Pacific Oaks College earned its Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2020 to expand educational opportunities for Hispanic students, a demographic that makes up more than half of Pacific Oaks’ student body. Since then, the college has used the funds to establish and grow its Student Success Center (SSC), support students’ evolving needs during and in the wake of a global pandemic, and strengthen the ever-growing and changing Pacific Oaks community.
Donor contributions to the HSI grant’s endowment fund play a critical role in supporting the needs of students throughout their educational journey. We spoke with Title V Project Director Judy Castro, Ed.D., about what that has meant for students over five years and what it will mean in the years to come.
How have the HSI grant and the SSC already made a difference for students?
DR. CASTRO: The value we provide is one of a welcoming space, not only the space that was renovated with state-of-the-art equipment, but most importantly a space for them to come to network, to study, and to feel a sense of belonging.
What are some of the specific benefits the Student Success Center offers?
DR. CASTRO: The lending library has been a big hit. It lends out equipment such as laptops as well as textbooks. Especially coming out of COVID, for many students who lost family or jobs, the lending library solidified as a resource for support.
We also have dedicated bilingual staff. For Hispanic students to come into the center and be greeted with “buenos dias” immediately offers a feeling of comfort. There’s a sense of relief and the safety of being able to speak and ask questions.
That welcoming approach should never be overlooked, because it reinforces the connection we have with students, and the endowment is what supports these services.
How have the needs of Pacific Oaks’ students evolved over the past five years?
DR. CASTRO: In 2020, most of our students attended classes on campus. Today, our student body is about 80% online or hybrid. This is partially due to the pandemic, when our students’ needs changed; they needed a more flexible educational support system. Just as the college began offering online and hybrid courses to accommodate work and family schedules, the Student Success Center was able offer more flexible hours and options.
How have you helped students to adapt?
DR. CASTRO: Our students are adult learners returning to school after a long break and need additional academic support. HSI funding allows us to facilitate that transition by guiding them through the services and systems available to support their academic journey, including on-on-one sessions to help navigate our distance-learning tools, how to download videos, where to look for information on the community site, etc.
What else would you say to anyone considering donating to the HSI grant endowment fund? Why is their support so important?
DR. CASTRO: Pacific Oaks isn’t a collection of individual students but a community, and our donors are an important part of that community. Donors become part of the success of not only the students but of the institution as a whole. They become part of Pacific Oaks’ educational fabric and legacy.
The significance of the endowment has always been to further the awareness and the value of higher education. It has a huge impact. Education is the key to students’ personal success, and they’re becoming more and more enlightened, I think, by the idea that they can do more for their communities: “Getting my degree, I can start my own business. I can teach others. I can support others.” Facilitating that awareness is the result of the endowment.
Interested in donating to the HSI grant endowment fund? Visit www.pacificoaks.edu/giving.
