Multicolored wall mural of 4 diverse humans with a multicolored blanket draped over them, held by a large hand. Also green agricultural fields and workers nearby.
Malaquias Montoya mural at the south entrance of the UC Davis Student Community Center. (Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)

UC Davis Latinx Faculty and Alumni Night Open to Community

  • by Maria Sestito

The Latinx communities of UC Davis, Davis, Woodland and the surrounding areas are invited to a night of celebration on Wednesday, March 6, at Historic Hotel Woodland, 436 Main St. in Woodland. The free event starts at 6 p.m. and refreshments will be provided. Registration is required. 

Estella Atekwana, dean of the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, will be in attendance alongside Woodland’s Latinx-identifying leaders and the Hispanic-Serving Institution Community Council. 

“Diversity and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment are among my priorities — making sure that our faculty and staff look like the communities we serve,” said Atekwana. “But beyond simply looking like our community, it’s crucial that we understand each other’s experiences. That’s why events like this are so important.”

UC Davis continues to pursue designation by the federal government as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) to allow it to apply for funding to support student success, innovation and institutional transformation, benefiting all students. The U.S. Department of Education grants the designation to institutions that first meet the threshold of having enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25% as counted at the end of the award year — and then meet other criteria. By this definition, UC Davis had 24.6% Hispanic enrollment in fall 2023..

The HSI Community Council to UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May was formed in order to help the university become a national model of a top-tier research institution that is supporting students as an HSI.

“Our goal is to have UCD recognized as an HSI Institution, which would in turn help recruit and keep Latinos at UCD through general support, assistance on campus and financial help,” said council member and UC Davis alumnus Ramon Urbano ‘66.

To RSVP, visit https://bit.ly/42RNnfD. For more information, contact LSevents@ucdavis.edu.