"How to Support APIDA Students in Higher Education" Webinar

Western Michigan University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (Diversity Education, Multicultural Affairs for Students, and Office of LBGT Student Services) will be co-hosting a webinar in collaboration with Kalamazoo Valley Community College on Wednesday, May 17, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is observed during the month of May.

This is a great opportunity for faculty members to learn more about Asian Americans in higher education, think critically about how the student population is changing, and discuss best practice strategies on how to support these students at WMU. According to WMU’s Common Data Set, while overall enrollment for WMU dropped from 19,478 students in 2012-13 to 17,835 students in 2022-23, the number of Asian American students increased from 281 (1.44% of total enrollment) to 514 (2.88%) within the same 10-year period.

It is also important to disaggregate the data on Asian American subgroups, such as Southeast Asian Americans, to shed light on educational inequalities within subgroups. Of the Asian American students who have graduated from high school, the following percentages of Asian American ethnicities have never attended college:

• 26% Cambodian
• 24% Hmong
• 31% Lao
• 20% Vietnamese

These numbers are a stark contrast compared with only 15% of all Asian adults and 27% of all U.S. adults (source: Southeast Asia Resource Action Center [SEARAC]).

The learning outcomes of this webinar are specifically designed to align with WMU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategic plan and to assist faculty in integrating DEI into their curriculum development. We ask that you strongly encourage faculty and academic support members (such as advisors) to register and attend this webinar focused on racial equity centering Asian American students.