ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the most prominent organizational theories that can be used to advance the research on Hispanic Serving Institutions, with an emphasis on theories that focus on organizational change. Additionally, it highlights current research on HSIs that uses an organizational lens to illuminate how organizations that were not founded as Latina may in fact be transforming in order to embrace a more Latina mission. The chapter reviews four major bodies of literature that focus on the organizational environment, organizational culture, organizational identity, and social movements. Each of the theories considers important for understanding the way institutions that were not originally founded with the purpose of serving Latina/o students can, in fact, change. The author uses population ecology to understand the diversity of HSIs since students are quite heterogeneous in nature, ranging from public to private, two year to four year, and small to large and also used resource dependence theory to better understand institutions of higher education.
