Organization of Hispanic Faculty and Staff (OHFS):
Greetings from the New Co-Chairs

Greetings!

As the new co-chairs of The Organization of Hispanic Faculty and Staff (OHFS), we would like to introduce ourselves.

We are both new to Ohio State and are excited to be part of this dynamic university. We are excited to be involved with OHFS, sharing our vision and plan of action for upcoming 2009-2010, and look forward to working with the talented faculty, staff, and students at OSU.

The demographic landscape of the United States is shifting and this shift will continue to impact higher education for future decades. Latin@s are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and are rapidly leaving a mark across all aspects of life and society, from the labor force, to politics, to culture. It is crucial that institutional leaders and policy makers have a better understanding of the challenges facing the Latin@ community today so future policies and practices work to best serve all university students in the future.

According to U.S. Census, in 1960 the Latin@ community totaled 6.9 million or 3.9 percent of the U.S. total population. In 1970, that number rose to 9.1 million (4.5 percent of the U.S. population); in 1980, 14.6 million (6.4 percent of the U.S. population); in 1990, 22.3 million (9 percent of the U.S. population); and in 2000 the number had grown to 35.3 million — roughly 12.5 percent of the population. In the most recent figures (2007), the U.S. Census reported that the Latin@ population reached 45 million, the largest minority group in the country.

The demographic trends taking place across the nation are being felt in Ohio. Ohio counties are experiencing an increase in the Latino population. According to COX Newspapers Washington Bureau (2008) there are 11 counties in Ohio where the Latin@ population between 2000 and 2007 experienced increases between 36 percent and 90 percent.

Most recently, Ohio’s Latin@ population was measured at 265,762 people or 2.3 percent of the total state population. According to the Ohio Department of Development, most of the population growth has taken place within the last 10 years. Since 2000, the number of Latino residents in Ohio increased by 22.4 percent with most of the population concentrated in the urban areas of the states. Nearly 90 percent of Ohio’s Latin@ residents live in an urban area with three out of every 10 Latinos living in Cleveland, Columbus, or Toledo.

In 2005, Latin@ students represented 11 percent of the total student enrollment in higher education, up from 6 percent in 1990. Although the educational attainment level of the Latin@ community lags behind at the national and state level as a whole, Latin@ representation in higher education continues to grow. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of Latin@s enrolled in undergraduate education increased about 30 percent, compared to only 10 percent for White Americans, 28 percent for African Americans, and 16 percent for Asian/Pacific Islanders (NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 2007). At the state level, college enrollment for Latin@ students tops 9 percent.

As the co-chairs of OHFS, we seek to assist The Ohio State University in its ability to meet the needs of the citizens of the State of Ohio while adding to the excellence that is The Ohio State University. We propose the following plan of action for 2009-10:

• To investigate the recruitment and retention practices of Latin@ faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students. A task force made of interested parties from across the University, including representatives from HOC, UCHO, OHFS, the Diversity Committee of the Faculty Senate, and Human Resources.

• To identify, develop and utilize mentoring resources for undergraduate and graduate students. Historically underrepresented students often require advisors, mentors, and cultural informants to help them successfully navigate The Ohio State University to achieve academic success. Mentors will be sought in a coordinated effort with UCHO and the OMA Mentoring Program that allows for the engagement of University faculty and staff with our students.

• To build and sustain relationships among faculty, staff and students. We will sponsor a networking event in the summer of 2009 to link future graduate students, current graduate students, and current faculty and staff in order to encourage a sense of community, identity, and belonging at The Ohio State University. Being able to have a face-to-face dialogue, meet colleagues from across the University and meet the future students is truly what OHFS is all about.