The mission of the Hunter College AANAPISI Project (HCAP) is to support the enrollment, retention, graduation and overall success of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and other high-need students.
HCAP provides multilingual learner, mental health, leadership, financial literacy and research training programs that engage students in connecting to their identities and purpose, while building a deeper sense of community. HCAP also bridges students to the existing network of resources and services at Hunter College and engages faculty and staff in professional development on the needs of AAPI and other underserved students.
Our programs include:
- Asian American Studies Courses: HCAP-enhanced courses in Hunter’s Asian American Studies Program that use an integrated curriculum approach to exploring identity and purpose, while also connecting students to on-campus and community resources. Classes include: ASIAN 210: Asians in the United States; ASIAN 230.02: Asian American Communities and Mental Health and ASIAN 330.14: Theories and Methods of Researching Asian American Communities.
- Multilingual Learner Programs: free academic skills summer and winter seminars, language support workshops, targeted support for English Language Learner (ELL) and multilingual learner students, and collaboration with Hunter’s Rockowitz Writing Center to provide training and online tools for students, faculty and staff
- Mental Health Programs and Resources: events promoting AAPI mental health, printed and online resources, faculty/staff trainings on AAPI mental health, and collaboration with Hunter’s Counseling and Wellness Services to refer students to on-campus and off-campus culturally competent care
- Community-based Internships and Leadership Training: placements in community-based organizations serving Asian/Asian Americans, and leadership training programs to support undergraduate students as peer leaders in helping other students navigate college
- Transfer Pipeline Programs: peer mentor programs, tailored workshops, supportive resources, and collaboration with Hunter’s Office of Advising and Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) to increase student success for AAPI and other high-need transfer students
- Navigating College Programs: co-hosted workshops with Hunter’s Office of Financial Aid and digital resources to increase student financial literacy, workshops to de-stigmatize help-seeking and assist students in navigating college, and collaboration with Hunter’s Student Affairs Offices to increase student utilization of campus resources
- Research Skills Programs and Asian American Studies Symposia: Asian American Studies research skills course and workshops, faculty mentorship and applied experiences in researching Asian American communities, and symposia series co-hosted with Hunter’s Asian American Studies Center to showcase student and faculty research on Asian American community topics and issues
- Staff and Faculty Development: training seminars, workshops and tools for Hunter and BMCC faculty and staff created in collaboration with Hunter’s Academic Center for Excellence in Research and Teaching (ACERT), Center for Online Learning, and BMCC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Scholarship (CETLS) and Center for Ethnic Studies (CES). Topics include: student-centered and culturally-relevant pedagogies, supporting a diverse AAPI student population, English Language Learners and promoting awareness of AAPI mental health issues