Dear Pacific Community,

As we begin Latinx Heritage Month, I invite each of us, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the university, to honor the rich histories, cultures, achievements, and contributions of Latinx communities while also reflecting on our shared responsibility to build a university where every student can thrive.

Throughout this message, I use several terms—including Latinx, Latine, Latino and Hispanic—recognizing that language around identity continues to evolve and that individuals and communities may identify with different terms.

This year, I find myself reflecting on a milestone that continues to shape our institutional identity: our designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

An HSI is defined by the federal government as an accredited institution of higher education whose undergraduate enrollment is at least 25 percent Hispanic or Latino. Yet the significance of being an HSI extends far beyond a designation or threshold. HSI status is not simply about who enrolls at an institution. It is about how an institution intentionally serves its students, how it recognizes culture and identity as strengths, and how it creates conditions in which all students can achieve academic success and personal flourishing.

For University of the Pacific, becoming an HSI was both a recognition of who we are and a commitment to who we aspire to be.

As California's first university, Pacific has long played a vital role in educating generations of leaders who have helped shape our region, our state and our nation. Among them are countless alumni of Latin American and Latine heritage who have become educators, healthcare professionals, business leaders, attorneys, engineers, public servants, entrepreneurs and community advocates. Their contributions remind us that the promise of higher education is realized when talent, opportunity and belonging intersect.

Our path toward HSI status required intentional leadership across the university. With President Callahan's vision, institutional leaders recognized that demographic change in California was not merely a trend to observe but an opportunity and responsibility to embrace. Enrollment outreach supported greater access and opportunity to foster connection for underserved students. Investments were made in student support structures and spaces where culture, identity and community could flourish. Faculty and academic leaders elevated HSI work as a priority, strengthening partnerships, research opportunities, and instructional practices that would enhance student success. Donors and community partners helped build philanthropic support for scholarships and educational access, ensuring that financial barriers would not stand in the way of student achievement.

Together, these efforts reflected a belief that serving Latine students well requires the collective commitment of an entire institution.

That commitment remains as important today as ever.

California's Latine population continues to grow and is projected to represent an even larger share of our state's population in the years ahead. As educators, we have both an educational and societal responsibility to ensure that tomorrow's leaders, in healthcare, business, engineering, education, law, government, environmental sustainability, and countless other fields, come from the full range of diversity within our communities.

This work is not about serving one group at the expense of another. Rather, it is rooted in the understanding that when institutions become more responsive to the needs, experiences, and aspirations of historically underserved students, everyone benefits. Research consistently demonstrates that practices designed to support belonging, engagement, mentoring, and academic success strengthen the educational environment for all students.

In this way, our HSI identity is inseparable from our mission and values. It challenges us to ask difficult questions about access, opportunity, achievement, and inclusion. It encourages us to see culture and identity not as barriers to overcome but as assets that enrich learning and community life. And it reminds us that excellence and equity are mutually reinforcing commitments.

Latinx Heritage Month at Pacific offers us an opportunity to celebrate this work and to continue learning together.

I encourage all members of our community to participate in the many programs and events planned throughout the month. In particular, I hope you will join us for two signature events that highlight the importance of scholarship, leadership and public service in advancing educational equity and community engagement.

On October 15, we welcome Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, nationally recognized professor of education and one of the foremost scholars on Hispanic-Serving Institutions and serving Latine students in higher education. Her research has helped shape our national understanding of how colleges and universities can move beyond enrollment metrics toward becoming institutions that truly serve their students.

We are also honored to welcome Judge Emily Vasquez to our Sacramento Campus for a keynote conversation on leadership, public service, and the importance of representation in our civic institutions. Information about these distinguished events as well as the full calendar of programs can be found on the University website.

As we honor Latinx Heritage Month, let us remember that being a Hispanic-Serving Institution is more than a designation. It is a calling.

It is a reminder that our responsibility is not simply to enroll students from diverse backgrounds, but to serve them from a place of cultural affirmation, identity awareness, academic excellence, and genuine belonging. It is a commitment to recognizing the strengths that students bring with them and ensuring that those strengths are reflected in the life of our university.

Most importantly, it reminds us that when we create the conditions for Latine students to flourish, we strengthen the university experience for everyone.

Thank you for your continued commitment to building a Pacific community where every student is welcomed, valued, supported, and empowered to succeed.

With gratitude, Mary J. Lomax-Ghirarduzzi, EdD 

Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Professor of Communication