LatinaLista — A new report outlines how the “traditional” college student is on her/his way to being a minority on college campuses.
According to the report, “Leading in a Changing America: Presidential Perspectives from Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” traditional college students will be replaced by nontraditional students who are:
low-income, first-generation, part-time, commuting, ethnically diverse and older. Most Hispanic students can be classified as nontraditional. Traditional students are predominately white, financially dependent on their parents and enroll full-time in college immediately after high school graduation.
Research shows that from 1980 to 2007, nontraditional student representation increased 194 percent, while traditional student representation increased only 18 percent.
The group of minority students with the largest increase in college enrollment is Hispanics, with
more than 300 percent more Hispanic students enrolled in 2007 than in 1980. Census projections
estimate that Hispanics will be 22 percent of the nation’s college-age population by 2020.
The report, authored by Exelencia in Education, while more of a blueprint for college administrators on how to create a successful learning environment for these nontraditional students, also is of general interest because it gives insight as to the living conditions of these students.
For example, some college presidents interviewed reported that more of their students are homeless, going hungry and victims of domestic violence.
It’s information that serves as a wake-up call of the added hardships of these students who want to pursue higher education at any cost.
