The decrease in Hispanic-Serving Institutions and the decrease in Latino student enrollment point to a clear conclusion for Excelencia in Education's Deborah Santiago: Institutions need to invest more and work harder to serve Latino students pursuing degrees.

And even though enrollment is the sole criterion for earning HSI status, Santiago says efforts need to go beyond that. That includes doing more to determine what it actually means to serve and support Latino students, she says.

Traditionally, institutions in Florida are usually accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

That could all change with the signing of SB 7044. If that happens, scholars worry the cost and labor of reaccreditation will potentially harm those institutions with fewer resources. 

Photo: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post

Higher education lags across open expanses of the Rocky Mountain West, where distances to campuses can exceed 100 miles and, in rural Colorado, barely half of high school graduates enroll in college.

Colorado's big universities are taking note. The universities, through their extension offices set up in counties across the state, are using their research, funding, and talent to help connect rural communities.