Recently released statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that Wayne State University has emerged as a leader in the retention of Hispanic/Latino students. The school's Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies (CBS) recently announced that 97.4% of their 2010 freshman class has been retained, according to the school's Student Tracking Advising Retention System (STARS). This paired with exceptional numbers from their sophomores (100%) and juniors (95.5%) reflect the efforts from CBS personnel.

"We're very proud of these results, which would not have been possible without the tireless work from everybody involved with our organization," said Ethriam Brammer, associate director at CBS. "With that said, however, this is simply one step in a long journey to close the Hispanic graduation gap nationally."

As part of its mission, CBS recruits students into its' Scholars Program, an academic program designed to facilitate the transition between high school and college and to increase retention rates of at-risk students. The two-year program equips students of varying educational backgrounds with self-empowerment tools; a supportive learning environment; a foundation for a successful path through school; and, preparation to become leaders and mentors.

The College to Career Program (C2C), a professional mentoring program, has also received widespread national recognition for its success in closing the academic achievement gap of Latinos in higher education.

According to the report, Hispanics represent the largest future growth population for higher education institutions. Between 2007 and 2008, the increase in college-going rates of Hispanic high school graduates aged 18-24 was greater than that of their White, African- American and Asian-American counterparts.

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Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.