New Equity Innovation Hub is leveraging the success of HSI programs

POSTED ON Jun 26, 2023

In the summer of 2021, California State University (CSU) announced the launch of a Global Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Equity Innovation Hub on the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) campus. (Photo contributor: EtiAmmos, Shutterstock.com)

CSU established the Equity Innovation Hub through a partnership between the state of California and Apple—who will fund the programming—to transform HSIs, increase student success and equip Latinx and other historically underserved students with skills for high-demand careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The building was made possible through a $25 million allocation in the 2021-22 California state budget and a donation from Apple. In addition to the financial support Apple provides for the Global HSI Equity Hub programming, it will also give innovative Apple technology, design support, and thought partnership as the project expands.

California State University, Northridge is annually among the nation’s leaders in awarding degrees to Latinx students, and more than 21,000 of the campus’ approximately 39,000 students enrolled in fall 2021 identified as Latinx.

In December 2022, the Global Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Equity Innovation Hub (EIH) at California State University, Northridge, awarded the first CSU HSI Community Grants round.

The 17 finalists include CSU San Marcos, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, Cal State LA, Chico State, and San Francisco State.

CSU San Marcos will use HSI Community Grant funding to understand better and adopt the Seal of Excelencia framework, a comprehensive institutional strategy for serving Latinx students developed by Excelencia in Education. Institutions earn seal certification by demonstrating alignment across the three core areas of data, practice, and leadership.

In response to a growing need for biomanufacturing technicians in Southern California, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, and Cal State LA formed a consortium with industry association BIOCOM California Institute to develop a Biomanufacturing Technician (BMT) program set to launch in 2023. The program is designed to prepare diverse STEM students for entry-level positions in the biomanufacturing, biotechnology, and biopharmaceutical industries.

The consortium plans to use funding from their HSI Community Grant to recruit and retain students from underserved communities for the BMT program, working with the Orange County Department of Education, Los Angeles County Office of Education, and local high schools and community colleges to promote the program.

Leveraging the success of a similar program for first-time STEM students, called STEMCAT Mentoring, Chico State will use HSI Community Grant funding to pilot the STEM Peer Coaching initiative, which targets second-year STEM students from historically underrepresented communities as well as other first-generation and low-income students who are on academic notice.

San Francisco State‘s Latinx Student Center (LSC) will use its HSI Community Grant to fund two projects leveraging technology to solve real-world problems impacting the Latinx student community through challenge-based learning that helps students develop as future leaders and professionals in the creative and tech industries.