NMSU observes National Hispanic-Serving Institution Week, Elba Serrano to speak_
New Mexico State University[뉴멕시코주립대,대학입시설명회
NMSU Regents Professor Elba Serrano is the keynote speaker Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. at Domenici Hall in the Yates Theater. Serrano will talk about the importance of NMSU’s HSI designation and how it positively impacts research funding. The event is open to the public.
Serrano, a biology professor, received the 2015 Distinguished Award from the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science. She’s one of the principal investigators for the federally funded Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement program at NMSU. The long-term goal of RISE is to increase the number of underrepresented students who achieve a doctoral degree in a biomedical or biobehavioral discipline.
In order to have Hispanic-Serving Institution status, universities must serve 25 percent or more Hispanic student enrollment.
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities works with members of Congress to recognize the contributions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in their communities. NMSU became a member of HACU in 1989.
Laura Gutierrez Spencer, director of Chicano Programs at NMSU, said HSI status is important because NMSU is a land grant institution.
“NMSU is a state-funded institution in a low-income state, so the HSI status and the funding that it brings in helps us truly serve the student body that needs more outreach and more support services,” Gutierrez Spencer said. “Many of our students are minorities, they’re from low income backgrounds, and they’re first-generation students. As professionals, we need to provide more outreach than if we had a majority of middle-class students.”
As part of National HSI Week, KRWG TV is producing a short video featuring Serrano, NMSU Provost Dan Howard and NMSU Teaching Academy Director Tara Gray. The video will air on Aggie Vision as a halftime feature during a volleyball match telecast. It will also be featured as one of KRWG’s Newsmakers programs and will be available on KRWG’s YouTube channel.
Glen T. Cerny, director of broadcasting for KRWG, said the goal of the video is to celebrate NMSU’s status as an HSI and to explain the university-wide benefits that entails.
NMSU Alamogordo is also observing National HSI Week. Juan Garcia, NMSU Alamogordo Director of External Affairs and Development, said the school is hosting an event to inform students about both national and international internship opportunities.
“We’re going to have video conferencing with people from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute,” Garcia said. “The institute provides internship opportunities in Washington, D.C., with federal agencies. We’re also trying to increase the participation of Hispanic women in STEM internships.”
The internship session is Sept. 10 from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Administration Building, Room CB 201. For more information about the event in Alamogordo, call Garcia at 575-439-3626.
NMSU was recognized as one of the best institutions for Hispanics in the nation last year, according to the Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics list in The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.
