Our Excelencia Journey

What is the Seal of Excelencia?

The Seal of Excelencia is a national certification that recognizes colleges and universities for intentionally serving Latine students—and, through that commitment, creating success for all students.

Only 6% of U.S. colleges have earned this Seal, but together they enroll 33% of all Latine students in the country and graduate 35% of Latine college graduates.

PCC is committed to joining this group of national leaders and institutions.

Learn more about the Seal of Excelencia →

Why This Matters

Pasadena City College has been a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) since 1992 and serves nearly 50% Latine.

For us, being an HSI is more than a label. It’s about:

Creating opportunities so all students—especially our nearly 50% of Latine students—can succeed.
Focusing on equity, not just access.
Building a culture of servingness, where success for Latine students means success for everyone.

Pursuing the Seal of Excelencia is one step in this journey. We recognize that not every college earns the Seal the first time. For PCC, what matters most is the process: taking a close look at our data, engaging our community, and building intentional practices that will support student success well beyond the seal application.

By committing to this work, PCC is:

Strengthening our HSI mission and equity-minded learning community
Improving outcomes in enrollment, retention, graduation, transfer, and workforce success
Building a sustainable culture of equity and servingness
Connecting with a national network of institutions shaping the future of higher education

This is How PCC is Preparing

PCC has launched its inaugural Excelencia Leadership Team with the support of HSI Alianza and the larger campus community to guide our journey toward the Seal of Excelencia. This team of faculty, staff, and administrators is leading the work of aligning data, practice, and leadership to improve student outcomes. We know that not every college earns the Seal on the first try. For us, this is about starting a journey of intentional practices that will strengthen how we serve Latine students and, through that commitment, all students.

Learning with Excelencia in Education

To prepare, PCC is partnering with Excelencia in Education through their technical assistance institutes, where our team will:

Learn from national experts in higher education
Share strategies with other colleges across the country
Reflect on PCC’s data and practices
Develop action plans to better serve our students

These opportunities give PCC the tools, space, and support to build momentum and create lasting change so that all students can thrive.

Get Involved

Attend retreats & working groups
Share promising practices/programs at PCC for Latine student success
Explore our data dashboards (coming soon)!)

For more information, contact HSI@pasadena.edu

Timeline & Milestones

Phase 1: Preparation (Fall 2024 – Spring 2025)

Launch PCC’s Excelencia Leadership Team
Participate in national Excelencia institutes
Participation in “Evidence-Based Practices for California” in October 2024
Host our first campus-wide retreat in May 2025 to gather promising practices/programs
Identify at least three strong practices/programs that support Latine student success

Phase 2: Pilot & Reflection (Summer 2025)

Host a cross-campus retreat in July 2025 to prepare for SSITA with a focus on three promising practices/programs
Complete PCC’s SSITA application for review and submission
Data Institute in August 2025

Phase 3: Expansion & Institutionalization (Fall 2025)

Kick off the year with an HSI Week celebration
Confirm practices/practices in key areas (enrollment, retention, transfer, completion, financial support, workforce success)
Draft Seal of Excelencia application sections

Phase 4: Application & Submission (January – June 2026)

January-March: Finalize data collection and share our story and commitment to Latine excellence and thus all students.
March-June: Submit official Seal of Excelencia application
June 2026: Share press release and updates with the community