1st Edition

The Majority in the Minority Expanding the Representation of Latina/o Faculty, Administrators and Students in Higher Education

Edited By Lee Jones, Jeanett Castellanos Copyright 2003

    "As a volume destined to be employed by researchers, practitioners and policy makers, "The Majority in the Minority" appears at the right time in our nation’s demographic history. It connects us to the triumphs an tragedies of our Latino collective pasts and leads us to a more hopeful scenario for the future." -- from the Foreword by Laura RendónLatinas/os are the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S. They are propelling minority communities to majority status in states as disparate as California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Texas.Their growth in the population at large is not reflected in higher education. In fact Latinos are the least represented population in our colleges and universities, whether as administrators, faculty or students; and as students have one of the highest levels of attrition.Opening access to Latinas/os, assuring their persistence as students in higher education, and their increased presence in college faculty and governance, is of paramount importance if they are to make essential economic gains and fully to participate in and contribute to American society.In this ground-breaking book, twenty-four Latina/o scholars provide an historical background; review issues of student access and achievement, and lessons learned; and present the problems of status and barriers faced by administrators and faculty. The book also includes narratives by graduate students, administrators and faculty that complement the essays and vividly bring these issues to life.This is a book that should be read by policy makers, college administrators, student affairs personnel and faculty concerned about shaping the future of higher education--and constitutes an invaluable resource for all leaders of the Latino community.

    Foreword. Laura Rendón; Introduction. Lee Jones and Jeanett Castellanos; 1, Latina/o Undergraduate Experiences in American Higher Education. Jeanett Castellanos and Lee Jones; 2, Historical Perspectives on Latino Access to Higher Education, 1848-1990. Victoria-María MacDonald and Teresa García; PART ONE. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCES AND RETENTION. 3, Access to Higher Education for Hispanic Students. Real or Illusory. Amaury Nora; 4, Latino/a and African American Students at Predominantly White Institutions. A Psychosociocultural Perspective of Cultural Congruity and Climate and Academic Persistence; Alberta Gloria and Jeanett Castellanos; 5, Active Faculty Involvement. Maximizing Student Achievement Efforts. Guadalupe Anaya and Darnell Cole; PART TWO. STUDENT VOICES. 6, Reflections of a Latina Graduate Student Experience. Katherine Nerona; 7, Notes from a Latino Graduate Student Experience at a PWI. Raymond Herrera; 8, Latina Undergraduate Student. Veronica Orozco; 9, Latina/o Retention in Four-Year Universities. Sylvia Hurtado; PART THREE. LATINO ADMINISTRATORS’ EXPERIENCES AND RETENTION. 10, Latinos and Administrative Positions in American Higher Education. Roberto Haro and Juan Francisco Lara; PART FOUR. LATINO FACULTY EXPERIENCES AND RETENTION. 11, Barriers to Accessing the Professoriate. Raymond Padilla; 12, Latino/a Faculty and the Tenure Process in Cultural Context. Robert Ibarra and Jeanett Castellanos; 13, Latina Faculty in Higher Education. Patricia Arredondo; 14, Scholarship, Community Service and Job Status–The Hispanic Professoriate. Richard Verdugo; 15, Developmental Career Challenges for Latino/a Faculty in Higher Education. Lisa Flores, Alberta Gloria, Patricia Arredondo and Jeanett Castellanos; 16, A Structure that Facilitates the Recruitment and Retention of Latinos/as in Higher Education. Jeanett Castellanos and Lee Jones

    Biography

    Lee Jones is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Instruction and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the College of Education, The Florida State University. Jeanett Castellanos, Ph.D. is Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Teaching at the University of California, Irvine in the School of Social Sciences. Her areas of research include BIPOC student coping and persistence, cultural values and identity, and well-being. Nationally, Dr. Castellanos is the recipient of the 2020 APA Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race) Distinguished Career in Service Award, the APA Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) Samuel M. Turner Mentorship Award, the 2012 NLPA Star Vega Community Service Award, and 2012 AAHEE Outstanding Support of Hispanics in Higher Education. Laura I. Rendón is Professor Emerita at the University of Texas-San Antonio. She is also an educational consultant and featured speaker at over 100 higher education institutions and conferences throughout the nation. Her presentations focus on topics such as student success, Latinx STEM students, and sensing/thinking deep learning experiences, as well as self-care and healing.Laura is a nationally-recognized student advocate, activist scholar and contemplative educator. She grew up in a low-income, single-parent household along the U.S. Mexico Border in Laredo, Texas where she learned to speak English in the first grade. Rendón is a passionate advocate for low-income, first-generation students who she feels have hopes and dreams but often do not know how to realize them especially without resources.She has held faculty and administrative appointments at a wide range of universities including the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University, Arizona State University, California State University-Long Beach, and Iowa State University and the University of Texas-San Antonio.

    "The accumulation of stories provides a vivid portrayal of the current state of Latina/os in American colleges and universities….This book is worthwhile reading for anyone who works with Latina/o students, and especially for those who are in positions to serve as mentors for Latina/os who may be considering careers in higher education."

    Journal of College Student Development

    "Anyone professionally or personally interested with the issues of educational access and Latinos will find this an exceptionally informative book."

    Manuel N. Gómez, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at the University of California, Irvine

    "Far too little attention has been paid to Latinas/os in higher education. This book helps to fill this void. Of particular importance are the voices of early and mid-career Latinas/os as, far too often, we do not hear of the struggles of the lecturer or the assistant professor. What gives this book life are the direct narratives gathered from individuals at all levels of higher education."

    Jeffery S. Mio, Professor, Behavioral Sciences Department at California State Polytechnic University, and President of APA, Division 45, Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues.

    "A penetrating, insightful piece of work, which takes us to the next phase of discovery of recruiting and retaining Latinos in higher education."

    Joseph White, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine.

    "An excellent compendium of perspectives, experiences and knowledge-based research that covers the spectrum of Latina/o access and performance in higher education."

    Juan Andrade Jr., President, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute