As the general population of Latinxs in the United States burgeons, so
does the population of college-going Latinx students. With more Latinxs
entering college, the number of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs),
which are not-for-profit, degree granting postsecondary institutions
that enroll at least 25% Latinxs, also grows, with 523 institutions now
meeting the enrollment threshold to become HSIs. But as they increase in
number, the question remains: What does it mean to serve Latinx
students?
This edited book, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in Practice:
Defining "Servingness" at HSIs, fills an important gap in the
literature. It features the stories of faculty, staff, and
administrators who are defining "servingness" in practice at HSIs.
Servingness is conceptualized as the ability of HSIs to enroll and
educate Latinx students through a culturally enhancing approach that
centers Latinx ways of knowing and being, with the goal of providing
transformative experiences that lead to both academic and non-academic
outcomes. In this book, practitioners tell their stories of success in
defining servingness at HSIs. Specifically, they provide empirical and
practical evidence of the results and outcomes of federally funded HSI
grants, including those funded by Department of Education Title III and
V grants.
This edited book is ideal for higher education practitioners and
scholars searching for best practices for HSIs in the United States.
Administrators at HSIs, including presidents, provosts, deans, and
boards of trustees, will find the book useful as they seek out ways to
effectively serve Latinx and other minoritized students. Faculty who
teach in higher education graduate programs can use the book to
highlight practitioner engaged scholarship. Legislators and policy
advocates, who fight for funding and support for HSIs at the federal
level, can use the book to inform and shape a research-based Latinx
educational policy agenda.
The book is essential as it provides a framework that simplifies the
complex phenomenon known as servingness. As HSIs become more significant
in the U.S. higher education landscape, books that provide empirically
based, practical examples of servingness are necessary.
