Hampton Roads colleges reaching out to Hispanics

VIRGINIA BEACH

Keila Molina, a third-year law student at Regent University, is the first and only person in her Mexican-American family to earn a college degree.

At Regent, she has volunteered in the Center for Latino Leadership, helped the school recruit Hispanic students and gave a presentation about Mexico.

Now she’s seeing more students on campus who share Hispanic heritage.

Molina, 28, represents a demographic that colleges across the country have been recruiting aggressively. Hispanics are the country’s largest minority group, and as their numbers continue to grow, colleges are catering to their needs and ramping up efforts to bring them onto campuses.

The 2010 U.S. census counted 50.5 million Hispanics, up from 35.3 million in 2000. The population will triple in size and account for most of the country’s population growth through 2050, according to projections from the Pew Hispanic Center.

Hampton Roads institutions are taking note. College recruiters such as Douglas Gardner, who focuses on Hispanic recruitment at Norfolk State University, say it makes sense to reach out to the growing population.

“It equates to more money for the university; that’s where the bottom line is,” Gardner said.

Regent University has developed a Latino Recruitment Plan and started a Spanish-immersion house called La Casa de Español, where students speak only Spanish and learn about Hispanic cultures.

This year, the school added a minor in Latino studies and started the Hispanic Law Students Association. Molina is its president. In addition, the school has been working on a mentoring program for black and Latino youth called Take 2 Through College.

Campus officials say they’re seeing their work pay dividends.Molina is one of 249 Hispanic students today, compared with 150 in 2006.

Regent’s president, Carlos Campo, who is half Cuban, sees a need to reach out. He worked in the community college system in Nevada for 10 years and heard about talented, intelligent Hispanic students who couldn’t afford to finish college. “These are leaders that may be missed,” Campo said. “If we don’t reach out to Latino students, we’ll lose an entire generation.”

Other local campus officials said recruiters attend Hispanic conventions and fairs, and advertise in Hispanic media outlets. Hispanic-themed organizations are springing up on campuses.

Old Dominion University had 1,170 Hispanic students last year, compared with 691 in 2006.

Hispanics now outnumber young blacks on campuses across the country, according to recent statistics from the Pew Hispanic Center.

Reaching out to Hispanics hasn’t been easy. Speaking Spanish often helps. Recruiters and academicians say that often, they’re not recruiting just the students.They’re also recruiting the families, some of whom can be dealing with immigration issues.

Some potential students have a hard time leaving family, NSU’s Gardner said.

“Hispanics have a deeper root with family these days because Hispanics want to stay home and give back instead of ‘I just want to move out on my own and be independent,’ ” he said.

Student loans can be an issue, Gardner said.

“The culture doesn’t want to borrow loans,’’ he said. “I explain to families that it’s a good investment. But the attitude is if you can’t do it for free or can’t afford to pay for it, you don’t want to pay for debt.”

Regent’s Campo said he has seen some of the same challenges.

College officials have to convince the family the campus is safe and culturally sensitive, he said. Hispanic families usually ask: Are there Latino students and faculty there? Does the college have values? Is there a center that respects their values?

Molina said she has found her community at Regent.

“It does make a difference because you are understood,” she said. “It makes you feel at home.” Jennifer Jiggetts, (757) 222-5150, jennifer.jiggetts@pilotonline.com