LAS VEGAS, October 2, 2013 — College of Southern Nevada President Michael Richards is pleased to announce the college will be able to apply for federal designation as an Hispanic-serving institution in fall 2014, based on fall 2012 enrollments.
The designation, which is based on previous semesters’ enrollment data, indicates that at least a quarter of the college’s full-time-equivalent students are Hispanic and also that the college is serving a large number of low-income students.
The Hispanic-serving institutions program looks at colleges and universities’ enrollment two years prior to the application to determine eligibility. So based on fall 2012 data, the soonest CSN can apply for designation as a Title V Hispanic-serving institution is fall 2014, at which time it can put forward a grant proposal for consideration. This is dependent upon whether the federal government will have competitive funding available under Title V. There was no competitive grant competition for Title V programs in fiscal year 2013.
“To become an Hispanic-serving institution is a very important symbol to this college and to our community,” Richards said.
A year ago, he initiated a Hispanic-serving institution task force to spearhead the college’s efforts to achieve this federal designation. As part of these efforts, the group of faculty and staff initiated a communication campaign to encourage students who were enrolled in fall 2012 to update their personal account information, including emails, addresses and ethnicity. The FTE percentage of Hispanic students for that semester was finalized in December of 2012 at 24.3 percent but grew over time as more students declared an ethnicity to 25.07 percent as of today.
“We have been watching these numbers all summer creep up past 25 percent and are cautiously optimistic that they will remain above the 25 percent threshold when we are ready to apply next fall,” said Clarissa Cota, who chairs the CSN HSI task force. “There are a growing number of HSI designated colleges and universities competing for a small pool of funds, which may not even be available in the future due to sequestration or other federal budget complications.”
The task force plans to put together a competitive grant proposal geared toward improving academic outcomes for all students during the next academic year in hopes that the U.S. Department of Education invites applications in 2014.
Under the direction of the Office of the President, the college has also targeted recruitment and retention efforts that impact all students and the college is currently hiring for eight positions in these areas.
Once a college receives the designation, it is able to compete for U.S. Department of Education Title V Hispanic-serving institutions program grants, if available, to benefit all students. Funds may be used for activities such as scientific or laboratory equipment for teaching; construction or renovation of instructional facilities; faculty development; purchase of educational materials; academic tutoring or counseling programs; funds and administrative management; joint use of facilities; endowment funds; distance learning academic instruction; teacher education; and student support services.
Preliminary estimates for fall 2013 show additional growth in the number of Hispanic students.
About CSN:
Founded in 1971, the College of Southern Nevada (csn.edu) is the state’s largest and most ethnically diverse higher education institution. CSN offers more than 200 degree and certificate options in more than 130 areas of study, including 30 degree and certificate programs available entirely online. Students create flexible, personalized schedules, including day, evening, and weekend classes taught on three main campuses and multiple locations throughout Southern Nevada. CSN — Your future starts here.