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University of Wyoming

Hola! Habla Espanol? --

       According to government reports on demographics the number of Hispanics in the 2000 census increased nearly 60 percent from 1990; this is expected to continue to rise rapidly to reach 20 percent of the total population in the United States by 2020. This new market for higher education calls for our own education and reassessment of recruitment and graduation rates, an awareness of the Hispanic culture, and the need for Spanish as a second language for some higher education employees - particularly those involved in communication with service entities

Hispanics now account for more than a quarter of all new entrants in the labor force, concentrating in blue-collar jobs, farm work and service occupations. There is a disproportionately high percentage of Latina women employed in service occupations.

Higher education needs to addressd susch issues as the availability of schoalrships, financial-aid outreach , distribution of Spanish language news releases, and should identify Spanish speaking employees in key areas. Conference and event planners need o be able to communicate with Hispanics with limited English. We need to provide bilingual signs, resources, web pages, and registration forms. We need to be aware of cultural differences when planning events, have translators available when needed, plan training for this group, and communicate effectively with the Hispanic population.

Sources:
Higher Education: ACT/SAT scores. (2007). Chronicle of higher education, the national ACT score average rises as the test's poularity grows. http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i02/02a06401.htm

U. of Michigan's news service goes billingual. Chronicle of higher educaiton, vol. 52, issue 34, page A36. http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i34/34a03602.htm

The value of diversity (enrichment of learning experience). http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i32/32c00201.htm

Increasing Hispanic participation in higher education: a desirable public investment. http://www.rand.org/pubs/issue_papers/IP152/index2.html

Strategies to reduce health disparities. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/dispar/dispar1.htm

Demographic trends of the Mexican-American population: implications for schools. http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9217/trends.htm

Goodwill offers recruiting ideas on training Hispanic workers. Workforce Management. http://www.workforce.com/section/06/article/24/92/73.html

Demand for English lessons outstrips supply. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/education/27esl.html?ei=5070&en=289ca5be5d18cbd36&ex=117902

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For more information, please contact
Sheila Atwood-Couture at
(307) 766-5641 or satwood@uwyo.edu.