If colleges and universities are going to leave race-based affirmative action cases up to the states during the admission process based on the Supreme Court Decision last Tuesday, then the minorities already enrolled in post-secondary education need services and support to successfully matriculate now more than ever.
“Measuring the Impact of MSI-Funded Programs on Student Success,” released by New York University’s National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE) and the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) on three Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), underscores the significance of minority-serving institutions (MSIs).
The report analyzes the findings of three community colleges ― City College of San Francisco, De Anza College and South Seattle Community College ― and provides measurable impact evidence of federally funded campus programs. The report also confirms the need for MSI designations addressing initiatives impacting this underrepresented group in higher education. This includes, but is not limited to, the transition from developmental to college-level courses, academic performance, matriculation, degree attainment and transfer from two-year colleges to four-year institutions.
According to APIASF, 13 percent of Asian Americans and 18 percent of Pacific Islanders live at or below the national poverty level, compared to 12 percent of the general population, with some ethnicities at 29 percent (Cambodian) and even 38 percent (Hmong and Marshallese) of the population considered poor.
Dr. Robert Teranishi, principal investigator for the CARE research team, said that he believes the AANAPISI designation is necessary because students can be better served that do not fit the typical student profile.
“It enables the federal government to target the institutions serving Asian American Pacific Islander students that are off the radar,” said Teranishi. “The designation raises awareness of the students and the institutions serving disproportionally high concentrations of low-income, non-traditional students. It also signals a national commitment to AAPI students in higher education who are coming from marginalized communities.”
Teranishi noted, “About half of all AAPI students enrolling in American higher education are in community colleges. There is also a large sector of AAPI students that attend moderately selective to non-selective four-year institutions and enroll 75 percent of all low-income API students in the nation.”
