Kiwanis Club hosts UCR Chancellor White [El Chicano Weekly]

On Tuesday, November 22 the Kiwanis Club of Greater San Bernardino was in for a treat when UC Riverside Chancellor Dr. Timothy White addressed the group as the keynote speaker.

White, who brought along several of his key Latino administrators and faculty, addressed the group about some of the latest happenings at UCR as well as efforts to recruit and retain students.

UCR is a research university and a federally designated Hispanic serving institution. More than 30% of UCR's 21,000 students are Hispanic and according to White, that percentage is increasing.

In fall of 2011, more than 37% of incoming freshmen were Latino as are 16% of incoming graduate students.

About 10% of Latino students are enrolled in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs.

The reason these and other similar statistics White presented are important, is because Latinos comprise the largest population group in California and make up 1/3 of the state's population.

The figure is expected to rise to 43% by 2025 in the Inland area and to 49% over the next 10 years.

"It is thoroughly documented that economic vitality comes from a well-trained workforce and a steady stream of scientific enterprise and innovation," White said.

According to White, by 2025, California will also be suffering from an acute shortage of workers with a post-secondary education which will equal about one million unfilled jobs while at the same time, the number of jobs for those with only a high school level education will continue to shrink.

"Since California's young adult population is increasingly Latino, you can understand the urgency with which we work on campus and with the community to increase the college going rate for all our young people especially our Latino youth," White said.

White went on to speak on creating a "culture of expectation" in Latino families wherein students are not merely told or encouraged to go to college but expected that they will do so.

The effects of lack of education have a sort of ripple effect that leads to unemployment, which can lead to poverty, which can lead to not having health insurance, which can lead to more illness, less productivity and ultimately, a burden on the social and criminal justice systems.

During the question and answer session, several attendees addressed White.

San Bernardino County Board of Education trustee Gil Navarro asked about UCR making stronger outreach and recruitment efforts specifically in San Bernardino County.

Gloria Macias Harrison, president of Crafton Hills College, asked White about efforts to educate students given that community colleges, which are "feeder" institutions to four year universities, are experiencing cuts in enrollment.

She asked what strategies and plans UCR has to increase access to students who are affected by cuts at the community college level.

White concluded his talk by saying "We must take individual and collective ownership over the problem. And every single one of us must be willing to step up do their part."

He encouraged others to write, call or e-mail their legislators in support of funding education.

On Tuesday, November 22, Dr. Timothy White, UC Riverside Chancellor, was the keynote speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Greater San Bernardino's weekly breakfast meeting at Mitla Café in San Bernardino. He talked about the work UCR is doing in general and specifically as well regarding recruiting and retaining Latino students.