Early Bird

MSU Denver honors HSI Week, National Hispanic Heritage Month

Upcoming activities focus on equity and justice in higher education, community healing.

By Angela Marquez, Ph.D., and Juan Gallegos

September 18, 2019

This week marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month and the start of Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week. For Metropolitan State University of Denver, this is a time to celebrate our accomplishments and to recognize the vital role HSIs play in increasing access and promoting equitable outcomes for historically underserved students. 

This past February, MSU Denver achieved official HSI designation. This designation relies on several factors, including 25% Hispanic/Latinx enrollment, which the University first achieved in fall 2017. Since that time, the number of Hispanic/Latinx students who attend MSU Denver has continued to grow in terms of overall percentage and overall size. This fall, 5,669 students, or 29.9% of our student population, self-identify as Hispanic or Latinx, up 3.5% from last fall. This increase in enrollment is a trend we have seen over the past five years, indicating that MSU Denver is a clear choice to educate Colorado’s Hispanic/Latinx population.

In honor of Hispanic-Serving Institution Week and National Hispanic Heritage month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), the campus is providing a variety of upcoming opportunities to celebrate and explore the historical and contemporary landscape of the Latinx community:

Equity and Justice in Higher Education Lecture

Oct. 3

9-10:30 a.m.

St. Cajetan’s Event Center

Open to all faculty and staff members

Gina Garcia, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Her talk will focus on issues of equity and justice in higher education with an emphasis on Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Latinx college students, and race and racism in higher education. If you would like a copy of Garcia’s book to read in advance, please contact Cynthia Baron at baron@msudenver.edu. 

Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship Events 

Oct. 23

Lecture from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Plática/talking circles from 2-3:30 p.m.

Both events will take place in the St. Cajetan’s Event Center.

Ricardo Carrillo, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and curandero, will speak about the integration of traditional and western medicine. He and other local healers will also guide a pláticas, or talking circles, promoting heart-to-heart conversations around healing with healers in the community.