About ENLACE
ENLACE, 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 the national ENLACE Initiative. The grants were awarded to increase opportunities for Latinx to enter and complete college. The Northeastern Illinois University grant for ENLACE was one of 13 sites selected across the United States and was the only one funded in the Midwest. Additional financial and in-kind support has supported the program's continued success along with the ongoing commitment of Northeastern Illinois University. 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.
ENLACE's Mission
The mission of the ENLACE Higher Education Master's Program is to prepare leaders in higher education that will create change responsive to the educational needs of Latinx students and an increasingly diverse post-secondary student population. The program aims to support promising students to work as culturally competent and critical staff and administrators at institutions of higher education immediately after they graduate, aiding first-generation college students, economically challenged students, immigrant students, and students from underrepresented groups. The program emphasizes on the Latinx experience and provides knowledge and skills related to the history and development of post-secondary institutions and effective administrative practices at that level. It also stresses an understanding of administrative and supervisory skills for the development and support of instructional systems at the collegiate level. Lastly, the program also 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 across the nation.
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 provides 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.
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 the program’s mission. Contact the program facilitator for more information.
The deadline for the ENLACE fellowship is July 15, 2023. Recipients will be informed at the end of July and the amount of scholarship funding will be available until early September.
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.
Please contact the director for more information.
View ENLACE student cohort autobiographies.
