UCLA’s new Latinx Success Center aims to support the university’s Latino community.
The center, located in De Neve Birch, was established following a 2022 recommendation from UCLA’s Hispanic-Serving Institution Task Force. Former Chancellor Gene Block launched the task force to coordinate a strategy for UCLA to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution, meaning at least a quarter of its enrolled students identify as Hispanic, and the school would be eligible to receive special federal funding.
The center was initially meant to open in January but was delayed for furniture deliveries, said Claudia Salcedo, the assistant vice provost for academic partnerships.
Arlene Cano Matute, the former assistant director of the Office of Chicano Student Programs at UC Riverside, was announced as the inaugural executive director of the Latinx Success Center at the center’s opening ceremony.
Cano Matute said she plans to launch outreach efforts for the center, including a listening tour, cafecitos with the director and an open house. She added that she aims for the center to be a hub for empowering the Chicano community and a space where students can thrive academically, socially and personally.
“I really want the first couple of weeks to be an opportunity for us to get to know one another,” Cano Matute said. “I’m really mindful that I’m joining this community, and so I want to make sure that I spend time with everyone.”
Salcedo said the center does not aim to duplicate already existing initiatives – such as the Latinx Graduation. She added that alongside preparing students to excel academically, the center’s goal is also to ensure students know they belong.
“I hope that when students leave UCLA and they think about the impact that UCLA had, that they will think about the center, about a space that they feel made them feel welcome, made them feel connected, helped them build community and helped them get connected to all of these campus entities,” Salcedo said.
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Along with other new initiatives, such as a Spanish-speaking orientation for families, Salcedo said she hopes the Latinx Success Center will boost the yield and recruitment of Latino students at UCLA.
While Block set a goal of reaching HSI status by 2025, only 22% of the university’s undergraduate population currently identifies as Hispanic, according to diversity data released by UCLA. Former President Joe Biden signed an executive order in July to increase funding for HSIs, but President Donald Trump rescinded the order on his first day in office.
Salcedo said she believes UCLA becoming an HSI will better reflect the makeup and diversity of LA.
“When we become an HSI, I think it’ll signal to the rest of the nation that you could be both highly diverse and exceptional, and that those two things are mutually reinforcing rather than mutually exclusive,” HSI Initiatives Director Elizabeth Gonzalez said.
Salcedo also said the center is committed to listening to students and addressing their needs.
“What has been very important is to hear from the students,” Salcedo said. “We have both the undergraduate and graduate student advisory boards, and so for us, it’s been important to hear out what their vision is at the center, what is it that they want to see here, what are the types of programs.”
The center secured funding for three years from a $3 million grant from the UCLA Foundation, Gonzalez said. This grant will allow the center to continue operations and offer students the need-based Excelencia Scholarship.
Melanie Cerron, a third-year biochemistry student, said she hopes to find a STEM-centered community through the center.
“I’m also looking for mentors and a way to meet other Latinos in STEM,” Cerron said. “It is a great way to group us together, meet and build a community, especially in STEM and especially at a success center like this that we haven’t had on campus.”
Anthony Lewis, a third-year global studies and political science student, said he finds it important that UCLA is committed to supporting people from all backgrounds.
“I think it’s very significant because it shows that UCLA is striving to be inclusive of all groups of people,” Lewis said, “It’s been a long time coming that the Latinx community has been well deserving over this, and especially with UCLA becoming HSI very soon, it just shows how much effort UCLA is putting into the Hispanic community.”
Gonzalez added that she hopes the center will increase UCLA’s distinction as a school that welcomes and embraces people of all communities.
“I can’t emphasize enough the transformative nature of having a physical space where students have connection with not just each other, but with other staff, faculty, alumni, community members as well,” Cano Matute said. “That then builds a concept of community that then springboards into this transformative experience.”
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