Christie Smith of the Admissions office inducted into the Hispanic Leadership Institute as a fellow

Recently, Christie Smith, director of admissions at SUNY Geneseo, has been inducted into the Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI) as a fellow. The HLI is a SUNY initiative that is focused on providing SUNY faculty and staff who identify as Latinx or Hispanic the opportunity to engage in dialogue together about the state higher education and building leadership skills. 

Smith began working in the SUNY Geneseo Admissions office three years ago, first as the Associate Director of Admissions and now the Director of Admissions. According to the Geneseo Admissions webpage, Smith has a B.A. in Public Relations from SUNY Oswego and an M.S. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Rochester.

“I just really had a passion when I was in my higher education program at the University of Rochester Warner School of Education,” Smith said. “It was a course on access and equity that really struck a chord with me because it really helped me understand what is happening within higher education.”

According to the SUNY HLI webpage, “SUNY has boldly committed to become the most inclusive University System in the country; where all students, faculty and staff feel welcome and supported.” 

“The SUNY Hispanic Leadership Institute is designed to identify, develop and recruit, and ultimately support, retain and foster the success of Hispanic/Latinx leaders at the University President and President’s Cabinet level (Provosts, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Business Officers, etc.).” 

Smith explains, “It's an intense six-month commitment [where] I will be working with these other fellows. And we will be working together we will be actually engaging in dialogue with local and national leaders through a webinar and in person sessions.” 

The dialogue will focus on some of the barriers that Latinx and Hispanic students and faculty experience in higher education, and how to support Latinx/Hispanic students and faculty. 

“You think about those who are present and who in those who are not, and why and what are those systemic barriers that's causing students not to pursue a higher education,” said Smith. 

The HLI cohort is geared towards finding solutions towards barriers that Latinx/Hispanic students and faculty encounter in higher education and apply those solutions to the current higher education environment. 

Smith said, “[We] will be asked to do a final capstone project as well and really thinking about identifying an issue, whether it's at the state level, national level, or within our own institutions, and really think about how we can bring those practices back to our own colleges.” 

According to the SUNY Geneseo demographics page, only 8.3% of the undergraduate population at Geneseo identifies as Latinx, compared to a 78.9% of the undergraduate population that identifies as Caucasian. 

SUNY Geneseo commits to diversity in both the student population and the faculty population, stating that recruitment, hiring, training and promotions occurs without any regard to race among other demographic information. 

Smith hopes to do her part to fulfill Geneseo’s initiative, “really focusing on this commitment to DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion]. It's always been a part of the fabric of me as a person. It's part of my pedagogies, it's part of my every day.” 

According to the HLI webpage, “We [SUNY] understand that enhancing the proportion of Hispanic/Latinx leaders in our universities will require more than just a willingness to engage Hispanic/Latinx candidates. It will take solid and continuing investment to demonstrate to emerging and current Hispanic/Latinx leaders SUNY’s commitment to their success and to ensuring a collaborative and welcoming environment in which they can continue their professional growth.” 

Given the stark racial disparities that exist for marginalized groups, including the Latinx and Hispanic groups, SUNY Geneseo continues to support marginalized groups by educating leadership and identifying ways that minorities can be supported on campus and higher education. 

“[HLI has] given me a platform to grow as a leader in a way that allows me to really reflect on my own roots and my own culture,” Smith said. “That's what's really unique about this program is that there are not many similar type programs that would allow for Hispanics, or Latinx professionals or faculty to get together to really think about how we can be better leaders within the SUNY system.”