Lumina Foundation grant funds study to keep Hispanics in college

MIAMI (Nov. 2, 2009) – Florida International University’s College of Education has received a grant from Lumina Foundation for Education to develop model retention programs for Hispanic students in higher education that can be shared with universities across the country.

The $496,000 award identifies FIU as one of the largest producers of Hispanic graduates and funds a three year study to examine the university’s strengths and weaknesses in serving the Hispanic community. The grant also will assess the Miami Dade College-Florida International University Dual Degree Program, developed collaboratively by the two schools.

Nationally, the six-year graduation rate of Hispanic students at public universities is 46 percent, while 57 percent of white students graduate over the same period. And while several proven programs exist to address the retention of non-minority students, few studies have examined solutions to the low graduation rate of minorities.

“The student population of FIU is representative of the future of higher education,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “All communities are growing to look more like South Florida with its immigrant, language minority, low-income, and ethnically diverse population. Our findings will help universities across the country create results-oriented, student-centered programs to help Hispanic students attain the American dream.”

At FIU, where more Hispanics graduate each year than at any other university in the nation, several programs during the first year of college have helped minority students stay and succeed, such as the required First-Year Seminar course, enhanced training of instructors, and the establishment of learning communities. In addition, FIU is enhancing its academic advising services and has added special counselors geared solely for at-risk students.

“We are a harbinger of the future of higher education,” said Glenda Droogsma Musoba, an assistant professor in the College of Education and the grant’s principal investigator.  “FIU is urban. Its student population is made up mostly of minorities, and they are often the first generation in their families to attend college. This grant will allow us to find the things we’re doing right, correct our shortcomings and share the findings.”

But while FIU has been successful at retaining students from their first to their second year in college, several problems persist beyond the sophomore year that will be examined in this study.

“This population presents significant academic challenges, having graduated from one of the largest school districts in the nation, in one of the poorest metropolitan areas in the country,” said Lidia V. Tuttle, associate dean of undergraduate education. “FIU is uniquely positioned to provide a model of retention programs for these students, who despite academic and socio-economic challenges are intent on pursuing their higher education goals.”

FIU will also partner with Miami Dade College to gauge the success of the Dual Degree Program at the two schools. If students selected for participation in the MDC-FIU Dual Degree Program complete their Associate of Arts degree at Miami Dade College within three years, they are automatically admitted into FIU. As part of this Lumina-funded project, FIU and MDC will collaborate in assessing their Dual Degree Program to determine the efficacy of the administrative processes and student support services they have developed in their efforts to establish a seamless transition of MDC’s Associate of Arts graduates to FIU.

The Lumina Foundation grant highlights FIU’s efforts to engage the community, foster partnerships and look for innovative ways to help address South Florida’s most-pressing challenges in public education, from early education to Ph.D. programs.

“Working with institutions like FIU, Lumina seeks to amplify the collective voice and national leadership of minority-serving institutions,” said Jamie P. Merisotis, president and chief executive officer of Lumina Foundation. “We want to improve institutional practice and develop policy to more effectively educate all students of color.”

For a list of all of this year’s grant recipients, click here.

–FIU–

About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation for Education is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college—especially low-income student, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners. Our goal is to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina pursues this goal in three ways: by identifying and supporting effective practice, through public policy advocacy, and by using our communications and convening power to build will for change.

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. More than 100,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University”. In August 2009, FIU welcomed the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.