New director aims for more latinos to enroll

     Javier Francisco was born and raised in Los Angeles. Not the glitzy, glamorous L.A., but the gritty, inner-city L.A. The son of first-generation Mexican immigrant parents who are working-class citizens, he is one of the few students who made it out and became successful. One of his goals is to create social change, and his background is part of the reason.
     “Coming from a working-class family, I’ve always believed that somebody saved me, that somebody provided me with something different – another insight of what my life could be like in the future,” Francisco said. “So, I’ve always wanted to be a part of that and return the favor.”
     He is giving back now as GCSU’s associate director of enrollment management. Francisco thinks it is important for people to understand the assortment of Hispanic and Latino culture.
     “(One goal) is to change the image (of Hispanics and Latinos) and to help people understand that Latino culture is very diverse just, like any other culture. If we look at any other racial or ethnic group – African Americans, they live all over the country, all over the world- the African Diaspora,” Francisco said. “It’s the same thing with Latinos. The only thing we have in common is that we speak the same language, more or less…We have different foods, ways we deal with our families and ways that we interact.”
     Francisco’s position was created as a result of a $700,000 endowment from the Goizueta Foundation. Roberto C. Goizeuta was Cuban-American and was Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola from 1981 to his death in 1997.
     “(The) objective is to provide money to help organizations to do specific educational things and services to the Latino and Hispanic communities, specifically in Georgia,” Francisco said.
     Some programs that his office will bring to GCSU are the Goizueta Scholarship Fund and a mentorship program. As the office grows, they will offer more programs.
     “The Goizeuta Scholarship Fund would basically be for any student of Hispanic heritage and it would be administered by the financial aid office. We are in the process of setting up the foundation,” Francisco said.
     The mentor program will be similar to the Georgia Education Mentorship (GEM) Program.
     “We want to find mentors who are working with the Hispanic community directly either in the nonprofit sector or the educational sector, and provide a Georgia College student the opportunity to work with a person or mentor in that area,” Francisco said. “The goal is going to be partnering with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.”
     Paul Grigsby, a junior creative writing major, said Francisco’s presence signifies growth at GCSU.
     “He’s ensuring that every ethnic group is at GCSU and ensuring that this is a diverse campus,” Grigsby said. “I think he’ll become a valued member of the staff (here).”
     Audia Jones, a junior marketing major and president of Black Student Alliance, said she is excited that Francisco is here.
     “I like Javier because he has a lot offer GCSU in regards to his life and where he’s from,” Jones said. “He can add a different flavor, and I look forward to all that will be accomplished through his vision.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 9 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry