Hispanic Magazine has ranked the University of Notre Dame 13 th on its 2006 list of “Top 25 Colleges for Latinos,” the fourth year the University has made the list since its debut in 1999.Notre Dame was ranked 15th in 2002, 16th in 2003 and ninth in 2004.
The magazine based its evaluations on academic excellence, Hispanic enrollment and achievement, selectivity, graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratio, percentage of Hispanic faculty, financial aid, cultural programs, and support for Hispanic students.It gathered information from numerous sources including the universities, Hispanic scholarship organizations, U.S. News&World Report’s annual survey “America’s Best Colleges,” and Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, which publishes a list of the top 100 institutions that award bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics.
Diversifying Notre Dame’s population has been a top priority for the University for some two decades.Since 1987, minority enrollment has increased from 7.5 percent to over 19 percent. Currently Hispanics constitute 9 percent of undergraduate enrollment.
Hispanic Magazine praised the Latino Youth Leadership Conference sponsored by Notre Dames Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), which, each year brings 40 top Latino high school students to campus in an effort to foster commitment to the community and Catholic tradition, introduce them to Notre Dame, and allow them to earn one college credit for their efforts.
Founded in 1999, the ILS plays a pivotal role in providing an academic environment that advances knowledge and understanding of the Latino experience in theUnited States. As an interdisciplinary unit, the institute seeks to incorporate the study ofthe Latino population of theUnited Statesas a vital component of Notre Dames academic mission and also provides an administrative home and support for the Latino student clubs on campus.
“Students are central to our mission and have been incorporated into the life of the institute from the beginning,” said ILS director Gilberto Cardenas, assistant provost for institutional relations and the Julian Samora Professor of Latino Studies. “Recognizing that the needs of individual students vary, we strive to create a sense of community at Notre Dame through maintaining a balance among education, research and outreach. We have established a minor in Latino studies and offer a variety of classes in fields including political science, sociology, theology, literature, history and art. We provide a wide array of research and experiential learning opportunities, and we sponsor or subsidize a gamut of cultural and academic events for students— many initiated by the students themselves.”
Founded in 1987, Hispanic Magazine is the premier publication for Hispanic Americans, with a focus on business, careers, politics, culture and stories about people and issues of interest to Hispanics. The March issue rankedHarvardUniversityfirst, followed byPrincetonUniversity,AmherstCollegeandYaleUniversity.
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