Professor Aldana Played Key Role in Campus HSI Eligibility
UC Davis has become eligible for designation as an Hispanic Serving Institution for the first time – an achievement in which UC Davis Law Professor Raquel Aldana played a vital role.
In fall 2024, Latinx undergraduate enrollment reached a new peak of about 8,100 students, or 25.1% of undergraduate full-time-equivalent students, surpassing the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria of at least 25% for HSI eligibility.
Aldana was instrumental in campus achieving eligibility for its longtime goal of HSI status. Aldana co-chaired the HSI task force in her previous role as campus vice chancellor for academic diversity with a law faculty appointment.
HSI status would underscore the university’s commitment to Latinx students and make the university eligible to apply for grants from the federal government and foundations to support student success, innovation and institutional transformation benefiting all students.
Read more about UC Davis' HSI eligibility.
Raquel E. Aldana joined UC Davis in 2017 to serve as the inaugural associate vice chancellor for academic diversity with a law faculty appointment. She returned to full-time law teaching in 2020. Aldana’s research has focused on transitional justice, criminal justice reforms and sustainable development in Latin America, as well as immigrant rights. Before UC Davis, Aldana was a professor of law at McGeorge School of Law, and the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She served as associate dean for faculty scholarship at McGeorge from 2013-17. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and Harvard Law School.