Online Program
May 19, 2021 12:00 PM
Dr. Andrew Sund, President of Heritage University
Online Program

Failure is NOT an option: Student Needs Demand Higher Education Changes

Andrew Sund, Ph.D. is the President of Heritage University, a four-year private, non-profit college that sits amid the fields of hops on Yakama tribal land west of Toppenish, Washington.  The student body is 72% Latinx, 12% Native American, 72% female, and 85% first-generation college students.  91% of Heritage students qualify for federal and/or state financial aid.  It is the only university in the US with this demographic mix.  Since its founding in 1982, Heritage has graduated nearly 10,000 students.

Higher education can be a great equalizer in American society. A college degree increases earning capacity and improves the quality of life.  But despite many efforts, minority communities lag in degree attainment.  It is hard to get them in and even harder to get them to graduation. Heritage University has proven methods and developed practices to help students succeed.  This can be a model for higher education as an increasing number of first-generation and multicultural students pursue their degrees.  

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