The magazine of Montclair State University Spring 2016

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Montclair State now meets the criteria for designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). While highlighting the University’s commitment to diversity, the designation also presents new funding and educational opportunities.

“Providing excellent educational opportunities for a diverse student body is both a moral and economic imperative that helps to develop a qualified workforce and to enhance each graduate’s potential to succeed professionally,” says President Susan A. Cole. “We take this challenge seriously, and it is not just by chance that more than 600 of our Hispanic students are majoring in the fields of science, technology and mathematics – making Montclair State a leader in the effort to reverse the national decline of minority STEM professionals.”

For 15 straight years, Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine has included Montclair State among its “Top 100 Colleges for Hispanics,” a ranking that identifies the colleges and universities that enroll, train and graduate the most Hispanic scholars.

With its new HSI status, which is reserved for colleges and universities with enrollments of full-time, Hispanic undergraduate students of at least 25 percent, the University will be able to compete for federal grants under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program. This initiative offers funding to help expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment and retention of, Hispanic students, as well as expand and enhance academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability.