Cynthia Alcantar
Associate Professor & Director of Higher Education Administration
- Los Angeles CA UNITED STATES
- University Hall
Department of Educational Leadership and Administration
Biography
Education
University of California, Los Angeles
Ph.D., Social Science and Comparative Education, Race and Ethnic Studies
2017
Claremont Graduate University
M.A., Higher Education
2009
University of California, Riverside
B.A., Liberal Studies with concentration in Psychology, minor in Sociology
2007
Social
Areas of Expertise
Industry Expertise
Affiliations
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)
- American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE)
- Diversity Scholars Network
Articles
Civic Engagement of Latinx Students: The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Serving the Public Good
Journal of Hispanic Higher EducationCynthia Maribel Alcantar
2022-05-23
This conceptual article presents a model for understanding and increasing the civic engagement of Latinx students in higher education. The model presents the key student attributes, precollege and college experiences, and institutional characteristics that impact the civic development of Latinx college students. Higher education practitioners and researchers can use the model to inform the understanding and development of programs, services, and practices to increase the civic engagement of Latinx students.
Meaning-Making About Becoming a Minority Serving Institution: A Case Study of Asian-American Serving Community Colleges
The Review of Higher Education (2019)Cynthia M. Alcantar, Loni Bordoloi Pazich, Robert T. Teranishi
The persistent stereotypes of Asian-American students being highly academically successful and not needing support presents a unique context for which to study institutions with a critical mass of low-income Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). This critical ethnographic case study examines practitioners' meaning-making of the federal designation as Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions at two community colleges. The findings of the study suggest that the AAPI-serving designation can result in the onset of organizational cultural change through an increased awareness of their student populations and a new commitment to educate and serve AAPI students.
“Here the Professors Are Your Guide, Tus Guías”: Latina/o Student Validating Experiences With Faculty at a Hispanic-Serving Community College
Journal of Hispanic Higher EducationCynthia M. Alcantar, Edwin Hernandez
2018-04-04
Through interviews with nine Latina/o students enrolled in a 2-year Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), this study examined their interactions with faculty utilizing validation theory as a guiding framework. Findings demonstrate the critical role faculty serve as validating agents and the importance of supporting 2-year HSIs faculty to practice validating experiences. Validating faculty interactions have the potential to increase Latina/o community college student’s sense of belonging, persistence, and academic self-concept.