(Students and others gathering on campus)
(Santa Ana, Calif.) – Santa Ana College (SAC) was recently recognized as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), awarded a $1.875 million grant to be distributed over five years from the
U.S. Department of Education's AANAPISI Program, and will soon launch an Asian Pacific Student Programs (APSP) Center on campus. The AANAPISI Program provides grants and related assistance to enable AANAPISIs like SAC to improve and expand their capacity to serve diverse populations.
The APSP Center on campus will be designed as a communal space to provide support and academic resources for this underserved student population. The center will also be part of the college's Affinity Groups, including
U2 Scholars,
Undocu-Scholars and other programs that provide personalized services to underrepresented students.
“The launch of this exciting new center enables Santa Ana College to collaboratively strengthen and sustain an inclusive campus to foster academic success and assist students in achieving their educational goals," said Dr. Vaniethia Hubbard, vice president of Student Services. “We look forward to offering culturally appropriate student services to support our Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students and to increase the prominent voices of the AANAPISI community in higher education."
There will be dedicated staff within the APSP Center to provide counseling and mentorship. Further, the APSP Center will serve as a hub for Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students. It will host orientations and college preparation workshops on career exploration, financial aid assistance, and much more, including professional panels featuring presenters from Asian American Pacific Islander backgrounds.
“This grant positions the college to improve and expand our capacity to serve our Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students," said Dr. Annebelle Nery, president of SAC. “We anticipate this student population will benefit by improved retention, persistence, success, and completion. I'm so proud of the new APSP Center, which aligns with the
college's vision and strategic goals within the Education Master Plan."
SAC estimates about 1,000 students, faculty, staff and community members will be impacted by this center each year through activities and events.
To learn more about Santa Ana College, please visit
WWW.SAC.EDU. Classes start every eight-weeks. For questions about this press release, please contact Dalilah Davaloz at
Davaloz_Dalilah@SAC.edu.
The U.S. Department of Education defines Native American Pacific Islander students as the following:
NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER—The term 'Native American Pacific Islander' means any descendant of the aboriginal people of any island in the Pacific Ocean that is a territory or possession of the United States.
About Santa Ana College:
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015, serves about 54,696 students yearly. At SAC, students can work toward completing an associate degree, university transfer, career/workforce training or a bachelor's degree in occupational studies. As part of Santa Ana College, the School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center offers FREE classes throughout the community for adults of all ages and academic backgrounds. Santa Ana College is an award-winning college and was recently ranked as one of the nation's top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students and named one of the best community colleges in California by Intelligent.com. The college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and medical personnel. Santa Ana College is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
# # #
