The Power Of Innovation At Hispanic Serving Institutions

There are 571 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the United States, educating 62% of Latinx students across the nation. Moreover, according to Excelencia in Education, over 400 colleges and universities are on their way to becoming HSIs due to a rapidly growing Latinx population. California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is one of the nation’s largest HSIs and is committed to building on its HSI designation to foster equity in innovation. With the support of Autodesk, a software company, CSUN recently broke ground on the new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center. The Engagement Center will accommodate design, research, fabrication, and mentorship. It will also house the academic programs of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and a Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub.

In the tradition of HSIs taking the “serving” aspect of their HSI designation seriously, the Center will have programs for local families and students as young as preschool in addition to CSUN students. Of the students enrolled at CSUN, 53% are Latinx and 70% are first-generation college students, making outreach to families essential. Extending its reach further, CSUN will work in collaboration with other California State University campuses and HSIs across the nation to foster and accelerate educational equity.

Why support CSUN in this innovation endeavor? Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost graduated from the Southern California-based institution nearly 36 years ago and credits the university’s educators for where he is today. He shared, “I struggled to qualify for CSUN and I barely got in. But once I was there, the experience was transformational. CSUN not only saved my future – it enabled it. I found a community that recognized untapped potential in me. And instead of falling through the cracks, I was able to thrive because of the CSU system, its people, and its mission.”

In a recent essay on LinkedIn, Anagnost wrote about the tremendous impact of CSUN on him and on those in the State of California today. He shared, “When I returned to my alma mater five years ago, I saw a powerful gateway institution, one that had grown to become one of the largest Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the country. CSUN now reaches a whole new demographic of immigrant and first-generation students. Many of them, as my father and mother were, will be the first in their families to get a college degree.” According to Gina Garcia, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, HSIs “are committed to supporting a community that has been underserved in this country.”

Excited about the future possibilities that the Autodesk/CSUN partnership will bring, CSUN President Erika D. Beck shared “Education and opportunity can change the world for the better. The new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center will harness the cultural wealth, aspirational capital and brilliance of our students.”

With equity at its core, the Center is designed to facilitate students’ academic excellence, and bring community, industry, and educational partners together to prepare CSUN students to become the innovators and creators of the future.