Arizona Association of Chicanos for Higher Education

A Chronicle of Latino Higher Education

 

Arizona State University West Now Offering 36 New Faculty Positions- Please Help Recruit!

Dear AACHE Members and the Chicano/Latino Community of Scholars,

There is a wonderful opportunity for enhancing and diversifying the faculty ranks at Arizona Sate University in Phoenix , Arizona :  36 tenure-track positions!

According to ASU West Provost Elaine P. Maimon, ASU President Michael Crow has authorized the West Campus to search for up to 36 faculty positions during the 2003-2004 Academic Year. The large majority of these hires will be in fields and disciplines housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education .

This positive development, the result of increasing enrollments at the West Campus over the past several years, will see faculty hires meeting the research, service, and instructional needs of ASU West. The campus has surpassed a headcount of 7,000 students and will likely be beyond 6,000 FTE by AY 2004-2005. The introduction of lower-division, growth in undergraduate programs, and the evolution of graduate programs since 2000 have necessitated the hiring of new faculty.

ASU West is committed to hiring high-quality and diverse faculty with the capacity for excellent teaching and high quality research and scholarship who can contribute to the intellectual and cultural vitality of ASU West. This is in line with President Crow’s goal to raise the percentage of Latina/o faculty members across the board. At ASU West this will mean substantial growth beyond the current 12.5 % Latina/o members of the ASU West faculty.  ASU West faculty and administrators are being asked to identify and recruit diverse candidates to ensure that the campus can hire excellently and diversely.  Provost Maimon has also asked the Arizona Association of Chicanos for Higher Education ( AACHE ) to help in the identification of qualified Latina./o candidates to fill these positions.

The member of AACHE are in the unique position of assisting a growing campus committed to serving a rising population of Latina/o students (from 11.2 % in 1997 to 16.6 % in 2003).  We can publicize the positions at ASU West and work to ensure that Latinas/os in or entering the professoriate are aware of the opportunities at the campus.  Considering the poor job market in other states, the search for up to 36 new tenure-track professors represents a clear and desirable opportunity for young Latina/o faculty across a range of disciplines.

Please share the news with all ABDs, junior, and senior faculty members across the Southwest and the country. 

For more information, please visit the ASU West web-page: http://www.west.asu.edu/.

Sincerely,

Manuel de Jesús Hernández-G., Ph.D.

AACHE President

Long-time Professor of Mathematics And Creator of Minority Student

Research Programs Passes Away

 

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Professor Joaquín Bustoz on Wednesday, August 13 as a result of complications from injuries suffered in an automobile accident on July 6^th. 

Joaquín joined the mathematics faculty in August of 1975 and served as Department Chair for the unit from 1982 to 1985.  In 1985 he created the Summer Math-Science Honors program, a national model for the development of minority students seeking careers in math, science and engineering and served as its director from its inception.  From 1993 to present, Dr. Bustoz served as the Director of the SUMS Institute (Strengthening Understanding of Mathematics and Science.)  For his many successes in his work to encourage minorities to earn degrees in mathematics and science, the National Science Foundation honored Dr. Bustoz in 1996 and his Institute in 2003 with the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.   He was also a recipient of the 1996 and 2002 ASU Alumni Association's Outstanding Faculty Service Award.  In addition to his work with SUMS, Joaquin directed the NIH-sponsored MARC program, Minority Access to Research Careers. 

His passing is an immeasurable loss.  Joaquin's defining characteristic was his passion not only for the field of mathematics, but also for helping talented minority students achieve their full potential. His commitment made each of those he touched a better person and ASU a better place. Barriers that daunted others challenged him. He will be sorely missed but not forgotten.

   

Stop Anti-Immigrant and Divisive Initiative: “Protect Arizona NOW”

Since this past summer 2003, the Arizona State Legislative Latino Caucus has held a series of community meetings at the state capitol and in community centers to provide the Chicano/Latino community information on the anti-immigrant initiative misnamed Protect Arizona NOW (PAN).  In fact, in early October, out of such meetings surfaced an umbrella community organization to organize and defeat at the polls the PAN initiative.

Modeled after Proposition 187 in California , the divisive initiative PAN is being promoted by Representatives Randy Graf and Russell Pearce, two conservative Arizona legislators.  Democrat and Republican elected officials as well as Governor Napolitano oppose the measure. 

Introduced on July 7, 2003 by George Childress, Phoenix car dealer, the proposed law states: “The Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act amends A.R.S. to require registrants applying to vote in Arizona to submit evidence of their United States citizenship with the application.  This Act also requires state and local governments and their agencies that administer state and local benefits that are not federally mandated to verify applicants’ identity, immigration status, and eligibility of applicants; to accept only immigration-status-verified identification; cooperate with other state agencies to verify immigration status of applicants, and to report to federal immigration authorities any violation of federal immigration law by an applicant for benefits.”    

At the community meetings, many legislative leaders have spoken out against the initiative, among them, Representative Steve Gallardo and Senators Ríos, García, and Soltero as well as Representatives Bradley, Clark, Downing, Miranda, and Loredo.  A member of Los Abogados, Daniel Ortega has indicated legal assistance will be provided to stop the initiative.  At one meeting Dr. Edward Valenzuela, former dean of the Hispanic Leadership Institute, noted, “They [the proponents] will be appealing to the worst side of mankind to support a dreadful course of action.”

On a public policy level, research indicates that immigrants have a positive impact on the American economy and national interest.  In a study by the American Graduate School of International Management, the authors found that Mexican immigrants account for $3.86 billion in purchasing power in Arizona and pay $569 million in sales and federal taxes.  The prestigious journal American Economic Review observes that Mexican immigrants have made significant generation-to-generation educational gains, outpacing previous European immigrants.  The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) reports that approximately 38,000 non-citizens serve in the U.S. military.

The Arizona Association of Chicanos for Higher Education ( AACHE ) will host a legislative forum on the misnamed and divisive initiative Protect Arizona NOW at the annual conference set for Friday, November 21^st at the West Campus of Pima College.

 

Likins looks to increase diversity, serve Hispanics

By Cara O'Connor

Arizona Summer Wildcat

Monday August 11, 2003

 President Pete Likins has planned for more than a year to increase diversity and boost Hispanic enrollment at the University of Arizona . Recently, he appointed one woman to orchestrate that task.  Patti Ota, the current vice president for executive affairs and university initiatives, will take the reins on minority recruitment on Sept. 1 when she moves to her appointment as the vice president for enrollment management, a new position created by Likins.  "We have understood for a very long time that we can't create a diverse learning environment for faculty and students without a diverse student body," Likins said.

 Likins aims for the UA to become a Hispanic-serving institution in 10 years, he said. That would require the UA to increase Hispanic enrollment from 14 percent to 25 percent, with half of those 25 percent demonstrating financial need. This would require the UA to increase the number of Hispanic students by 300 each year, Ota said. "That is an ambitious goal," she said. Both UA South and Pima Community College are considered federal Hispanic-serving institutions, making them eligible for additional federal funding. The funding, however, is not the primary reason for striving to become a Hispanic-serving institution, Ota said. "The magnitude is not that great that it would radically change this institution," she said. Rather, Ota said she hopes to better serve and represent the large Hispanic population in the state.

 "We believe that where this university is located, and to serve the city of Tucson and the state of Arizona , it is the right thing to do." she said. "As the Hispanic population grows, it should grow at the U of A also," Likins said. Likins said he hopes to develop a new recruitment plan by fall 2005. "We need an all-encompassing plan," Ota said. "It involves everything that we do, from recruitment to retention to financial aid." Likins plans to use admissions policies approved in the spring as a vehicle to increase diversity.

 Beginning in Fall 2006, the UA will only have to accept the top 25 percent of Arizona high school students. The university currently guarantees admission to the top 50 percent. This means that admissions staff will be able to make judgments about individuals in the second quartile of their class, Likins said. "That requires that we make the commitment to learn about individuals," he said. Likins said this will require a larger admissions staff and possibly enlisting alumni to conduct student interviews. He also hopes to bring potential students and their families to the UA campus earlier so that they are well informed about admissions, financial aid and academics on campus. Ota said she hopes to hire more Spanish-speaking admissions staff and recruiters to reach out to the Hispanic community and especially to parents.

 While recruiting a more diverse population that is also adequately prepared for the university will take years, the results will benefit both the university and the community, Likins said.  “The reward is increased graduation rates, increased diversity and increased academic quality,” he said.

Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics (2003): A National Perspective on Hispanic Education

 Charmaine Llagas.   Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics.  Washington , DC :  U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, 2003.  Project Officer: Thomas D. Snyder.  (NCES 2003-008.)

 Patterned after the book The Condition of Education, the publication Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics (2003) by Charmaine Llagas provides a national perspective on the educational status of Hispanics. Commissioned by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), the publication details pre-primary, elementary, and secondary education as well as post-secondary academic achievement by United States Latinos.  The study examines student performance in reading, mathematics, science, and college entrance exams.  Full of charts and graphs, the study compares educational achievement among Hispanics, Blacks, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans.

 Hispanics should be viewed as a mosaic of people and not a homogenous population.   The report Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics notes that the three largest Hispanic subgroups are Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.   According to Census data, approximately 62 percent of Hispanics residing in the United States are native born citizens.  However, immigration from Central and South America is increasing at a constant rate. 

As a youthful population, the median age of Hispanics in 2002 was 26.6 years.

 Not surprising, this federal report confirms that students from low-income families do not fare as well as students from middle-income families. Risk factors affecting student outcomes gives the reader insight into why some children are at a disadvantage within the classroom.  Statistics are also provided on children’s health risks and family structure as well as the social environments of students. 

 Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics indicates that Hispanics are enrolling in colleges and universities in record numbers.  However, nationally Hispanics are only 2.9 percent of full-time instructional faculty. 

 Obtaining a college degree alludes many Latinos.   In 2002, the completion rate for Euroamericans was 34 percent, for Afro-Americans 18 percent, and for Hispanics 10 percent.  Degrees conferred on Hispanics are and follow: “Nine percent of associate degrees, 6 percent of the bachelor degrees, 4 percent of the master degrees, 3 percent of the doctoral degrees, and 5 percent of first-professional degrees” (98).   In contrast to the 1970s, business was the most popular degree program with 20 percent of Hispanic undergraduates selecting this major.

 In comparing income level between racial and ethnic groups, we see that education has a leveling effect when Hispanics earn graduate degrees.  The NCES publication notes that there are no statistical differences between White (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic men when considering income (116).  With regard to voter participation, the study notes that Hispanics who attend college are more likely to be voters.  Policy makers and educators will find this statistical portrait of Hispanics to be a compelling story about our nation’s fastest growing ethnic population. 

 

Toward Diversifying the Maricopa County Community Colleges

 By Manuel de Jesús Hernández, Ph.D.

 Established to provide post-secondary education to the residents of the Phoenix area, the Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD) has been recognized as one of the finest community college districts in the United States . During the current decade, the number of Chicano/Latino students who attend MCCCD is expected to dramatically increase. In the Phoenix area, one of out every three residents is Latina or Latino. If the demographic trends continue as predicted, Chicanos/ Latinos will be the majority population in the Phoenix area in the near future.

 However, The Arizona Republic reports ( July 28, 2003 ) that both Arizona legislators and Latino residents are dissatisfied with hiring practices within the Maricopa Colleges. Given the reality of the demographic growth of Latinas and Latinos, the MCCCD must work to hire faculty members who are representative of this ethnic group. This AY 2003-2004 Latina and Latino students compromise 17 percent of the students who attend the Maricopa Colleges while Latino faculty members comprised only 10.8 percent of residential faculty. In the face of these contradictory percentages, the new Chancellor should look at the recent and current hiring drives at Arizona State University- Main and Arizona State University- West. Although neither university is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) both can serve as models in the recruitment of Chicano/Latino faculty for each of the three Maricopa Colleges which are HSI: Phoenix College , Estrella Mountain Community College , and South Mountain Community College .

 There is a compelling educational rationale to diversify the residential faculty at MCCCD. When minority students see faculty members from their own racial/ethnic background, they are motivated to succeed, particularly when many of these Latina and Latino faculty began their student career at a community college. Moreover, in sharing common cultural backgrounds with their college professors, Latina and Latino students develop the confidence to complete a degree program or transfer to a four-year university. Many times, Chicano/Latino faculty members serve as translators and academic advisors. At a time when Latina/o students face serious barriers within the educational pipeline, it is important to hire faculty members who serve role models for minority students and also meet the needs of all Arizona students regardless of class, race, gender, or sexuality.

 In recognition of this urgent policy issue, the Maricopa Colleges has instituted the Faculty in Progress Pilot Project (FIPP). Specifically, as a goal this program seeks “to provide mentoring and professional development activities that result in the knowledge and skills needed to be competitive in the pursuit of a residential faculty position. Interns represent disciplines where (1) there is an under utilization as identified in the MCCCD Affirmative Action Plan; (2) there is not a sufficient applicant pool presenting desired qualifications to meet the needs of the college; and (3) where recruitment is generally called for under MCCCD’s Affirmative Action Plan.”

 While some residential Maricopa faculty have voiced concerns that FIPP could undermine the legitimacy of the District’s employment selection process, many Latino faculty are ambivalent about how selection committees decide who will teach in the Maricopa Colleges. A high profile case can be cited: last year, a Latina who earned her juris doctorate at Harvard Law School was not invited to interview for a job vacancy at Glendale Community College (GCC) nor for one at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC). The fact that she was a daughter of Glendale was lost on the selection committees. If the hiring process within the Maricopa Colleges is not changed to be more equitable, then charges of employment bias will continue.

 We urge the new MCCCD Chancellor, all the members in Chancellor’s Executive Council, and the faculty at each community college to make a needed historical contribution in diversifying further their residential faculty. The diversity that we observe in the make up of the MCCCD Governing Board and the Chancellor’s Executive Council needs to be reflected at every community college campus. Most urgently, a growing Latina and Latino population needs its role models to achieve the American Dream.  

Executive Board
President Dr. Manuel de Jesús Hernández Assoc. Professor of Spanish and Chicano Literature Arizona State University Dept. of Languages and Literatures PO Box  870202 Tempe, AZ 85287-0202 Phone: (480) 965-9573 FAX: (480) 965-0135 E-Mail: manuel.hernandez@asu.edu	President- Elect Dr. Ernesto G. Escobedo Math Faculty Glendale Community College 6000 W. Olive Glendale , AZ 85302 Phone: (623) 845-3255 FAX: (623) 845-3329 E- Mail: escobedo@post.harvard.edu
Treasurer Prof. Antonio Arroyo Librarian Pima Community College 5901 S. Calle Santa Cruz Tucson , AZ 85709 Phone: (520) 206-5068 FAX: (520) 206-5090 E-Mail: aaroyo@pimacc.pima.edu	Secretary Dr. Cándido Mercado Director of Multi-disciplinary Educational Services Mailings Pima Community College West Campus 2202 W. Anklam Road Tucson , AZ 85709-0060 Phone: (520) 206- 6086 FAX: (520) 206-3265 E-Mail: Candido.Mercado@pima.edu
Membership Coordinator Dr. José Colchado Professor of Educational Leadership Northern Arizona University 6520 S. Avenida Don Fernando Tucson , AZ 85746 FAX: (520) 908-0262 E-Mail: jose.colchado@nau.edu	Newsletter Editor Hon. Elizabeth Archuleta Coordinator, Multicultural Affairs Alumni Office Northern Arizona University PO Box 6032 Flagstaff , AZ 86011 Phone: (928) 779-6578 FAX: (928) 779-6687 E-Mail: elizabeth.archuleta@nau.edu
Institutional Representatives
Maricopa Community Colleges Dr. Cleopatria Martinez Mathematics Professor Phoenix College 1202 E. Thomas Rd. Phoenix , AZ 85013-4234 E-Mail: cleopatria.martinez@pcmail. maricopa.edu Phone: (602) 285-7390 FAX: (602) 285-7700	Glendale Community College Dr. Ernesto Escobedo . Math Faculty 6000 W. Olive Avenue Glendale , AZ 85302-3090 Phone: (623) 845-3255 FAX: (623) 845-3329 E-Mail: escobedo@post.harvard.edu
Pima Community College Sr. Juan Soto Counselor 8181 East Irvington Road Tucson , AZ 85709-4000 Phone: (520) 206-7662 FAX: (520) 206-7690 E-Mail: Juan.Soto@pima.edu	Central Arizona College Dean Martha Muñoz Director, Early Care and Education Training Program 8740 North Overfield Road Coolidge , AZ 85228 Phone: (520) 426-4477 FAX: (520) 426-4476 E-Mail: Martha_Munoz@python.cac.cc. az.us
Cochise College Prof. Guillermo Retana Spanish Instructor 4190 W. Hwy 80 Douglas , AZ 85607-9724 Phone: (520) 432-5288 FAX: (520) 364-0320 E-Mail: retanag@cochise.cc.az.us	Northern Arizona University Hon Liz Archuleta Coordinator of Multicultural Alumni Relations % 2714 N. East St. Flagstaff, AZ 86004 Phone: (928) 523-4520 FAX: (928) 779-6687 E-mail: elizabeth.archuleta@nau.edu
Arizona State University Sr. Ed Delci AACHE Past President Senior Outreach Counselor and Academic Associate Arizona State University College of Liberal Arts & Science PO Box 871701 Tempe, AZ 85287-1701 Phone: (480) 695-6506 FAX: (480) 965- 2110 Email: Edward.delci@asu.edu	Arizona State University West Dr. Alejandra Elenes Professor of Womens Studies PO Box 37100 FAB Phoenix, AZ 85069-7100 Phone: (602) 543- 3315 E-mail: ELENES@asu.edu