This is a moment that, for thousands of mostly young people across the country, could not come soon enough. Four years, maybe five, sometimes more, of hard work is finally paying off and students are—or soon will be—college graduates. ‘Pomp and Circumstance,’ graduation’s traditional, song is now an earworm in every state where commencement is on or soon to begin.
Colorado State University-Pueblo and Adams State University in Alamosa, two four-year jewels of higher education in southern Colorado, are in the midst of commencement preparations. Both schools are part of the HACU network, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, whose mission is to improve access to high quality education for Hispanic students while meeting the business, industry and government needs of the communities in which they live.
Pueblo and Alamosa, in their own ways, are the intellectual and economic hubs of their regions. Nurturing, keeping and replenishing the future brain trusts and intellectual foundations of their communities is not just important but essential. The communities, both the urban centers of their regions, each have Hispanic populations near or above 50 percent. Maintaining the intellectual population is almost essential.
“We take great pride in being the state’s first and premier destination for Hispanic students in Colorado,” said Dr. Cheryl Lovell, ASU President.” With 37 percent of our student body identifying as Hispanic, Adams State has an obligation and desire to give our students the resources necessary to succeed.” The school, said Lovell, has created a Cultural Awareness and Student Achievement (C.A.S.A.) program specifically for the purpose of engaging and embracing its Latino student population. Lovell said ASU has also established a STEM tutoring center along with “necessary support programs to create pathways to success at Adams State University.”
At CSU-Pueblo, Hispanic enrollment is 34 percent. This spring, said school president Dr. Timothy Mottet, graduation rates among Latinos will be 40.4 for Hispanic women and 32.5 percent for Hispanic males. Graduation rates are based on a six-year graduate enrollment. Six years is the national rate for college graduation. While six years may seem long in earning a college degree, the U.S. Department of Education says it’s normal and most students entering college usually take that long. Only 41 percent of all entering freshmen graduate within four years.
Whether a degree is earned within four years or the national average of six years, Mottet says each diploma earned enhances the quality of the community where it is awarded. “Campuses dedicated to real support of first generation, minority, and low-income students see diplomas change families, communities, workplaces, and entire systems.” In cities like Pueblo, said Mottet, “We work diligently to ensure that the diverse cultures of the region are represented.”
At Adams State, said Oneyda Maestas, Director of the school’s CASA program, ASU does everything it can to attract and keep its Latino students focused on graduation while working on creating entertaining escapes from the grind of the classroom.
“Our mission is to enrich all our students,” Maestas said. The center invites Hispanic students and all ASU students to experience the mission of CASA which focuses on the culture of the region while working on developing leadership qualities in its students and fostering a curiosity for learning.
“We want to make them (students) feel like they belong and find out they are worthy,” said Maestas, herself a graduate of Adams State. Providing this perspective, she said, is not only good for the student but a great benefit to Alamosa and the greater San Luis Valley.
“We want them to be productive citizens once they graduate,” the Kim, Colorado, native said. Together, ASU and CASA have provided the town and the Valley with bankers, nurses, teachers, and IT specialists. One extra benefit for the University that comes from CASA goes directly back to the school.
CASA students, most of whom are bilingual in English and Spanish, provide translation work for the university and “we do the work for free.” “I always say that ‘the person who has a dual language (skill) is worth two people.”
Adams State University has served Alamosa and the San Luis Valley since 1921. It was originally established as a teachers college and is named for former state legislator and later Governor, Billy Adams.
