Loyola Marymount University is a top-ranked national university by U.S. News and World Report, which places LMU among the top six Jesuit universities in the country and in the top six private universities in California. Founded in 1911, LMU is a Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount university with more than 7,100 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. LMU offers 56 undergraduate majors and 56 minor programs, along with 46 master’s degree programs, three doctorate programs and 12 credential/authorization programs. LMU’s intercollegiate athletics teams compete in the West Coast Conference with 14 Division I varsity sports.

LMU news and events are found at: www.lmu.edu/news.

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American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)

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Civic Engagement of Latinx Students: The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Serving the Public Good

Meaning-Making About Becoming a Minority Serving Institution: A Case Study of Asian-American Serving Community Colleges

“Here the Professors Are Your Guide, Tus Guías”: Latina/o Student Validating Experiences With Faculty at a Hispanic-Serving Community College

Measuring Race: Why Disaggregating Data Matters for Addressing Educational Inequality (Multicultural Education Series)

Cynthia M. Alcantar is an Associate Professor and Director of the Higher Education Administration program in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). Before joining LMU, she was an Assistant Professor of Higher Education Leadership at the University of Nevada, Reno, and held postdoctoral fellowships from the Consortium for Faculty Diversity (2018-2019) and the Institute for Global-Local Action & Study (2017-2018) at Pitzer College. Her research focuses on the social structures that impact the social mobility and integration of racial/ethnic minoritized and immigrant populations in the United States. Particularly, the influence of schools (i.e., public K-20 schools, community colleges, and Minority Serving Institutions) on the educational pathways and civic participation of racial/ethnic minoritized and immigrant students. Her research has been published in The Review of Higher Education, Teachers College Record, Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, Qualitative Psychology, and a co-edited book on race and education published through Teachers College Press. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work, including the American Educational Research Association’s Latina/o/x Research Issues SIG Early Career Scholar Award in 2022, the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award in 2021, and the first-place award for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education & Educational Testing Service Outstanding Dissertation Competition in 2019. In addition to her scholarship, she has extensive experience working in K-12 and higher education settings, including TRIO grant programs at Norco Community College and Claremont Graduate University, the Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions grant program at Mount St. Mary’s College, Norte Vista High School, and John Adams Elementary in Riverside, CA. She also consults with school districts, community colleges, and four-year colleges concerning the campus climate and culture for supporting underserved student populations.

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