| Contact |
Dustin Luca
|
|---|
SALEM, MASS. – Salem State University is partnering with a mission-driven student coaching non-profit to boost student success outcomes, joining four emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions as an inaugural consortium cohort to begin work in the coming academic year.
On Thursday, Salem State announced that Oregon-based InsideTrack has invited it to participate in “Strive to Thrive,” a new three-year initiative to help improve educational outcomes at participating institutions. The program aims to boost student success and institutional capacity at colleges and universities on the cusp of achieving the HSI designation.
Hispanic serving institutions, or HSIs, are schools which enroll a diverse population with at least 25% of students self-identifying as Hispanic or Latino. Schools that have become HSIs or are emerging are also recognized for graduating a diverse student population as they help communities meet workforce needs. Salem State is currently the first four-year public institution in Massachusetts to enroll 25% Hispanic students and is planning to apply for the federal HSI designation in 2026.
Over the next three years, the Strive initiative will work to boost college enrollment, retention, and completion by helping Salem State adopt evidence-based coaching and student success strategies. Through the program, the Strive initiative will help to strengthen campus-wide capacity and support services that improve success for all students, including the growing number of Latino students that the institution enrolls.
"Salem State University is deeply committed to the success of all its students and the transformative power education has to improve social mobility,” said Salem State University President John Keenan. “As a developing HSI serving several gateway cities with growing Latino populations, we believe a targeted approach like InsideTrack’s Strive to Thrive program will help move specific students across the finish line and inform best practices for programs that all students will benefit from."
For three years starting this summer, the initiative will provide personalized outreach and success coaching to students currently enrolled at the participating schools. At Salem State, 100 students in the College of Arts and Sciences will receive a retention coach through InsideTrack, serving to strengthen the university’s capacity to support students and increase outcomes.
“Salem State is intentional about not just enrolling a diverse student population, but also adopting practices that will help all our students succeed. As our communities' demographics shift, it is important for colleges and universities to be prepared to serve them,” said Elisa Castillo, assistant vice president for HSI-MSI Initiatives at Salem State. “In fact, SSU has been leading the Massachusetts HSI movement since last summer when we partnered with three HSI community colleges to host the Inaugural New England Hispanic and Minority Serving Institution conference. This event caught the attention of InsideTrack and led to the current partnership. We are thrilled to be part of their network and provide this evidence-based practice to help students persist in their education."
Salem State is joined in the cohort by four other emerging HSIs: Western Oregon University, and three community colleges, including Durham Technical Community College (Durham, NC), Treasure Valley Community College (Ontario, OR), and Salt Late Community College (Salt Lake City, UT).
“Because of the student demographics they serve, colleges that are on the path to becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions are uniquely positioned to pilot and scale the kind of support services that can remove barriers to student success,” said Ruth Bauer, president of InsideTrack. “By strengthening their capacity with effective coaching and proven tools, we can support these colleges as they work to expand access and improve outcomes for all learners—particularly those working to balance education with multiple work and family responsibilities.”
Learn more about Salem State's work on becoming an HSI. For more on InsideTrack, please visit the organization's website at insidetrack.org.