El Paso
Community
College,
Mission del
Paso campus
Minority
El Paso, TExas, has been in the national spotlight recently
as a north-of-the-border refuge from what has become the world’s most
dangerous city: Juarez, Mexico. Perhaps this proximity accounts in part for
the increased number of Hispanics in its population.
according to the 2010 U.s. Census, Hispanics now make up 82 percent of the El Paso
County population—a 4 percent increase over the previous Census period. as the larg-
est grantor of associate degrees to Hispanic students in the nation, El Paso Community
College (EPCC) (www.epcc.edu) is a recognized authority on meeting the needs of a
multicultural population.
Its efforts were formally acknowledged earlier this year when EPCC received a
$25,000 award from lumina Foundation for Education for increasing student success
and college access in a border area where 27 percent of students are low-income, and 54
percent have only a high school or less education. The award was based on EPCC’s participation in achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, a national organization that helps community college students succeed, particularly students of color and
low-income students.
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