Recruiting, Retaining, and Advancing
Hispanics in Computing
Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving
Institutions
Richard A. Aló
The Numbers
15 % of
Population
16
3.3% increase
2006-07
3.1%
2%
1.2%
Largest minority group
 Number of states with .5M
 Fastest growing minority group
 Low representation in science and
technology

◦ Employed in science and engineering
◦ Enrolled in computer sciences graduate
programs
◦ 2006-07 CS/CE PhD recipients
(Census, 2008; CRA, 2008)
Obstacles: Entering Post-Secondary
Education
Dropping out of high school
 Inadequate formal guidance: school
 Inadequate informal guidance: family
 Limited exposure to career information
 Finances

TRPI et al,, 2006
Barriers: Completing PostSecondary Education
Preparation and skill deficits
 Family and financial demands
 Inadequate student support services
 Poor transition between two-year and
four-year institutions

TRPI et al,, 2006
The “Leaky” Pipeline
.
HS
Unrealistic goals
Lack of faculty
who match
“possible self”
BS
MS
Ph.D.
Hostile
Environment
Lack of
role models
Demands of
family
responsibilities
First in family
to graduate
Computing Alliance of HispanicServing Institutions:
Core Purpose
Create a unified voice to consolidate the
strengths, resources, and concerns of HSIs and
other groups committed to increasing the
number of Hispanics in all computing areas.
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Florida International University
New Mexico State University
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
University of Houston-Downtown
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
University of Texas at El Paso
Structure
Organization
Collaborations
Industry partners
Professional Organizations
Groups
Social Science Network
Non-CAHSI Institutions
Government Entities
1. Increase number of students who enter computing
workforce with advanced degrees.
2. Support retention and advancement of Hispanic
faculty in computing.
3. Develop and sustain competitive education and
research programs at HSIs.
RECRUITING
.
RETAINING
. ADVANCING
HISPANICS IN COMPUTING
Phase I Initiatives
Recruit and
Retain
• CS0
• PLTL
Research
• ARG
• Course
• Posters
Development
• Workshops
• Lecture Series
Phase II Initiatives
MentorGrad
MentorProf
MentorLead
Student and Faculty Advocates
PaperNet
FellowNet
Overview
Mohsen Beheshti: CS0
 Richard Aló: PLTL
 John Fernandez: Paper-Net
 Nestor Rodriguez: Mentor-Grad

Group Discussion

What challenges are
you facing in RRA
Hispanics in
computing?

What contributions
can you make in RRA
Hispanics in
computing?
RRA:
RECRUITING
.
RETAINING
. ADVANCING
HISPANICS IN COMPUTING
Contact Information


e-mail: ralo@uh.edu
Website: http://cahsi.org
713 221 8207