Augusto Failde

Walden University has been recognized as a leader in providing access to advanced degrees for Hispanics by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, the only Hispanic educational magazine for the higher education community.

In May 2008, the magazine published a list of the top 100 U.S. colleges and universities that awarded degrees to Hispanics in 2007. Of more than 4,100 U.S. institutions, Walden University was ranked 17 for master’s degrees as well as overall Hispanic graduate enrollment.

Hispanic Advisory Committee
In order to address the educational needs of the Hispanic population, Walden recently created an Hispanic Advisory Committee to advise the university’s leadership. The committee, whose 10 members bring a rich variety of expertise and backgrounds to the panel, is charged with helping Walden formulate policies, outreach strategies and retention tools to attract and retain more Hispanic students, and contribute in a larger way to society’s needs for Hispanic leadership across all professions and sectors.

“Walden expects that increasingly serving the growing and underserved Hispanic market segment will contribute greatly to its institutional mission of effecting positive social change,” says Augusto Failde, chairman of the Walden University Hispanic Advisory Committee.

Enrollment Disparities
Although college enrollment for Hispanics is expected to rise over the next 10 years, Hispanics are currently underrepresented in graduate programs. The 2005 Census reported that Hispanics constitute 14 percent of the U.S. population. Yet in 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, Hispanics earned approximately five percent of master’s degrees (29,666 out of 558,940) and about three percent of doctoral degrees (1,662 out of 48,278).

However, data from the Council of Graduate Schools shows that from 1996 to 2006 Hispanic enrollment in graduate programs grew faster than any other racial or ethnic group. The proportion of Hispanic students increased an average of five percent per year, while growth for Caucasian students was flat.

One way of reducing this disparity is through the increased access to advanced degrees provided by online institutions such as Walden University. “By providing Hispanic adult learners with the opportunity to reach their goals of an advanced degree through online learning, Walden University is helping to level the playing field in higher education,” Failde says.

June Ponder front page

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