2024 AAHHE National Conference

Pre-conference Event 

 AAHHE ETS Latina/e/o/x Student Success Institute 

Interrogating the new realities: Creating a culture of evidence to respond to the Anti-Diversity, Equity & Inclusions and Anti-Affirmative action landscape

Speakers: Luis Ponjuan, PhD & Edith Fernandez, PhD

March 13, 2024, 8am-11am CST
In-person pre-conference session
Maximum participants: 25

Sponsored by ETS

Institute Summary

In 2023, higher education institutions, leaders, scholars, and students faced unprecedented challenges to the ideals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and affirmative action laws.  As a result, the educational experiences of Latina/o students have created an arduous pathway to enrollment, persistence, and completing a postsecondary credential and/or degree. There is a critical need to highlight and understand how these recent state and federal laws shape how institutions meet the needs of these students.

The theme of the AAHHE 2024 conference, Interrogating Ways of Knowing & Production as Forms of Healing: The Intersection(s) between the Land, Community, and Education, provides the lens on how higher education leaders and scholars must use their research acumen, advocacy, and collective strength to interrogate and challenge these new realities to create the safe and brave spaces build and support our comunidad.

Despite the political rancor, the AAHHE philosophical foundation compels educational leaders, faculty members, and professional staff to develop purposeful and intentional policies, programs, and practices to assist and support our diverse Latina/e/o/x student, scholar, and practitioner comunidad in community colleges and four-year institutions.  

Purpose

The purpose of the AAHHE 2024 Latina/e/o/x Student Success Institute is to create a safe space for higher education leaders to learn about current research from national and prominent scholars, to ask important questions, and to develop professional connections. We will have a specific focus on the college enrollment and persistence of Latina/e/o/x students (e.g., defined by various identity-based dimensions). This highly interactive institute will inspire, educate, and empower leaders, faculty members, and professional staff to return to their campus with new questions, ideas, and action steps to move this agenda forward.

2024 Latina/e/o/x Student Success Institute Agenda