Celebrating 25 Years As a Hispanic Serving Institution
The task force of faculty, administrators, alumni and students will focus on three areas: programming and events; the history, development and impact of the University’s status as an HSI; and communicating and promoting the history and points of pride to the èßäÉçÇø Peter’s community and a wider audience. The group is also thinking beyond the 25th anniversary and Ìýinterested in finding ways to keep the energy behind the 25th anniversary alive.
Task force members include Jennifer ÌýAyala, professor of sociology and director of Latino studies; ÌýAlicia D’Amato, director of the Center for English Language Acquisition and Culture; Virginia Bender, Ph.D. ’78, special assistant to the president for institutional planning and task force co-chair; Daria Allen, assistant dean of students; Silvia Cabreja, senior assistant director, admissions; Taina Cutler, executive director, CEEL; Ernabel Demillo, M.S., chair and lecturer of communication; Maryellen Hamilton, Ph.D., professor of psychology; Liliana Huerta Murcia, M.B.A. ’23, assistant director of alumni engagement; Devin Heyward, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology and director of DEI; Tamara Massay-Trotz, M.P.A., associate dean academic engagement and student success; Frank Rivera, M.S., director of military & veterans services; University Jesuit Associate Rev. Luis Tempe, S.J.; Carlos Tapia, Ph.D., associate Ìýprofessor of modern & classical languages; Maria Torres Menes ’24; Edgar Valdez, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy; and Michelle Perez ’16, alumni board president.Ìý
FACTS, DISTINCTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
As an anchor institution in Jersey City—one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the nation—the University has been a gateway for those seeking pathways to better, purpose-fueled lives. As Hispanic communities, and in particular the Cuban-American population in Union City, grew in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, so did the numbers of Latino/a/x students on our campus. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Education named èßäÉçÇø Peter’s University a Hispanic Serving Institution, a designation given to accredited public or private, nonprofit institutions of higher education where Hispanic or Latino/a/x students compose 25 percent or more of full-time undergraduate enrollment. Enrollment numbers are just one facet of HSI status. Institutional pride and the recognition the University has garnered as a leading HSI stems from our history and mission to advance the success of promising students. Here is a snapshot of facts, distinctions and achievements èßäÉçÇø Peter’s has attained since achieving the HSI milestone.
47% of full-time undergraduates at èßäÉçÇø Peter’s are Hispanic hailing from 13 Latin American countries. The threshold for federal HSI status is Hispanic enrollment of 25% of full-time undergraduates.
èßäÉçÇø Peter’s is the first designated HSI among the 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, and for nearly 25 years the only designated HSI among Jesuit institutions of higher learning.
èßäÉçÇø Peter’s University was named a national finalist in 2019 for the Seal of Excelencia designation awarded by Excelencia in Education, the advocacy organization for Latino/a/x student achievement.Ìý
èßäÉçÇø Peter’s was the first amongÌý private colleges and universities in New Jersey to attain Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) status, a noteworthy distinction it secured in 1998.
$17 million awarded to èßäÉçÇø Peter’s across six federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation since 2000 to support the success of Hispanic and low-income students.
These investments have funded:
Technology, Classroom, Laboratory and
Library upgrades
Events planned during National HSI Week
September 11Ìý– Panepinto Plaza, noon – HSI Banner Unveiling
September 13 – St. Aedan’s Church, 11:00 a.m. – The annual Mass of the Holy Spirit will include Spanish music and prayers. The campus picnic after Mass will feature Latin food and a special HSI anniversary dessert.
September 14Ìý– The Duncan Family Sky Room – Storytelling through Afro-Puerto Rican Folkloric dance featuringÌýSegunda Quimbaba. This event is followed by a mini-parade led by the student organization LASO.
September 17Ìý– The Duncan Family Sky Room, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – TRansformative EXperience (TREX) Celebration Brunch – The TREX Program provides opportunities for students in STEM majors to engage in paid internships that also count for academic credit. The program was established in 2018 with support from the National Science Foundation’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program. Since its inception TREX has placed more than 200 students in hands-on positions. This brunch brings together current students and alumni who participated in the TREX program, along with the grant team.
Learn more via thisÌýpress releaseÌýandÌýèßäÉçÇø Peter’s UniversityÌýmagazine.