Portland State University is taking a step to serve its increasing Latino student population by launching what it says is the first Chicano/Latino Studies major in the Pacific Northwest. The university announced the new degree program Monday.
“A major in Chicano/Latino Studies is long overdue, as it gives our expanding Latinx student population a home where their experiences matter and where they’re validated,” PSU professor and the program’s director Cristina Herrera said in a statement.
PSU is among a number of colleges and universities in the state that are openly working to increase their Latino student populations to become Hispanic Serving Institutions — a federal designation higher education institutions can receive if they have at least 25% of their enrollment made up by Hispanic or Latino students.
Portland State was at 18% Latino students as of last year.
File image of the Portland State University library.
Hanin Najjar / OPB
Although a few community colleges in Oregon already have the designation, none of the public universities do. Western Oregon University is currently the closest university in the state to becoming an HSI, at about 22% Latino students. University of Oregon is also moving toward becoming an HSI, announcing last year the creation of a committee with that goal in mind. UO was at about 16% Latino enrollment as of last year.
PSU said the increase of Latino students at the university, as well as increased interest in the university’s already-existing minor and certificate in Chicano/Latino Studies, was the reason for launching a degree.
“A CHLA major, in addition to other campus programs and opportunities, is integral to truly serve and support our Latinx students, especially as we become a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution,” Herrera said.
PSU assistant professor Martín Alberto Gonzalez said in a statement that the new program is “interdisciplinary” — applicable to anyone who wants to learn more about one of the nation’s largest ethnic groups.
“Chicanx/Latinx Studies provides that critical lens to business, that critical lens to engineering, that critical lens to architecture,” Alberto Gonzalez said. “Students know it’s going to help them better serve their communities, regardless of what field of study they are interested in.”
Portland State started its Chicano/Latino Studies program in 1994, currently consisting of a certificate and minor before the major launches this fall.
The Chicano/Latino Studies major at PSU was approved by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission last month, a required process for all new academic programs at public colleges and universities.
Other schools in the region do offer programs in Chicano studies, which focus on the experiences of people of Mexican descent, as well as broader programs in Latin American affairs. For example, Western Oregon University has a Latino/Chicano Studies minor, and the University of Oregon has a Latin American Studies degree program.