Cathy Sandeen is President of California State University-East Bay and part of Excelencia in Action network. < Back to E-Action Main Page California State University-East Bay Cathy Sandeen President Institution website: https://www.csueastbay.edu/index.html Bio Page: https://www.csueastbay.edu/administration/index.html Cathy Sandeen is President of California State University-East Bay and part of Excelencia in Action network. Seal of Excelencia Certified: 2024-2027 California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) is a public university located in Hayward. CSUEB caters to the diverse aspirations of its student population and is a transfer-oriented campus. Almost over 60% of its undergraduates were transfer students, and 36% of those are Latino. In Fall 2023, CSUEB enrolled 13,338 students with more than 41% of undergraduates identifying as Latino. The University is designated both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI).

Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval is President of California State University-Fresno and part of Excelencia in Action network. < Back to E-Action Main Page California State University-Fresno Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval President Institution website: https://www.calstate.edu/ Bio Page: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/leadership/presidents/Pages/Sandoval.aspx Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval is President of California State University-Fresno and part of Excelencia in Action network. Seal of Excelencia Recertified Institution: 2024-2027 California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is the largest 4-year institution in the San Joaquin Central Valley. Fresno State serves a four-county area with a total population of 1.76 million; overall 60-66% are Latino, African American, Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islanders. Fresno State’s journey as a nationally distinguished Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) is one that uplifts evidence-based practices that are serving Latino students, faculty, and communities, while also acknowledging an ability to serve all historically marginalized groups.

This paper highlights how Excelencia, Single Stop USA, and community colleges are helping Latino students access millions of dollars in supports and services. < Back Supporting Latino Community College Students: An Investment in Our Economic Future Deborah A. Santiago ; Andrew Stettner June 2013 DOWNLOADS/LINKS Publication SHARE RESEARCH LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Copy link Overview Most Latino students who enroll in college begin at community colleges. This paper highlights how Excelencia in Education ( Excelencia ), Single Stop USA, and innovative community colleges across the country are making smart changes in their student services that are helping thousands of students access millions of dollars in supports and services that can help keep them in college. Together, these organizations are helping Latino, and all, students succeed and are providing a path for policymakers and college leaders to follow that can result in millions of additional college graduates. While student enrollment at community colleges has increased over the last 10 years, degree completion has not grown as quickly for Latino students. This limited degree attainment is the result of several barriers students face such as college cost, limited college knowledge, increased family responsibility, and work. For example, many Latino students are the first in their family to attend college and make choices to contain costs by enrolling at community colleges, attending part-time, and working more than 20 hours per week while enrolled. Unfortunately, these practical choices to contain costs, can hinder students' college completion. Too few students know there are resources available to assist with college costs that can increase Latino, and all, student success. They are also less likely to access financial resources like tax credits, food assistance and public health insurance that can enable them to maintain a stable family budget while enrolled. Return to Research Library Related Research by Issue Area - Education Pathways Financial Aid Institutional Practices Student Success Workforce

Tonya Smith-Jackson is Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark and part of Excelencia in Action network. < Back to E-Action Main Page Rutgers University-Newark Tonya Smith-Jackson Chancellor Institution website: https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/ Bio Page: https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/office-chancellor/meet-chancellor Tonya Smith-Jackson is Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark and part of Excelencia in Action network. Seal of Excelencia Certified Institution: 2025-2028 Rutgers University-Newark (Rutgers-Newark) is an urban public research university, a Hispanic-Serving Institution as well as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving and Minority-Serving Institution. It serves nearly 8,000 students, with 35% identifying as Hispanic.

Cynthia K. Larive is Chancellor of the University of California-Santa Cruz and part of Excelencia in Action network. < Back to E-Action Main Page University of California-Santa Cruz Cynthia K. Larive Chancellor Institution website: https://www.ucsc.edu/ Bio Page: https://chancellor.ucsc.edu/about/ Cynthia K. Larive is Chancellor of the University of California-Santa Cruz and part of Excelencia in Action network. Seal of Excelencia Recertified Institution: 2025-2028 The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), a public four-year Hispanic-Serving Research Institution (HSRI), serves 17,940 undergraduates of which 29% are Latino and 31% first-generation.

This brief examines the pragmatic choices Latinos make to pay for college and the role institutions play in ensuring a college degree is affordable for Latino, and all, students. < Back How Latinos Pay for College: 2025 National Trends Cassandra Arroyo, Emily Labandera, and Deborah Santiago March 2025 DOWNLOADS/LINKS Publication SHARE RESEARCH LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Copy link Overview Latinos make informed and pragmatic choices to pay for college, and the institutions intentionally serving them are making strides to ensure the price of a college degree is affordable. This brief builds on 20 years of Excelencia in Education’s research on Latino students and college affordability and lessons learned from institutional leadership and students’ experiences. Findings Many Latino students make choices with what they can control as cost-saving measures and rely on various forms of financial aid to make college more affordable. Consider the following choices Latino students make: Work 30 hours or more while enrolled in college. Enroll part-time or “swirl” between colleges to take courses needed. Decide to enroll at more affordable public colleges near where they live. Choose to live with their parents or off-campus. Rely on federal financial aid over other sources of aid. Leverage grant aid more often than loans. Leading institutions make choices with what they can control to make college more affordable. Seal of Excelencia certified institutions implement strategies and practices to help make the cost of a college education more affordable. These efforts help inform what institutions can do to increase access to a college education and financially support Latino, and all, students. Consider the following strategies and practices: Align institutional aid to provide funds to mitigate students’ unexpected financial challenges. Offer paid internships or on-campus employment opportunities so that Latino, and all, students can offset the cost of their degree while simultaneously gaining transferable skills. Provide support services to help their students make informed decisions about their college costs. Contain student costs by offering OER (Open Educational Resources) for courses. Advance full tuition scholarships to students with family incomes at or below a specific financial level. Facilitate and simplify access to aid by managing joint admissions and financial aid applications between two-year and four-year college partners. Intentionally serving Latino, and all, students at scale benefits from knowing and implementing what works to accelerate Latino student success at the state and federal levels based on efforts by policymakers. Learn more about ways states can lead the way and the federal role to support access to high education in this brief. Suggested Citation: Arroyo, C., Labandera, E., & Santiago, D. (March 2025). How Latinos Pay for College: 2025 National Trends. Washington, D.C.: Excelencia in Education. Made possible with generous support from Lumina Foundation Featured Publications How Latino Students Pay For College: Patterns of Financial Aid in 2003-04 Excelencia’s Policy Agenda: Affordability Return to Research Library Related Research by Issue Area - Education Pathways Financial Aid Institutional Practices Student Success Workforce

How have the number and location of Hispanic-Serving Institutions and eHSIs changed over time? Learn more about the evolution of HSIs with Excelencia's StoryMap. < Back Evolution of HSIs: Interactive StoryMap Excelencia in Education April 2026 DOWNLOADS/LINKS StoryMap on HSIs SHARE RESEARCH LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Copy link Overview How have the number and location of HSIs and eHSIs changed over 31 years? Learn more about the evolution of HSIs through Excelencia’s HSI StoryMap. CLICK HERE to Explore Excelencia's interactive StoryMap on HSIs. Source: Excelencia in Education analysis using U.S. Department of Education, NCES, IPEDS, 1994-2024 Fall Enrollment, Institutional Characteristics, and Completions Surveys. Return to Research Library Related Research by Issue Area - Education Pathways Financial Aid Institutional Practices Student Success Workforce

William Heineman is President of North Shore Community College and part of Excelencia in Action network. < Back to E-Action Main Page North Shore Community College William Heineman President Institution website: https://www.northshore.edu/ Bio Page: https://www.northshore.edu/news/2021/heineman_5th_president.html William Heineman is President of North Shore Community College and part of Excelencia in Action network.

Elizabeth Béjar is Provost, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer at Florida International University, and Excelencia in Education's Board Member. < Back to Our People Page Elizabeth Béjar Provost, Executive Vice President, and COO Florida International University Elizabeth B é jar, serves as Provost, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer at Florida International University , one of 46 institutions that has earned the Seal of Excelencia for striving to go beyond enrollment to intentionally SERVE Latino students . She is a key member of the university’s executive leadership, overseeing an annual budget of approximately $1.4 billion and providing strategic oversight of the institution’s academic and student success portfolio. Her expertise lies in understanding the changing landscape of higher education; working to propel the value proposition of higher education with intentionality and through the lens of student learning and success and research excellence. Béjar leads critical strategic initiatives, including the development of the university’s 2030 Strategic Plan, along with an implementation plan to further FIU’s mission to curate a meaningful student experience that leads to excellent outcomes. She joined FIU in 2003 and has held several key leadership positions.

JP Deering serves as Director of Communications of Excelencia in Education. JP supports media relations and curating digital content. < Back to Our People Page JP Deering Director of Communications Excelencia in Education Email: jpdeering@edexcelencia.org Current Position: JP Deering serves as the Director of Communications of Excelencia in Education, supporting media relations and curating digital content. In addition, he also coordinates the development of the organization’s branding and style guide which is executed in partnership with Excelencia’s strategic plan. Past Experiences: JP comes to Excelencia from INTO University Partnerships, an international education organization where he served as corporate communications manager until 2022. He began his career in 2016 as a teaching assistant at the University of Kentucky, working primarily with international and post-traditional students on written and digital projects. JP earned his B.A. in English with a minor in politics from Centre College. Why are you bringing your talent to Excelencia ? Throughout my career, I have focused on one question: How do we make higher education in the U.S. work better for students it has not traditionally prioritized or intentionally served? Excelencia answers that question by shining a light on evidence-based practices and programs that work for Latino students and holding institutional leaders and decision makers accountable for meaningful transformation. I am eager to be a part of that effort. How would you describe working at Excelencia ? Two words best describe working at Excelencia : growth and intentionality. Growth, because the innovators within this organization consistently push the envelope and challenge me to learn something new every day. Intentionality, because everyone here is committed and strategic when it comes to advancing Latino student success and building a community of common cause with like-minded leaders and advocates. This is not an organization of box-checkers.

This infographic shows 5 trends in higher education in Puerto Rico influencing institutional resilience, including enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. < Back Higher Education in Puerto Rico: Conditions and Context Influencing Institutional Resilience Infographic Excelencia in Education June 2021 DOWNLOADS/LINKS Infographic SHARE RESEARCH LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Copy link Overview This infographic shows 5 trends in the conditions and context of higher education in Puerto Rico influencing institutional resilience. The total population and K-12 educational pipeline has declined, potentially affecting the future college-going pool of applicants. Full-time retention rates have increased in the last 15 years, despite drops in enrollment, and are higher than the national retention rate. The cost of attendance across all sectors has been increasing over the last 20 years and there is a significant gap between students’ cost of attendance and the grant aid they receive. Graduation rates have been on the rise at private 4-year institutions but have remained relatively stagnant at public 4-year institutions. Despite an increasing share of the population attaining a postsecondary degree, Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate is high. Suggested Citation: Labandera, E., Santiago, D., and Laurel, J. (May 2021). Washington, D.C.: Excelencia in Education. Learn more in Higher Education in Puerto Rico: Conditions and Context Influencing Institutional Resilience . Webinar - Higher Education in Puerto Rico: Conditions and Context Influencing Institutional Resilience - A Conversation with Puerto Rican Leaders Click here to view Return to Research Library Related Research by Issue Area - Education Pathways Financial Aid Institutional Practices Student Success Workforce

Nancy Cantor is President of CUNY Hunter College and part of Excelencia in Action network. < Back to E-Action Main Page CUNY Hunter College Nancy Cantor President Institution website: https://hunter.cuny.edu/ Bio Page: https://hunter.cuny.edu/office-of-the-president/meet-the-president/ Nancy Cantor is President of CUNY Hunter College and part of Excelencia in Action network.