Decolonizing Leadership Practices: Towards Equity and Justice at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Emerging HSIs (eHSIs

Abstract

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs; colleges and universities that enroll at least 25% Raza undergraduates) are increasing in number in the United States, growing rapidly from 189 in 1994 to 492 in 2016. Moreover, there were 333 emerging HSIs (eHSIs) in 2016, indicating that the number of HSIs will continue to grow; however, leaders, including faculty, staff, and administrators at (e)HSIs, continue to grapple with the question, “How do we move from ‘enrolling’ to ‘serving’ Raza students?” There are a lack of leadership frameworks specifically designed for those working at (e)HSIs and with a focus on serving Raza students. The authors argue that decolonizing leadership practices will help leaders liberate and empower Raza students by disrupting the coloniality of power that promotes and sustains higher education institutions as racial/colonial projects. The authors propose leadership processes for working with Raza students at (e)HSIs. Although leaders at non-(e)HSIs may consider these processes, the authors call on leaders at (e)HSIs to transform their leadership practices as a necessity for becoming Raza-serving.