Access

Since 1,344 students have graduated; 744 at the undergraduate and 600 at the graduate level. Retention rate for the first year, 2003, was 78%; after the first year, rates have consistently been over 80%, with 88% for 2011.

A study following the 220 students first enrolled in Orlando in Fall 2003 and the 174 first enrolled in South Florida in Fall 2006 indicates that in Orlando, 96 students have graduated for a 43.6% graduation rate, and in South Florida, 93 students have graduated, for a 53.4% graduation rate. This rate compares favorably with the national 30% rate for Hispanic serving public and private universities.

The campuses have an ongoing process whereby students are assessed by faculty experts as to the degree to which they have achieved the discipline and language objectives of their courses. Completed assessment exercises at both levels indicate that students satisfactorily meet both discipline and language objectives.

• The graduation rates in the CIS department at all levels doubled (from 32 in 2008 to 72 in 2011).
• The achievements surpassed the expectations, as the department secured more than $7 million in grants to support its educational objectives toward student success.
• Articulation agreements were signed with two-year colleges to facilitate outreach activities, which totaled more than 2,058 recorded student contacts in 2010-2011.
• Degree accessibility was effectively attained through seamless delivery of online classes using an innovative hybrid delivery in remodeled on-line ready classrooms.
• A novel endowment was created through a very intensive campaign totaling more than $300,000 in raised funds.
• As an overall reflection of the effectiveness in this comprehensive strategy, the department has been listed for two consecutive years, 2010 and 2011, as one of the top 10 departments in the U.S. in regards to degrees awarded in the Computer Sciences to Latino students according to the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

The Program has served as the gateway to higher education for 192 students. The majority continues with their studies to become teachers, and 72% are retained within the Program (including those who drop for extenuating family/medical reasons). The academic success of Program students is reflected in the 3.46 average GPA of graduates and highlighted in accolades students have received.

Currently, the Program has 87 graduates, and 87 students (77% of whom are Latino) will have graduated by December 2012. Graduates use their experiences and knowledge they have gained to promote the achievement of K-12 students, especially those who are second language learners. They serve as role models for young Latinos; often BESITOS alumni are the only Latino educators in their entire school.

Graduates recognize that advanced degrees can increase the impact of their advocacy efforts for CLD students and families. To date, 29 graduates are either pursuing or have obtained a Master's degree; of these, five are pursuing a doctorate. Seventy-two students have attended a national education conference, and 56 have had opportunities to study abroad.

• In 2005, 22 students graduated through Puerta; 128 students are expected to complete in 2012. A total of 504 have graduated to date.
• There are currently 507 AA, BA, and MA seeking students in Puerta and another 200 in Latino Promise.
• Puerta graduates have enrolled in graduate programs at Rutgers, NYU, and FDU's highly-ranked Silberman College of Business.
• While studying, working and taking care of their families, Puerta and Latino Promise students have interned with major corporations, as well the competitive internship program for the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development through the State of NJ.
• Puerta recently jointly developed with the UN an MA of Diplomatic Relations that caters to diplomats. By 2050 one in three U.S. residents will be of Latino descent, with more Latinos compelled to attain a college education and learn English: a positive correlation between the growth of this population in the U.S. and demand for the Puerta model.v