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Mercy College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Eva Fernández was interviewed by Daren Jaime, host of BronxNet's OPEN, to discuss how Mercy is a national exemplar in advancing prospects of success for Hispanic students and the College's recent Seal of Excelencia certification from . 

Mercy is the first private college in the country, as well as the first HSI in New York State, to receive this certification. The honor comes as Mercy prepares to celebrate 25 years as an HSI. The College is the largest, private non-profit HSI in New York. Forty-four percent of its undergraduate student population is Hispanic, a number that has grown 10% in the past seven years. Sixty percent of Mercy students are the first in their families to attend college. Mercy recently issued more than 500 bachelor’s degrees to graduating Hispanic students, the fourth most in the continental U.S. among private HSIs and more than several of Mercy’s neighboring institutions combined. 

Excelencia in Education requires that a recipient of the Seal prove, through evidence and data, that its institutional practices serving Latino students are measurable, intentional, and effective; that it has created an environment where Latino students thrive; and that its leadership is demonstrably committed to creating a culture of Latino student success.

In 2015, Mercy was designated a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House. In 2020, more than 4,000 Latinos applied as freshmen to the College, making up about half of the applicant pool. The College has invested in several transformational strategies to serve Hispanic students and position them to succeed, including its PACT personal mentoring program, which was designated a 2020 Example of Excelencia finalist. Since the advent of the PACT program, retention and graduation rates of Latino students at Mercy have seen remarkable improvement.