Excelencia in Education, the nation’s premier authority on efforts accelerating Latino student success in higher education, Friday announced that The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has been certified with the Seal of Excelencia for 2021.
UTRGV is one of just 10 institutions in the country to earn the certification this year and joins a group of 14 other Seal-certified institutions focused on a commitment to intentionally SERVE Latino students.
“Earning the Seal of Excelencia is a monumental distinction for UTRGV, as we take great pride in accelerating Latino student success in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond,” said UTRGV President Guy Bailey. “This is a great testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty and staff.
“We are proud to have achieved this certification that recognizes our programs and efforts dedicated to increasing the number of Latino students who, ultimately, earn a degree and go on to help their communities thrive.”
Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia in Education, said UTRGV’s designation is a recognition of its effect on the community.
“The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the Seal-certified institutions articulated and demonstrated they are modeling the behavior we need to see to accelerate Latino student success,” she said. “They are having a measurable impact in changing the face of higher education.”
Of the thousands of colleges and universities across the country, the 135 presidents and chancellors of the 170 institutions in the organization’s network, Presidents for Latino Students Success, enroll one in four of all Latino students in higher education. And these institutions account for one in three of all Latino graduates.
“These 24 Seal-certified institutions are trendsetters,” Santiago said. “Combined, they enrolled 10 percent of all Latino college students and graduated 12 percent of all Latinos in the United States. That is powerful and says a lot about their intentionality.”
An institution earns the Seal of Excelencia by demonstrating alignment across the three core areas of data, practice and leadership, which show:
• Evidence of effectiveness and intentionality in institutional practices serving Latino students.
• Positive momentum for Latino student progress in their data.
• Dedication to transforming the institution into an environment where Latino students thrive.
• Strategies in leadership that clearly articulate institutional focus on advancing Latino student success.
In addition to UTRGV, the other 2021 Seal-certified institutions are:
• California State University, Fresno (Fresno State).
• California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).
• Miami Dade College (MDC).
• San Diego State University (SDSU).
• Texas A&M University – San Antonio (TAMUSA).
• University of California, Merced (UCM).
• University of California, Riverside (UCR).
• University of Central Florida (UCF).
• Wilbur Wright College (WWC).
The goal of Excelencia is to close the education equity gap, strive to have 6.2 million Latino students attaining college degrees by 2030 and supporting America’s civic and workforce needs by effectively preparing Latinos, now the nation’s second-largest ethnic population.
