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How Will We Become an HSI?

In order to help us reach our goal, we have expanded student success programs for students of all backgrounds, from summer transition events to student success coaches and tailored academic resources.

Through programs like the Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship, we increase access for local students to attain a higher education—55% of these scholars identify as Latinx/Chicanx.

The UC San Diego PATHways to STEM Program is designed to increase the number, persistence, and success of underserved and underrepresented minority (URM) students in STEM in San Diego. Seven of the 12 inaugural scholars are Latinx.

The ENLACE bi-national summer research program at UC San Diego aims to encourage the participation of high school students, college students, and researchers/teachers, in research in the sciences and engineering, while promoting cross-border friendships in the Baja California/San Diego region.

Meanwhile, over at the School of Medicine, the Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) Faculty Development Program is designed to improve the recruitment, retention, and success of URM faculty in academic medicine at UC San Diego.

The Chicanx and Latinx Studies (CLS) program at UC San Diego is an interdisciplinary field of study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. CLS brings students, staff, faculty, and community together in the scholarly examination of Chicanx and Latinx life, history, and culture.

We also recognize that student success isn't just about academic success, so we have created welcoming spaces where students can celebrate their culture and find community. 

Spaces like the Raza Resource Centro, created in 2014, invite students to take part in interactive learning, engage in open dialogue, and develop as a leader within a vibrant community center.

The Raza Living-Learning Community is one of five living-learning communities developed to strengthen learning by helping residents to connect academically and socially.

These are just a few of the ways we're working to create a supportive campus culture for our Latinx students.

When Did HSI Efforts Begin?

Though UC San Diego has been planning for achievement of HSI status for several years, efforts officially kicked off in April 2016 when the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (VC-EDI) partnered with the Academic Senate to convene an HSI Task Force charged with assessing best practices and strategies needed for UC San Diego to secure HSI designation. This task force tapped members from across campus and sought input from our students through a series of forums and through actively engaging student organizations.

In May 2017, the HSI Task Force submitted to the administration a number of recommendations to boost Latinx enrollment and student success. The university prioritized five of the fifteen recommendations expected to have the most impact, including the establishment of the Latinx/Chicanx Academic Excellence Initiative. 

In July 2017, Extension's Education and Community Outreach developed  Library NExT (Network of Education x Training), a series of workshops for elementary, middle and high school students on topics including robotics, circuits, Quest for Space: Heat Experiments on the ISS and 64 + other STEAM subjects. Initially started as a pilot program at six San Diego libraries, it has expanded to 21 locations in 2020. 

In February 2018, an HSI Work Group consisting of faculty, staff, and students was convened by VC-EDI and the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs to plan for and implement the priority recommendations. The Office for Strategic Initiatives was consulted throughout the process to ensure the group's work was efficient, inclusive, and accountable.

In Spring 2018, UC San Diego became the permanent home of Adelante Latino and Adelante Mujer conferences.

In March 2018, Extension's Education and Community Outreach (ECO) developed the Futures initiative to provide high school students experiential education college pathway programs in which they become immersed in applied learning in high demand fields, including technology; life sciences; and business management.

In November 2018, the Latinx/Chicanx Academic Excellence Initiative was launched.

In April 2019, the Latinx/Chicanx Academic Excellence Initiative was introduced to the wider campus community at a campuswide rollout.

In May 2019, Innovation Grants to Advance the Latinx Chicanx Academic Excellence Initiative were announced and five faculty pilots were funded supporting innovation in student success and retention across the campus in areas such as medicine, engineering, early academic outreach, entrepreneurship, career transition, and research methodology. 

In August 2019, UC San Diego invests resources to annually sponsor a campus representative to participate in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Presidential Leadership Academy. The program, also known as La Academia de Liderazgo, is designed to increase Hispanic representation in top leadership positions in higher education. The Academy is a direct response to the declining percentage of Hispanic university presidents—from 4.5 percent in 2006 to 3.9 percent in 2016—despite increasing growth of Hispanic student enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities.

In Fall 2019, as part of our continued committment to outreach and access key web pages are translated into Spanish, including Admissions.

In October 2019, as part of our continuing commitment to be a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university, UC San Diego announced an inclusive, campuswide campaign to help develop the first-ever “Statement of Student-Centered Experience.” Formulation of such a statement was one of several recommendations made in 2017 by the HSI Task Force.

In January 2020, Education and Community Outreach at Extension (ECO) partnered with several schools, districts, and community organizations across the region, including Sweetwater Union High School District, King-Chavez Preparatory Academy, Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado de Baja California (COBACHBC), Southwestern College and South Bay Community Services, among others to offer customized supports for teachers and parents, including interactive seminars; short-form videos; and user-friendly guides, all delivered in English and Spanish. 

In March 2020, in conjunction with Entravision—parent company of Spanish-language television network Univisión—the campus launched a comprehensive, culturally relevant media campaign to reach San Diego’s Latinx/Chicanx communities.

In March 2020, UC San Diego Extension leaders as well as other leaders at UC San Diego and the community visited Centro Fox in Guanajuato, MX to work on enhancing and expanding the Centro Fox-UCSD exchange program.  As part of the trip, officials brainstormed about workshops to address the role of public health in education, the need for diverse leaders in medical fields and the importance of maintaining inclusive, supportive environments for students.

In October 2020, UC San Diego entered into an partnership with the Parent Institute for Quality Education and to implement a collective impact project focused on increasing educational equity and access for LCFF+ students in the Sweetwater School District.

In March 2021, Academic leaders, faculty, staff and students gathered virtually to learn how to continue transforming UC San Diego into a student-centered university for the success of Latinx/Chicanx students at UC San Diego's HSI Summit. The event focused on the theme of “Why? Why Now? What’s At Stake?” and featured a keynote address led by representatives from UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz, a fireside conversation with UC San Diego senior administrators, and a panel with UC San Diego Latinx/Chicanx students.  You can view recordings of the summit by visiting the EVC event web page. 

In spring 2021, ECO launched Grandparent University in collaboration with Assertive Family Solutions, hosting workshops drawing participants from across San Diego and Tijuana, Baja California.

In June 2021, UC San Diego received funding from the Office of the President to support a Latinx faculty collective from UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego to engage in deep, conceptual and analytical work to fully understand the theoretical and empirical landscape for HSIs, conduct a critical assessment of the UC system’s ability to measure HSI outcomes for all stakeholders (students, staff and faculty); and to provide recommendations for greater data transparency and access by suggesting a framework and infrastructure for data mapping and analytics. These efforts will enable UC San Diego to develop a blueprint as it moves toward becoming a premier Hispanic Serving Research Institution.

In June 2021, UC San Diego’s Chancellor – Pradeep Khosla -  joins Excelencia in Education’s Excelencia in Action network and Presidents for Latino Success Initiative. Presidents for Latino Student Success (P4LSS) is a diverse group of college and university presidents and chancellors who have committed to making their institutions learning environments where Latino students thrive.

In August 2021, UC San Diego invests in Latinx Cluster Hire Initiative (LCHI).  With funding from UCOP and considerable investment from UC San Diego’s Executive Vice Chancellor the LCHI is launched. The initiative leverages a strong campus commitment to diversifying the faculty while simultaneously working to fulfill our student-centered mission. The LCHI proposes to hire up to fourteen faculty whose research and pedagogical focus on issues affecting and of interest to Chicanx/Latinx students.  This robust hiring initiative across four divisions and nine academic departments that serve a critical mass of Latinx students will serve as a catalyst for UC San Diego becoming a Latinx serving and responsive institution.

In summer of 2021, the HSI work group worked through winter 2022 to develop new recommendations through an extensive review of data. With this data, the work group gained insights into opportunity gaps and areas for improvement, which inspired recommendations for how to best align current resources and invest in future infrastructure to better serve our Latinx students, faculty, and staff.

In March 2022, UC San Diego co-leads the UC Hiring Interventions for Representation and Equity (HIRE) Alliance, which is carefully structured to help increase the number of teaching professors in STEM from Latinx backgrounds.

In March 2023, UC San Diego launches Mi Universidad which is the result of listening to our Latinx and Chicanx parents, families and future students about what programs and resources would be most helpful on the pathway to college. Mi Universidad provides education in both English and Spanish, with culture and identity integrated as a key foundation. Wherever you are in the world–whether you live in San Diego, Sao Paulo or San Luis Potosí–you are encouraged to join our in-person and virtual events, workshops, certificate programs, continuing education classes and more through Mi Universidad.