INDIANAPOLIS, April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- El Paso
Community College President William
Serrata has joined Lumina Foundation's Board of
Directors, which today concluded its spring meeting. Earlier this
year, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education
honored Serrata for early career achievements.
Since joining the community college district as president in
2012, Serrata has increased student success and student retention.
He also has boosted dual-credit enrollment and graduation rates at
El Paso. Much of this success was realized through a focus on
Hispanic and Latino students and students who are the first in
their families to attend college.
Serrata became chairman of the board of the American Association
of Community Colleges (AACC) last July. Several months earlier, in
late 2019, the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT)
named Serrata the nation's top community college CEO for his
commitment to advancing the community college movement.
"William is a national leader and brings an experienced focus on
first-generation and Hispanic students," said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina
Foundation. "His wealth of knowledge can contribute to our goal of
increasing opportunities for quality learning after high
school."
Under Serrata's leadership, El Paso
Community College was among 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen
Prize for Community College Excellence. The Aspen Institute awards
this prize every two years in recognition of outstanding outcomes
among 1,120+ community colleges nationally in four areas: student
learning, certificate and degree completion rates, graduates' labor
market outcomes, and levels of access, retention, and program
completion among students of color and those from lower-income
households.
In 2016, El Paso received the American Association of Community
Colleges' (AACC)Student Success Award and the Association of
Community College Trustees' (ACCT) Western Regional Equity
Award. Hispanic Outlook on Education also has recognized
Serrata as national leader in awarding associate degrees to
Hispanic and Latino students.
Serrata is involved in the El Paso
community and serves on boards of local and state-level
associations. Nationally, he serves on the advisory board of the
Higher Education Research and Development Institute, a forum for
bringing together business and community college leaders. Serrata
previously served on the National Student Clearinghouse Advisory
Council and was a 2015 Aspen Institute
Ascend Fellow.
Serrata holds a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, a master's degree from
the University of Texas at Brownsville,
and a doctorate in educational human resource development, also
from Texas A&M.
About Lumina
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in
Indianapolis that is committed to
making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to
all. We envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair
results, and meets the nation's need for talent through a broad
range of credentials. Our goal is to prepare people for informed
citizenship and for success in a global economy.
Contact:
Tracy Chen, Lumina Foundation
tchen@luminafoundation.org
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SOURCE Lumina Foundation