Second Annual President’s Diversity Lecture to Feature Expert on Latino Student Success, Deborah A. Santiago, on Thursday, March 31 Via Zoom

Deborah A. Santiago, an authority on efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, will speak during William Paterson University’s second Annual President’s Diversity Lecture on Thursday, March 31 at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

Santiago will discuss how serving students—especially Latino students—requires intentionality. A Q&A session will follow the 45-minute lecture. To register, go to: https://wpunj.edu/president/presidents-diversity-lecture.

“William Paterson is a proudly diverse and dynamic University, and our status as a designated Hispanic Serving Institution is very much at the heart of that,” says President Richard J. Helldobler. “Deborah Santiago’s expertise speaks directly to one of our top priorities, which is to truly embrace our HSI status to fully serve and support all our Latinx students so they thrive here and go on to succeed in their chosen careers. I look forward to her talk.”

Santiago’s presentation, “Codifying the ’S’ in HSIs: Serving Latino Students with Intentionality,” will offer her perspective and experiences from institutions committed to building communities where students thrive. She will share strategies that build on students' strengths and opportunities guided by evidence-based practices and leadership commitment. 

Santiago is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Excelencia in Education, a national organization created in 2004 to accelerate Latino student success in higher education. For more than 20 years, she has led research and policy efforts from local to national and federal levels to improve educational opportunities and success for all students.

Santiago’s work focuses on federal and state policies, financial aid, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and effective institutional practices for student success. She has been cited in numerous publications for her work, including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Economist, Forbes, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She serves on the Board of Visitors for the University of Mary Washington, her alma mater, and on the advisory board of TheDream.US.

03/01/22