By Donald Gilpin

Mercer County Community College (MCCC) has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), which provides the college with many new opportunities to apply for grants and tap into resources to enhance academic programs, facilities, and services that expand opportunities for Hispanic Americans.

“This federal designation is a significant milestone toward reducing barriers to higher education and creating an inclusive environment with equitable outcomes for all students,” said MCCC President Deborah Preston in a press release. “It will allow us to continue providing the tools needed to empower our Hispanic and Latino students, and ultimately the broader community.”

MCCC has become eligible for this designation with a growing enrollment of full-time students who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino. From 2019 to the fall of 2023, MCCC’s Hispanic and Latino student population increased from 24 percent to 30 percent, well above the 25 percent minimum required to receive the DOE designation as an HSI. MCCC has also met criteria pertaining to the enrollment of low-income students and the cost per student.

There are now 600 U.S. colleges and universities, including 23 in New Jersey, designated as HSIs, a five percent increase over last year’s 572 recognized institutions, according to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

“The rate that Hispanic-Serving Institutions continue to grow emphasizes their importance to the communities they serve,” said HACU leader Antonio R. Flores in a press release.

Sixty percent of HSIs are four-year institutions and 40 parent are two-year institutions, according to a recent article in Salud-America.org. The article goes on to note a 52 percent increase in college degree attainment at HSIs from 2015 to 2020.

“HSIs are engines of upward mobility and are the backbone of educational opportunity for millions of students across the country,” Flores said.

The HSI designation makes MCCC eligible to apply for grants within the DOE’s Title III and Title V programs, as well as gaining the potential support of the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program and the TRIO Student Support Services Program and waiver eligibility of the Federal Work Study Program’s non-federal share-matching requirements.

HSIs around the country were awarded more than $40 million by the Biden administration in 2023 to expand educational opportunities, strengthen resources, and improve retention of Hispanic and Latino students, according to the MCCC press release.

Mercer County Executive Dan Benson congratulated the MCCC faculty and staff “for their hard work and continued dedication to meeting the needs of our growing Hispanic community and all our students.”

He continued, “This national designation, combined with the college’s mission to support lifelong learners, is a huge step on the pathway toward equitable academic opportunities for all students, their families, and the community we are committed to serving.”