In 2008, Leonard A. Valverde and Associates published Latino Change Agents in Higher Education: Shaping a System that Works for All. An emeritus professor at Arizona State University, with more than 45 years of education under his belt – at all levels in a host of different kinds of institutions – Valverde is one of the academy’s wise agitators when it comes to the education of Hispanic students. He’s written about K-12, higher education, and K-16, all with a common focus: the opportunities, challenges and needs of Latino students.
Latino Change Agents is a summary of the status of Latinos in higher education in the early 2000s, coupled with calls to action across the educational landscape. It emerged from collaborative work at the Hispanic Borderlands Leadership Institute, which was an active consortia of southwestern institutions of higher education at that point in time. Contributors include academic administrators and scholars. The articles or chapters are organized into four areas: The Past Cannot Be the Future; Systemic Change, Si – Special Add-on Programs, No; A Bright Future Necesita un Grito Fuerte (a bright future needs a strong and loud voice); Beginning the Work of Higher Education. The writing is consistently solid. The intended audience is academic administrators and faculty interested in the issues but perhaps unfamiliar with what others were doing or had done. For instance, a student affairs professional might not know about K-16 initiatives and a faculty member might not be aware of administrative leadership programs.
Latino Change Agents remains a good introduction to key issues – even with many changes in the past decade plus. It is a reminder that improving the student experience and student outcomes for a disadvantaged population demands ongoing attention and hard work. As a consequence, reading it highlighted to me the importance of sustainability when it comes to conceptualizing and planning meaningful shifts in what we do in higher education. If we seek inclusive, equity-mindful institutions that provide quality education and support, speedy changes are not the way to proceed. Systemic shifts in higher education can take many years and many cycles. That means that as we fight today’s fires and think about tomorrow’s challenges, we also have to think about where we want to be ten years down the road.
David Potash