of food systems.
In particular, she is interested in expanding her
research interests in the area of food security,
water management, and pollinator well-being.
Ms. Alvarez-Ventura currently coordinates the
advancement of the new Florida-Caribbean Consortium
of Agricultural Education and Hispanic Workforce
Development (FCCAgE) grant from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture at Florida International
University (FIU) and helps to administer the
seven-year old agroecology program at FIU.
102
Ms. Rodriguez-Bonilla joined the laboratory as a
graduate student and started her thesis assessing the
genetic diversity of sweet potato in Puerto Rico using
molecular markers for conservation purposes, which
was completed in May of 2013. During her master’s
she had the opportunity to work with different small
projects involving tissue culture and field trials of
biofortified plants. Lorraine has mentored undergrad
students to help them develop their own projects. Her
research interests are varied ranging from plant genetics,
biotechnology, biofortification of staple crops as well as
the assessment of the genetic diversity of the main crops
that feed humanity. She would like the opportunity
to use all the skills she has learned during her student
years to help develop possible ways to reduce hunger.
Dana García
Elsa Murano
Dr. García is professor and
associate chair of biology,
directs research of graduate
and undergraduate students
investigating problems
in vision research and in
pigment cell biology using
a variety of model systems.
For the past four years, she
has headed the planning
committee for Texas State’s
annual Women in Science
and Engineering Conference, and in 2011, she was
appointed by President Denise Trauth to be Texas State’s
representative to Texas Women in Higher Education.
A graduate of Florida
International University
(B.S. in biological sciences)
and Virginia Tech (M.S.
in anaerobic microbiology,
and Ph.D. in food science
and technology), Dr.
Murano began her career
as an assistant professor
in food microbiology at
Iowa State University in
1990. In 2001, Professor
Murano was appointed by President George W.
Bush to serve as undersecretary for food safety at the
Department of Agriculture. In 2005, Dr. Murano
returned to Texas A&M, where she was appointed
dean and vice chancellor of Agriculture and Life
Sciences, the largest such program in the nation.
Dr. García was awarded a Bachelor of Science in
zoology from Texas A&M University, where she
was both a National Merit and President’s Endowed
Scholar. She graduated magna cum laude in 1986
after completing an undergraduate honors thesis on
lead toxicity under the supervision of Evelyn TiffanyCastiglioni. Dr. García pursued a Ph.D. in physiology
at the University of California at Berkeley under the
direction of Beth Burnside, who introduced her to
a powerful model for cell motility—the fish retina.
At U. C. Berkeley, García held an NSF Graduate
Fellowship and was a Chancellor’s Minority Scholar.
After completing her dissertation, Dr. García was
appointed assistant professor of biology at Southwest
Texas State University, which later changed its name to
Texas State University. Dr. García led an NIH Bridges
to the baccalaureate program as principal investigator
as well as an NSF Teacher Enhancement Program as
co-principal investigator. She also directed the Integrated
Microscopy Facility, furnished in part with microscopes
purchased with NSF funds she helped to acquire, and
under her leadership saw significant growth in the user
base for the facility. She served as associate dean for
research from 2006 to 2009 and was able to help a number
of investigators write winning NSF Career grants.
In 2008, Dr. Murano became the first woman, and first
Hispanic president of Texas A&M University. In her brief
tenure, she pursued the development of an Academic
Master Plan in a series of strategic planning sessions
open to the university community. She also significantly
improved the diversity of the university’s administration.
These initiatives resulted in the rise in the university’s
rankings by U.S. News & World Reports from twentyfourth to twenty-first among public universities.
Since June of 2012, Dr. Murano served as interim director
and in 2014 became permanent director of the Norman
E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. In
addition, Dr. Murano directs research and teaching
in food safety, with lifetime research funding since
1990 of over $9 million, and more than 50 published
scientific articles and seven book chapters. In addition
to her teaching and research duties, she currently serves
on several boards including as a member of the Board
for International Food and Agriculture Development,
a presidentially-appointed position that advises the
administrator of the U.S. Agency for International
Development within the State Department
10 3
CAREER PREPARATION INSTITUTE MENTORS
PRESENTERS
Adalberto Peréz de León
Refugio I. Rochín
Juan E. Zalapa
Dr. Adalberto A. Pérez de
León serves as laboratory
director of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture
– Agricultural Research
Service (USDA-ARS),
Knipling-Bushland U.S.
Livestock Insects Research
Laboratory (KBUSLIRL).
Dr. Pérez de León also serves
as co-lead of the USDA-ARS
Veterinary Pest Genomics
Initiative. The KBUSLIRL is located in Kerrville, TX.
Satellite facilities include the Cattle Fever Tick Research
Laboratory located at Moore Field near Edinburg, TX,
and the Screwworm Research Laboratory located in
Panama. The KBUSLIRL is the site of diverse programs
including research to develop methods for the control of
ticks of medical and veterinary importance, the control
of blood-feeding flies affecting cattle, and support for
the international Eradication Program against the New
World screwworm. The quarantined facility at Moore
Field is where research with live cattle fever ticks is
conducted to solve problems threatening sustainability of
the APHIS-VS Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program.
Dr. Refugio I. Rochín is
a long-time leader in
promoting innovation
and change in higher
education settings and
a published author and
internationally recognized
expert in his field of
economics and international
development. His
experience includes serving
as the executive director
of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/
Latinos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS),
founding director of the Smithsonian Center for
Latino Initiatives, first university director of the Julian
Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University,
and principal investigator and research assessor for
the U.S. Department of State (AID), Department of
Agriculture, NSF, and National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Zalapa started
junior college in 1994 in
Brownsville, Texas, and
later transferred to Texas
Tech University (TTU)
where in 1998 he earned a
Bachelor of Science degree
in horticulture with a minor
in biology. During his years
at TTU, Juan conducted
undergraduate research as
a Ronald E. McNair and
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) fellow. In
1999, he became a graduate student at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison and held the National Consortium
for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and
Science (GEM) fellowship and UW-Madison’s Advanced
Opportunity Fellowship (AOF) and National Science
Foundation (NSF) funded K-Through-Infinity (KTI)
fellowships. He received a doctorate degree in plant
breeding and plant genetics from UW-Madison for
his work in genetic mapping and inheritance of yieldrelated traits in melon (Cucumis melo L.). In 2005, Dr.
Zalapa was awarded the NSF minority postdoctoral
fellowship to study hybridization between native red
elm (Ulmus rubra Mulh.) and exotic, invasive Siberian
elm (U. pumila L.) in the departments of Horticulture
and Forestry at UW-Madison. In 2009, he joined the
Agronomy department at UW-Madison as postdoctoral
associate under the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research
Center (GLBRC) to study switchgrass (Panicum
virgatum L.) genetics. In October 2010, Juan became
a USDA-ARS Research Geneticist and faculty of
the Horticulture department at UW-Madison.
Dr. Pérez de León spent ten years working in the
private sector researching and developing animal health
products before joining the USDA-ARS. He obtained
his degree in veterinary medicine in Mexico, Master of
Science from the University of Georgia, and doctoral
degree from the University of Wyoming. In addition
to publishing results of his research in peer-reviewed
journals and delivering invited talks at national and
international scientific meetings, Dr. Pérez de León is
also interested in the development of future scientists
and serves as adjunct faculty at North Carolina
State University and Texas A&M University.
104
“In 2005, I witnessed the
creation of the American
Association of Hispanics
in Higher Education and
have in various capacities
been involved with the
organization for the past
10 years. It has been a
true honor to see it grow
and it has seen me grow
as a scholar and advocate
for Latinos and Chicanos
in higher education.”
Luis Urrieta
Assistant Professor, University of Texas, Austin,
2015 AAHHE Faculty Fellow Chair
He completed his Ph.D. in agricultural economics at
Michigan State University with additional graduate and
undergraduate degrees in communication and economics
from the University of Arizona and UC Berkeley. He
served in the Peace Corps in Colombia (1962-64); building
upon that experience as an expert advisor/researcher
on peasant farming, food, and marketing systems and
institutional reform. Dr. Rochín cofounded Chicana/o
Studies at UC Davis and advanced programs and related
research at Michigan State University, the Smithsonian
Institute, and the University of Notre Dame. He has also
worked in Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, the
Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ghana
on projects for rural reform and economic development
and was part of the Nobel Laureate team of Dr. Norman
Borlaug, recognized for the “Green Revolution” in Asia.
Dr. Rochín also served on numerous boards including:
U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Advisory Committee for Education (2003-2005);
U.S. Federal Communications Commission,
National Advisory Committee on Consumers/
Disabilities Telecommunications, (2000-2003);
USDA National Board for Agricultural Research,
Extension, Education, and Economics, Representing
National Social Science Associations, USDA,
(1997-2000); and California Board for Food and
Agriculture appointed by Governor Brown, Jr.
His current research focuses on cranberries (Vaccinium
macrocarpon Ait.) breeding, genetics, and genomics
studies. He is also interested in increasing participation
of underrepresented groups in the sciences through
science outreach and research. Dr. Zalapa developed
an outreach program that is focused on grade school
students and their families to introduce them to
agricultural and genetics research. He currently mentors
five graduate students, two undergraduate students,
and three other undergraduate researchers.
105
PRESENTERS
Norma Guerra Gaier
Don Luna
Norma Guerra Gaier
has worked in the career
development field at
both private and public
institutions for more than
23 years, with her most
recent experience as the
director of Career Services
at Texas State University.
She has held various
leadership positions in her
field, including serving as
the president of the Southern Association of Colleges
and Employers, the Texas Association of Employment
in Education, and the San Antonio Colleges and
Universities Career Centers Association. She has also
served on the Board of Directors for the National
Association of Colleges and Employers and as an expert
reviewer for the CAS Standards for Career Services.
J. Don Luna is a professor
of theatre and chair of the
Department of Theatre and
Dance at Texas A & M
University-Corpus Christi. He received his MFA in
acting and directing from
the University of Arizona.
Mr. Luna has been in the
theater profession for over
40 years and has directed
and acted in scores of
plays, films, and television. His international work is
highlighted with two productions at the Edinburg Fringe
Theater Festival and his New York work culminated
in his performance in “The Wrath of Kali” directed
by Lee Breuer of Mabou Mines Theatre Company.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English
communication arts and a Master of Arts degree in
communication studies from St. Mary’s University in San
Antonio, Texas. Norma’s teaching experience includes
rhetoric and composition; communication studies
capstone courses; freshmen seminar; and guest lecturer
at the Oblate School of Theology. Her interests include
communication analysis and interpretation involved
in the career development process, life transitional
issues, ethics in our profession, and the integration
of social media in the career search process.
In 2011, he was excited to be part of the inaugural
Summer Institute at the Center for Communicating
Science at Stony Brooke University. The work at the
Summer Institute centered on empowering scientists
and other professionals to find their own individual
‘voice’ in communicating with the public. Using
theatre games and strategies, this approach helped to
free the participants and to engage the listener with
the power of their passion for their professional lives.
Mr. Luna enjoys teaching acting, directing, voice
and diction, and public speaking. Having completed
workshops with Alan Alda at the Stony Brook State
University of New York, he enjoys taking his theatre
training beyond the stage and into the laboratory. His
expertise in theatre and communication give him the
unique skills to develop performance abilities that
enhance the communication skill set of the scientist.
11 ANNUAL
Save
th
these dates
March 10–12
2016
Join AAHHE for
the 2016 National
Conference
Hilton Costa Mesa | Costa Mesa, CA
10 6
2015 Tomás Rivera Lecture
About The Lecture
Each year a distinguished scholar or national leader is selected to present the Tomás Rivera Lecture. In the tradition of
the fomer Hispanic Caucus of the American Association of Higher Education, AAHHE will continue this lecture in honor
of the late Dr. Tomás Rivera, professor, scholar, poet and former chancellor of the University of California, Riverside.
Tomás Rivera
Tomás
Rivera,
author,
poet, teacher, and lifelong learner, was born in
Texas to farm laborers who
were Mexican immigrants.
Neither of his parents had
a formal education.
He
attended
Southwest
Texas State University, where
he received B.S. and MEd
degrees in English and administration, and the University
of Oklahoma, where he earned his MA in Spanish literature
and a Ph.D. in romance language and literature. Rivera also
studied Spanish culture and civilization at the University of
Texas, Austin and studied in Guadalajara, Mexico.
After completing his PhD, he taught at Sam Houston State
University and served on the planning team that built The
University of Texas, San Antonio, where he also served as
chair of the Romance Language Department, associate
dean, and vice president.
In 1978 he became the chief executive officer at The
University of Texas, El Paso, and in 1979 he became
chancellor of the University of California, Riverside. Rivera
was an active author, poet, and artist, and loved to read. He
began writing creatively at 11 or 12 years of age. He wrote
about Chicano topics, themes, and feelings. Rivera began
documenting the struggles of migrant workers, although he
did not write about politics and did not view his work as
political. He published several poems, short prose pieces,
and essays on literature and higher education.
He served on many boards, including the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the
American Association for Higher Education, and the
American Council on Education. In addition, Rivera was
active in a great number of charitable organizations and was
the recipient of numerous honors, awards, and recognitions.
He was one of the founders and presidents of the National
Council of Chicanos in Higher Education and served on
commissions on higher education under Presidents Carter
and Reagan.
PAST LECTURERS
2014 Yvette Donado
1999 Jim Cummins
2013Francisco Cigarroa, M.D.
1998Samuel Betances
2012 Luis A. Ubiñas
1997Alber t H. Kauffman
2011 Rachel F. Moran
1996Rolando
Hinojosa Smith
2010 Charles B. Reed
and Jack Scott
1995Ronald Takaki
2009 Mar ta Tienda
1994Norma Cantú
2008 Jamie P. Merisotis
1993 Gregor y R. Anrig
2007Sonia Nazario
1992Henr y Cisneros
2006 Michael A. Olivas
1991 Toni Morrison
2005Raul Yzaguirre
1990 Tomás Arciniega
2004Angela Oh
1989David Hamburg
2003Piedad Rober tson
1988Ar turo Madrid
2002Harold L.
Hodgkinson
1987Ann Reynolds
2001 Félix Gutiérrez
2000David
Hayes-Bautista
1986Alfredo G. de
los Santos Jr.
1985 John Maguire
10 9
Looking for a faculty
position in higher
education?
Looking for qualified and
diverse candidates for
open faculty positions?
Committed to
StUdeNt SUCCeSS
Committed to student success and providing an exceptional educational
experience, we’re proud of our record supporting Hispanic student
achievement in higher education.
In fact, we’re ranked first in California and consistently among the top 10
in the nation for the number of degrees awarded to Hispanic students.*
110
*Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education’s “Top 100 Colleges for Hispanics” (May 2014)
ets outstanding dissertations
Competition
Recognizing scholarly achievement is an impor tant way to grow the pipeline of Hispanics in higher education. Since
2006, the three winners—and all the fine entrants—of the annual ETS Outstanding Disser tation Competition awards have
become role models for successor generations of students, academics, and administrators.
Supporting Education and
Opportunities for Latinos
AAHHE and ETS share a vision of the future of Hispanics in higher education and a commitment to action. So ETS is
deeply honored to join with AAHHE in honoring this year’s winners. Please join us in congratulating the winners and
attending the presentations of the disser tations at a concurrent session of the conference. We at ETS look forward to
working with AAHHE in next year’s competition.
Kurt M. Landgraf
ETS President and CEO, 2000 -2013
Walt MacDonald
ETS President and CEO
ETS congratulates the 2015 winners of the
Outstanding Dissertations Awards Competition and salutes the
American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education
for advancing opportunities for Latinos.
Kurt M. Landgraf joined
ETS as president and chief
executive officer on August 7,
2000 and retired from ETS
in December, 2013. While
president, he oversaw ETS’s
entrance into the K-12 market, expanded its international
businesses, broadened its education research activities, and
raised the company’s profile as
a voice for education reform.
Besides strengthening ETS’s business and research initiatives,
Landgraf nurtured the company’s social and community
outreach efforts, in part by instituting a policy that provided one paid community service day for every employee
each fiscal year and that actively encouraged employees’
participation. He also led the establishment of innovative
company programs to assist local communities and service
groups and improve education. These include the ETSTrenton Community Partnership, which aims to improve
student and teacher performance in the Trenton, NJ, public
school system by bringing to bear ETS’s resources, including
research-based instructional tools and tactics on curriculum
and student needs. ETS, moreover, works with the school
system and the community to help build a school culture
that fosters motivation and learning.
In its ongoing efforts to help close the academic achievement
gap between affluent and disadvantaged students, under
Landgraf’s leadership ETS strengthened ties and collaborated with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the
Urban League, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and
Universities, the ASPIRA Association, and Native American
education groups.
To download a free copy of
ETS’s Tomás Rivera Lecture reports on
education issues in the Latino community, visit
www.ets.org.
“As the new president and CEO of ETS, I am honored
to continue ETS’s legacy as an advocate for greater
opportunities for Hispanics. Applauding scholarly
achievement is an important way to grow the pipeline
of Hispanic students in higher education. Since 2006,
the winners of the annual ETS-AAHHE Outstanding
Dissertation Competition awards have become role
models for their fellow students, academics, and
administrators.
AAHHE and ETS share a vision and a commitment
to helping narrow achievement gaps and assuring
greater opportunities for Hispanics in higher
education. This is why ETS is so deeply honored to
join with AAHHE in celebrating this year’s winners.
Please join us in congratulating the winners and
attending the presentations of the dissertations at
a concurrent session of the conference. We at ETS
look forward to working with AAHHE in next year’s
competition.”
ss/Acceso:
Acce
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nge of Im
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the Challe
for Latino
Rising to
portunities
ucation Op
Higher Ed
Ameri
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:
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Challenges and Opportunit
My Personal Journey
More Than A Dream:
Toward a
Latino At
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Agenda:
Shaping Ou
r Own De
Expanding Educational Achievement
in the Latino Community
d
icity an
Hispan Inequality:
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Educat
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portu
Risks, Op n’s Future
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the Na
and
G., GRE, TOEFL
NG. LEADIN 15095
NG. LEARNI
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logo, LISTENI
a tradem
ETS, the ETS PRAXIS SERIES is
reserved.
THE
All rights
Service (ETS).
Testing Service.
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Educational
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© 2010 by
ed tradem
Copyright
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by charles
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LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING.,
is a trademark of ETS. 17102
reserved. ETS, the ETS logo,
Board. THE PRAXIS SERIES
Testing Service. All rights
trademark of the College
Copyright © 2011 by Educational
(ETS). College Board is a registered
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ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including
the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® General and Subject Tests and The Praxis Series®
assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide.
Copyright © 2014 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING., GRE, THE PRAXIS SERIES,
TOEFL and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 29493
112
io n
(AA HH
e)
competition
competition
1st Place Winner
2nd Place Winner
Kurt M. L andgraf Outstanding Dissertation Award
Sofia Bahena
Marissa Vasquez Urias
Education Associate
Adjunct Faculty
Intercultural Development Research Association
Dissertation Title: The
Hope of Immigrant
Optimism: Examining
Immigrant Optimism
among Latino Youth
Using the Children’s
Hope Scale
Degree Granting Institution:
Harvard University
Sofía Bahena is a proud native
of San Antonio, Texas and a
product of the San Antonio
Independent School District. Her research interests include
understanding the contexts that support the academic
achievement and educational attainment of Latino students
in the United States. Dr. Bahena’s dissertation used structural
equation modeling to examine the role that educational entities play in nurturing internal protective factors of Latino
adolescents (such as immigrant optimism and hope), which
in turn promote student socio-emotional wellbeing and academic success.
Dr. Bahena is now an education associate at the Intercultural
Development Research Association (IDRA) in San Antonio,
Texas, a non-profit organization committed to strengthening
public schools to ensure equity of educational opportunity
for every child. Prior to her work at IDRA, Dr. Bahena completed her doctoral studies at the Harvard Graduate School
of Education. During her tenure at Harvard, she collaborated
on a project that developed a series of parent surveys targeted
towards PK-12 school leaders to assess various dimensions
of the family-school relationship. Dr. Bahena also served
as an editor for the Harvard Educational Review, where she
co-edited a book titled, Disrupting the School-to-Prison
Pipeline (December 2012).
Previously, Dr. Bahena was a policy and research assistant at
the Alliance for Excellent Education, in Washington, DC,
where she worked on various projects informing federal sec-
114
ondary school policy and authored an issue brief on teacher
attrition (February 2008). She also served as an AmeriCorps
VISTA school partnership coordinator for an elementary
school in Baltimore, Maryland while working at Greater
Homewood Community Cooperation.
Dissertation Title:
Predictors of Sense
of Belonging among
Latino Men in
Community College
the national initiative, Achieving the Dream, guiding community college faculty, staff, and administrators through a
process of data collection to identify gaps in student achievement, as well as implementing and improving strategies for
institutional effectiveness.
Dr. Bahena has been recognized for her community service
and academic achievements through awards that include: the
Jefferson Awards Foundation’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Award for Outstanding Community Service Benefiting Local
Communities, the American Association of Hispanics in
Higher Education Graduate Student Fellowship, the Harvard
Graduate School of Education Dean’s Summer Fellowship, the
Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education Graduate
Fellowship, and the Institute for Educational Leadership’s
Edward J. Meade, Jr. Fellowship.
Dr. Vasquez Urias has had the honor of being selected as a
fellow for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher
Education (AAHHE). Her dissertation was also recognized
as a finalist for the 2014 ASHE Bobby Wright Dissertation of
the year award. Additionally, Dr. Vasquez Urias was the recipient of the 2014 SDSU Community College/Postsecondary
Education Award for Exemplary Research and Practice and
the 2014 Ron Jacobs Outstanding Research Award at SDSU.
Dr. Bahena graduated from Louis W. Fox Technical
and Vocational High School in downtown San Antonio.
Additionally, she holds a B.A. in business administration
and sociology from Trinity University, an Ed.M. in human
development and psychology, and an Ed.D. in cultures, communities, and education from the Harvard Graduate School
of Education.
Marissa Vasquez Urias is a
lecturer in the Department of
Administration, Rehabilitation,
and Postsecondary Education
(ARPE) at San Diego State
University (SDSU). As a faculty affiliate with the Minority
Male Community College Collaborative (M2C3) at SDSU,
Dr. Vasquez Urias’ scholarly work focuses on factors impacting the success of male students of color, particularly Latino
and African American men, in the community college. She is
actively engaged in critical and applied research that addresses
disparities in education, particularly within community colleges. In this vein, Dr. Vasquez Urias is the managing editor
for the Journal of Applied Research in Community College
(JARCC) and was managing editor for the Journal of African
American Males in Education (JAMME) for three years.
Marissa earned an associate degree from Southwestern
College, a bachelor’s degree in English from the University
of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree in counseling
with a specialization in College Counseling and Student
Development from the University of San Diego, and an Ed.D.
in educational leadership from San Diego State University.
Her dissertation investigated factors predictive of sense of
belonging for Latino men enrolled in community college.
Using a national sample of 13,327 Latino males, from 187
public, two-year, degree-granting institutions, the study
revealed several background, environmental, academic,
social, and institutional factors that positively and negatively predicted sense of belonging. Such findings prompted
Dr. Vasquez Urias to develop a conceptual model of sense of
belonging for Latino male collegians that could help guide
institutional leaders in developing interventions and policies
that support their success.
Most recently, Dr. Vasquez Urias worked in curriculum development at the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE),
a non-profit organization dedicated to serving parents of students from underserved K-12 schools throughout California.
Prior to this, Dr. Vasquez Urias served as a consultant for
115
competition
competition
3rd Place Winner
Honorable Mention Finalists
Jerry Flores
Faculty Member
University of Washington-Tacoma
Dissertation
Title: Caught Up:
Girls, Violence,
and Wraparound
Incarceration
Santa Barbara
Jerry Flores is a Ford Foundation
Fellow, UC President’s post
doc and assistant professor of
criminal justice in the social
work program at the University of Washington-Tacoma.
His research investigates how Latinas negotiate gender and
violence in a California juvenile detention facility and in a
continuation school that is connected to the facility. Along
with understanding how violence is created in institutions of
confinement, his study sheds light on the changing contours
of the American educational system. His research also shows
how the context of both education and incarceration is changing during this very punitive era. Finally, his work provides
a microanalysis of Chicanas passing through the school to
prison pipeline. His other research areas include ethnographic
research methods, studies of race/ethnicity and issues dealing
with institutional and interpersonal pharmaceutical abuse.
“Being awarded the
AAHHE/ETS Kurt M.
Landgraf Outstanding
Dissertation Award was
a great honor that gave
me the opportunity to
present my research to a
wonderful and supportive
community of scholars.
The insight I gained
from hearing about the
research and experiences
of other Latin@s in
academia has also been
invaluable to me in
my new role as junior
faculty.”
2014 AAHHE/ETS ODC First Place Winner
Carla Pezzia
Assistant Professor
University of Dallas
Laura Castro-Schilo
Cynthia F. Lima Gonzalez
“Exploration of Multrait-Multimethod Data: Trait Relations
with External Variables, Model Identification, and Modeling
Change in Personality Among Mexican-Origin Children”
“The Role of Language and Culture In Large-Scale Assessment: A Study of the 2009 Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills”
Degree-Granting Institution: University of California, Davis
Degree-Granting Institution: The University of Texas
at Austin
Hercilia Corona
“Experiences of Latina First Generation College Students:
Exploring Resources Supporting the Balancing of Academic
Pursuits and Family Life”
Degree-Granting Institution: University of Massachusetts,
Boston
Wanda I Montañez
“The Role of Identity Development in Multiethnic Latino
Students’ Sense of Belonging in College”
Degree-Granting Institution: University of Massachusetts,
Boston
Araceli Espinoza
“The Post-Baccalaureate Choice of Racial and Ethnic Minority
Students with Science and Engineering Majors”
Degree-Granting Institution: University of Southern California
– Park Campus
Yvette Donado
Senior Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer
ETS
Recognizing scholarly achievement is an important way to grow the pipeline of Hispanics in
higher education. Since 2006, the three winners—and all the fine entrants—of the annual
ETS-AAHHE Outstanding Dissertation Competition awards have become role models for
successor generations of students, academics, and administrators.
AAHHE and ETS share a vision of the future of Hispanics in higher education and a
commitment to action. Together we are working to help narrow achievement gaps and
assure greater opportunities for meritorious scholars. So ETS is deeply honored to join with
AAHHE in honoring this year’s winners and wishing them success in their academic and
professional pursuits.
Please join us in congratulating the winners and attending the presentations of the dissertations at concurrent sessions of the conference. We at ETS look forward to working with
AAHHE in the 2015 competition.
116
117
Judges
Frances Contreras
Loui Olivas
Associate Professor
President
Department of Education Studies
University of California, San Diego
American Association of Hispanics
in Higher Education
Ivonne Diaz-Claisse
Rebecca A. Robles-Piña
President
Professor
Hispanics Inspiring Students’
Performance and Achievement
(HISPA)
Dept. of Educational Leadership
& Counseling
David Garcia
Andrea J. Romero
Associate Professor
Associate Professor
Director
Arizona Education Policy Initiative
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Family Studies &
Human Development
Mexican American and
Raza Studies
University of Arizona
Beverly Irby
Azara Santiago-Rivera
Professor and Chair
(Committee Chair)
Educational Administration,
Dept. of Educational Admin and
HR Development at Texas A&M
University
Professor & Lead Faculty
Counseling Psychology Program
The Chicago School of
Professional Psychology
Claudia Mitchell-Kernan
Maryann Santos de Barona
Vice Chancellor of Graduate Studies
Professor and Dean
Dean, Graduate Division
Los Angeles
Purdue University
Amaury Nora
Gilbert A. Valverde
Professor
Professor and Depar tment Chair
Dept of Ed Leadership &
Policy Studies
College of Ed and
Human Development
University of Texas, San Antonio
Dept. of Educational
Administration & Policy Studies
University at Albany,
State University of New York
EDUCATING THE LEADERS
OF THE FUTURE
The California State University Salutes
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF
HISPANICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION, INC.
For its partnership and commitment to higher education
Throughout our 23 campuses, the CSU is educating leaders whose talent,
creativity and drive will build and sustain California’s furture.
www.calstate.edu
118
Awards
Sponsored by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education Award
This award is given to an outstanding administrator in the field of higher education who has demonstrated excellence in
the profession. The award is named in honor of Dr. Alfredo G. de los Santos, Jr., a leader, faculty member, mentor, and
champion in higher education.
Havidán Rodríguez
President, Ad Interim
Congratulations to
AAHHE on the 10th
anniversary of your
commitment to
excellence in higher
education for Hispanic
academics.
For the past 25 years, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher
Education Magazine has been a top information news
source and the sole Hispanic educational magazine for the
higher education community and those involved in
managing our institutions of higher learning.
When the strength of your institution depends on the
diversity of your people advertise with Hispanic Outlook to
find candidates to make your workforce Hispanic strong.
Dr. Havidán Rodríguez is
the president, ad interim, at
The University of Texas – Pan
American (UTPA). He was
recently appointed as provost
and executive vice president
for Academic Affairs at the
University of Texas Rio
Grande Valley (UTRGV). Dr.
Rodríguez also served as the
provost and vice president for
Academic Affairs at UTPA, and
is a tenured professor in the Department of Sociology and
Anthropology. Prior to arriving at UTPA, Dr. Rodríguez served
as the deputy provost, vice provost for Academic Affairs and
International Programs, and professor in the Department of
Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware.
He was also a core faculty member and former director of the
Disaster Research Center (DRC), the oldest and one of the
leading social science disaster research centers in the world.
He obtained his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Rodríguez held a faculty position
and several administrative positions at the University of Puerto
Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) for over a decade; and he served as
director of the Minority Affairs Program for the American
Sociological Association (1995-1998). He has also been a
visiting professor at the University of Michigan’s Population
Fellow’s Program (Summers, 2001-2003); was selected as
the Frey Foundation Distinguished Visiting Professor at the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Spring, 2002);
received a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Outstanding
Achievement Award (2004); and was recognized as one of the
Hispanics of the Year in the State of Delaware for which he
received the Professional Achievement Award (2007).
Dr. Rodríguez served on a number of committees for the
National Academy of Sciences and on review panels for the
National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Ford Foundation,
and was the Chair of the Latina/o Sociology Section of the
American Sociological Association.
Dr. Rodríguez has received funding from NSF, the Ford
Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, FEMA,
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the UPRM Sea Grant
Program, among others, for a number of research projects
focusing on the social science aspects of disasters and for
projects aimed at providing hands-on research training and
mentoring to undergraduate and graduate students. He was
also the principal investigator for the Research Experience
for Undergraduates (REU) Program: Training the Next
Generation of Disaster Researchers, funded by NSF. Currently,
he serves as the principal investigator for an NSF ADVANCE
IT grant aimed at increasing the representation, participation,
and leadership of women faculty in STEM fields.
Dr. Rodríguez has led and participated in a number of field
research projects, including trips to Honduras, following
Hurricane Mitch; India and Sri Lanka, following the
Indian Ocean Tsunami; and the Gulf Coast, following
Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Rodríguez has a significant number
of publications in the area of disasters, as well as Latinos/as in
the United States. He is the co-editor (with Quarantelli and
Dynes) of the Handbook of Disaster Research (2006) and the
co-editor (with Sáenz and Menjívar) of Latinas/os in the United
States: Changing the Face of América (2008)
LIST OF PAST RECIPIENTS
Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
220 Kinderkamack Road, Suite E
Westwood, NJ 07675
www.hispanicoutlook.com
201-587-8800
[email protected]
2014 David López
2009 Dolores M. Fernández
2004Estela López
1998Celestino Fernández
2014 Tomás Morales
2008 Silas H. Abrego
2003 B. Rober to Cruz
1997Eduardo Padrón
2013 Norma L. Hernandez
2007Diana Natalicio and
Ernest H. Moreno
2002 Margarita Benitez
1996 Lattie F. Coor
2001Douglas X. Patiño
1995 Victor Alicea
2000Cecilia L. Lopez
1994 Juliet García
1999 Jesús Rangel
1993 José González
2012 J. Michael Or tiz
2011 Leonardo de la Garza Shirley Reed
2010 Milton Gordon
2006 Jose Jaime Rivera
2005Blandina Cardenas and
Miguel A. Nevarez
121
Awards
Sponsored by Southwest Airlines
Outstanding Latino/a Faculty in Higher Education:
Research Award/Teaching (Research Institutions) Award
This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in both research and teaching and has provided
significant contributions to his/her academic discipline.
Estela Bensimon
Co-Director and Professor
Center for Urban Education, Rossier School of Education
The University of Southern California
Without a Heart,
it’s just a machine.
So in 1971, a little Heart built a different kind of airline—one that
made sure everyone could fly.
Everyone has important places to go. So we invented low-fares to
help them get there.
To us, you’re not 1A or 17B. You’re a person with a name, like Steve.
Here, we think everyone deserves to feel special, no matter where you
sit or how much you fly.
And with all the places we’re going next, we’ll always put you first,
because our love of People is still our most powerful fuel.
Estela Mara Bensimon, Ed.D., is
a professor of higher education
at the USC Rossier School of
Education and co-director
of the Center for Urban
Education, which she founded
in 1999. Bensimon applies her
knowledge on organizational
learning, leadership, and equity
on the ground, at colleges and
universities in several states.
With a singular focus on
increasing equity in higher education outcomes for students of
color, she developed the Equity Scorecard—a process for using
inquiry to drive changes in institutional practice and culture.
Since its founding, CUE has worked with thousands of
college professionals—from presidents to faculty to academic
counselors, helping them take steps in their daily work to
reverse the impact of the historical and structural disadvantages
that prevent many students of color from excelling in higher
education. The innovative Equity Scorecard process takes a
strengths-based approach starting from the premise that faculty
and administrators are committed to doing “the good.” CUE
builds upon this premise by developing tools and processes that
empower these professionals as “researchers” into their own
practices, with the ultimate goal of not just marginal changes
in policy or practice, but shifts on those campuses towards
cultures of inclusion and broad ownership over racial equity.
2007, Professor Bensimon received a grant from the Ford
Foundation to organize a series of institutes on the use of
critical research methods for over 100 young scholars of equity
She is the principal investigator of Equity in Excellence in
Colorado, a place-based project funded by the Ford Foundation
and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She is also the
principal investigator for the Equity Scorecard Initiative
in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. In
Dr. Bensimon was associate dean of the USC Rossier School
of Education from 1996-2000 and was a Fulbright Scholar to
Mexico in 2002. She earned her doctorate in higher education
from Teachers College, Columbia University.
and her articles have appeared in journals such as the Review
of Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, Liberal
Education, and Harvard Educational Review. Her most recent
publications include a co-edited book Confronting Equity Issues
on Campus: Implementing the Equity Scorecard in Theory and
Practice. She is also the co-editor of Critical Perspectives on Race
and Equity, a special issue of the Review of Higher Education.
Dr. Bensimon has held the highest leadership positions in the
Association for the Study of Higher Education (President, 20052006) and in the American Education Research Association,
Division on Postsecondary Education (Vice-President,
1992-1994). She has served on the boards of the American
Association for Higher Education and the Association of
American Colleges and Universities. She is the current Chair
of AERA’s Social Justice and Action Committee. In 2011, she
was inducted as an AERA Fellow in recognition of excellence
in research and in 2013 she received the Association for the
Study of Higher Education Research Achievement Award. She
is a recipient of the USC Mellon Mentoring Award for faculty
and Distinguished Service Award from the Association for the
Study of Higher Education.
Some say we do things differently.
We say, why would we do things any other way?
Without a Heart, it’s just a machine.
Southwest Airlines® is proud to be the official airline of AAHHE.
2014Aida Hur tado
2006Mar ta Tienda
1999 Kris Gutiérrez
1991Sonia Nieto Rodriguez
2013 Margarita Calderón
2006 Jorge Chapa
1998Edna Acosta-Belén
1990 Mari-Luci Jaramillo
2012 Cynthia Feliciano
2005Patricia Gándara
1997 Laura Rendón
1989 Frank Talamantes
2011 Sylvia Hur tado
2004Raymond V. Padilla
1996 Gloria Bonilla-Santiago
1988Piedad Rober tson
2010 George J. Sanchez
2003 Rogelio Saenz
1995Rolando Hinojosa Smith
1987 Flora Mancuso Edwards
2009 Denise A. Segura
2002Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola
1994 Frank Bonilla
2008Alber ta M. Gloria
2001 Virginia Sánchez-Karroll
1993Ar turo Madrid
2007 John Alderete
2000Yvonne Enid González
1992Paul Roldán
123
Awards
Sponsored by UPS
Outstanding Latino/a Faculty in Higher Education:
Service/Teaching (Teaching Institutions) Award
This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in both research and teaching and has provided
significant contributions to his/her academic discipline.
Louie F. Rodríguez
Associate Professor
Depar tment of Educational Leadership & Curriculum
UPS
is proud to sponsor
The American Association of
(AAHHE)
Outstanding Latino/a Faculty in
Higher Education:
Service/Teaching Award
Congratulations to the 2015 recipient
Dr. Louie F. Rodríguez
Associate Professor in
Educational Leadership and Curriculum
Dr. Louie F. Rodríguez is an
associate professor in educational
leadership and curriculum
and co-director of the doctoral
program
in
educational
leadership at California State
University, San Bernardino
(CSUSB). After serving as
a middle-school counselor/
intervention specialist and later
as a high school math teacher,
Dr.
Rodríguez
completed
two master’s degrees and a doctorate in administration,
planning, and social policy from Harvard University. His
dissertation focused on issues of educational equity studying
the experiences of Latina/o and Black high school students
in the context of high-stakes testing, zero-tolerance policies,
and school restructuring. While at Harvard, he held several
leadership roles as president of Comunidad Latina, served on
the admissions committee for the Harvard Graduate School
of Education, was co-founder and inaugural co-chair for
the Alumni of Color Conference (AOCC), and served as a
Teaching Fellow for four years.
Prior to his position at CSUSB, Dr. Rodríguez was on the faculty
for three years at Florida International University in Miami where
he served as the principal investigator of a school-based research
project aimed at understanding student engagement issues in
the context of poverty, high dropout rates, and a complex policy
environment. From his research, Dr. Rodríguez has published
two books Small Schools and Urban Youth (2007) and The Time
Is Now: Understanding and Responding to the Black and Latina/o
Dropout Crisis in the U.S. (2014). He has also published several
peer-reviewed journal articles, blogs, and practitioner-oriented
magazines about critical issues in education.
His current work focuses on issues of equity and access,
specifically on the dropout crisis facing the Latino community.
At CSUSB, Dr. Rodríguez is the principal investigator of the
PRAXIS Project, Participatory Research Advocating for Excellence
in Schools. This school/community-based project aims to study
and advocate for educational excellence by directly engaging
youth, educators, and community-stakeholders in the process
of empirical research to positively impact educational policy
and practice at the local and regional levels. From this work
he published A 10-Point Plan to Respond to the Dropout Crisis,
which consist of 10 policy-memos that can be put into policy
and practice. He also recently completed a third book titled,
Intentional Excellence: The Pedagogy, Power, and Politics of
Excellence in Latina/o Schools and Communities (in press) to be
released in 2015.
Dr. Rodríguez has received many honors including an “Emerging
Leader” designation in 2014 by Phi Delta Kappa International in
Washington, DC. In 2013-2014, he was selected to participate
in the Inland Empire Economic Partnership’s (IEEP) inaugural
Regional Leadership Academy (RLA). In 2013 Dr. Rodríguez
was named Outstanding Professor of the Year for Research in
the College of Education at CSU, San Bernardino. In 2012, he
was selected as a Fellow for the Executive Leadership Academy at
UC Berkeley and also as a Kika De La Garza Education Fellow
with the United States Department of Agriculture. In 2011 he
received a Person of Distinction award by San Bernardino Valley
College and was a Faculty Fellow for the American Association
of Hispanics in Higher Education. Dr. Rodríguez is currently
working with the National Latino Education Research and
Policy Project (NLERAP) at the regional and national levels,
served as past co-chair of the Faculty Fellows Program for
the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education
(AAHHE), and past board member for the Hispanic Alumni
Board at CSUSB.
2014 Sandra Trejos
2010 María del Carmen Martínez
2006Ar turo Hernandez
2004 Eduardo E. Aguilar
2013 Sylvia Garcia-Navarrete
2009 José B. González
2005René Díaz Lefebvre
2003 Virginia González
2012 Amaur y Nora
2008Elba Maldonado-Colón
2011 Stephanie Alvarez
2007Enriqueta “Queta” Chavez
125
Awards
Outstanding Support of Hispanic Issues in Higher Education Award
The Outstanding Support Award is given to an individual in the community who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishment and support of Hispanic issues. This individual need not be an educator but one who has made significant contributions to the Latino higher education community, i.e., community leader, civic leader, elected or appointed official, etc.
Jamie P. Merisotis
President and CEO
Lumina Foundation
Jamie P. Merisotis is president and CEO of Lumina
Foundation, the nation’s largest
private foundation committed
solely to enrolling and graduating more students from college.
Merisotis leads the Foundation’s
$1.3 billion endowment and
oversees all staff and strategic
decision making.
Long a champion of the idea
that higher education enhances
both society and individuals, Merisotis has worked for decades
to increase educational opportunity among low-income,
minority, and other historically underrepresented populations.
At Lumina, Merisotis is continuing that effort by employing a strategic, outcomes-based approach in pursuing the
Foundation’s mission of expanding college access and success.
Under his leadership, Lumina has embraced an ambitious and
specific goal: to ensure that, by 2025, 60 percent of Americans
hold high quality degrees, certificates, and other credentials—
up from the current level of less than 40 percent.
Before joining Lumina Foundation in 2008, Merisotis was
founding president of the Institute for Higher Education
Policy. Established in Washington, D.C., in 1993, IHEP is an
independent, non-partisan organization regarded as one of the
world’s premier education research and policy centers.
Prior to founding IHEP, Merisotis served as executive director
of the National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing
Postsecondary Education, a bipartisan commission appointed
by the U.S. president and congressional leaders. Merisotis also
helped create the Corporation for National and Community
Service (AmeriCorps), serving as an advisor to senior management on issues related to the quality and effectiveness of
national-service initiatives.
Merisotis’ work has been published extensively. He has written
and edited several books and monographs, and is a frequent
contributor to magazines, journals, and newspapers. He has
served as a regular commentator on the award-winning PBS
show Nightly Business Report, which consistently ranks as the
most-watched business news program on television. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, National Journal,
Times Higher Education Supplement (London), The Chronicle
of Higher Education, Huffington Post, Politico, Roll Call, and
numerous other print and online publications.
Merisotis is an experienced trustee and director for numerous
organizations around the globe. He is a member of the board of
trustees of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and chairs that
board’s governance committee. He also serves on the board of
Anatolia College in Thessaloniki, Greece, a bicultural institution that includes a college, a high school, and an elementary
school. He serves on several Indiana-based boards and commissions. He also serves as trustee and investment committee chair
for The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s largest
museum for children. Merisotis is a member of the Council
on Foreign Relations in New York. His previous board service
included president of the Economic Club of Indiana; chairman
of the board for Scholarship America, the nation’s largest private-sector scholarship and educational-support organization;
vice chairman of the board of directors for the Washington
Internship Institute; and executive committee member of the
London-based European Access Network.
2014 Stephen Jordan
2007Eddie Perez
2000Ar t Ruiz
2013 Charles B. Reed
2006 Kur t M. Landgraf
1999Rubén Hinojosa
1993 José Serrano
1992Edward Apodaca
2012 Jeanett Castellanos
2005Eugene Garcia
1998Irma Lerma Rangel
1991Ernesto Rodríguez
2011 Enrique G. Murillo, Jr.
2004 Louis Fernandez
1997Raúl Yzaguirre
1990Eloy Rodríguez
2010 Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez
2003Rick Noriega
1996Rober t Atwell
1989Isaura Santiago
2009 Peter Rosa
2002Rober to Haro
1995 José López-Isa
1988David Hamburg
2008 Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
2001 Jesús Rangel
1994Ada López
1987Allison Bernstein
127
Sharing the Opportunity of Education
Miami Dade College proudly supports
the American Association of Hispanics in
Higher Education and its commitment to
enhance the educational aspirations of Hispanics.
With the largest Hispanic student enrollment of any
college in the nation, MDC is uniquely positioned to
help more members of this important and growing
population strive for and attain long-term success.
www.mdc.edu | 305-237-8888
165,000 students | 2 million alumni | more than 300 academic pathways
numerous baccalaureate degrees | 7 campuses, 2 outreach centers and more
Awards
Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or Publications
This award has been established to recognize Latinos/as who have contributed significantly to our understanding of our
Hispanic community and/or culture through literar y ar ts, scholarship, and publications. This award will honor individuals
for the following achievements:
• Fictional shor t stor y, novel, children’s book, or poetr y
authentically depicting Latinos/as
•Non-fictional publications, books, manuscripts, Latino journal
• Editor of Latino newspaper
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith
Professor
Depar tment of English
University of Texas – Austin
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith was
born in Texas’s Lower Rio
Grande Valley in 1929, to a family with strong Mexican and
American roots; his father fought
in the Mexican Revolution while
his mother maintained the family north of the border. An
avid reader during childhood,
Hinojosa was raised speaking
Spanish until junior high, where
English was the primary spoken language. Like his grandmother, mother and three of his
four siblings, Hinojosa became a teacher; he has held several
academic posts and has also been active in administration and
consulting work.
the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas through this generational
narrative. Although he prefers to write in Spanish, Hinojosa has
also translated his own books and written others in English.
Hinojosa was the first Chicano author to receive the prestigious Premio Casa de las Américas award for Klail City y sus
alrededores (Klail City), part of the series. He also received the
third and final Premio Quinto Sol Annual Prize (1972), for his
work Estampas del Valle y otras obras.
Hinojosa has devoted most of his career as a writer to his Klail
City Death Trip Series, which comprises 15 volumes todate, from Estampas del Valle y otras obras (1973) to We Happy
Few (2006). He has completely populated a fictional county in
2014 Octavio Roca
2010 Francisco Aragón
2006Esmeralda Santiago
2002 Juan Delgado
2013 Benjamin Alire Sáenz
2009 Bessy Reyna
2008 Javier Ávila
2005Cordelia Chávez
Candelaria
2001 Teófilo Jaime Chahín
2012 Alma Flor Ada
2011 Chon A. Noriega
2007Helena Maria Viramotes
2004Alber to Rios
1996Nicholas Kanellos &
Gar y D. Keller
2003Rudolfo Anaya
129
11 ANNUAL
Save
th
March 10–12
these dates
2016
Join AAHHE for the 2016 National Conference
Hilton Costa Mesa | Costa Mesa, CA
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for the place you call home
Proud to be recognized by our customers and J.D. Power for
“Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among National
Homeowner Insurers for 13 Years in a Row.”*
Call 844-864-8461, or visit Dallas.TuAmica.com
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Amica Mutual Insurance Company, Lincoln, Rhode Island
F O R more informa t ion on aa h h e
visi t w w w . aa h h e . org
a special thanks to School of Transborder Studies
AAHHE Student Workers
Beatriz Adriana Grado
Finance major – Senior
Gilberto Lopez
Computer Information Systems major – Senior
A xel Martinez
Business Communication major – Junior
Deidre Zuniga
Business Communication major – Senior
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