We still want to provide programs that help our Hispanic students and help all our students.
Despite shifting federal priorities and uncertain funding, Milwaukee Area Technical College will always be committed to welcoming and serving Hispanic students, college officials said this week.
MATC in 2019 began the process to become an Hispanic-Serving Institution, a federal designation given to colleges and universities whose student populations are at least 25% Hispanic.
This fall, 24.2 percent of MATC’s full-time equivalent students are Hispanic, putting the college on the brink of attaining the designation, said Dr. Patricia T. Nájera, executive director of MATC’s Oak Creek Campus and co-chair of the college’s HSI Steering Committee.
In the past, colleges earning the HSI designation could apply for additional federal funding to improve student services and provide innovative instruction. But that money is in limbo as federal officials dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, which has supervised the HSI program for 30 years.
Still, MATC is proceeding as planned.
“We still want to provide programs that help our Hispanic students and help all our students,” Dr. Nájera said at a session about HSI on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the MATC Education Center at Walker’s Square. “What is happening at the federal level is not stopping us.”
The event, “Let’s Talk HSI,” was part of the college’s celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15.
Working to gain HSI status helps all students, Dr. Nájera said. “It means a better quality of life,” she said at the session. “The credentials and degrees you get at MATC can lead to higher paying jobs and can make you a role model to your family. This is what the dream is all about.”
Even with the current uncertainty and turbulence, the number of Hispanic students at MATC continues to grow, Dr. Nájera said. “We have instructors who look and talk like our Hispanic students. We are having events like this,” she said. “We are bringing the culture to the college.”
In the fall of 2024, MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz said 23.4% of MATC’s full-time students are Hispanic, making MATC an Emerging HSI, just a step below full designation.
When MATC announced plans in February 2019 to seek the formal HSI designation, 16.48% of the college’s full-time students were Hispanic. The percentage increased to 18.8 in the fall of 2019, and to 21.4% in the fall of 2023.
This year, the HSI Steering Committee is working to align its efforts with the college’s new strategic plan, called Ascend Together. The plan has three priorities: Fostering student success, establishing a caring culture at the college, and strengthening community trust.
The committee has organized orientation events for Hispanic students and community connection sessions, held Casa Abierta open houses, and is planning a 5K run to raise scholarship funds, said Dr. Cristina Rodriguez, co-chair of the steering committee.
The next Casa Abierta Open House will be 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Oak Creek Campus.
For MATC, attaining the designation will be key to educating a growing population. A recent report estimated that by 2030 – only five years away – 22% of the nation’s workforce will be Hispanic/Latino/a, Dr. Cruz said last year. “Those workers need to be educated and prepared,” he said at the time. “If we don’t do that, we could find ourselves in a crisis.”
There are 600 HSIs across the nation, including 234 two-year public colleges. Wisconsin has four HSI colleges: Alverno College, Herzing University, Gateway Technical College and Mount Mary University.
Read more about MATC’s HSI Initiative
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.