The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center announced on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Education has recognized the university as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The designation opens the door for grants and other resources that will allow the school to better serve its Hispanic students, faculty and staff.
“This recognition as a Hispanic-Serving Institution supports our vision to transform health care through innovation and collaboration,” TTUHSC President Dr. Lori Rice-Spearman said. “The status expands opportunities to work collaboratively not only within our institution, but also with external community partners in all areas of academic medicine. As a result, we anticipate leading efforts where innovative contributions allow us to better serve all populations, establishing a culture that will serve as a model for others.”
To achieve HSI status, the Department of Education requires an institution to have an undergraduate population that is at least 25 percent Hispanic, along with other criteria. TTUHSC reported just under 28 percent Hispanic enrollment during the Fall 2019 term and is now among 569 institutions across the United States to claim the designation.
“Congratulations to President Rice-Spearman and her leadership team who have been instrumental in leading Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to be recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution,” TTU system chancellor Dr. Tedd Mitchell said. “As TTUHSC becomes the fourth institution in the TTU System to achieve HSI status, I am proud of our collective efforts and commitment to supporting and fostering a diverse student population in higher education and health care.”
Texas Tech University surpassed the 25 percent Hispanic threshold in 2017, which made it eligible for HSI status in 2019, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal previously reported. The designation made Tech eligible for as much as $10 million in grant funding from the Department of Education to bolster educational opportunities for its students, according to an A-J editorial from the time. Besides Texas Tech, TTUHSC joins Angelo State University and TTUHSC El Paso as Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the Tech system.
“Having moved from Mexico to America at eight years old, myself, I experienced first-hand many of the challenges Hispanic communities continue to experience and the barriers they encounter when seeking health care,” added Bernardo Gonzalez, president of the TTUHSC Student Government Association. “It brings me great joy to see the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center continue to strive towards advancing the education and health care access to West Texas and beyond.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech Health Sciences designated as Hispanic-Serving Institution
