In addition to UTSA, the Texas schools in the alliance are the University of Houston, Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at El Paso and University of North Texas.

By 2030, the 20 universities across nine states aim to double the number of enrolled Hispanic doctoral students and increase by 20 percent their Hispanic professoriate, according to a news release.

All universities in the alliance are designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions by the U.S. Department of Education, and are designated as institutions with “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Of UTSA’s nearly 35,000 students, 57 percent identify as Hispanic and 70 percent are eligible for federal financial aid.

“Hispanic Serving Institutions are founded in opportunity, equity and inclusion. Our membership in the Alliance aligns closely with that mission, our strategic plan, and our trajectory here in San Antonio and South Texas,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, who serves on the executive committee of the Board of the Alliance, according to a press release by the UT System.

“We lead by example. Our strategic focus on student success and new knowledge creation aligns perfectly with the goals of the Alliance and with where UTSA is going as a university,” he said.

While Hispanic undergraduates make up 36 percent of students at universities in the alliance, doctoral students are fewer in number.

“Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States and are now 17 percent of the workforce, yet they continue to be underrepresented in higher education. No group is better positioned than we are to expand the pathway to opportunity,” said Heather Wilson, president of the University of Texas at El Paso and chair of the Alliance. “We believe we are stronger together than as individual institutions acting alone.”

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Before forming the alliance, the universities were already working on several initiatives, including a $5 million grant project to train doctoral students in Latinx humanities.

The remaining schools in the alliance are: Arizona State University; City University of New York Graduate Center; Florida International University; The University of Arizona; The University of New Mexico; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Riverside; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Central Florida; University of Colorado, Denver; University of Illinois Chicago; and University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“By uniting these research powerhouses, we can truly make a difference and improve Hispanic representation in the highest levels of research across the country while also creating a diverse pipeline to fuel the workforce,” UH President Renu Khator said.

samantha.ketterer@houstonchronicle.com