Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Cafe con Leche is an invitation to talk and this proposal was designed to recruit across four Texas communities, Houston, Dallas, Austin and Corpus Christi, to demonstrate to underrepresented students and their parents the urgent need for an education. The students targeted and served by CCL strongly identify with and are attached to family. Many Hispanic families hold the teacher in high respect, and parents may be reluctant to ask questions, not wanting to appear to be interfering in the educational process. Consequently, the CCL partners sponsored and/or attended events such as the Feria Para Aprender, the nation's largest Hispanic education and college-readiness event aimed at helping Spanish-speaking parents become key leaders of their children's academic success. These learning fairs use a wrap-around event layout, which maps out the life cycle of a student from pre-K to college and career, a display format that forces verbal interactions and is less reliant on brochures or materials, color coding that empowers low-literate parents, and hands-on activity areas to promote college readiness and careers. Other events planned by the CCL partners used inclusive delivery formats, so that students and their families could be involved in meaningful ways. El Centro College visited the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, which is the first all girls' public school in Texas. Its mission is to provide young ladies in grades 6 through12 with a global education that emphasizes mathematics, science, and technology in a rigorous pre-Advanced Placement academic environment. El Centro had a conversation (in English and Spanish) with 8 students and 14 parents at the academy, all of Hispanic heritage, regarding dual credit information. ECC also attended the Pinkston HS Parent Academy, providing parents with information, in both English and Spanish, about the college's services and programs so that parents can enhance their knowledge about the importance of education to succeed in life, as well as receive information about college preparation, scholarships and financial aid. Cafe con Leche also hosted students from our community college partner institutions- Del Mar College, El Centro College and Houston Community College- on an experiential visit to one of our four-year partners, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The purpose of this visit was to educate students interested in transferring from a two-year institution to a four-year institution about the many opportunities available to them. Del Mar also helped to sponsor Transfer Days, in which colleges and universities throughout the state of Texas came to the Del Mar campus to speak with 50 students and 10 parents about transfer options upon graduating from Del Mar College. Dissemination of this activity was posted on You Tube. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Five Hispanic serving partner institutions, HCC, DMC, SEU, TAMUCC, and ECC, worked for three years to strengthen each institution's recruitment and retention of underrepresented students. HCC's Cafe Con Leche enrollment included 42 percent Hispanic students, who took advantage of CCL events overseen by Dr. Maya Durnovo, Project Director, including campus tours; a greater Houston School Expo at Memorial Mall; Summer Career Carnivals, Encuentro Days, and admissions and financial aid sessions. Dr. Leonard Rivera, Director of Recruitment and Sara King, Outreach Specialist, supervised the CCL activities at Del Mar College (DMC), which has a student population of over 12,000 students, 60 percent of whom are Hispanic. DMC CCL 2nd year activities included College Transfer Days; Third Thursdays; Career Fest (an informational exploration of career choices more commonly associated with the opposite gender); School Presentations; open labs for FAFSA assistance; Encuentro Day; and the Coastal Bend Feria Para Aprender. The El Centro CCL, overseen by Tony Pecino, College Director - School Alliances and Institutional Outreach and Tiffanie Johnson, Project Coordinator. El Centro College, with 37 percent Hispanic students, offered a variety of recruitment and retention opportunities, including dual credit enrollment (register students, meet with parents), outreach (education is freedom, college fairs, speaking engagements at schools), and attendance at PTA meetings and middle and high school college preparation meetings. TAMUCC's CCL activities were overseen by Dr. Manuela Gardner, Project Coordinator, and included posting a CCL display at the university's Island Fair day (a campus preview program designed especially for prospective undergraduate students to learn about the robust student life of an Islander), and visiting with students at the Title V-STEM Outreach, Access, and Retention (SOAR) open house, which focuses on helping underrepresented students succeed in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics field of study. Dr. Gloria White, St. Edward's University Director of Sponsored Research and Project and Co-coordinator Allison Rasp, Grants Officer, oversaw the St. Edward's CCL project, including CCL Seminars and FAFSA Saturdays; Encuentro Day; Hilltopper for a Day Summer Program; Hilltop Mentors; presentations at regional conferences; and hosts of the Texas HSI Consortium Annual Meeting. At that HSI meeting, the five CCL partners showcased what they were accomplishing in their areas of the state. Best practices in recruiting and retaining Hispanic students were discussed at this conference by Dr. Wanda Ward - Senior Advisor to the Director at the National Science Foundation; Dr. Judith Loredo - Assistant Commissioner for Higher Education- P-16 Initiatives at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Dr. Sonia Feigenbaum - HSI Division Director, US Dept. of Education; and Dr. Eric Lupfer- Director of Grants and Education, Humanities, Texas. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Addressing Objective 4: Increase the number of Hispanic Serving Institutions in the Texas HSI Consortium and Objective 5: Serve as a model consortium for other states, Café Con Leche partners participated in the Texas HSI Consortium Conference, sharing their collaborative efforts and plethora of activities designed to recruit underrepresented Hispanic students into educational and vocational opportunities with other HSI institutions. Roger Mireles, Assistant Deputy Administrator, Office of Capacity Building and Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, discussed partnership opportunities with Consortium members. The communities in and surrounding the CCL partners learned about the project through 22,296 television, radio, and newspaper announcements, 1,967 requests for information, 7,500 brochures, 792 posters, 25,659 flyers, and 134,766 additional media methods, such as informational packets, texting, twitter, and e-connect. DMC sponsored the Coastal Bend Feria Para Aprender and ECC participated in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Feria Para Aprender, which are learning fairs, conducted in Spanish, that support academic success from cradle to career. Learning fairs such as these use a hands on engagement model with parents, businesses, non-profits and the community that focuses on educational pathways and requirements in a Spanish-language only format. The DCM Coastal Bend Feria Para Aprender hosted 300 students and 350 parents, with at least 60 percent of Hispanic heritage. HCC shared Cafe Con Leche information at the Spring Branch Family Center educational fair, in which 700 parents ( 71 percent Hispanic) and 1800 students (61 percent Hispanic) received information regarding college, admissions and financial aid application. HCC also planned a Parent University, with an interactive game of Q and A in Spanish to get parents involved and more knowledgeable about college and represented CCL at the Houston Hispanic Forum, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where 300 students and 250 parents, primarily Hispanic, received information regarding college, admissions and financial aid application. ECC participated in Las Llaves del Exito (The Keys to Success), a special program offered by the Dallas County Community College District that is designed to give underrepresented students and their parents the key to their success, comprised of information about how to navigate the system so they can attend a college or university. Eight hundred students attended Las Llaves del Exito, with at least 300 of those attendees of Hispanic heritage. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) Major Activities Completed The five project partners, Houston Community College (HCC), Del Mar College (DMC), El Centro College (ECC), St. Edward’s University (SEU) and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) addressed the USDA Educational Need Areas (e): Student Experiential Learning, and (f): Student Recruitment and Retention, by planning dynamic presentations, fairs, and activities regarding enrollment, financial aid, career counseling, and job opportunities for underrepresented students and their parents. The communities in and surrounding the CCL partners learned about the project through television, radio, and newspaper announcements, requests for information, brochures, posters, flyers, and additional media methods, such as informational packets, texting, twitter, and e-connect. The activities were designed to give underrepresented students and their parents the keys to educational and career success, comprised of information about how to navigate the educational system so that they could attend a college or university. Project staff members incorporated Café Con Leche materials into their school advising duties, into college and university orientation programs, and into financial aid options. 2) Specific Objectives Met .Objective 1: Increase Hispanic students' knowledge about colleges, universities, and professional careers, and Objective 2: Increase the number of Hispanic students who enroll and transfer from community college to four-year universities, were realized through the presentations made to students and parents, as well as mentoring visits. Encuentro Days, in which college preparation and enrollment information is distributed, all in Spanish, were conducted at all collaborating institutions. Community outreach events to advertise the accessibility and importance of higher education; college fairs; parent universities; dual credit presentations, student career carnivals; guest speakers; presentations at elementary and middle schools; and tours of colleges and universities were conducted to meet these objectives. For example, St. Edwards worked in partnership with the Austin City Chamber of Commerce to provide information to approximately 32 school sites over 6 Saturdays, with over 1,578 attendees (1,105 Hispanic), resulting in at least 675 FAFSA/TAFSAs filed. Additionally, a partnership with the SEU School of Education-Ready, Set, Teach Tours of campus, led by the School of Education, presented information on financial assistance opportunities and college admissions, reaching 97 high school students, 64 parents, 18 teachers & school staff, and 15 guests, for a total of 194. To meet Objective 3: Improve the Transfer Connections between Hispanic Serving Institutions, Project Coordinator, Jan Robinson, facilitated monthly discussions among El Centro College, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, St. Edward’s University, Del Mar College and Houston Community College concerning the ways they could work together to facilitate the transfer of students among the institutions. 3) Significant Results Achieved (major findings, developments, conclusions) During the 3 years of the Cafe Con Leche (CCL) project, the five project partners, HCC, DMC, ECC, SEU and TAMUCC, spent a total of 2,361 hours promoting USDA Educational Need Areas (e): Student Experiential Learning, and (f): Student Recruitment and Retention with an amazing 20,134 underrepresented students, of which at least 7,268 (36%) were noted as Hispanic heritage or relation. Furthermore, 4,811parents, with at least 2,560 (53%) designated as Hispanic, took part in dynamic presentations, fairs, and activities regarding enrollment, financial aid, career counseling, and job opportunities for their children. (It is important to note that not all CCL participants completed ethnicity information and the nature of some of the CCL activities made it difficult to capture ethnicity, so the declared percent of participants of Hispanic heritage is likely vastly under reported.) These 24,945 students and parents directly benefited from 676 experiential and exciting grant-funded activities conducted throughout the years of the grant by the CCL team. Through the project, 521 students (365 Hispanic) enrolled in higher education and 5 transferred from one partnerinstitution to another. 4) Key Outcomes or Other Accomplishments Realized (changes in knowledge, action, or condition) The students and parents who were part of the CCL activities realized that college was important and financially more obtainable than they had previously thought. St. Edward's CCL staff attended the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) Regional Conference. This annual conference brings together high school students from around the state of Texas who are interested in teaching as a profession. CCL staff delivered formal presentations and informally mentored participants by sharing information on the college admissions process, the importance of going to college, financial aid/scholarships, and FAFSA Saturdays for those in Central Texas. The vast majority of students surveyed after attending the TAFE conference agreed that the CCL information increased their knowledge of educational opportunities, would benefit them in the future, and made them want to include college in their future plans. One presentation item that was particularly meaningful was the economic graph of what you would earn with and without a diploma. One student mentioned that by seeing this graph, she realized it is important to go to college. Seventy-one students, 40 of whom were Hispanic (56 percent), attended Hilltopper for a Day at SEU. This active, college experience introduces visitors to the university's admissions process, financial aid and scholarships, a campus overview, and a focus on the university's innovative and signature programs such as: Biology, Forensic Science, Interactive Games Management, and Teacher Education. Participants also took pictures with the campus mascot, Pax, a real Hilltopper goat. Additionally, a group photo was taken in front of the university's main building. Students surveyed after these events detailed how their view of college had been impacted, Makes me want to be an active student and get more involved; College seems obtainable with all the information and support, I see college as more of a possibility than I did before; It made me want to reach higher goals for myself, it is really important and will benefit me. In Year 2, Del Mar organized an on-campus Third Thursdays program, which provided prospective students and their parents with the opportunity to visit with campus representatives after normal working hours to learn about everything from college admissions to applying for financial aid, with an open computer lab for college applications and FAFSA completions. Parents who completed surveys were in agreement that, during the Third Thursday activities, they learned about Del Mar College, realized ways they could afford to have their children attend college, and increased what they knew about possible educational options for their children. Students who attended Third Thursdays reported that they felt less scared about college, were helped to complete the FAFSA, and believed that what they learned would benefit them in the future. As a result of CCL, 169 students enrolled in El Centro, HCC, and Del Mar colleges. Lastly, during Year 2 of the grant, the Texas Hispanic Serving Institution Consortium (TXHSIC) increased its membership to 21 paid member institutions and had record attendance of 106 participants at the May 2012 TXHSIC meeting.. In Year 3 of the project, $500 scholarships were awarded to 39 Texas A&M Corpus Christi students and to 44 Del Mar College students, totaling $41,500 of financial assistance made available to underrepresented students who need concrete financial assistance to realize their educational goals.

Publications

Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During Year 2 of the Cafe Con Leche (CCL) project, the five project partners, Houston Community College (HCC), Del Mar College (DMC), El Centro College (ECC), St. Edward's University (SEU) and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (TAMUCC,spent a total of 2,205 hours (1,388 paid by grant, 817 not paid by grant) promoting USDA Educational Need Areas (e): Student Experiential Learning, and (f): Student Recruitment and Retention with an amazing 13,334 underrepresented students, of which at least 3,868 (29 percent) were noted as Hispanic heritage or relation. Furthermore, 4,226 parents, with at least 1,975 (46 percent) designated as Hispanic, took part in dynamic presentations, fairs, and activities regarding enrollment, financial aid, career counseling, and job opportunities for their children. (It is important to note that not all CCL participants completed ethnicity information and the nature of some of the CCL activities made it difficult to capture ethnicity, so the declared percent of participants of Hispanic heritage is likely vastly under reported.) These 18,696 students and parents directly benefited from 657 experiential and exciting grant-funded activities conducted throughout Year 2 by the CCL team. The communities in and surrounding the CCL partners learned about the project through 2,070 television, radio, and newspaper announcements, 1,450 requests for information, 3,465 brochures, 550 posters, 4,109 flyers, and 534 additional media methods, such as informational packets, texting, twitter, and e-connect. DMC sponsored the Coastal Bend Feria Para Aprender and ECC participated in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Feria Para Aprender, which are learning fairs, conducted in Spanish, that support academic success from cradle to career. Learning fairs such as these use a hands on engagement model with parents, businesses, non-profits and the community that focuses on educational pathways and requirements in a Spanish-language only format. The DCM Coastal Bend Feria Para Aprender hosted 300 students and 350 parents, with at least 60 percent of Hispanic heritage. HCC shared Cafe Con Leche information at the Spring Branch Family Center educational fair, in which 700 parents ( 71 percent Hispanic) and 1800 students (61 percent Hispanic) received information regarding college, admissions and financial aid application. HCC also planned a Parent University, with an interactive game of Q and A in Spanish to get parents involved and more knowledgeable about college and represented CCL at the Houston Hispanic Forum, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where 300 students and 250 parents, primarily Hispanic, received information regarding college, admissions and financial aid application. ECC participated in Las Llaves del Exito (The Keys to Success), a special program offered by the Dallas County Community College District that is designed to give underrepresented students and their parents the key to their success, comprised of information about how to navigate the system so they can attend a college or university. During the fall Las Llaves, 800 students attended, with at least 300 of those attendees of Hispanic heritage. PARTICIPANTS: Five partner institutions, HCC, DMC, SEU, TAMUCC, and ECC, worked 2,205 hours in Year 2 to strengthen each institution's recruitment and retention of underrepresented students. HCC's Cafe Con Leche enrollment included 42 percent Hispanic students, who took advantage of CCL events overseen by Dr. Maya Durnovo, Project Director, including campus tours; a greater Houston School Expo at Memorial Mall; Summer Career Carnivals, Encuentro Days, and admissions and financial aid sessions. Dr. Leonard Rivera, Director of Recruitment and Sara King, Outreach Specialists, oversee CCL activities at Del Mar, which has a student population of over 12,000 students, 60 percent of whom are Hispanic. DMC CCL 2nd year activities included College Transfer Days; Third Thursdays; Career Fest (an informational exploration of career choices more commonly associated with the opposite gender); School Presentations; open labs for FAFSA assistance; Encuentro Day; and the Coastal Bend Feria Para Aprender. The El Centro CCL is overseen by Tony Pecino, College Director - School Alliances and Institutional Outreach and Tiffanie Johnson, Project Coordinator. El Centro College, with 37 percent Hispanic students, has offered a variety of recruitment and retention opportunities, including dual credit enrollment (register students, meet with parents), outreach (education is freedom, college fairs, speaking engagements at schools), and attendance at PTA meetings and middle and high school college preparation meetings. TAMUCC's Year 2 CCL activities were overseen by Dr. Manuela Gardner, Project Coordinator, and included posting a CCL display at the university's Island Fair day (a campus preview program designed especially for prospective undergraduate students to learn about the robust student life of an Islander), and visiting with students at the Title V-STEM Outreach, Access, and Retention (SOAR) open house, which focuses on helping underrepresented students succeed in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics field of study. Dr. Gloria White, St. Edward's University Director of Sponsored Research and Project and Co-coordinator Allison Rasp, Grants Officer, oversee the St. Edward's CCL project, including CCL Seminars and FAFSA Saturdays; Encuentro Day; Hilltopper for a Day Summer Program; Hilltop Mentors; presentations at regional conferences; and hosts of the Texas HSI Consortium Annual Meeting. At that meeting, the five CCL partners showcased what they are accomplishing in their areas of the state. Best practices in recruiting and retaining Hispanic students were discussed at this conference by Dr. Wanda Ward - Senior Advisor to the Director at the National Science Foundation; Dr. Judith Loredo - Assistant Commissioner for Higher Education- P-16 Initiatives at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Dr. Sonia Feigenbaum - HSI Division Director, US Dept. of Education; and Dr. Eric Lupfer- Director of Grants and Education, Humanities Texas. TARGET AUDIENCES: Cafe con Leche is an invitation to talk and this proposal is designed to recruit across four Texas communities, Houston, Dallas, Austin and Corpus Christi, to demonstrate to underrepresented students and their parents the urgent need for an education. The students targeted and served by CCL strongly identify with and are attached to family. Many Hispanic families hold the teacher in high respect, and parents may be reluctant to ask questions, not wanting to appear to be interfering in the educational process. Consequently, the CCL partners sponsored and/or attended events such as the Feria Para Aprender, the nation's largest Hispanic education and college-readiness event aimed at helping Spanish-speaking parents become key leaders of their children's academic success. These learning fairs use a wrap-around event layout, which maps out the life cycle of a student from pre-K to college and career, a display format that forces verbal interactions and is less reliant on brochures or materials, color coding that empowers low-literate parents, and hands-on activity areas to promote college readiness and careers. Other events planned by the CCL partners use inclusive delivery formats, so that students and their families can be involved in meaningful ways. El Centro College visited the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, which is the first all girls' public school in Texas. Its mission is to provide young ladies in grades 6 through12 with a global education that emphasizes mathematics, science, and technology in a rigorous pre-Advanced Placement academic environment. El Centro had a conversation (in English and Spanish) with 8 students and 14 parents at the academy, all of Hispanic heritage, regarding dual credit information. ECC also attended the Pinkston HS Parent Academy, providing parents with information, in both English and Spanish, about the college's services and programs so that parents can enhance their knowledge about the importance of education to succeed in life, as well as receive information about college preparation, scholarships and financial aid. This summer, Cafe con Leche hosted students from our community college partner institutions- Del Mar College, El Centro College and Houston Community College- on an experiential visit to one of our four-year partners, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The purpose of this visit was to educate students interested in transferring from a two-year institution to a four-year institution about the many opportunities available to them. Del Mar also helped to sponsor Transfer Days, in which colleges and universities throughout the state of Texas came to the Del Mar campus to speak with 50 students and 10 parents about transfer options upon graduating from Del Mar College. Dissemination of this activity was posted on You Tube. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: There were no major changes in approach during Year 2. However, this project has been awarded a no cost extension through August 31, 2013.

Impacts
The students and parents who were part of the CCL activities realized that college was important and financially more obtainable than they previously thought. St. Edward's CCL staff attended the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) Regional Conference. This annual conference brings together high school students from around the state of Texas who are interested in teaching as a profession. CCL staff delivered formal presentations and informally mentored participants by sharing information on the college admissions process, the importance of going to college, financial aid/scholarships, and FAFSA Saturdays for those in Central Texas. The vast majority of students surveyed after attending the TAFE conference agreed that the CCL information increased their knowledge of educational opportunities, will benefit them in the future, and made them want to include college in their future plans. One presentation item that was particularly meaningful was the economic graph of what you would earn with and without a diploma. One student mentioned, I realized it is important to go to college. Seventy-one students, 40 of whom were Hispanic (56 percent), attended Hilltopper for a Day at SEU. This active, college experience introduces visitors to the university's admissions process, financial aid and scholarships, a campus overview, and a focus on the university's innovative and signature programs such as: Biology, Forensic Science, Interactive Games Management, and Teacher Education. Participants also took pictures with the campus mascot, Pax, a real Hilltopper goat. Additionally, a group photo was taken in front of the university's main building. Students surveyed after these events detailed how their view of college had been impacted, Makes me want to be an active student and get more involved; College seems obtainable with all the information and support, I see college as more of a possibility than I did before; It made me want to reach higher goals for myself, it is really important and will benefit me. In Year 2, Del Mar organized an on-campus Third Thursdays program, which provided prospective students and their parents with the opportunity to visit with campus representatives after normal working hours to learn about everything from college admissions to applying for financial aid, with an open computer lab for college applications and FAFSA completions. Parents who completed surveys were in agreement that, during the Third Thursday activities, they learned about Del Mar College, realized ways they could afford to have their children attend college, and increased what they knew about possible educational options for their children. Students who attended Third Thursdays reported that they felt less scared about college, were helped to complete the FAFSA, and believed that what they learned will benefit them in the future. As a result of CCL, 169 students enrolled in El Centro, HCC, and Del Mar colleges. Lastly, during Year 2 of the grant, we increased the Texas Hispanic Serving Institution Consortium (TXHSIC) membership to 21 paid member institutions and had record attendance of 106 participants at our May TXHSIC meeting.

Publications

• Cafe Con Leche website: http://www.hsicafe.org (2010)

Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The Cafe Con Leche (CCL) project addresses USDA Educational Need Areas (e): Student Experiential Learning, and (f): Student Recruitment and Retention and, to date, a total of 6,800 students and 585 parents, of which at least 3,400 (50%) are of Hispanic heritage or relation, have benefited directly from the multiple experiential and exciting grant-funded activities, including 220 presentations, 19 activities, and 63 student/parent meetings. Partner presentations included parent/student conferences, presentations to orientation classes, financial aid presentations, and talking with middle school GEAR UP students (a Department of Education grant program entitled Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). Project staff members incorporated Cafe Con Leche materials into their school advising duties, into college and university orientation programs, and into financial aid options. Information about grant-related activities has been disseminated through the grant website http://www.hsicafe.org. The excitement for this project spread quickly due to the media distribution blitz by the grant partners, including 20,226 television, radio, and newspaper announcements, 4,035 brochures, 242 posters, 21,550 flyers, and 134,232 other media activities, such as mailers in utility bills, etc. Additionally, the partners received 517 requests for information. Project personnel developed all materials in English and Spanish. A poster advertising the project was developed by Houston Community College (HCC), presented at the USDA grant kick off meeting, and distributed to the collaborating partners for media use. During Year 1 of the grant, OBJECTIVE 1: Increase Hispanic students' knowledge about colleges, universities, and professional careers, and OBJECTIVE 2: Increase the number of Hispanic students who enroll and transfer from community college to four-year universities were realized through the 220 presentations were made to 4,976 students and 275 parents. A total of 19 activities, including mentoring visits; Encuentro Days, in which college preparation and enrollment information is distributed, all in Spanish, were conducted at all collaborating institutions; community outreach events to advertise the accessibility and importance of higher education; college fairs; parent universities; dual credit presentations, student career carnivals; guest speakers; presentations at elementary and middle schools; and tours of colleges and universities were conducted with 1,390 students and 247 parents, and 63 meetings were held with 434 students and 63 parents (information sessions). Specifically, St. Edwards reported working in partnership with the Austin City Chamber of Commerce to provide information to approximately 32 school sites over 6 Saturdays, with 1,578+ attendees (1,105 Hispanic), resulting in 675+ FAFSA/TAFSAs filed. A partnership with the SEU School of Education-Ready, Set, Teach Tours of campus, led by the School of Education, presented information on financial assistance opportunities and college admissions. Impact: (97) high school students, (64) parents, (18) teachers & school staff, (15 guests) = 194. PARTICIPANTS: The grant partners together worked 973 hours to strengthen each institution's recruitment of underrepresented students. Houston Community College (HCC) is an open-admission, public institution of higher education, whose enrollment includes 35% Hispanic students who are taking advantage of CCL events overseen by Dr. Maya Durnovo, Project Director; Jodie Khan and Brenda Anderson, Project Coordinator, including Career Fair Day; Encuentro Days, and Admissions and Financial Aid sessions. Corpus Christi is home to the largest community college in the Texas Costal Bend, Del Mar College (DMC). DMC hosts a student population of over 12,000 students, 60% of whom are Hispanic. Del Mar College Dr. Leonard Rivera, Interim Director Student Outreach and Enrollment Services, and Margaret Moreno and Sara King, Outreach Specialists, oversee CCL activities of College Readiness Camp; School Presentations; Encuentro Day and the Coastal Bend Feria. El Centro is a vibrant urban community college located in downtown Dallas, Texas, with 30% Hispanic students. Tony Pecino, College Director - School Alliances and Institutional Outreach and Tiffanie Johnson, Project Coordinator oversee the CCL activities including Dual Credit (register students, meet with parents); Outreach (education is freedom, college fairs, speaking engagements at schools); and College Transition Center (transfer plans, university involvement with free application day). St. Edward's University is recognized in the "Top 100 Schools Graduating Hispanics" by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education and is listed repeatedly in the "Best Schools for Hispanic Students." Project Coordinator Dr. Gloria White, Director, Sponsored Research and Project Co-coordinator Allison Rasp, Grants Officer, oversee the project, including CCL Seminars and FAFSA Saturdays; Encuentro Day; Hilltopper for a Day Summer Program; and Hilltop Mentors. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), with a strategic location on the Gulf of Mexico and on the cultural border with Latin America. Dr. Manuela Gardner, Project Coordinator, oversees the CCL Summer Session, Encuentro Days, and CCL Transition Center. CCL made connections with new partners and highlighted the activities of each partner at the Texas HSI Consortium meeting, May 19-20, 2011, at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. Connections were made with the Greater Texas Foundation, which supports initiatives that increase rates of post-secondary enrollment and completion for all Texas students. The Consortium hosted a panel to discuss these issues that included Juan Sepulveda, Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics; John Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Texas High School Project/Communities Foundation of Texas; Dr. Wynn Rosser, Executive Director, Greater Texas Foundation; and Jacob Fraire, Vice President, Student and Institutional Success, Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp. Additionally, Dr. Gerardo Moreno, Assistant Vice President for Student Success at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi discussed retention strategies for the growing number of Hispanic students entering higher education. TARGET AUDIENCES: This summer, Cafe con Leche hosted students from our community college partner institutions- Del Mar College, El Centro College and Houston Community College- on a visit to one of our four-year partners, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The purpose of this visit was to educate students interested in transferring from a two-year institution to a four-year institution about the many opportunities available to them. Prospective undergraduate students toured the campus with an Island Ambassador, explored academic interests with faculty, and spoke with admission counselors and financial assistance representatives. TAMUCC laid out the welcome mat and our students were exposed to lots of valuable information. Many of the students came in to the visit with their minds already made up about what they would like to study, but when they saw all of the other fields of study available to them; they took a step back and got very excited about the possibility of entering alternative fields of study. Thirteen students who visited TAMUCC for the Island Days visit agreed and strongly agreed that the tour and trip activities were enjoyable, introduced information not known before, made them aware of the many fields of study they could pursue, and provided information regarding transition and support services that would help them make the adjustment to college life. They also related that what they learned would benefit their future, encouraged them to push themselves academically, and made them interested in pursuing higher education opportunities. One student reported: The trip opened my eyes about all the opportunities A&M Corpus Christi offers. I enjoyed it greatly. Another student related: I didn't think I would like neuroscience, but I am very interested in it now. Knowing more career opportunities, I will use this to my advantage for choosing classes to further my education. Parents attending admissions, financial aid, and counseling seminar reported that the sessions increased their knowledge of educational opportunities, and encouraged them to push their children academically and incorporate higher education in the future plans of their children. A dynamic, interactive website is up and running, disseminating information about grant-related activities through the creation of a web site specifically for this project hsicafe.org. Translation services are linked to Google translations. All additional project materials were developed in English and Spanish. The project poster, that was developed by HCC and is displayed on the project website, explains the project, its objectives, and lists various grant activities. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
During Year 1 of the grant, 6,800 students and 585 parents increased their knowledge of colleges, universities, and professional careers. At El Centro College, a single mother of three attended a Hispanic Healthcare Career Day hosted by UT Southwestern and indicated that she didn't want her children to go without a college education like she had, but wasn't sure how as a single mother she was going to make it happen. Through CCL, she learned about preparations she could make to get her children positioned for higher education. Additionally, after a meeting explaining Dual Credit classes to the community, a student from North Dallas High School indicated an interest in attending college, but wasn't sure of what he needed to do. We worked with him to complete his applications, as well as explained the process of applying for financial aid. He knew which universities he wanted to attend and even wanted to complete the optional essays to show his passion for each college he picked. He is currently completing additional dual credit courses to transfer with him once he receives his acceptance letter. Regarding OBJECTIVE 3: Improve the Transfer Connections between Hispanic Serving Institutions, Project Coordinator, Jan Robinson, facilitated monthly discussions among El Centro College, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, St. Edward's University, Del Mar College and Houston Community College concerning the ways they could work together to facilitate the transfer of students among the institutions. Through the project, 521 students (365 Hispanic) enrolled in higher education and 5 transferred from one institution to another. Addressing OBJECTIVE 4: Increase the number of Hispanic Serving Institutions in the Texas HSI Consortium and OBJECTIVE 5: Serve as a model consortium for other states, Cafe Con Leche partners participated in the Texas HSI Consortium Conference, held May 19-20, 2011 in San Antonio, sharing their collaborative efforts and plethora of activities designed to recruit underrepresented Hispanic students into educational and vocational opportunities with other HSI institutions. Roger Mireles, Assistant Deputy Administrator, Office of Capacity Building and Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, discussed partnership opportunities with Consortium members.

Publications

• No publications reported this period