Hispanic Serving Institutions: Advancing Research and Transformative Practice ed. by Anne Marie Nunez, Sylvia Hurtado, and Emily Calderon Galdeano (review)
Latino/a* college students represent the largest enrolled minority group of students in the country (Fry, 2011) As their enrollment is projected to continually grow, many choose to attend HispanicServing Institutions (HSIs) As such, the time is ripe for a text specifically focusing on these institutions. HispanicServing Institutions: Advancing Research and Transformative Practice provides readers with an informative guide to HSIs. The text is divided into three parts, with 11 chapters total. It begins with a foreword by Michael A. Olivas, author of the seminal text Latino College Students (1986) Olivas describes how far scholarly research has come since his body of work on Latino/a college students and the importance of HSIs in serving this population cannot be underestimated. In chapter 1, Nunez, Hurtado, and Calderon Galdeano discuss the importance of studying HSIs. The text delves into "new research and to advance the study of HSIs as complex organizations including demographic change, increased institutional accountability, and resource constraints" (p. 3) The authors provide historical context for the designation of HSIs, most importantly describing how these institutions were not originally enacted as HSIs, but evolved from the continued enrollment growth of Latino/a students at colleges and universities and in highly populated Hispanic geographic communities. In chapter 2, Hurtado and Ruiz Alvarado describe the potential of HSIs, with specific attention to institutional identity and trans formation. The authors posit that HSIs should prioritize Latino/a students identities at the center by utilizing an adapted Multicontextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments (MMDLE) originally developed by Hurtado and associates, which focuses on institutional climate, practices and student outcomes. Nunez, Crisp, and Elizondo detail the role of Hispanicserving community colleges and their role in postsecondary transfer for Hispanic students in chapter 3. They provide a review of the literature on 2year HSIs, characteristics of students enrolling at these institutions, and individual and institutional factors with regard to transfer. In chapter 4, Nunez and Elizondo focus on institutional diversity among 4year HSIs. The relationship between institutional characteristics and student outcomes are also addressed. Researchers found various differences at public 4year HSIs, including that close to half of all 4year HSIs are public institutions, emphasize undergraduate education, and are relatively open access. Comparisons between Puerto Rican and mainland HSIs are also discussed. In chapter 5, Garcia makes the case for using organizational theory to study HSIs.