EL PASO, Texas — There’s only one health-related institution on the U.S.-Mexico border that’s federally designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and it’s here in the heart of El Paso.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution preparing the next generation of health care heroes to serve our Borderplex and 108 counties in West Texas that have historically been underserved.
“The fact that TTUHSC El Paso is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution is a huge accomplishment for our El Paso area,” said Christiane Herber-Valdez, Ed.D., assistant vice president for Academic Affairs. “It’s an honor for us to be recognized as a leader in educating Hispanic students. The designation also makes us eligible for major federal grants, which help us pursue our university’s mission to improve the quality of health care in our region. In short, it doesn’t just affect students, it benefits all of us.”
Beginning Sept. 11, TTUHSC El Paso, and other federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institutions around the country, will celebrate National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week 2023 with a series of panels, guest speakers and community outreach.
But what exactly is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and how does it benefit the entire Borderplex? Here are answers to those questions and a guide to how significant the Hispanic-Serving Institution designation is for everyone:
What is a Hispanic-Serving Institution?
Hispanic-Serving Institutions, similar to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribal Colleges and Universities, are officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as institutions that enroll significant percentages of minority students. These institutions are known leaders in higher education that recognize and address the gaps underrepresented groups continue to experience in education.
What makes TTUHSC El Paso a Hispanic-Serving Institution?
One criteria an institution has to meet to qualify as a Hispanic-Serving Institution is having a student population that is at least 25% Hispanic. TTUHSC El Paso has a student body that’s 48% Hispanic and often first-generation college students. While it’s not a requirement, about 72% of university personnel, including faculty, identify as Hispanic.
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Education recognized TTUHSC El Paso as a Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, making it the second health-related institution in the nation to receive the designation and the only one located on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Why are Hispanic-Serving Institutions important?
According to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions represent less than 20% of institutions but enroll two-thirds of all Hispanic undergraduates nationwide.
In addition, about 80% of degrees earned by Hispanics are at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, with about 66% of all degrees being earned at these institutions, according to a 2021 Excelencia in Education report.
The U.S. Census Bureau predicts a continued climb in the number of Hispanics, accounting for 25% of the U.S. population in 10 years. However, less than 6% of physicians in the U.S. identify as Hispanic. Similar low percentages are seen among registered nurses and dentists, according to the 2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey and American Dental Association Health Policy Institute, respectively. Additionally, only 8% of medical scientists identify as Hispanic, according to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
How does a Hispanic-Serving Institution designation help all students?
The U.S. Department of Education provides multimillion-dollar grant opportunities specifically to Hispanic Serving Institutions, to assist with strengthening institutional programs, facilities, and services to expand the educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans and other underrepresented populations. While programs and services are made to close achievement gaps, it’s important to know these grants benefit the entire community and student body.
For example, TTUHSC El Paso’s Title V Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions grant, “Puentes Hacia El Exito (Bridges Toward Success),” has brought $3 million in federal funding to the university. While a major goal of the grant is to increase the number of Hispanic nursing graduates to address critical nurse shortages, many of the grant’s strategies benefit students across all TTUHSC El Paso schools.
According to the Excelencia in Education report, more than $331 million from over 145 federal grants has been given to support capacity-building at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, improving the educational experience for every student enrolled.
How does a Hispanic-Serving Institution help our region?
For more than a decade, TTUHSC El Paso has helped alleviate health care provider shortages in our region by educating local talent on their way to becoming physicians, nurses, researchers and, soon, dentists.
Because our Borderplex has a Hispanic-majority population, increasing numbers of local students entering TTUHSC El Paso academic programs has contributed to the university becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution. With the help of Title V Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions funding, the university has graduated more than 2,000 students. Because health care graduates typically go on to practice in close proximity to their university, many TTUHSC El Paso graduates have and will go on to serve our region.
“Our university’s mission is to improve the health of people in our community,” Dr. Herber-Valdez said. “When we train academically qualified and competitive students from our region, it increases the likelihood they will become professionals who practice in our Borderplex after graduation.”
Providing access to advanced education encourages graduates from our region to work locally as health care providers – a critical need as El Paso County is a designated Health Professional Shortage Area.
Over the course of a decade, El Paso County’s average number of direct care physicians per 100,000 people has gone from 75% less than the national average to only 50%. In that same time, the number of registered nurses in the county has increased by 45%.
TTUHSC El Paso is also a significant contributor to the economy, with an economic impact of $634.4 million annually, up from a previous $227 million, according to a Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business report.
TTUHSC El Paso’s success in the community is built on its ability to provide advanced educational opportunities for underrepresented students, a unique curriculum that offers students early clinical training and community service opportunities, and, ultimately, the impact graduates have on increasing access to quality health care.
About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
Established as an independent university in the Texas Tech University System in 2013, TTUHSC El Paso is celebrating 10 years as a proudly diverse and uniquely innovative destination for education and research. According to a 2022 analysis, TTUHSC El Paso contributes $634.4 million annually to our Borderplex region’s economy.
With a mission of eliminating health care barriers and creating life-changing educational opportunities for Borderplex residents, TTUHSC El Paso has graduated over 2,000 doctors, nurses and researchers over the past decade, and will add dentists to its alumni beginning in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.
