The Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Symposium will feature Gina Garcia, a leading scholar on HSIs and a professor in the Berkeley School of Education at UC Berkeley, on March 12 from 10-11:30 a.m. in the Santos Manuel Student Union South Events Center.

During her keynote address, Garcia will discuss her book “Hispanic Serving Institution in Practice: Defining Servingness,” which is ideal for higher education professionals searching for best practices for HSIs. Garcia will define the multidimensional framework for understanding “servingness” and discuss the “structures for serving.”

“We’re excited to bring Dr. Gina Garcia to CSUSB to move our work as an HSI forward with intention,” said Paz Olivérez, vice president for Student Affairs. “The HSI Symposium will provide the opportunity for the campus to learn about the work of CSUSB’s HSI Collaborative and how the entire campus community can support current efforts to go beyond simply ‘enrolling’ large numbers of Latinx students to truly earn the HSI designation by using data to engage in what Dr. Garcia calls ‘servingness’ to meet the needs of our students and support their success.”

“Servingness is conceptualized as the ability of HSIs to enroll and educate Latinx students through a culturally enhancing approach that centers Latinx ways of knowing and being, with the goal of providing transformative experiences that lead to both academic and non-academic outcomes,” according to Garcia’s website.

Since 1994, Cal State San Bernardino has been a Hispanic Serving Institution. At the symposium, attendees will learn how other HSIs transform their practice and complicate the “indicators of serving” to assess how much they serve Latinx students.

The event is an opportunity to bring the campus community together to have a conversation about the idea of “servingness.” Refreshments will be provided.        

The symposium is hosted by the CSUSB HSI Collaborative, which consists of administrators, staff and faculty from 30 departments and programs at Cal State San Bernardino, representing the five divisions and Palm Desert Campus.

The HSI Collaborative’s work is informed by the Seal of Excelencia from Excelencia in Education, which recognizes colleges and universities promoting Latino student success. The Seal of Excelencia is a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally serve Latino students. Cal State San Bernardino will be applying for the Seal of Excelencia in the spring, and the HSI Collaborative used its framework to guide its efforts.

In addition to the keynote, Garcia will have targeted sessions and meetings in the afternoon. Garcia will meet with CSUSB’s senior leadership, followed by a session on curriculum development with faculty. She will also meet with the HSI Collaborative to discuss the group’s work and provide guidance.

The HSI Symposium is free and open to the campus community; RSVP online. For questions, email the Vice President’s Office for Student Affairs at vp_studentaffairs@csusb.edu.