Seal of Excelencia Framework
 

Excelencia in Education’s mission is to accelerate Latino student success in higher education. We believe institutions must transform to address structural inequities and more intentionally serve Latino, and other post-traditional students. To focus on this, Excelencia in Education established the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for colleges and universities that strive to go beyond enrollment and more intentionally SERVE Latino students to become institutions where Latinos thrive.

Excelencia is committed to partnering with institutions to share and learn strategies that align data, practice, and leadership to accelerate Latino student success as a community of common cause. Further, we recognize that developing the ability to serve Latino students enhances the capacity of institutions to serve all students.

The Seal of Excelencia framework integrates essential components of transformation into a comprehensive institutional strategy for intentionally SERVING Latino students. This framework represents Excelencia’s learning from over 20 years of working with higher education institutions and leaders committed to student success.

The Seal of Excelencia framework has three core components: data, practice, and leadership.

Data

Institutions collect, disaggragate, and analyze data for impact amoung six key data areas:

1. Enrollment of Latino students; 

2. Retention of Latino students; 

3. Transfer in and out of Latino students; 

4. Financial support for Latino students; 

5. Representation of Latinos in administration, faculty, and staff to further model success; and, 

6. Degree completion of Latino students.

Practice

Institutions intentionally implement and advance evidence-based programs and policies for equitable outcomes in six key practice areas: 

1. Enrollment of Latino students; 

2. Retention of Latino students; 

3. Transfer in and out of Latino students; 

4. Financial support for Latino students; 

5. Representation of Latinos in administration, faculty, and staff to further model success; and,

6. Degree completion of Latino students

Leadership

Institutions demonstrate intentional commitment to improve Latino student success in five leadership areas: 

1. Mission and strategy – where aspects of the institution’s mission and strategy are articulated and implemented to intentionally include Latino students’ success.

2. Data and practice – how disaggregated data (by race and ethnicity) and institutional practices are aligned to inform initiatives that improve Latino student success.

3. Human resources – how recruitment, onboarding, and professional development (especially for faculty) prioritize serving Latino students and the institutional community. 

4. Communications – where internal and external communications are leveraged to share information making the intentionality to serve Latino students clear. This can keep momentum building toward goals set by the college and across the institution and community.

5. Institutional culture – how the institution articulates authentically its intentionality in SERVING Latino students, including how students are cultivated and supported.

Click here to download a PDF of the Seal of Excelencia Framwork.