Karla Rendon
News Editor
The University of La Verne was recognized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics for its commitment to educate Latino students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, programs through research immersion.
“I do believe that the University of La Verne is doing this for all students but in this particular case, the White House is identifying institutions that are doing this for Latino students,” President Devorah Lieberman said.
“As President of the University, I am really proud that the White House has recognized the University of La Verne for what we are already doing and doing well in this instance,” she said.
On the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics’ website, the University is recognized for placing research as the main factor of students’ studies.
“Students will fully engage in the research process, developing hypotheses, creating experimental designs, executing experiments, interpreting results, and communicating findings,” the White House Initiative says on its website.
The University created an alternative method for students unable to participate in the student-faculty apprenticeship.
Those who are too busy to dedicate time to the student-faculty relationship are offered the opportunity to participate in Research Immersion: A Course-Based Alternative to Apprenticeship.
“One of the areas that we have demonstrated and are looking to do even better is to have science programs that include research intensive tracks, or research intensive opportunities embedded into the curriculum for the students,” Lieberman said.
Research immersion has so far been successful because of the three steps involved in making research immersion.
“One is the training of faculty in research immersion,” said Beatriz Gonzalez, associate provost for faculty affairs and professor of educational counseling.
“Then we have to redesign the courses to be research immersion courses and then once we’ve done it once or twice, we have to evaluate ourselves. We have to keep tweaking, keep making improvements until we really getting the results we want.”
“You’re achieving the same or even a better outcome with students who don’t have the time or the opportunity to participate in the apprentice model,” Lieberman said.
The departments who participate in research immersion have set benchmarks that they plan to achieve by 2020.
Those benchmarks include decreasing D grades, F grades and withdrawals, improving STEM graduation rates by 5 percent and increasing acceptance rates for graduate school.
Although the University was honored with this recognition, Multicultural Affairs Director Daniel Loera recognizes there should still be improvements made by the University.
“Part of our ongoing internal conversation is, ‘How can we go from being just an enrolling institution to actually being a serving institution?,’” Loera said in reference to the University’s status as a Hispanic serving institution. “So, we realize there’s a lot more growth and service areas that need to be instituted to be more of a serving institution than an enrolling institution.”
Loera sees the White House’s recognition as an opportunity to further improve the University.
“It means we are willing to do more and take the time to explore and research what that means to us,” he said. “It’s a good recognition but it means we have a lot more work to do, I think.”
Lieberman and Gonzalez are proud the University is living up to its mission statement and was recognized by the White House.
“It takes money, it takes time,” Gonzalez said, “And that really makes me feel really good that I work with people who make that investment and not just talk about things.”
“I can’t imagine anything feeling better because we’re being recognized for these next practices that truly support the mission of this institution,” Lieberman said.
“I give great credit to faculty who center their teaching around student learning and how to impact students and to publish it in ways so that other institutions can improve their own practice. By being recognized by the White House, it’s reinforcing that our faculty scholarship of teaching is reinforcing what we do.”
Karla Rendon can be reached at karla.rendon@laverne.edu.
