ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects on the mission of community colleges and spotlights what it means to be a culturally responsive leader within a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) community college. HSIs are Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU). However, unlike HBCUs and TCUs that were explicitly created to serve those populations and designated as MSIs in 1992, most institutions that become HSIs were not founded with a specific mission to serve Hispanic students but rather become HSIs as a result of enrollment shifts over time. It takes "muchas ganas", vision, reflection, collaboration, "desarrollo", commitment, and intentionality to lead toward change within HSI community colleges. The researchers point out that HSI community colleges are more attractive to Latino students than non-HSI because they tend to have more Latino faculty who can serve as role models and mentors.
