Prestigious Spencer Foundation Vision Grant Awarded to the CSU Hispanic Serving Institution Action Research Network

The CSU Hispanic-Serving Institution Action Research Network, led by Dr. Kevin Ferreira van Leer (University of Connecticut), Dr. Amber Gonzalez (California State University, Sacramento), and Dr. Erik Ramirez (California State University, San Marcos), has received a Spencer Foundation Vision Grant.  

The California State University (CSU) Hispanic Serving Institution Action Research Network brings together faculty, staff and student stakeholders from eight CSU campuses designated as HSIs. Together, the network aims to facilitate conversations on how the CSU system can go beyond enrolling high numbers of Latine[1] students to serving these students.   

“Together we have the opportunity to learn from each other and co-develop strategic, culturally grounded ways to improve. Our work moves beyond assumptions and toward authentic partnerships, where our students and our communities inform and guide how we support our students’ holistic success.” - Dr. Amber Gonzalez, Co-Principal Investigator and Professor at California State University, Sacramento. 

The California State University (CSU) system, the largest 4-year public university system in the U.S., where 42% of undergraduates identify as Latine, is uniquely positioned to lead a nationwide transformation in higher education. That said, currently the CSU sees gaps in four- and six-year graduation rates between White and Latine students, at around 12 percentage points.  

With 21 of its 23 campuses designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), the CSU has the opportunity to set a national example for serving Latine students effectively.” - Dr. Kevin Ferreira van Leer, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut.

The Spencer Foundation Vision Grants program is designed to support the field in producing research that disrupts long-standing inequities toward more just and equitable systems. Receipt of the Vision Grant program makes project teams eligible to apply for the next cycle of the Transformative Research Grants (a $3.5 million dollar award).

“This grant affirms the importance of practitioner-informed research that centers our students’ lived experiences. It allows us to deepen our cross-campus collaboration and elevate the voices of those closest to the work—students, staff, and faculty—so that we’re not just asking how to serve better but reimagining what serving means." - Dr. Erik Ramirez, Scholar-Practitioner Lead and Director of Divisional Initiatives & Partnerships at CSU San Marcos.

The CSU HSI Action Network was launched in 2023 with support from the College Futures Foundation, an independent organization dedicated to furthering the cause of higher education. The other CSUs involved in this effort are: Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State East Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Monterey Bay, Sacramento State, California State University San Marcos, and California State University, Channel Islands.  The network is not a program of the CSU system or individual campuses and does not represent the views of the system or the represented campuses.  A team of faculty, student, administration and staff representatives meet via Zoom once a month.  

Since its launch, the network has explored topics such as developing a shared definition of student success at a CSU Hispanic-Serving Institution, examining equity-centered HSI frameworks, identifying strategies to transform institutional culture in support of Latine students, and exchanging promising practices that advance student success and faculty diversity across CSU campuses.

For more about the CSU Hispanic Serving Institution Action Research Network, please visit the project website. For more information on the Spencer Foundation and its Vision Grant program, please visit the organization’s website. 

[1] We use the term Latine as a gender-inclusive alternative to Latino and Latina that aligns more naturally with the Spanish language. We also recognize that individuals and communities may identify with other terms such as Latino/a, Latinx, Hispanic, Chicanx, or culturally specific identities (e.g., Mexican American, Dominican, Maya K’iche).