Gateway College Named Hispanic-Serving Institution

For a school to be eligible for the HSI designation, at least 25% of its full-time students must be of Hispanic origin.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, Gateway had a 26.5% Hispanic student body.

Ritu Raju, president and CEO of Gateway, said the college is “proud and honored” to receive the HSI designation from the U.S. Department of Education.

“We are excited about the opportunity to expand our institutional capabilities and leverage resources through HSI’s national network to bring value to our community in southeastern Wisconsin,” Raju said in a news release.

Raju is the lone representative from Wisconsin in the national Presidents for Latino Success campaign.

Gateway is one of four HSIs in Wisconsin, along with Alverno College and Mount Mary University in Milwaukee and Herzing University’s Kenosha campus.

According to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, there were 572 HSIs operating in the U.S. in 2021-2022.

This designation will allow Gateway to apply for federal grants that could benefit all students.

“We must acknowledge the growing diversity of our students and prepare to better serve them in ways that can impact their academic success,” said Elizabeth Rosiles-Zavala, Gateway’s director of Latino programs, in a press release. “The HSI designation opens new opportunities for us to increase our funding opportunities, expand our support services, strengthen our community and foster a diverse learning environment.”

Gateway also offers scholarships to support Hispanic students, language learning access plans for students with low English proficiency, and a Latinos Unidos club.

The technical college has campuses in Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties.

The latest designation “signifies Gateway’s commitment to serving, enrolling and graduating Latino students in the three counties we serve,” Tammi Summers, Gateway’s vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, said in a news release. “As our Latino population continues to grow in southeastern Wisconsin, we are committed to supporting students’ academic success and overall well-being.”

Gateway will soon host events to celebrate National Latino-Supporting Institutions Week, which is September 9-15.

The university plans to host a Latino trivia competition and a panel discussion on what it means to serve Latino students, including best practices and challenges.

Gateway will also host a series of events during Hispanic Heritage Month, which will run from September 15 to October 15.

“Like other underrepresented minorities, Gateway is focused on increasing retention and graduation rates with our Latinx students and creating a culture of care and belonging,” Summers said. “Educational research shows that when an institution adopts best practices to support the success of Latinx and Black/African American students, all students at the institution benefit.”