# Excelencia in Education

Excelencia in Education, also referred to as Excelencia, is an American non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Sarita E. Brown and Deborah A. Santiago. It is classified as a Research Institute and Public Policy Analysis group focused on Educational Institutions. Excelencia's stated mission is to "accelerate Latino student success in higher education". Excelencia's research is conducted to gather information on the relationship between Latino students and their programs, and is published through Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and educational journals, such as Insight into Diversity and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Excelencia regularly recognizes programs and institutions that support the Latino community through higher education. Excelencia publishes an annual list of Hispanic Serving Institutions and emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions.

## History

Brown and Santiago founded Excelencia in Education in Washington D.C. Brown is a national education policy advisor and former Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Santiago is a higher education policy and data specialist and former Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Excelencia is funded through a variety of grants, contracts, events, and gifts; in 2019, Excelencia received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Andrew Mellon Foundation, Ascendium Education Group, and MacKenzie Scott

## Seal of Excelencia

Since 2019, Excelencia has offered, to higher education institutions in the United States, which "serve Latino students". The Seal acts as a certification from Excelencia that the institution helps Latino access resources like mentoring and financial accountability. Among the recipients of the Seal in 2022 was El Paso Community College, noted for its work on serving Latino communities.
There are 46 institutions that have earned the Seal of Excelencia in the 2024 classification:
Seal of Excelencia Certified Institutions (2024) :
| Institution | Control | Duration | City | State |
| Angelo State University | Public | 4-year | San Angelo | TX |
| Arizona State University | Public | 4-year | Tempe | AZ |
| Austin Community College District | Public | 2-year | Austin | TX |
| California State University Channel Islands | Public | 4-year | Camarillo | CA |
| California State University, East Bay | Public | 4-year | Hayward | CA |
| California State University, Fresno | Public | 4-year | Fresno | CA |
| California State University, Fullerton | Public | 4-year | Fullerton | CA |
| California State University, Long Beach | Public | 4-year | Long Beach | CA |
| California State University, Los Angeles | Public | 4-year | Los Angeles | CA |
| California State University, Northridge | Public | 4-year | Northridge | CA |
| California State University, Sacramento | Public | 4-year | Sacramento | CA |
| California State University, San Bernardino | Public | 4-year | San Bernardino | CA |
| California State University, San Marcos | Public | 4-year | San Marcos | CA |
| Cerritos College | Public | 2-year | Norwalk | CA |
| El Paso Community College | Public | 2-year | El Paso | TX |
| Florida International University | Public | 4-year | Miami | FL |
| Grand Valley State University | Public | 4-year | Allendale | MI |
| Hartnell College | Public | 2-year | Salinas | CA |
| Long Beach City College | Public | 2-year | Long Beach | CA |
| Mercy University | Private | 4-year | Dobbs Ferry | NY |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Public | 4-year | Denver | CO |
| Miami Dade College | Public | 2-year | Miami | FL |
| Phoenix College | Public | 2-year | Phoenix | AZ |
| Pima Community College | Public | 2-year | Tucson | AZ |
| Richard J. Daley College | Public | 2-year | Chicago | IL |
| San Antonio College | Public | 2-year | San Antonio | TX |
| San Diego State University | Public | 4-year | San Diego | CA |
| San Francisco State University | Public | 4-year | San Francisco | CA |
| South Texas College | Public | 2-year | McAllen | TX |
| St. Edward's University | Private | 4-year | Austin | TX |
| Sul Ross State University | Public | 4-year | Alpine | TX |
| Texas State University | Public | 4-year | San Marcos | TX |
| Texas Woman's University | Public | 4-year | Denton | TX |
| University of Texas at Arlington | Public | 4-year | Arlington | TX |
| University of Texas at Austin | Public | 4-year | Austin | TX |
| University of Texas at El Paso | Public | 4-year | El Paso | TX |
| University of Texas at San Antonio | Public | 4-year | San Antonio | TX |
| University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Public | 4-year | Edinburg | TX |
| University at Albany | Public | 4-year | Albany | NY |
| University of Arizona | Public | 4-year | Tucson | AZ |
| University of California, Merced | Public | 4-year | Merced | CA |
| University of California, Riverside | Public | 4-year | Riverside | CA |
| University of California, Santa Cruz | Public | 4-year | Santa Cruz | CA |
| University of Central Florida | Public | 4-year | Orlando | FL |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Public | 4-year | Chicago | IL |
| Wilbur Wright College | Public | 2-year | Chicago | IL |

## Recognition

* 2021 Presidential Medal by the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)
* 2019 "Modelo de la Comunidad Award" from College Board