ERIC Number: ED383371
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1995-Apr
Pages: 21
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Multiculturalism and the Community College: A Case Study of an Immigrant Education Program.
Rhoads, Robert A.
To gather data on the goals and effectiveness of a postsecondary program organized from the perspective of multiculturalism, a case study was conducted of Nuevos Horizontes (NH), an immigrant education program at Triton College, in Illinois. NH is designed to facilitate access to higher education for Hispanics and other minority students; provide educational programs for immigrant adults; and inform the community of educational and cultural opportunities available at Triton. In a 3-day site visit, interviews were conducted with 14 students and 27 faculty and staff participating in NH and program reports and materials were collected and analyzed. Results of the case study included the following: (1) in 1993, over 8,000 students utilized NH's services; (2) outstanding program elements included a festival celebrating Hispanic culture, an HIV/AIDS education and prevention program, and a swearing-in ceremony for citizens prepared through NH; and (3) keys to NH's effectiveness were the emphasis placed on celebrating Hispanic culture while increasing participants' knowledge of English and U.S. culture, the bilingual staff, the commitment to holistic education, the physical proximity to the Hispanic community, and the effective use of community partnerships. Although the program was successful in creating an educational environment that makes Hispanic immigrants feel comfortable, the college runs the risk of compartmentalizing multiculturalism and limiting the impact cultural diversity might have on the main campus and the entire community. (KP)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park. Center for the Study of Higher Education.; National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, University Park, PA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Educational Research Association (San Francisco, CA, April 18-22, 1995). For related documents, see JC 950 291-296.