INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Latino Institute (ILI) is getting a significant financial boost to help Latino students seeking a college degree.
In a partnership with several Indiana colleges and universities, the nonprofit's Higher Education Consortium is offering $11 million in scholarships to low-income Latino youth over the next five years.
ILI plans to recruit and offer these scholarships to the students in their "ILI Indiana Education" program, students who often face cultural and financial barriers when seeking higher education.
“Recognizing that more Latino students will succeed by adopting proven, effective strategies, the secondary educational institutions and ILI signed a collaborative agreement to exchange ideas and create action plans that will increase enrollment and degree attainment for our growing Latino population,” Marlene Dotson, the president and CEO of ILI, stated in a release.
Eighteen Hoosier institutions have pledged to two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) — an agreement to join the Consortium and a commitment to offer scholarships — with ILI. The MOUs outline an agreement to collaborate on activities that improve recruitment, retention, and graduation outcomes for Latino students.
The institutions that are part of the partnership are as follows:
- Anderson University
- Goshen College
- Grace College
- Holy Cross College
- Indiana State University
- Indiana University Bloomington
- Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
- Indiana University South Bend
- Indiana University Southeast
- Ivy Tech Indianapolis
- Ivy Tech South Bend/Elkhart
- Ivy Tech Evansville
- Marian University
- Saint Joseph’s College of Marian University
- Oakland City University
- Purdue University
- University of Evansville
- University of Indianapolis
“With Latino high-school graduates enrolling in college at significantly lower rates than their White peers, these substantial scholarships signal to Latino students that they are valued and sought after, and that financial aid is available to them," Dotson said.
Click here to learn more about the Indiana Latino Institute.
