When Blanca Rincón first got to UNLV, she grappled with what it meant to work and teach at a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI). As an associate professor of higher education, she studies the unwelcoming climates experienced by students of color in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. 

She knows from both her research and her own experience that pursuing a career in STEM is not easy. Nor is moving away from home and finding yourself in a new environment where you did not feel seen or represented. 

Each year, college students of color pile into classrooms and labs eager to learn, often traveling on a tougher road than other students, Rincón says. They face increased educational barriers to the field and abandon STEM studies more frequently than their white peers. 

As a Latina, Rincón struggled to find her fit in STEM, but things have now come full circle for her. “I left STEM as an undergraduate,” she said, “but now I have the opportunity to support students like me, so that they can continue to pursue education and careers in the field.”

Elevating MSI Voices to Advance Educational Justice

In her most recent endeavor, Rincón is leading an interdisciplinary team of faculty on a grant project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to address the equity gap in the field. 

Their National Resource Hub for Culturally Relevant and Responsive STEM Environments at HSIs project will allow faculty across the country to share resources, learn, and collaborate with each other. The team is centralizing Hispanic-Serving Institution STEM resources to help faculty at other institutions foster learning environments that cultivate the talents of their students of color.

Colleges and universities designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving institutions (AANAPISI) are characterized by a minimum enrollment of 25% Latina/o/x and 10% Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students. UNLV has both designations. 

Rincón’s research and shared perspectives from her colleagues have further developed her understanding of what it means to truly serve Latina/o/x and other students of color. 

For institutions like UNLV, being under the Minority-Serving Institution umbrella is about more than teaching racially diverse student populations — it's “an essential component to advancing educational justice,” says Iesha Jackson, who is co-principal investigator and an associate professor of teacher education.

With a more nuanced view on what the designation means, the grant team highlights their dedication to equity in knowledge sharing. Rincón said, “We're generating and sharing knowledge by and about these institutions within the academic literature and community." 

This approach ensures that the voices of HSIs are elevated and schools can learn from each other's success and challenges. The grant project will play a huge role in diversifying the pool of future STEM professionals.

Welcoming Unique Perspectives to Address the Diversity Gap

Working at an HSI and AANAPISI university named one of the most diverse in the nation, Rincón is committed to helping UNLV’s diverse student population succeed. As the principal investigator on the grant, she recognized that achieving her goal required an innovative approach. 

The grant team is intentionally interdisciplinary with faculty from the College of Education (Rincón, Jackson, and Vanessa Vongkulluksn), School of Life Sciences (Eduardo A Robleto), and the Department of Mechanical Engineering (Melissa Morris). 

The interdisciplinary team is all about creating inclusive and equitable learning spaces. According to Rincón, “It was very important to me that everyone on the team was already deeply committed to UNLV’s pursuit of diversity, equity, inclusion, and transformation.” 

Rincón drives home what a difference it can make for students to pursue their dreams in a campus community that truly believes in the success of its students of color. “We want to help [faculty] nurture the cultural assets students bring to the table, recognizing diverse perspectives as tools for academic success.”

Fostering Inclusivity and Empowerment 

With the support of a $3 million NSF grant, the online hub will bring together STEM faculty across 570 current and 400 emerging HSIs in the United States. In addition to the networking and collaboration opportunities, it will support HSI faculty professional development and generate and disseminate knowledge by and about HSIs.

The team also envisions creating fellowships, initiatives, and toolkits that equip educators with the resources needed to effectively engage underrepresented students.

Collaborative initiatives with industry leaders will amplify the project's potential impact on STEM teaching and learning. This includes the New Leadership Academy, an equity-focused national leadership development program out of the University of Utah, and ESCALA, which supplies culturally responsive professional development programs specifically for educators at HSIs.

About HSIs

Hispanic-Serving Institutions are schools that receive federal funding to support Latina/o/x and low-income students. To be classified as an HSI, a college or university must have at least 50% low-income undergraduate students and at least 25% of the total enrollment must identify as Latinx. This funding helps these institutions enhance their ability to serve these specific student populations.