ENLACE cohort members posing for a photo.
ENLACE Alumni posing for a photo.
Home — Academics — Colleges & Departments — Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education — Departments — Literacy, Leadership, Development, and Special Education — M.A. in Higher Education — ENLACE

ENLACE

About ENLACE

ENLACE, pronounced EN-LAH-SEH in Spanish, stands for ENgaging Latinx Communities for Education. ENLACE began in 2000 with an initial $1.5 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of a national initiative to increase opportunities for Latinx students to enter and complete higher education. Northeastern Illinois University was one of 13 sites selected across the United States and was the only site in the Midwest. Additional financial and in-kind support has supported the program's continued success along with the ongoing commitment from the state of Illinois. The program was recognized in 2016 as a finalist for the national Examples of Excelencia Award, which recognizes evidence-based practices that increase Latinx student success in higher education.

Click here to view our 25 Years of ENLACE.

ENLACE's Mission

The mission of the ENLACE Leadership Institute is to prepare leaders in higher education that will lead with dignity in creating responsive institutional practices that serve the needs of Latinx students and an increasingly diverse post-secondary student population. We aim to develop students to work as critical and culturally responsive staff/administrators in higher education. This includes introducing them to best practices in aiding first-generation college students, economically challenged students, immigrant students, and students from historically excluded groups. The program centers the Latinx experience in higher education and provides knowledge and skills related to the history and development of post-secondary institutions and effective administrative practices. It stresses an understanding of administrative and supervisory skills for the development and support of instructional systems at the collegiate level. Lastly, the program prepares highly qualified students for further graduate study and research in doctoral programs so they may pursue a path to tenured faculty and senior administrator positions at colleges and universities.

ENLACE's Goals

  • Develop higher education leaders who are critical change agents and culturally responsive administrators prepared to assist first-generation college students, economically challenged students, immigrant background students, and students from historically excluded groups.
  • Emphasize the Latinx experience in today's higher education and provide knowledge on the history of post-secondary institutions and practical skills related to today's best administrative practices centered on students' lives.
  • Stress administrative and supervisory practices for the support of student-centered instructional systems and holistic student services.
  • Prepare highly qualified students for further graduate study and research in doctoral programs so they may pursue a path to tenured faculty and senior administrator positions at colleges and universities across the nation.

ENLACE Fellowship

The program also offers the ENLACE Fellowship on a limited basis to students with a demonstrated commitment to careers working at Hispanic Serving Institutions, with Latinx communities, first-generation college students, immigrant students, and/or other members of under-represented groups. 

Candidates are selected by their personal statement submission and its relevancy to OUR MISSION. 

The deadline for the ENLACE fellowship is June 30, 2026. Recipients will be informed in early July.

Financial Support

Students must fill out a FAFSA form or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid form (applicable to DACA students) in order to be eligible for loans, merit scholarships, and graduate assistantships which are often available to help you fund your graduate education.