Christian Colleges Reach Out to Recruit Hispanic Students

Christian colleges are working strategically to recruit and retain Hispanic students, and with good reason.

One in five high school graduates is Hispanic. Yet, a report from Learning Heroes, a national parent organization, shows just 42 percent of Hispanic students make it to college graduation.

The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is sponsoring the 7th annual National Hispanic Education Summit on Oct. 18 at Baylor University, to focus on strategies for increasing the Hispanic college graduation rate.

Presenters include: Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; Dr. Dennis Hollinger, president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Dr. Ruth Topez-Turley, professor of Sociology at Rice University.

CBN News spoke with Dr. Carlos Campo, president of Ashland University, and founder of the NHCLC's Faith and Education Coalition.  

Campo says Hispanic students face financial obstacles which often get in the way of college graduation. They also often struggle with the need for remedial course work in college which sets them back both academically and financially.

The good news, he noted, is that Hispanics value education. Learning Heroes reports that 90 percent of Hispanic parents want their children to go to college, a higher percentage than any other ethnic group measured.