Presidential Perspectives: The Seal of Excelencia
Leading Higher Education Transformation for Student Success
What does the Seal stand for among higher education leaders? Presidents and chancellors of the trendsetting colleges and universities certified with the Seal of Excelencia have taken responsibility for advancing Latino, and all, student success, and they are ensuring America’s future. Each looks beyond enrollment to establish and implement student-centered, data-informed strategies and practices that lead to continuous improvement in student success to degree completion and beyond.
Intentionally Improving Student Outcomes
Where does intentionality fit into Seal-certified institutions’ student success efforts?
The Seal of Excelencia requires institutions to demonstrate continuous improvement in Latino, and all, student success through the intentional alignment of data, evidence-based practices, and leadership. This begins with knowing who they are serving, not serving, and intend to serve, and it ensures students succeed because of their institution — not despite it.
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The requirement for being a Hispanic-Serving Institution is really just about enrollment, but that says nothing about success, nothing about intentionally serving those who historically have been underserved by higher education. Excelencia asks you to do more. We want to be surrounded by institutions that are committed to that success.
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- Heather Wilson, President, The University of Texas at El Paso
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The Seal of Excelencia has provided Long Beach City College with the framework for understanding how to be intentional in serving Latino students. We started to experiment with different types of strategies that we really saw create a new level of impact in our student success outcomes. Combining that with the framework for the Seal of Excelencia, it’s really allowed us to accelerate this work in terms of improving outcomes for Latino students.
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- Mike Muñoz, Superintendent-President, Long Beach City College and
President in Residence, Excelencia in Education
Ensuring Our Country’s Future
How does the Seal propel institutions, and the U.S., toward a brighter future?
Seal of Excelencia certified institutions demonstrate positive impact on student outcomes before and beyond graduation — extending to career preparation and success. In growing Latino talent amongst all, they meet the U.S. economy’s need for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders.
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When we invest in Latino students, we're not just investing in our community. We're investing in the future of the region, which is also the future of California and the United States.
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- Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, President, Fresno State University
Collaborating in Common Cause
Why is working together in common cause important for Seal-certified institutions?
The 45 trendsetting colleges and universities that have earned the Seal of Excelencia share a powerful commitment to Latino, and all, student success. As leaders in Excelencia’s community of practice, they work together to advance strategies and practices that strengthen individual and collective efforts. Though they represent a small percentage of all institutions, these colleges and universities disproportionately enroll and graduate Latino, and all, students — leading in degree completion across the nation.
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I believe that our partnership and the work that we're doing with Excelencia helps elevate our faculty and our staff that are working diligently to implement and execute on those strategies. Being part of an ecosystem that is sharing data, looking at best practices, and developing new strategies makes us all better and stronger.
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-Madeline Pumariega, President, Miami Dade College
Serving All as a National Imperative
What does it mean to accelerate Latino student success while increasing all student success?
We must close gaps in degree attainment to meet our nation’s need for an educated citizenry and workforce. Seal-certified institutions understand that this work is not a zero-sum game. In making their campuses places where Latino students thrive, they strengthen their capacity to ensure all students thrive
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We have an obligation to educate the entirety of the public… including, of course, Latinos. We firmly believe that intentional, deliberate interventions that improve the educational outcomes of Latinos also have secondary implications for all students in a very positive way.
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- Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Chancellor, University of California, Merced
An Ongoing Journey To Latino, and All, Student Success
Why do institutional leaders begin and continue their journeys to and beyond Seal certification?
The Seal provides a framework that sets institutions on the journey of transformation necessary to more intentionally serve Latino, and all, students. That means supporting institutions at the start of their journey toward Seal certification to evaluate their efforts, as well as ensuring those further along in their journey sustain progress and continue to deliver on their commitment to Latino, and all, student success.
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Recertification was very meaningful to us at ASU because it confirmed that we are upholding our commitment to serve Latino students in all the ways that Excelencia has outlined for us. It also allowed us to evaluate our strengths and… continue to push on the agenda to advance and accelerate Latino higher education success.
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-Nancy Gonzalez, Executive Vice President and University Provost, Arizona State University
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Excelencia, and the two-year journey in particular, has really revved up our folks to look at data across the board. We're creating these wonderful personas that Excelencia has taught us to do, thinking about, what are the life circumstances of different students? And then tracing how we might meet with different academic programs to think about their reaction to what they could do to support those students.
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-Nancy Cantor, President, Hunter College
The Seal of Excelencia represents more than recognition. It is a catalyst for transformation that increases student success, a unifying call to meet our national goals, a driver of accountability and value in higher education, and a clear signal of positive impact and trust for students, families, and communities.
Are you ready to join these higher education trailblazers and harness the power of the Seal
on your campus?