Hispanic Serving Institution

As an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution, Wichita State University is committed to serving students and promoting a campus culture that holistically supports student success. Through partnerships with campus and community collaborations, we strive to advocate for students and their families in obtaining an education and meeting the needs of our changing demographics.

HSI Strategic Plan Student Resources Herencia

Striving for Excellence

Wichita State University's goal is to attain the federal government’s designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the end of this decade. This effort is not simply about increasing the number of Hispanic students, but making certain a support infrastructure is in place to help guide Hispanic students to success through graduation and beyond.

Initiatives

To help Hispanic students, Wichita State offers many support systems and opportunities.

Several multicultural scholarships have been established specifically for underrepresented minorities, including the Adelante Scholarship, which offers renewable, high-impact scholarships.
Yolanda and Gene Camarena, who established the Adelante Scholarship, also included additional funding in their gift to support new staff in the Office of Admissions and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. These staff members work to translate recruitment materials into Spanish, presenting information to families about WSU and event programming geared toward bilingual families.
Efforts continue to increase the diversity of faculty and staff and outreach to Spanish-speaking parents of students. Edil Torres Rivera, professor of Latine and counseling, leads the Latine Cluster Initiative. Launched in 2019, the initiative allows the university to better serve its growing number of Latine students by hiring educators with expertise in Latine needs.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Hispanic/Latine groups and student organizations continue to sponsor events that enrich student life at WSU, including Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) activities in the Rhatigan Student Center.

See upcoming initiatives

By the Numbers

Percentage of Hispanic Students at Fall Census

Hispanic headcount growth 1980-2023 (expressed as percentage of total headcount for undergraduate degree-seeking; graduate; and nondegree-seeking students)

1,780
Undergraduate Hispanic
Headcount (2023)

TEN-YEAR TREND:
+56.5%

17.0%
Percentage of Hispanic
UG Degree-seeking
Students (2023)

TEN-YEAR TREND:
+6.9%

291
Bachelor's Degrees
Earned by Hispanic
Students (2023)

TEN-YEAR TREND:
+85.9%

13.4%
Percent of WSU Bachelor's
Degrees Earned by
Hispanic Students (2023)

TEN-YEAR TREND:
5.9%

Student Resources and Support

ODI

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion works to cultivate and sustain an inclusive campus that educates, empowers and mobilizes our students, campus and community.

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HALO

The Hispanic American Leadership Organization enhances the educational, cultural, and social development of our members, school and communities.

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Undergraduate Admissions

Browse Wichita State admissions, scholarship and financial aid information plus learn about upcoming admissions events entirely in Spanish.

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Spanish Language Students in Día de Muertos masks.

Latine Academic Programs

Wichita State's ongoing commitment to the Latine community includes a slate of academic programs designed to generate insights and understanding.

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Herencia helps high school seniors prepare for college life

In July 2023, the inaugural weeklong summer bridge titled Herencia took place on-campus at Wichita State University. The program, open to all students but geared towards native/heritage Spanish-speaking high school students. This experience was intentional in preparing high school senior students for college through an abundance of cultural immersion, language enhancement, college credit opportunities, and pathways to success for college.

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Wichita State, Muma announce affiliation with Excelencia in Education

Wichita State and President Rick Muma has recently become a member of the Excelencia in Education’s Presidents for Latino Student Success (P4LSS). P4LSS is a group of college and university presidents dedicated to making their institutions an environment Latine students can thrive. WSU joins the P4LSS and 175 higher education leaders from 29 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico committed to the collective goal of ensuring America’s future, working in common cause with Excelencia in Education to make the country stronger with the talents, skills and contributions of Latine college graduates.

Inaugural Latine Graduation 2024

Somos Shockers, an initiative led by Dr. Sara Mata, hosted the Inaugural Latine Graduation and Celebration for graduating Hispanic and Latine students! Students were awarded ceremonial stoles for their individual accomplishments and achievments.