Minding  the  structural  and  psychological  variables  important  for  minority  student  success:  Insights  from  minority-­‐serving  ins:tu:on    Jose  Herrera,  Associate  Vice  President  for  Academic  Affairs  and  Dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  (CASa),      

Western  New  Mexico  University,  Silver  City,  NM    88062    jose.herrera@wnmu.edu  

Students who do not graduate from H.S. increasingly rare!

Graduation attainment gap: in part, a problem of successful access

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Encouragingly,  enrollment  gaps  among  URMs  are  shrinking.  

Percentage distribution of highest level of educational attainment of spring 2002 high school sophomores in 2012, by socioeconomic status (SES)

1SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), Base Year and Third Follow-up. See Digest of Education Statistics 2014, table 104.91.

A5…Affluence Affords Access and Attainment.

Percentage of spring 2002 high school sophomores who earned a bachelor's degree or higher by 2012, by socioeconomic status (SES) and mathematics achievement quartile in 2002

WNMU Student Senate –Fall 2014

The Educational Ecosystem of one student

Why  haven’t  we  succeeded  in  impar:ng  these  academic  skills  

sufficiently  to  allow  these  students  to  complete  their  degree?  

So  do  we  know  some  of  the  common  risk  factors  for  college  students?  

So  do  we  know  some  of  the  common  risk  factors  for  college  students?  

Yes!

1. Financial need (Pell eligibility) 2. Need for Developmental coursework 3. First generation students 4. Single Head of Household (stop outs)

How  do  we  know  this?      .  .  .  Ins:tu:ons  need  real-­‐:me  access  

to  student  data  

At WNMU: DATAmart Paul Landrum: Institutional Research Office Director

Remedia:on  

Math          1,051     27%  

Read                  235     6%  

Write                  551     14%  

Any          1,175     31%  

Other  Pell          2,134     55%  

1st  Gen          1,918     50%  

Stop  Out          1,290     33%  

Six year graduation rate = 29% (data from 2005-2013)

Challenges at WNMU mirror those of many Community Colleges, particularly those that serve students of color …

Math: the most vexing of challenges

1. Students are financially strapped.

§  A sobering 82% of WNMU students receive some sort of financial aid

2. Students are motivated, yet often underprepared.

Remedia:on  

Math          1,051     27%  

Read                  235     6%  

Write                  551     14%  

Any          1,175     31%  

Other  Pell          2,134     55%  

1st  Gen          1,918     50%  

Stop  Out          1,290     33%  

3. Preparation seems to be getting worse at most school districts in SW §  40% intending to major in STEM fields require ≥ 1 dev. math course.

4. Few opportunities for engaged instruction and learning communities…

§  4/4 loads (WNMU) or 5/5 loads (many CC) §  <9% (a mean of about 26 students/yr) of WNMU STEM students

participate in research activities with WNMU faculty. §  Student athletes do better … why? built in community? feel they belong? §  Professional development for faculty lacking §  Low tuition & changing state funding formulaeà few ed. resources

Challenges at WNMU mirror those of many Community Colleges, particularly those that serve students of color …

~2.5  years  behind  the  star:ng  line  for  students  of  color  (low  SES)  

~2.5  years  behind  the  star:ng  line  for  students  of  color  (low  SES)  

Source: COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER at Teacher’s College, Columbia U

Chronicle: Delaying enrollment for Philadelphia negatively affects graduation rates for underserved youth

New York Times: New Rules to Eliminate Frustrating Financial Aid Problem By ANN CARRNS DEC. 22, 2015

The very things that enrich our student population, also complicate their educational and financial lives…and we haven’t even talked about psychosocial factors.

Who  was  the  2013  Na:onal  Hockey  League’s  Defensive  man  of  the  Year  (Norris  Trophy)?  

A.

E.

C. B.

D.

Who  was  the  2013  Na:onal  Hockey  League’s  Defensive  man  of  the  Year  (Norris  Trophy)?  

PK Subban Montreal Canadians

Answer: D

The  strand  of  tribalism  runs  deep  within  our  DNA.  

North Carolina’s challenges https://youtu.be/MFfM2GMr3lI?t=4m30s https://youtu.be/bOua8D1GwgY?t=7s

Thank  you.