Centering Servingness Webinar Series 2025- 2026

September 18, 2025 at 1:00pm

October 16, 2024 at 1:00pm

November 20, 2024 at 1:00pm

The Juris Doctor (JD) is one of the few graduate degrees that does not require a specific undergraduate curriculum, which can disadvantage students who have not had prior exposure to the legal profession. LAWtina leverages the University of Arizona’s BA in Law program and its designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) to inform, empower, and inspire program participants to explore and pursue careers in law. By fostering early professional identity formation, the program connects students with mentors and allows students to explore careers in the legal field while also affirming and celebrating students' cultural and personal identities. This presentation will examine the structure, strategies, and outcomes of LAWtina, providing insight into how institutions can engage communities and networks to support students in pursuing legal education and careers.

Shaping the Future of Medicine: Student Perspectives on Equity and Inclusion

January 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM AZ time

Panelists:

• College of Medicine, University of Arizona

Understanding and Improving Transfer across Arizona: A Tri-University Data Collaborative

February 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM AZ time

HSIs are known to enroll and graduate community college transfer students at higher rates than the average nationally. However, less is understood about transfer pathways between four-year institutions. This presentation shares findings and recommendations from an 18-month, statewide collaboration between Arizona’s three public, HSI universities. Using a novel model of separate but coordinated data analysis, the project developed actionable insights for a more seamless, student-centered transfer experience across the state’s HSI ecosystem. 

Panelists:

• Dr. Kendra Thompson-Dyck, Director of Assessment & Research, Student Success at the University of Arizona
• Dr. Carmin Chan, Vice Provost, NAU Online, Northern Arizona University
• Dr. Ned Tilbrook, Research Analyst, Assessment & Research, Student Success at the University of Arizona
• Dr. Elisa Sperandio, Manager of Training & Project Development, Assessment & Research, Student Succes, University of Arizona

VISIT THE RECORDING HERE

Grad CAFE: Graduate Communities for Academic Fellowship & Efficacy

March 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM AZ time

Grad CAFE is a transformational mentoring program funded through the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) grant. Grad CAFE provides a holistic, strengths-based, community-building approach to mentoring graduate students with a cross-disciplinary, intersectional, multi-tiered model from start-up to scale-up that is easily replicated. The Grad CAFE model has the potential to reshape graduate student mentoring nationally and internationally by moving from a one-to-one top-down approach to a community and strengths-based approach that will positively impact the mental health and well-being of graduate students.

Panelists:

• Celeste Atkins, PhD, Director, Student Engagement & Recruitment and Co-Director, Grad CAFE & Grad SPACE
• Nicole Marrone, PhD, CCC-A, Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Studies/AuD

Linking Student Assets to Student Success: Pathways to an Engineering Workforce for the Southwest

April 16, 2025 at 1:00 PM AZ time

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The primary objectives are (1) to improve persistence, retention, and graduation rates and placements in engineering among eligible students from rural and urban campuses using intentional asset-based practices, and (2) to investigate differences in assets, outcomes, engineering identities, and placements between students at a rural campus and those at an urban campus.

Panelists:

• Dr. Vignesh Subbian, Associate Professor, College of Engineering

Honors as Origin for a National Opportunity and Research Support in Hispanic Serving Institutions (Honors in HSIs)

May 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM AZ time

This research initiative is a collaborative effort that brings together experts, students, and institutions, supported by the Faculty HSI SEED Grant, the Honors-HSI Consortium and the HHSI Special Group within the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC). The project aims to explore, document, and measure the role and impact of honors education within HSIs as part of a broader national conversation on excellence, belonging, and student success.

Panelists:

• Laurie Sheldon, PhD, Assessment Coordinator, University Center for Assessment, Teaching, and Technology

• Nadia Alvarez Mexia, PhD, Assistant Professor of Practice, W.A. Franke Honors College

•  Gabriella Arroyo, Hispanic Serving Initiatives Intern, Bachelor of Psychology, W.A. Franke Honors College

Inside a Binational HSI Faculty Seed Grant: Crossing Borders Using Photovoice and Pop-up Exhibits thru the Lens of Care Consciousness and Community

December 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM AZ time

What does it take to create a student-centered learning experience where students authentically engage with the U.S.–Mexico borderlands? This interdisciplinary, binational, and interinstitutional collaboration united students, faculty, and community partners through photovoice, a participatory research method where participants document and discuss their experiences through photography. We transformed general education classrooms into spaces for shared inquiry and dialogue, the project invited students to explore immigration/migration through the intersecting lenses of health, art, and community well-being. Student-created photovoice narratives were showcased in pop-up exhibits, community spaces, & internationally fostering public dialogue about migration, care, and belonging.

Panelists:

• Tarnia Newton, College of Nursing
• Lisa Kiser, School of Health Science Professions
• Carissa DiCindo, School of Art
• Ameilia Krahe, College of Arts
• Denisse Britto, Center for Creative Photography
• Carolina Soto, UNISON, Mexico
• Eileen Cabrales, IIESS, Mexico