Leveraging Data to Inform, Align & Advance Strategies for Servingness at Hispanic Serving Institutions

Dr. Marla Franco

Special Advisor, HSI Initiatives

The University of Arizona

Co-Founder, AZ HSI Consortium

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Western Oregon University

April 17, 2026

Background

Beyond Enrollment: What Does it Mean to be an HSI?

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“Neither the percentage of Latinx students nor the federal designation actually defines what it means to be an HSI”

• Dr. Gina Garcia, 2019

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Latinx-Serving: An institution that:

• Enrolls 25%+ Latinx students,
• Produces equitable outcomes for Latinx students, and
• Enacts a culture that is educationally affirming, culturally responsive, and welcoming.

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“Creating the institutional conditions needed to ensure that Latinx students and employees and those from underrepresented backgrounds feel culturally affirmed and can thrive as they learn and work at our HSIs.”

– Marla Franco

2018 HSI Visioning Forums

• Funding: Financial support for students and early outreach efforts

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• University-wide commitment and accountability

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• Ongoing professional development for faculty, staff, and administrators

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• Asset-based & culturally affirming practices

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• Faculty representation

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• Demographic parity with the local community

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Data Informed Capacity Building Strategies

• Supports approximately 450 first-year students annually, engaging small teams of 15-20, each led by a junior or senior peer mentor, engaging in leadership theory, career development, and teambuilding while preparing for a large-scale community engagement project.

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• 40% identify as Latinx or Hispanic

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• 2022: The BlueChip Men of Color initiative was developed to acknowledge historical opportunity gaps and actively addresses them through mentorship, culturally responsive programming, financial support, career and leadership development, all supported by experienced and culturally diverse leadership.

• Fall 2024: 85% retention rate for MoC in Blue Chip, compared to 77% for non-participants

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• Latinx students specifically saw a 9-point increase in second-to-third year retention rates (85% vs. 76%).

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• Recently recognized by the AZ HSI Consortium as an Evidence Based Practice, Blue Chip serves as a model for supporting Latinx student success.

• The goal of the C-STAR opportunity is to identify strategies, programs, and practices that positively contribute to degree completion. completion at the UA.

Curriculum Development Institute

• $1,000 stipend

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• Week-long, summer immersion focused on training and coaching faculty and instructors towards implementation of effective teaching practices into existing courses of all modalities, including distance and online learning environments.

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• The institute will bring together faculty and instructors to thoughtfully redesign an existing course through workshops, discussions, and pedagogical practice.

The purpose of this full-day institute is to:

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• Generate awareness of HSI related funding opportunities
• Strengthen understanding of HSI models and frameworks
• Cultivate networks among those with shared interests for pursuing HSI funding opportunities.

HSI Grants Development Institute

Centering Servingness through Policy: Academic Eligibility

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• We learned that most probation students (70%) were being placed on probation after just one semester and that probation was an especially high-stakes experience for first-year students.
• The previous policy disproportionately impacted first-year students, students of color, and first-generation college students.
• We sought to introduce a warning semester to offer an opportunity for intervention before a student disconnects from the institution.
• Among students on academic warning, 46% of those who participated in an intervention raised their GPAs above 2.0 compared to 28% of those who did not participate.
• Among students on academic probation, 42% of those who participated in an intervention raised their GPAs above 2.0 compared to 28% of those who did not participate.

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Arizona �HSIs

90,000₊

Hispanic Undergrads

4,258

Hispanic

Graduate

Students

GATE Funding Opportunities

• Purpose: Support Arizona HSIs to identify barriers to higher education, engage in problem-solving, implement solutions for learner success, and document the changes made.