¿Qué pasa, HSIs?

We continue down the path of healing while weathering the storm of Title V defunding with colegas from Cal State LA. Our guests include Dra. Jessica Morales-Chicas, Co-PI of DHSI Grant, Reclaiming Pedagogy, Community and Student Success, and Wendy Vaughn, Project Director of the grant. They explain how their five-year grant, focused on faculty professional development to better serve the campus's predominantly Latine/x student population, was defunded and the ways they are sustaining the work. Our guests describe the impact of federal funding cuts to HSI grants, including the fear of job loss, significant stress on staff, and difficult conversations with the campus community. They also outline the ways they are actively working to institutionalize and sustain the program's initiatives beyond the grant period, including positioning some efforts within the provost's office. However, they face challenges in securing ongoing funding for all the program components. Despite the challenges, the team is finding hope and optimism in the transformative impacts they have seen so far and their determination to find ways to sustain the program's initiatives. They emphasize that HSIs will not die, but will rise to meet the challenge.

Jessica Morales-Chicas (she, her)

Professor and Co-PI of DHSI Grant, Reclaiming Pedagogy, Community and Student Success, CSULA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-morales-chicas/ 

Instagram: dr.morales_chicas

Wendi Vaughn (she, her)

Assistant Director, Pathway Programs and Project Director of the DHSI Reclaiming Grant, CSULA

LinkedIn: WendiLVaughn 

Instagram: @iamwendiwithani | @wendilvaughn

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G. A. (Host). (2026, March 15). Weathering the Storm to Sustain & Institutionalize HSI Work (No.705) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. 

Show Notes:

In her book All About Love: New Visions bell hooks reminds us that “the search for love continues even in the face of great odds.” As the HSI community faces great odds amidst defunding and confusion, we must also create joy, love, and hope. Dra. Marla Lopez, inaugural director of the HSI Research Center at the University of Arizona, joins us for a vulnerable conversation about navigating loss and creating hope after federal funding cuts. We delve into the profound impact of HSI funding reprogramming, with Lopez sharing her personal experience of losing grants and highlighting how the loss extends beyond money—it affects lives, futures, and intellectual aspirations. Lopez describes how she's working through grief by naming it explicitly and resisting the urge to immediately fix everything, instead allowing time to sit with disappointment. We also highlight the importance of grieving in community and connecting with colleagues who share similar experiences. Despite the challenges, HSI work continues beyond federal funding, rooted in a critical understanding of what serving students means across different institutional contexts.

Guest:

Mara Nohemi Lopez (she, her, ella)

Director, HSI Research Center, University of Arizona

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmaralopez/ 

Instagram: @doctora.lopez

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G.A. (Host). (2026, March 1). Creating Joy, Love, and Hope After HSI Defunding (No.704) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. 

Show Notes:

In this episode we talk about all things Black Serving Institution (BSI), a new designation in California that creates a pathway for public and private colleges and universities to commit resources to advance the success of Black students. The designation requires campuses to demonstrate programs dedicated to Black student success, such as African-American studies and affinity spaces, as well as a track record of strong Black retention, transfer, and graduation rates. Dr. Keith Curry, president of Compton College, joins the conversation and tells us about how his freedom dream to create a BSI designation became reality. We discuss the ways BSIs can embrace servingness, the importance of upfront accountability and strategic planning compared to federal enrollment-based designations, and strategies for truly serving Black students rather than just enrolling them. We also highlight Compton College’s comprehensive approach to supporting all students' basic needs, including a housing project underway, another freedom dream becoming a reality for Dr. Curry. In this “riff” (as Dr. Curry uses) we talk about cross-racial collaboration and solidarity, as well as building relationships with external partners like donors, legislators, and the community to advance Black student success. This episode is for all our HSI, BSI, AANAPISI, and multi-designated listeners.

Guest:

Keith Curry (he, him)

President, Compton College

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keith-curry-7285b46 

Website: https://iamkeithcurry.org/

Show notes: 

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G. A. (Host). (2026, February 15). Dr. Keith Curry’s Freedom Dream: Becoming Black Serving Institutions (No.703) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. 

In this episode of ¿Qué pasa, HSIs? we discuss the road to healing following the defunding of Title V grants that support HSIs. Our guests Dra. Melissa Menendez and Nathalie Quintero share their personal stories working at a Title V-funded HSI, Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), and the aftermath of the September 10, 2025 announcement to reprogram enrollment-based MSI funding. They describe how the Title V grants were used to create programs and initiatives that cultivated a sense of community, celebrated Latine/x culture, and provided academic and student support services. Funding was also used to create the Raíces Faculty Institute which supported the training and professional development of faculty at SBCC. The sudden loss of this funding has created uncertainty and grief, and our guests grapple with the loss of jobs, services, and programs. Despite the challenges, Melissa and Nathalie express hope in finding joy through their communities of fellow HSI practitioners and a shared commitment to continuing this important work.

Guests: 

Melissa  Menendez (she, her, ella)

Title V HSI Grant Director & Professor, Santa Barbara City College

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/melissa-menendez-ph-d-880220336 

Nathalie Quintero (she, her)

Raíces Program Advisor, Raíces First Year and Beyond, Santa Barbara City College

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-quintero

Attachments / Show notes: 

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G.A. (Host). (2026, February 1). Balancing Hope and Loss Amidst Title V Defunding (No.702) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?.

We kick off season 7 of ¿Qué pasa, HSIs? discussing the $507.9 million loss to HSIs following the Department of Education’s announcement to defund enrollment-based MSIs on September 10, 2025. This conversation explores the current state of HSIs under the 47th president of the United States as well as the complex ways HSIs have leveraged Title V funds over the last 25 years. Our guest Dr. Rebecca Perdomo provides key insights into policy research including the ways HSIs have taken an "opportunistic" approach to grant-seeking amidst chronic underfunding compared to predominantly white institutions, with lower expenditures per student and significant deferred maintenance backlogs. We also explore the research on how HSIs promote upward social and economic mobility for their students showing that HSI outperform non-HSIs in promoting mobility. Dr. Perdomo’s stance is clear: racialized funding streams like Title III and Title V are critical to supporting HSIs and the students they serve. Despite the grief and anger over HSI funding losses, the HSI community must fight back and remain resolute in continuing their mission-driven work to support Latine/x students and communities. In this episode we call on HSI advocates to elevate the stories of resilience, hope, and success and to make the case for continued investment in HSIs.

Guest: 

Rebecca Perdomo (she, her)

Senior Research Associate & Independent Consultant, Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Justice

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-perdomo-phd

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/rebeccaperdomophd

Show Notes:

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G.A. (Host). (2026, January 11). The $507.9 Million Loss: HSIs Under Attack and Fighting Back. (No.701) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?.

For the final episode of season 6 we bring in a “new to the show” conversation on advising. And the whole episode is about advising and servingness. Dr. Gabe Bermea, a visiting scholar at the The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions, is a scholar and expert on advising practices with a keen focus on HSIs. He describes different types of advising models and dives deep into humanistic advising and the ways to use this approach in serving Latine students.  He challenges us to think about the conceptual natures and structures of advising as intertwined with servingness. Gabe reminds us that if 63% of Latines are enrolled in HSIs, that means HSIs are responsible for advising 63% of them, not just enrolling them. Advising is a vital structure for serving that must be intentional and can, in itself, be servingness. Listen and learn

Guest: 

Gabe Bermea

Visiting Scholar, The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbermea/

https://www.gabebermea.com/

Show Notes - all links are are open access:

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G.A. (Host). (2025, June 1). Advising as Servingness. (No.610) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. https://www.ginaanngarcia.com/podcast/

With over 400 campuses emerging toward 25% enrollment of Latine students and 600 institutions already meeting the threshold, we must talk about what it means to emerge as a campus that truly serves Latine students. Emergingness is the intentionality that goes into embracing servingness, and it is happening across the U.S. In this episode we welcome Kansas to the mic to learn about HSI work going on at Wichita State University. Dra. Sara Mata, Executive Director of Hispanic Serving Initiatives at WSU, is joined by two students, Valeria Paunetto and Dimas Gonzalez, who talk about the HSI movement on their campus, an emerging HSI. They share information about their signature offering, Herencia, a summer bridge program that centers Spanish, and their Somos Shockers campaign, which is the umbrella for all their HSI initiatives. Listening to students make sense of servingness is one of the most important things HSIs and eHSIs can do while they emerge.

Sara Mata (she/ella)

Executive Director of Hispanic Serving Initiatives, Wichita State University 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-mata-ph-d/

Instagram: @sara.mataphd | Facebook: sara.mata

Valeria Paunetto (she/her)

Somos Shockers Coordinator, Wichita State University 

Instagram: @paunettovaleria

Dimas Gonzalez (he/him/él)

Outreach Specialist, Wichita State University 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimas-gonzalez-bb3440303/ 

Show Notes: 

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G.A. (Host). (2025, May 18). Emergingness in Kansas (No.609) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. https://www.ginaanngarcia.com/podcast/

In this episode we get in (racial) formation with Dra. Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza, an assistant professor of Counseling and College Student Personnel at California Lutheran University. Dra. Espinoza’s research revolves around racial and organizational classifications, focusing on MSIs; particularly dual and multiple designated MSIs. She lays out the landscape of these institutions drawing on her dissertation titled, “Let’s get in (racial) formation: A three-paper exploration of dual- and multiple-designated Minority-Serving Institutions.” We talk about the complications, but also call on educators in these institutions to work in relation and solidarity across racialized lines. The call to action is to acknowledge that the number of dual and multiple designations is on the rise and we must do servingness work in relation and with responsibility. We also invent new words like, “AANAPI-Rizzies,” nodding to the University of California and other research institutions that are embracing multiple designations while remaining focused on their historic mission. This episode is a must listen for all HSI, AANAPISI, HBCU, and Black Serving Institution (BSI) educators and leaders. Let’s work in solidarity! 

Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza (she/her/siya)

Assistant Professor of Counseling and College Student Personnel, California Lutheran University

X/Instagram: @kageceratops

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinejan 

https://linktr.ee/kristinejan

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G.A. (Host). (2025, May 4). Racialized Solidarity Across Multiple MSI Designations. (No.508) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. https://www.ginaanngarcia.com/podcast/

Show Notes: 

What does it mean to be an historic HSI? Since few HSIs were founded with the mission to serve Latine students, the definition of an “historic HSI” is to have enrolled 25% Latine students since 1992 when the Higher Education Act was reauthorized to include HSIs. The historic HSIs are important because they have provided access to Latine students for over 30 years. In this episode we elevate these HSIs that I affectionately call “tia HSIs.” We also touch on the “historic spaces of servingness” which includes cultural centers, ethnic studies, and Trio programs. This plática includes Rosa Isela Cervantes, the Director for El Centro de la Raza at the University of New Mexico, and Julián G. Ángel, an undergraduate student and Program Assistant for HSI Initiatives, who talk critically about their progression from being set in their “tia HSI ways” to embracing servingness. We also interrogate what it means to be a Hispanic Serving Research Institution. This episode allows us to love and honor historic HSIs while also talking about holding them accountable to servingness.

Guests:

Rosa Isela Cervantes (She/Her/Ella)

Director, El Centro de la Raza and Special Advisor to the President on Latina/o Affairs, The University of New Mexico

Instagram: @rosaisela742 | @elcentrounm

Julián G. Ángel, (He/Him/Él)

Program Assistant-HSI Initiatives, El Centro de la Raza, The University of New Mexico

Instagram: @juliangangel

Show Notes 

APA Citation 

Garcia, G. A. (Host). (2025, April 20). Historic HSIs and Historic Spaces of Servingness (No.607) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. https://www.ginaanngarcia.com/podcast/

Developmental mathematics is one of the most pressing educational issues that colleges across the nation are addressing. Many states have passed legislation to address inequities in placement into developmental mathematics while individual colleges are trying innovative approaches to ensure the success of students who enroll in these courses. It’s an issue we may not fully solve, but there are many best practices to learn from. Our guest Dr. Vanessa Hill is a math professor who has spent the last 18 years at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) doing what she loves–teaching mathematics. She has also been involved in efforts to rethink developmental mathematics, both at her college and abroad. She has developed effective models and redesigned curriculum through the lens of servingness, acknowledging that as an HSI, STCC enrolls a large percentage of Black and Latine students who place into developmental mathematics at higher rates than white students. In this episode, we have a lively discussion about developmental mathematics as servingness.

Vanessa Hill (she/her)

Professor, Springfield Technical Community College

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-hill-phd-26718817/

Show Notes:

APA Citation: 

Garcia, G. A. (Host). (2025, April 6). Rethinking Developmental Mathematics as Servingness. (No. 606) [Audio podcast episode]. In ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?. https://www.ginaanngarcia.com/podcast/episode/a3c06889/rethinking-developmental-mathematics-as-servingness