EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Oregon will convene a two-day Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Symposium on October 22–23, 2026, bringing together students, faculty, staff, administrators, educators, community partners, and higher education leaders to examine how UO can better serve its growing Latiné student community.
The symposium comes as UO continues to explore its pathway toward becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution. In 2024–25, 3,902 UO students identified as Hispanic, representing approximately 16% of the university’s total enrollment. As this community grows, the symposium will focus not only on enrollment, but on the institutional practices, partnerships, and cultural changes needed to support Latiné students throughout their entire college experience.
That work builds on a vibrant Latiné community already shaping life at UO. Across campus, academic programs, student organizations, research and cultural initiatives—including the Latinx ARC, Latinx Studies Program, Latinx Strategy Group, Spanish Heritage Language Program, UO Muxeres, Latiné Male Alliance, UO Fandangueros student mariachi ensemble, the Latino Roots Project, and others—create opportunities for scholarship, mentorship, cultural connection, advocacy, and belonging. Students are also helping shape what comes next, including efforts from the Latinx Student Coalition toward developing a Latinx Cultural Center at UO.
The symposium seeks to build on this foundation by asking how UO’s support, resources, and opportunities can continue to grow alongside its Latiné student community.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Marcela Cuellar
The symposium will feature a keynote address by Dr. Marcela Cuellar, Professor in Higher Education Leadership at UC Davis, whose research examines student experiences and outcomes at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Cuellar served on the UC Davis campus task force that helped guide the university’s work toward HSI eligibility. In 2024, UC Davis announced that it had achieved HSI eligibility while serving more than 8,000 Chicanx/Latinx undergraduate students.
Cuellar’s work examines not only enrollment and degree completion, but also broader outcomes of higher education, including civic engagement, student self-perception, and pathways to graduate education. Her research provides a particularly relevant perspective as UO considers what it means to move beyond an enrollment benchmark and become an institution that meaningfully serves Latiné students.
The symposium builds on ongoing work by UO’s HSI Task Force, which emphasized in its 2023 report that becoming an HSI is about more than reaching a federal enrollment threshold. The work also requires attention to student success and belonging, community engagement, institutional planning, and long-term structural change.
“This symposium is about more than simply affirming UO’s values. It’s about doing the real work of building the knowledge, partnerships, and resources needed to better support one of the fastest-growing student populations in higher education.”
“We want to bring people together across our campus, community, and beyond to think seriously about how the University of Oregon can better support the experiences, aspirations, and needs of Latiné students and their families,” said Dr. Christopher Chávez, Director of the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS) at the University of Oregon.
Day One: Building a Shared Understanding
The first day of the symposium will combine university leadership, Cuellar’s keynote, and a series of panels examining the current state of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, student success, Latinx research, and institutional culture. Discussions will include perspectives from students, faculty, staff, administrators, graduate students, and community partners.
Day Two: Moving from Conversation to Action
The second day will move from discussion toward collaborative planning. Participants will take part in facilitated work sessions focused on four areas: recruitment and enrollment, retention and graduation, research, and culture building. The sessions are intended to build on the previous day’s conversations and begin identifying priorities and opportunities for UO’s continued HSI work.
“Supporting this symposium is an investment in the University of Oregon’s future. Latiné students, faculty, and staff are essential to our campus community, and this gathering will help us identify the partnerships, practices, and institutional habits needed to better support their success and sense of belonging.”
— UO Provost Christopher P. Long
Who Should Attend?
Organizers invite participation from across the educational pipeline, including current and prospective students and their families, K–12 educators and school counselors, community college leaders, academic advisors, community organizations, UO alumni, UO faculty and staff, UO leadership, and partners from other higher education institutions.
By bringing these perspectives together, the symposium aims to strengthen connections between UO and the communities it serves while helping the university consider a larger question:
How can the University of Oregon strengthen support, deepen belonging, and expand opportunities to meet the needs of its growing and diverse Latiné student community?
The HSI Symposium is made possible through the support of the University of Oregon Office of the Provost, the Division of Equity and Inclusion, and the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS).
Event Details
HSI Symposium: Building a Latinx-Thriving University
Thursday, October 22, 2026
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Reception: 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Friday, October 23, 2026
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Ford Alumni Center
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Participants are welcome to attend all or part of the symposium. Lunch will be provided on both days, and a reception will follow Thursday’s program.
REGISTER FOR THE HSI SYMPOSIUM
Additional speakers and the full symposium program will be announced in the coming weeks.
Media Contact
Janice Daniels
Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies
University of Oregon
janiced@uoregon.edu