In selecting Dr. Donna Hodge as Fitchburg State University’s twelfth and first female president, the 130-year-old Massachusetts institution has concurrently set out on a course to become a federally certified Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and take bold new steps in community engagement.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, Hodge has taken the opportunity to label Fitchburg State an emerging HSI.
Hodge is deeply committed to creating opportunities and solutions for underrepresented communities. Her exceptional record when previously serving at Colorado State University Pueblo was notably recognized by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), which honored her with the 2021 Excellence and Innovation Award.
Hodge served for the past three years as Vice President of Operations and Advancement under CSU Pueblo’s visionary president, Dr. Timothy Mottet. There, she was instrumental in driving CSU Pueblo’s VISION 2028 strategic plan, a transformative $19 million initiative aimed at establishing the 4,000-student university as a regional hub of innovation, education, and community engagement.
By achieving HSI status in 2002, CSU Pueblo became eligible for additional federal grant monies. The designation is limited to institutions at which at least 25 percent of students are of Hispanic origin, which Fitchburg State’s incoming class approached this year.
Hodge is bringing that vision and years of success in implementing it to Fitchburg, where she has already announced the opening of an admissions center at Fitchburg High School as part of the university’s commitment to strengthening local recruitment and becoming the first-choice Institution for students in North Central Massachusetts.
In her inaugural address, Hodge introduced 2024-25 as the Institution’s “Year of Service,” emphasizing a commitment to fostering a culture of service to students, the community, and alumni in the region and from around the world to transform Fitchburg State into “its next best version.”
To achieve the coveted Hispanic Serving Institution status, Fitchburg State will have to maintain at least a 25 percent Hispanic enrollment for the next four years. Nationwide, there are over 500 higher education institutions in 27 states with HSI status that serve over 2 million students of Hispanic origin. HSIs are eligible for special grants, including the nearly $50 million in 81 HSI grants just issued by the U.S. Department of Education last month.
The university is making focused appeals to Hispanics through Spanish language outreach, including social media and admissions collateral, as well as media engagements. President Hodge has also sought to enrich the conversation around these topics through the hiring of Fitchburg State’s first executive director of diversity, equity, and belonging programs, who will elevate these discussions on a campus wide scale.
There is a lot to build on, Hodge suggested, as she highlighted the university’s successful fall enrollment, surpassing budgeted goals, and sustained excellence in research, teaching, and service. She also cited the critical role that partnerships, notably with the Fitchburg Art Museum and the City of Fitchburg itself, can play in revitalizing the region.
Hodge ultimately shared a forward-looking vision for the university that highlights transparency and the introduction of a revamped campus budgeting process, enrollment growth through innovative programs and international student engagement, and an emphasis on improving campus morale, with new employee programs and enhanced collaboration efforts being deployed across departments.
Hodge has brought to Fitchburg State a model for adapting the university to the rapidly changing higher education landscape while continuing to focus on its diverse student population, which includes many first-generation students, adult learners, and international students.
In accepting her new post, Hodge pledged to continue to prioritizing academic excellence, student success, and community engagement.
"Together,” she added, “we will build trust, grow our community, and demonstrate the courage to innovate for our students.”
“If we do this right,” she concluded, “Fitchburg State will not only feel like the number one state university in Massachusetts – it will be known as such.”
About the author
Duggan Flanakin is a senior policy analyst at the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow who writes on a wide variety of public policy issues.
