Marquette University’s Hispanic-Serving Institution initiative has gained 4.2% more undergraduate students since the fall of 2016, making this year’s student body the most diverse in Marquette’s history.
The initiative has a goal to increase Latinx undergraduate enrollment to represent 25% of the student body by the 2026-27 academic year.
“Our vision is to be among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic, Jesuit universities in the world — that cannot happen unless we embrace the perspectives, cultures and knowledge of our diverse students, faculty and staff,” Provost Kimo Ah Yun wrote in an April 15 Marquette Today news release.
Some efforts Marquette has made to establish itself as an HSI include an overall 15.4% increase of the Hispanic population between students, faculty and staff. Funds for the community include $33 million in financial aid for the 2020-21 academic year and over $200,000 raised by 2020 for the Ellacuria Scholarship for undocumented students.
“I am proud of you and of the progress being made through your efforts. But the work is nowhere near done,” Kimo said in the news release. “While we are in tough financial times, I have been working with the HSI Steering Committee to determine our way forward. Rest assured, the important work of attracting and supporting underrepresented students will continue.”
To become an HSI, the institution must be a 2 or 4-year accredited college, have a significant enrollment proportion to be of low-income students and have Hispanics represent 25% of the full-time undergraduate student body.
Becoming an HSI opens eligibility to apply for Title V funds, but is not the reason the university is pursuing this goal. The funds may be used for educational materials, improved facilities, faculty development and more, according to their diversity and inclusion website.
Ah Yun said in a virtual coffee chat Sept. 29, 2020 that the HSI initiative was no longer part of the university’s strategic plan, Beyond Boundaries, though the initiative was included in a document from 2019.
This story was written by Vanessa Rivera. She can be reached at [email protected]
