What if my academic program already includes Pacific Islanders?

Q. What if my academic program already includes Pacific Islanders?

A. Please let us know if we can help you, and thank you for following the data and including this deserving underrepresented group!

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The Pacific Islander Access project came into existence for this reason: despite the fact that Pacific Islanders are underrepresented in higher education, they're excluded from many academic programs for underrepresented minorities. We wanted to reach out to the programs that exclude Pacific Islanders, and help them make an informed decision about choosing inclusion instead.

The fact is that a growing number of programs already include Pacific Islanders, and we hope that more will join them in the near future. Thank you for being an example to your peer organizations by following the data!

If there's anything we can do to help your program reach out to more Pacific Islander applicants or organizations, please let us know. You can reach our CEO directly by emailing us at piaproject@hotmail.com

I have more questions... can you answer them?

Q. I serve an academic program for underrepresented minorities, and I have more questions before I decide whether my program should include or exclude Pacific Islanders. Can you answer my questions?

A. We'd love to.

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The Pacific Islander Access project is available to answer any questions you have after reading the posts we wrote specifically with underrepresented minority academic programs. We're upfront about the fact that we have an agenda -- to help you reduce the number of underrepresented minority programs that exclude Pacific Islanders despite the data showing that they're underrepresented -- but we can share honest facts to explain why this is good for your program and good for Pacific Islander Americans.

Academic programs for underrepresented minorities can hear directly from our CEO by writing us at piaproject@hotmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

Other Sources to Learn More about Pacific Islander Underrepresentation

Q. Can you link to other sources that will help me learn more about Pacific Islander underrepresentation in higher education?

A. Yes. There are many resources out there to help people learn more about Pacific Islander underrepresentation in higher education.

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The Pacific Islander Access project is just one source for information about Pacific Islander underrepresentation in higher education. We're a micro-nonprofit corporation run on a part-time basis, so we largely rely on the wealth of research and analysis done by other organizations on this topic.

Perhaps the best source of information is the U.S. Census. To tap into over two decades of data they've reported on this topic, click here: LINK

In addition to the U.S. Census, here are a few other publications available online with data on Pacific Islander Americans:

• UCLA Study: Pacific Islanders Lagging Behind in Higher Education Attainment
• CARE Commission: Higher Education, Workforce Development, and the AAPI Community
• Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs: Growing Presence, Emerging Voices: Pacific Islanders and Academic Achievement in Washington

Have others taken a stand for Pacific Islander inclusion in underrepresented minority programs?

Q. Have others taken a stand regarding Pacific Islander inclusion in academic programs for underrepresented minorities?

A. Yes. Many academic programs for underrepresented minorities already include Pacific Islanders. In addition, leaders in the government, academia and the Pacific Islander community have taken a stand on this issue.

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Perhaps the most important actions have been the ones coming from underrepresented minority scholarships themselves, especially the thirteen that have changed their policies to include Pacific Islanders since hearing from the P.I.A. project.  You can learn more about those scholarships and fellowships by clicking here: link

In 2010, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs (one of the largest and oldest community-based Pacific Islander American organizations) unanimously passed a resolution calling for Pacific Islander inclusion in academic programs for underrepresented minorities. In doing so, they joined the following other organizations that have taken a stand for the inclusion:

• The University of Hawaii's Center for Pacific Islands Studies
• The National Pacific Islander Educators Network
• The Pacific Islander Pipeline Program
• The Indigenous Pacific Islander Alliance

You can learn a little more about each of these groups by clicking here: LINK

This issue has also received attention at various levels of government. In 2005, the Hawaii State House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution urging all academic programs for underrepresented minorities to include Pacific Islanders. While in committee, this resolution also received favorable testimony from statewide organizations like the University of Hawaii (you can still see their testimony here: LINK). That same decade, U.S. Senators Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) together urged the U.S. Department of Education to review its definition of "underrepresented minority" to ensure that Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders were not being left behind.

Citing data from the U.S. Census and other sources, scholars continue to highlight the underrepresentation of Pacific Islanders. One great example is this joint paper from the UCLA Asian American Studies Center: LINK