Northeastern Illinois University’s ENLACE program has been selected as one of 20 finalists in Excelencia in Education’s Examples of Excelencia 2016. ENLACE will compete against four other programs in the Graduate Degree category. The winner will be announced at the Celebración de Excelencia event in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21.
Now in its 11th year, Examples of Excelencia is a national initiative to identify and promote programs and departments in higher education that advance educational achievement for Latino students.
“ENLACE was selected out of 190 nominated programs,” Associate Professor and ENLACE Director Frank Gaytán said. “Twenty programs were selected overall; ENLACE was one of only three that focused on graduate education.”
ENLACE aims to improve the pipeline to post-secondary completion for Latinos, first-generation college students, and all members of underrepresented groups, particularly at urban Hispanic Serving Institutions. This is accomplished through the rigorous training of graduate students in the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership Higher Education concentration with the support of the ENLACE scholarship so that they will move into college and university leadership roles.
“All of this year’s Finalists have a proven track record of improving academic achievement for Latino students. We salute the professionals who lead these programs for their commitment to student success,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education. “By bringing national attention to effective programs like these, Examples of Excelencia is generating new energy to discover and implement innovations that serve Latino and other post-traditional students.”
