Mercy Partners with Excelencia in Education to Release New Analysis on Latinos in Higher Education
Mercy University has partnered with Excelencia in Education to release timely new analysis on the evolving opportunities for Latino students — one of the fastest growing populations in higher education — and the institutions serving them. “Latinos in Higher Education: 2024 Compilation of Fast Facts” represents a series of fact sheets containing an array of information on the profile of Latino students and their journeys to and through college. Mercy University is one of 24 colleges and universities across the country supporting the release of this compilation to inform action, mobilize intentionality, and accelerate Latino student success.
“Mercy University is deeply committed to accelerating Latino students’ success in higher education and their careers. Our mission is perfectly aligned with the superb work of Excelencia in Education,” said Susan L. Parish, Ph.D., M.S.W., president of Mercy University. “This analysis highlights how institutions like Mercy University support Latino students and prepare them for lifelong success.”
“For 20 years, Excelencia has tracked and provided analysis on Latino students in higher education to inform action and catalyze institutional transformation,” said Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia and lead researcher on the analysis. “The trailblazing institutions supporting the analysis recognize the opportunity to leverage this information as they continue their efforts to intentionally serve the growing number of Latino students on their campuses.”
“Excelencia brings this analysis to the public with support from 24 college and university presidents and chancellors who have earned the Seal of Excelencia and serve as national leaders for Latino student success,” said Sarita Brown, co-founder and president of Excelencia. “We are honored to make common cause to assert that increasing the numbers of Latinos that earn college degrees is essential for ensuring America’s bright future.”
Excelencia’s analysis shows that Latinos are more likely to be the first in their family to attend college and to receive the federal Pell Grant than any other group, though they are less likely to take out student loans. Latinos also have the highest labor force participation but are more likely to be represented in occupations with lower salaries. Institutions enrolling Latinos are predominantly Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), representing 20% of colleges and universities yet educating 63% of all Latinos in the nation.
New York, the state with the fourth largest Latino population, is ranked fourth among states with the most HSIs, according to the analysis. Mercy University is the largest, private non-profit HIS in New York. Forty-eight percent of Mercy’s undergraduate student population is Hispanic, a number that has grown more than 10% in the past seven years.
Mercy University leads Excelencia’s network as one of only 39 colleges and universities to have earned the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally serve Latino students. Seal-certified institutions represent less than 1% of colleges and universities yet enroll 15% and graduate 17% of all Latino students.
Mercy is committed to serving and supporting Latino students intentionally, by creating the conditions that maximize their educational success. The University has invested in several transformational strategies to serve Hispanic students and position them to succeed, including its PACT personal mentoring program, which was designated a 2020 Example of Excelencia finalist. Since the advent of the PACT program, retention and graduation rates of Latino students at Mercy have seen remarkable improvement. Mercy University recently issued more than 500 bachelor’s degrees to graduating Hispanic students, the fourth most in the continental U.S. among private HSIs and more than several of Mercy’s neighboring institutions combined.
In addition, Mercy University belongs to Excelencia’s national network of Presidents for Latino Student Success (P4LSS), composed of over 190 postsecondary leaders from 27 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Together, colleges and universities in the network are transforming higher education. The P4LSS network represents only 6% of institutions yet enrolls 33% and graduates 35% of all Latino students.
Through this partnership and the P4LSS network, President Parish and Mercy University will continue collaborating with Excelencia, leveraging collective expertise and resources, fostering working relationships, and amplifying current efforts at the national level to accelerate Latino student success and ensure America’s future with the talent of Latino students.
To learn more about “Latinos in Higher Education: 2024 Compilation of Fast Facts,” visit: EdExcelencia.org/latinos-higher-ed-2024-fast-facts
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About Mercy University
Mercy University is an independent, coeducational institution serving more than 9,000 students each year across campuses in Westchester, the Bronx, Manhattan, as well as online. It is a federally designated minority-serving institution and the largest private Hispanic Serving Institution in the state of New York. Mercy offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificate programs within six schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The institution also provides non-credit courses and certificates for adult learners looking to acquire new skills through CERTiFi by Mercy University. Mercy was founded in 1950 by the Sisters of Mercy whose mission of transformative education remains strong. For more information, visit www.mercy.edu.
About Excelencia in Education
In 2024, Excelencia in Education marks 20 years of service to accelerate Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, conducting analysis to inform educational policies, advancing institutional practices, and collaborating with those committed and ready to meet the mission. Launched in 2004 in the nation’s capital, Excelencia has established a network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. For more information, visit: EdExcelencia.org