Written by Brian Yoder Schlabach

GOSHEN, Ind.  – How does a small, historically Mennonite college in Northern Indiana find itself on the brink of becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution in 2022, when only four percent of undergraduate students identified as Latinx just 15 years ago?

Goshen College’s journey toward becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) is really three interconnected stories, according to David Lind, professor of sociology at Goshen College. The first is a story about the college’s faith-based commitments to social justice, diversity and equity. The second is a story about changing demographics in its surrounding community — Elkhart County, Indiana. And the third is a story around the college’s relationship with Lilly Endowment, Inc., and the offer of a transformational grant for the institution.

Goshen College is closely affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA denomination, and its strong commitment to diversifying the student body and truly serving Latinx students is guided by its Christian commitments to social justice and a core value that calls students and faculty to be global citizens.

In 2014, Goshen Community Schools became a majority-minority district, with 50.1 percent of students identifying as Hispanic. Drawn to manufacturing jobs and a growing Spanish-speaking network of communities, Latinx families have been arriving and putting down roots in the region for decades.

“The rapidly changing ethnic composition in Northern Indiana provides the Goshen College campus with a unique opportunity to engage with an intercultural community locally,” said former Goshen College President James E. Brenneman. “Latino immigrants are bringing a rich cultural heritage to our local community. At the same time, this shift in demographics brings complex cultural, educational, political, economic and social challenges.”

The ball really started rolling toward becoming an HSI more than 20 years ago when then-President Shirley Showalter received an invitation from Lilly Endowment, Inc., to consider what a transformational gift could do for Goshen College. When Showalter left her presidential post in 2004, the seeds were planted for an initiative that would be campus-wide, sustainable and linked with the overall campus vision and administrative structure.

In the fall of 2006, President James Brenneman accepted what would be one of the defining initiatives across his two terms; a $12.5 million grant approved and funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., for what became known as the Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning (CITL). The grant established a new center with three main goals: making college education more accessible to Latinx students, creating an intercultural learning community, and researching the changing ethnic composition of the community.

Supported by this grant, Goshen College ramped up recruitment and retention efforts for multicultural students alongside the research component. The college began to hire more Spanish-speaking faculty and staff. It also held Spanish-language workshops for Latinx families at local high schools, answering questions for first-generation students and families who were considering college for the first time.

The college set about finding ways to not only reach more Latinx students, but to support them in new ways as they completed their degrees.

“We saw all the ways that [Latinx students] needed support because of all the issues that they face when they’re here,” said Rocio Diaz, Director for Community Engagement and Adult Outreach, who has worked with intercultural education at GC since 2008. “They still have to work sometimes full-time jobs or help with siblings at home, or translate for their parents, and often their families don’t understand how much work college is.”

Diaz connected with faculty and parents so that each could understand the expectations  placed on Latinx students, and discussed ways they could support these students, who, in many cases , were living away from home for the first time.

In the fall of 2012, partly in an effort to  integrate intercultural students more fully, Goshen College launched the Goshen Core, replacing the prior general education curriculum. The new Core centered on “Identity, Culture and Community,” introducing intercultural programming to all first-year and transfer students.

Later that year, Goshen College created the Center for Intercultural and International Education (CIIE), bringing together CITL, the Multicultural Affairs Office, and the Office of International Education, thus more fully integrating the educational needs and resources for students navigating multicultural and international experiences.

New merit-based scholarships such as the Intercultural Leadership Award, the Leader of Color Award and the Dream Award are helping to remove financial barriers for Latinx students.

Enrollment of Latinx students climbed steeply, from less than four percent 15 years ago to more than 26 percent today.

Now, President Rebecca Stoltzfus is leading the charge as Goshen College is in the final leg of the journey to becoming an HSI.

“From the start, Goshen was created to provide access to rural youth and to educate first-generation Mennonite youth,” said Stoltzfus. “It’s been part of our identity to be a place that serves first-generation students and opens the door to higher education.”

As Goshen College continues to prioritize Latinx student enrollment and support, leaders have committed to being a Hispanic Serving Institution, with or without the official designation.

Author Bio:

Brian Yoder Schlabach is News & Media Manager at Goshen College.