Encounters between Immigrant Students and U.S. Urban Universities

I. U.S. Immigration, Nationally and Regionally A record number of very diverse immigrant groups have recently settled in the United States. Between 2000 and 2007 alone, the number of foreign-born Americans increased almost seven million, to a total of 38,048,456 foreign born, or 12.6% of the overall population (Pew Hispanic Center 2007). The New England immigrant profile is different from the nation as a whole, fast growing and with an even more diverse range of national groupings than usual. The largest shares are from Latin America, Asia, and Europe, each with a quarter or more. Europeans at 29% are more than twice as numerous as nationally, while Mexicans are only 2% as compared with 30% nationally. No single grouping is more than 6% of the total immigrant population. Of Latin Americans, Brazilians are the single largest national grouping (Owens 2009). Immigrants in New England, as well as nationally, arrive in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their children. Whether immigrants are documented or not, they share an equal commitment to furthering their education. Understanding that it is an important tool for their longer-term economic success, they seek access to formal education at all levels for themselves (Gray 1996; Ogbu 1993). Of course, the undocumented students face special educational barriers. Because of recent Homeland Security restrictions, many enter the country without legal permission, reportedly more than one quarter of all immigrants according to a recent report from the Urban Institute (Passel, Capps and Fix 2004). A large number of children and adolescents come with their immigrant parents, and through enrollment in elementary and secondary schools they become more integrated into U. S. society and culture (Escobar and Tran 2007). Courts have protected the right of undocumented children to attend elementary and secondary schools (Ruge and Iza 2005). After finishing high school, a significant number of these young people from diverse immigrant backgrounds wish to continue their education at the university level. Even though they have grown up in the United States, been part of the culture, received secondary education here, and often have distinguished academic records, many lack documentation and are still considered illegal aliens for purposes of higher education in all but ten states (Rincn 2008). In addition to the legal barriers for the undocumented, there are many linguistic and cultural barriers that all immigrants face in U.S. higher education regardless of their immigration status. II. Research Question and Methodology The intention of this article is to gain an in depth understanding of immigrants' experiences and their encounters with institutions of higher education, focusing on the nature of academic barriers and students' coping strategies in response to them. The situation of undocumented students, both in and out of universities, will receive special attention. Findings are based on a 2006 survey of a convenience sample of 149 students, both immigrant and non-immigrant, at two universities in Boston, Massachusetts, one public and one private. The sample included 106 females and 43 males; 27 students classified themselves as racial minorities. All but seven of the students were between the ages of 18 and 24. Eleven questions, some closed and some open ended, probed their experiences as, or with, immigrant students in the college classroom, especially the issue of immigrant students' inclusion and sense of belonging in the universities in question. In addition, I interviewed five professors located at both universities to probe their understanding of immigrant students, and effective ways of teaching them at their institutions. The conclusions offer several recommendations for how university professors can become more accommodating and welcoming to immigrant students, and how they might improve their success in university study. Lastly, I rely in the following explanations on some of my own experiences as a first-generation Brazilian immigrant who has earned bachelors and masters degrees in the United States and is currently enrolled in a Ph. …