DETROIT – Wayne State University is pleased to announce that President Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D., has chosen to affiliate with Excelencia in Education’s national network of Presidents for Latino Student Success (P4LSS). The network comprises a group of presidents and chancellors who have committed to making their campuses learning environments where Latino students and their peers thrive. Excelencia in Education is the nation’s premier authority on efforts accelerating Latino student success in higher education.
Excelencia formed its network in 2011 and Presidents for Latino Student Success in 2014 to support institutional leaders who are transforming higher education to make the country stronger through the contributions, skills and talents of Latino college graduates. Programs and initiatives that work for Latinos can serve other students as well and impact the entire nation.
“We are thrilled to join the P4LSS,” said President Espy. “At Wayne State, we are actively engaged in increasing the educational access and success for our students, and we appreciate the partnership with Excelencia as a part of this network to increase our impact specifically for our Latino students. This work is critical because approximately 42% of the state’s Latino population resides in Southeast Michigan — including 11% in the city of Detroit — and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) predicts that by 2035, Latinos will comprise approximately 5% of the total metro Detroit population, indicating a 64% increase over 30 years.”
Through the P4LSS network, President Espy will collaborate with Excelencia and other postsecondary leaders to leverage collective expertise and resources, foster partnerships, and amplify current efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education at the national level.
“While I was at the University of Texas at San Antonio, I had the privilege of working closely with Excelencia in Education,” said President Espy. “My work with Excelencia, as well as other organizations, has been driven by my motivation to improve outcomes for our Latino students — a mission I am committed to continuing while at Wayne State.”
President Espy joins more than 150 leaders that belong to the P4LSS network and lead the nation in enrolling and graduating Latino students. Although the network represents only 5% of the thousands of colleges and universities across the country, the network enrolls 32%, and graduates 34%, of all Latino students in higher education.
“Institutional leadership focused on intentionally serving Latino — and all — students is the hallmark of the presidents and chancellors in this network,” said Sarita E. Brown, co-founder and president of Excelencia in Education. “We are proud to catalyze and support them as they advance student success and grow talent for our country’s bright future.”
As a member of the Excelencia network, Wayne State will work toward pursuing the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally serve Latino students. Using this evidence-based approach, the noted strategies and tactics can be applied to accelerate the success of students from other backgrounds.