2-YEAR COLLEGES LATINOS' START STUDY FINDS LOCAL CAMPUSES ARE A 'PIPELINE' TO PH.D.S.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

Adriana Barrera found her educational opportunity at a community college back in Texas, where she grew up. It launched her on a path that has seen her earn master's and doctorate degrees and to serve today as president of Mission College in the San Fernando Valley.

A new study finds that Barrera's experience is not unusual. Nearly a quarter of Mexican-Americans with doctorate degrees start at a community college, punctuating the need for universities and community colleges to strengthen transfer programs.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, Chicano Studies Research Center said their national study found that the percentage of Mexican-Americans with a doctorate who began their post-secondary education at junior college was more than twice as high as the overall rate for doctorate holders.

And while 71 percent of Chicano community college students plan to transfer to a four-year school, no more than 20 percent are believed to do so.

``It's clear that for Chicanas and Chicanos who go on to pursue a Ph.D., (the community college system) is part of that pipeline,'' said Daniel Solorzano, UCLA professor of education and associate director of the Chicano Studies Research Center, and one of the authors of the study.

It urges colleges and universities to improve the transfer process and develop a ``transfer culture'' at community colleges that encourages students to make transfer a priority.

Encouraging more Chicanos to earn a doctorate degree is critical because ``Ph.D.s are the folks who do research in areas that advance knowledge and affect policy in different fields,'' Solorzano said. ``We are losing an awful lot of talent.''

Barrera, head of a community college with a 70 percent Latino enrollment, attended a community college in San Antonio and went on to earn graduate degrees at Texas Tech.

``There wasn't a public university in San Antonio when I was there,'' Barrera recalled. ``If I hadn't gone there, I probably would have postponed my education and would not have been able to complete my degree.

``The classes were small and intimate, the professors knew who I was, and I got a lot of personalized attention. And I had several faculty members who were themselves in Ph.D. programs.''

Daniel Castro, president of Trade-Technical College in Los Angeles, which is 52 percent Latino, said Latino students face many obstacles in trying to earn a degree. Community colleges are an attractive option for many Latinos because they are less expensive than public universities and accept all students over the age of 18.

But many Latino students live at home while attending college part-time and working, which slows their academic progress, Castro said. Culturally, they may be discouraged from applying to colleges far from home, or applying for student loans, because many are the first in their families to attend college.

``These students may be very courageous and be the first in their family to go to college,'' Castro said. ``But they may not be courageous enough to say, 'I have a chance to go to Duke University.'''

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

ON THE WEB

The study can be found at www.chicano.ucla.edu/press/briefs/current.html

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SOURCE: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center 

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