SAN DIEGO (CNS) — San Diego State University was named among the 10 universities to receive the Seal of Excelencia granted by Excelencia in Education -- an organization dedicated to closing the education equity gap and increasing Latino degree holders -- it was announced Friday.
"San Diego State University is California's transborder institution, but our position is informed not solely by our multiple border campus locations but by our commitment to truly empower and serve the binational Latinx students that surround us," SDSU President Adela de la Torre said in a statement.
"Receiving the Seal of Excelencia acknowledges this commitment, which I am incredibly grateful for," she said.
"It is my hope that the demonstrated efforts and success we've had -- though still always a work in progress -- will inspire other Latinx serving communities and universities."
Fresno State University, Cal State Fullerton, Miami Dade College, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley were among the other institutions selected for the award.
San Diego State was also just recognized this month by Hispanic Outlook in its Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics list. The higher education magazine ranked SDSU 43rd in the nation for its enrollment of Latino students and 25th for conferring the most master's degrees and 16th for conferring the most bachelor's degrees on Latino students.
"This is an incredible honor for our campus," said J. Luke Wood, vice president for student affairs and campus diversity.
"SDSU has remained committed to empowering and serving our Latinx students for years now and as a Hispanic-Serving Institution it is wonderful to know that the hard work we have put in is seen as effective and is truly serving our campus' incredibly diverse and growing community."
SDSU joins 23 other colleges and universities across the nation to earn the Seal of Excelencia, which comes with a three-year certificate stemming from an independent verification process.
