Dr. Jose Villa
Dr. Jose Villa has two major roles here at Ohio State. He is Assistant Vice Provost for the Office of Minority Affairs and the director of CAMP (College Assistance Migrant Program). He has been working at his current position for the past three years.
When addressing the dropout rates of Latinos in schools in Columbus, Villa says there is no single solution or quick fixes. There is a need for long term solutions that start in preschool. Right now, the Office of Minority Affairs works with juniors in high school that are looking to go onto college. When assisting students, Jose noticed there are two populations within the Latino community. First, the middle class that has "made it". For this population it is accepted that their children are going to college. Second, the majority of people within the Latino population, about 2/3, are stuck in cycle of dropping out or has high school set as the highest goal. He attributes this cycle to two factors that keep Latino enrollment down. First, academically the parents themselves did not go to college so they do not encourage their own children to continue their education. Second, economically the majority of theses families are at or below the poverty level. They work as part of the labor force which has lower income levels. Families have to children so they can help support the family by working.
In terms of goals and solutions, Jose emphasizes that encouragement needs to begin in preschool. Since the average education level for these populations is 8th or 9th grade, Jose suggests several steps to initiate a permanent change to end the cycle. In the next 3 to 5 years administrators like Jose Villa will begin to target those in 9th grade so that through all of high school they are in the mindset that they are going to college. This is crucial also because colleges have admission requirements and this can sometime discourage students who think about college at the last minute. In the next 5 to 8 years students in middle school will be targeted. Targeting and encouraging children in middle school will help them be prepared to go to high school.
As an assistant to migrant students, Jose contacts people in Southern Texas and Florida. Migrant students have been in agriculture moving around the country with their family their entire lives. Many of theses students attend several different schools in one year and do not even consider college.
Once Latino or migrant students are here it is very important they use the support system especially in the first year to have success. The transition period for Latino students can be very difficult. There is a culture shock. Many of these students' first language is Spanish. The weather is very different at Ohio State compared to Southern Texas and Florida. There are also differences in educational systems in those places. That is why each student here is assigned a student mentor and a professional mentor. The student mentor serves to relate to the student because they are younger and from the same background and geographical location. This will help them deal with social issues and adjusting. The professional mentor is there to help them plan ahead 2 to 5 years by planning what kind of jobs the student will be looking for.
The retention rate of Latino students here at Ohio State ranges from 80% to 83%. Villa attributes this success to being available to the students and building strong relationships. CAMP and the Office of Minority Affairs play a large role in making higher education more accessible to those students who previously never considered it.