To improve educational outcomes for minority students, UC Davis has created identity-based retention centers that are hubs for both academic and mental health support. One is called the Center for African Diaspora Student Success with two others focusing on supporting Latino and Native American students. A fourth center for Asian and Pacific Islander students is in the works. Advisers who share students’ identities are available in each center, ready to provide a community space as well as academic and counseling resources.
The institution’s approach “addresses the problem by identifying key academic support systems, such as tutoring and advising, that can be potential pitfalls for students of color who may face microaggressions, a lack of understanding or even overt racism from the individuals hired to provide those services,” reported Inside Higher Ed. Staffers from the campus counseling center also visit and provide services for the retention centers.
Read more about UC Davis’s approach here.
