Hispanic Outreach How to deliver the message effectively

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The following is a presentation prepared for
NASFAAs 2007 Conference in Washington, DCJuly
8-11, 2007
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Hispanic Outreach How to effectively deliver
the message

• María L. Frias
• Senior VP Hispanic Initiative
• Sallie Mae

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What Are Our Next Steps?

• In order to reach our Hispanic students we must
  go into the community.
• We must provide information that delivers the
  message College is possible. Additionally, this
  message must be delivered bilingually.
• Because Hispanics are the largest growing group
  of high school graduates, we must have a strategy
  to recruit and retain Hispanic students on our
  campuses.
• In todays era of technology, we all rely on the
  Internet for information, so we must provide this
  same information to our Hispanic students online,
  bilingually.

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Hispanic Community Knowledge of Financial Aid
Information

• 3/4 of young adults NOT currently in college
  would have been more likely to attend college if
  exposed to better information about financial aid
• More than half of all Latino parents and 43 of
  Latino young adults could not name a single
  source of financial aid
• More than 2/3 of Latino parents did not receive
  any financial aid information while child was in
  K-12
• Source The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute Survey
  commissioned by The Sallie Mae Fund, March 2004.

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Agreement on Importance of College Degree in
Latino Population
Very Important
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Familiarity with Financial Aid By Immigrant
Generation Among Latino Young Adults
Latino Young Adults
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Familiarity with Financial Aid By Primary
Language at Home
Latino Young Adults
English
Spanish
Both
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Impact of Early Financial Aid Information

• College achievers Getting financial aid
  information in K-12 was very important to
  decision to attend college

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Hispanics and Technology

• Hispanic students are online.
• 55 of the Hispanic population (approx. 16
  million people) are online.
• 77 have access to broadband.
• 68 of Hispanic who go online consider the
  internet to be the best source for making final
  brand decisions.
• While mostly or partially acculturated Hispanics
  tend to prefer online content in English 40
  found Spanish content appealing.
• Source AOL Latino 2006 Hispanic Cyberstudy.
• Source Wentz, Laurel, Online Hispanic
  Audience is Predominately Bilingual, 9/2006.

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Hispanics and Technology contd.

• Hispanic student more so, than white students
  have embraced many types of e-communications.
• 14 admit to having downloaded a podcast, and 16
  admit to downloading a video podcast. This
  response was twice as high as that of White
  students (7 and 8).
• 57 of Hispanic students compared to 48 of White
  students stated they would participate in an
  online chat on a college website.
• 54 of Hispanic students also stated they would
  download a video podcast from a college web-site
  compared to 44 of White students.
• Whites students showed a higher rate of cell
  phone ownership (71 vs 60) However Hispanic
  students were more open to taking calls from
  college representatives ( 66 vs 60) Hispanic
  students were also more willing to receive text
  messages (61 vs 46).
• Hispanic students and White students had very
  similar responses to activities they would like
  to do on College Web sites. Most commonly
  mentioned were completing financial aid
  estimators, using a tuition cost calculator, and
  completing an application.
• Source Noel-Levitz, Inc, E-Expectations Class of
  2007 Report Hispanic Students and the Web.

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Hispanics and Technology contd.

• Noel Levitz 2006 E-Expectations class of 2007
  Report Hispanic Students and the Web recommends
  the following Strategies for e-communications
  with Hispanic students
• Guide Hispanic students through the admissions
  process online
• With half of college-bound Hispanic high school
  students researching and completing forms on
  their own, the more guidance a college can
  provide the more likely these students will apply
  for college
• Reach out to the families of Hispanic students
• Since 95 of Latino parents expect their children
  to go to college, communicating with the parents
  can have a direct influence on Hispanic student
  enrollment
• Consider bilingual communications
• As 40 of Hispanics appreciate having materials
  available in Spanish and English. Consider
  Spanish content on your web-site especially for
  admissions and financial aid.
• Put new technologies to work in Hispanic
  recruitment
• Considering their willingness to use media such
  as text messaging and podcast consider using
  these technologies which can provide a cost
  effective personal touch. These are also ideal
  for bilingual communication. Spanish podcast are
  ideal for students to share with their family
• Source Noel-Levitz 2006 E-expectations Class of
  2007 Report Hispanic Students and the Web.

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Why We Need Strategies for Increasing Hispanic
Enrollment

• Between 2001/02 and 2013/14, the number of
  Hispanic high school students is expected to
  increase by 73
• By 2014 Hispanic students will account for 47 of
  all high school minority students
• Source Minaya,Guido A, Hispanic Fund Recruiting
  and Retaining the Fastest Growing Student Market
  Segment ( Presentation at the National Conference
  on Student recruitment marketing and retention,
  Denver Colorado July 2006

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Why Are We Concerned?

• Because the countrys economic strength is
  inextricably tied to the level of education of
  its citizens, American high schools must
  significantly increase the percentage of minority
  students who receive a degree or risk weaken the
  nations economic condition.
• If the United States education system would
  increase its rate of minority high school
  graduates to match that of Whites nationally, the
  resulting increase in personal income would add
  310 billion to the U.S. economy.
• Source HispanicBusiness.com, Oct 17, 2006.

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Why Are We Concerned?

• Shifts in the American and global economy means
  that those that lack a college education will
  find their opportunities of economic mobility
  severely restricted.
• Our service-based economy requires a level of
  knowledge and skill that, for the most part can
  be gained only through programs offered at
  colleges and universities.
• Source Council for Aid to Education. Breaking
  the Social Contract The Fiscal Crisis in Higher
  Education.

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Effective Strategies

• Increase the number of Hispanic organizations on
  campus
• Hispanic students need and want to feel like they
  belong on your campus. If during a college visit
  to a campus, they are befriended by another
  Hispanic student someone they can identify with
  and see themselves in they are more likely to
  attend your institution.
• This also acknowledges respect for their culture.
• Texas Southern University, a Historically Black
  University, has started five Hispanic
  organizations including Hispanic sororities and
  fraternities in an effort to increase the number
  of Hispanics enrolled at their campus.

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Effective Strategies contd.

• Increase the number of Hispanic faculty members
  on staff
• Hispanic students need and want to identify with
  Hispanic faculty role models. These role models
  act as mentors and guides molding the future of
  these leaders.
• There are many challenges for institutions
  wanting to recruit Hispanic faculty members. The
  most prevalent being the low number of Hispanics
  who attend graduate school and receive graduate
  level degrees. These Hispanics are hard to find
  however, they are a vital element to the overall
  educational experience of Hispanic and
  non-Hispanic students.

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Effective Strategies contd.

• Increase outreach efforts to the local Hispanic
  community
• It is important to identify community-based
  organizations that are currently serving the
  Hispanic population that your institution wants
  to recruit.
• Examples
• College ambassadors
• Faculty mentors
• Once students are admitted, develop an outreach
  program that motivates these students to want to
  attend your institution.
• Examples
• Student ambassadors
• Alumni
• Develop a targeted scholarship program
• Avoid race as a criteria, instead use
  socio-economic criteria

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Strategies That Work The Texas AM Success Story
contd.

• In 1995, Texas AM enrolled its largest number of
  Hispanic freshmen with 895 Hispanics representing
  15 of the total student body.
• The following year, the Texas courts ruled that
  race could no longer be used as a factor in
  public college admissions. The number of Hispanic
  freshmen plummeted.
• Increasing the number of Hispanic organizations
  on campus
• Texas AM involved their Hispanic organizations
  in their recruiting efforts. Groups such as the
  Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
  began to take an active role during campus
  visits.
• By having organization members act as mentors,
  they created a warm atmosphere that encouraged
  potential Hispanic students to attend Texas AM.
• Increasing the number of Hispanic faculty members
  on staff
• Texas AM quickly implemented their Hispanic
  outreach network. Their strategies included
  increasing Hispanic faculty. In the fall of 2005,
  Texas AM had 80 tenured or tenure-tracked
  faculty members on staff compared to 1,260 white
  faculty members.
• Through the formation of the Mexican American and
  U.S. Latino Research Center (MALRC), Texas AM
  faculty are able to conduct research on issues
  that particularly impact on the quality of life
  of Latinos in Texas and the U.S. Through MALRC,
  Texas AM has effectively been able to recruit
  more Hispanic faculty members to their campus.

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Strategies That Work The Texas AM Success Story
contd.

• Increasing outreach efforts to the Hispanic
  community
• Through the creation of Ambassadors for AM,
  network members contact Hispanic students once
  they are admitted to AM.
• Ambassadors for AM also work with Hispanic area
  high school students to apply to AM. They
  encourage them to enroll in Texas AM because
  they went there and had a good learning
  experience. They also highlight what they have
  done with their degrees.
• Regional Financial Aid Advisors in the Brazos
  Valley, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Corpus
  Christi, and Rio Grande Valley
• Increase opportunities to inform and assist
  students and parents with educational financing
  options
• Develop a targeted scholarship program
• Over 12 million dollars (named Regents
  Scholarships) were investing to target low-socio
  economic students and first generation college
  students.  The income criteria was 40K or less
  and first generation students would qualify.
   Even without using race as criteria, over 70
  scholarships went to minorities.

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Strategies That Work The Texas AM Success Story
contd.

• Texas AMs efforts paid off.
• When admissions records were finalized for the
  fall of 2005, they found that 1,002 Hispanics had
  enrolled as new freshmen making up 14.3 of the
  class of 09.
• It was the first time in history that Texas AM
  enrolled more than 1,000 Hispanic freshmen.
• Source Bounds Socol, Kara. The Hispanic
  Presence at Texas AM from the Texas Aggie
  magazine.

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Organizations That Help Deliver the Message

• Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)
• Town Hall Meetings - Bilingual, multi-media
  sessions where students and families gain
  inspiration and information about the value and
  affordability of a college education 2 hour
  events covering college preparation and financial
  aid.
• Steps for Success Saturdays (S4S) - A full day of
  hands-on specialized instruction offering a range
  of college preparation workshops for high school
  students and their parents.
• Parental Engagement Programs - Studies show that
  parental enrollment is key to keeping Hispanic
  students on track. The goal of this program is to
  create a positive systemic change for Hispanic
  students and parents in the school system. The
  program seeks to increase communication between
  parents and teachers to increase the information
  flow between these two groups resulting in
  greater student success.

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Organizations That Help Deliver the Message
contd.

• The ASPIRA Association, Inc.
• The only national non-for-profit organization
  devoted solely to the education and leadership
  development of Puerto Rican and Latino youth.
  ASPIRA brings together students, parents,
  schools, and community members to promote
  educational success and community leadership.
• ASPIRA of Connecticut ASPIRA of New Jersey
• Students served 1,500 Students served
  6,000
• www.ctaspira.org www.nj.aspira.org
• ASPIRA of Florida ASPIRA of New York
• Students served 3,600 Students served
  8,000
• www.flaspira.org www.nyaspira.org
• ASPIRA of Illinois ASPIRA of Pennsylvania
• Students served 2,500 Students served 3,500
• www.aspirail.org www.aspirapa.org
• ASPIRA of Puerto Rico

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Organizations That Help Deliver the Message
contd.

• Engaging Latino Communities for Education
  (ENLACE)
• Composed of 13 program sites in seven states
  dispersed across the country. Programs serve
  students from different Latino backgrounds.
• ENLACE programmatic components
• Changing Educational Institutions - Engaging
  educational institutions at all levels of the
  P-20 continuum to be more responsive to needs of
  underserved students. For example, in
  Albuquerque, New Mexico, Chicano studies has been
  added to high school curriculum.
• Strengthening Supports for Students - Linking
  schools, parents and community members through
  mentoring tutoring and leadership development to
  support student achievement in rigorous college
  preparatory curriculum. For example, UT
  Brownsville science students are conducting
  tutoring and experiment sessions with Boys and
  Girls Clubs, public housing sites and community
  centers.
• Creating a Seamless Pathway to College - Working
  to align and increase rigor in curricula and
  standards to allow a direct pathway along a P-20
  model For example, Saber y Hacer-Southern New
  Mexico helps sixth graders demystify the college
  experience.

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Organizations That Help Deliver the Message
contd.
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Organizations That Help Deliver the Message
contd.

• The Sallie Mae Fund
• The Paying for College Bus Tour - Since 2004,
  this bus tour has conducted more than 500
  bilingual workshops in 33 states. The mission of
  the tour is to educate Hispanic families about
  paying for college.
• Partners include
• NCCEP - National Council for Community and
  Education Partnerships
• NACAC - National Association for College
  Admission Counseling
• MTr3s - MTVs newest addition focusing on young
  Latinos
• CHCI - Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
• HSF - Hispanic Scholarship Fund
• Many other community-based organizations
• Kids2College (K2C) - Helps sixth graders
  demystify the college experience.
• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Massachusetts
• North Carolina
• Texas
• Washington, DC

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Organizations That Help Deliver the Message
contd.

• Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational
  Fund (MALDEF)
• Parent School Partnership Program
• Offers parents an extensive course providing them
  with the knowledge and tools necessary to
  advocate for quality education for their children
• Hispanic College Fund (HCF) Hispanic Youth
  Symposia
• The Hispanic Youth Symposia are the nations only
  programs that combine college counseling,
  mentorship, career advice in a three-day,
  two-night, on-campus setting, where participants
  live in dorms, eat in dining halls, and
  experience the college lifestyle.
• Bay Area, CA
• Greater Washington DC Area
• Baltimore, MD
• Fresno, CA

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QA

• María L. Frias
• Senior VP Hispanic Initiative
• Sallie Mae
• 954-693-9961 Office
• 954-732-2541 Cell
• Maria.Frias_at_salliemae.com

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Outreach Efforts and Results

• Financial Aid Applications up 20 in targeted
  schools.
• Presentations to over 15,000 high schools
  students since fall
• 3000 personal contacts, 2,200 seniors.
• 600 High School Visits

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Outreach Initiatives

• Regional Financial Aid Advisors in the Brazos
  Valley, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Corpus
  Christi, and Rio Grande Valley
• Collaboration with Admissions Student Groups
  with Phone-A-Fish program
• Increase opportunities to inform and assist
  students and parents with educational financing
  options
• Improve recognition of students receiving
  scholarships from Texas AM University
• Implement Scholarship Programs to attract and
  retain these students ,first generation low
  socio-economic background

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