CSUB launches HSI faculty fellowship

Dr. Joseph Florez will examine ways CSUB can more intentionally serve Latinx students

By California State University, Bakersfield

October 4^th, 2023

California State University, Bakersfield has been federally recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) since 1998 for enrolling a large portion of Latinx students. However, leaders of the campus community believe the university could do more to fully earn that designation.

“Despite the Latinx student demographic now standing at nearly 68%, this population has not been intentionally served in a way that best reflects the spirit of the HSI designation,” said Dr. Alicia Rodriquez, a history professor and member of the Latina/o Faculty and Staff Association.

To help change that, the university has selected Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Joseph Florez for a new HSI faculty fellowship in which he will examine CSUB’s practices and policies to identify ways the university can be more authentic and intentional in serving Latinx students.

The fellowship is being funded through a five-year, $3 million grant provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program.

“We need to conduct anaudit of campus practices, policies and culture to identify the extent to which we are conscientiously a Hispanic-Serving Institution,” said Dr. Debra Jackson, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of academic programs. “We want to make sure we have no equity gaps, that all students can equally benefit from the education and services we provide here.”

One of the outcomes the university is hoping to achieve through this effort is to enact changes that will help CSUB earn a Seal of Excelencia from the nonprofit organization Excelencia in Education. The seal is provided to institutions that demonstrate that they are intentionally serving their Latinx students, not just enrolling them.

“We want to be deliberate as an institution about our identity as an HSI, to take the word ‘serving’ seriously,” Dr. Jackson said.

Dr. Florez wanted to apply for the year-long fellowship because of his own background and experiences as a Latinx student and because he believes it’s a great opportunity to make a difference for the university.

“I think the demographics of CSUB present some unique challenges but also some unique opportunities to think deeper on how we reach students, how we can best serve them, what their needs are,” he said. “CSUB has already made a concerted effort to reach out and help Hispanic and Latinx students, but there’s always more to do. This fellowship is trying to take things to the next level, to revisit what we’ve done and how we can improve on the successes we’ve already had.”

'A jumping-off point'

Dr. Florez believes it’s critical that the effort not only focus on what’s happening on campus but also on what’s happening in these students’ personal lives, as he believes it’s important for faculty and staff to see students as full individuals who face challenges outside of the classroom.

These challenges include work and home responsibilities as well as family members’ lack of understanding of what students are tasked with at the university, according to Dr. Florez.

“One of my own experiences as a first-generation student and what I’ve heard often from students is that their families are very happy that they’re here and they’re very supportive, but they don’t fully understand the requirements that are placed on students in order to be successful here, which can lead to feelings of frustration,” he said.

Dr. Florez hopes the fellowship will help strengthen CSUB’s connections with students’ family members and their communities, as he believes that can lead to fewer feelings of isolation and may encourage more Latinx students to persist to graduation.

“I hope this serves as a jumping-off point where we can begin to bridge that disconnect,” he said. “I think we need to expand the CSUB community and think about it from a wider perspective.”

Dr. Florez said it’s important that student voices are at the center of this process and to make them feel included in the effort.

“It’s always more impactful and powerful when faculty members hear from the students themselves,” he said. “It’s better that we hear what the students are facing and how they understand those challenges. Then we can begin to bridge that gap.”

Dr. Florez must submit a report to the university on his findings and recommendations in January. In the spring, he plans to offer some student-centered programming as well as professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. These will focus on how to work with Latinx students and help them achieve success.

Dr. Rodriquez said she’s excited to see what will result from the fellowship and how CSUB will move forward as an HSI in the years to come.

“Dr. Florez and the work he completes as the faculty fellow will make an important contribution to the university and to the community it serves,” she said. “It is gratifying to see CSUB is making a significant investment in this important initiative.”