Sierra College Receives Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Designation
On February 22, Sierra College was designated by the US Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). “This designation is extremely important,” shared Willy Duncan, Superintendent/President. “It will pave the way for Sierra College to compete for federal funding opportunities to continue our efforts to improve the educational experience for our Latinx students.”
The US Department of Education defines an HSI as an eligible institution of higher education whose full-time equivalent students are at least 25% Latinx. Currently, Sierra’s Latinx student population is 26.5% of the 18,000 undergraduates enrolled in the District.
Sierra has a number of existing programs available to support Latinx students including the Puente Program, a statewide program that provides education, counseling, mentorship
Puente Program coordinator and counselor/History professor, Dr. Reyes Ortega, summed up Sierra’s designation as follows: “For Latinos, the phrase Si Se Puede (translated as ‘Yes, it can be done’ or ‘Yes, we can’) serves as a source of pride, hope
The HSI program is a division of the Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) program through the US Office of Civil Rights. MSIs are defined as institutions of higher education that serve minority populations; they are unique both in mission and day-to-day operations. Increasing participation in the HSI program is a part of the White House