Are you aware of the benefits the Hispanic community is bringing to Texas? Krist Swimberghe, dean of Soules College of Business at UT Tyler, shares the latest Hibbs Brief, highlighting the immense influence and relevance of the Hispanic population in Texas. With a deep dive into the evolving demographics, Swimberghe examines how this growth is not just reshaping the cultural landscape, but significantly affecting the economy by providing not only a labor pool but also entrepreneurs.
In this thought-provoking exchange, we explore the fact that almost 65% of small businesses are initiated by Hispanic entrepreneurs, the swift recovery of the Hispanic workforce post-pandemic, and the rise in Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
MIKE LANDESS: In the last 40 years, the population of Texas has nearly doubled to more than 30 million people. A new Hibbs Brief from UT Tyler’s Soules College of Business points out that for the last 20 years, Hispanics have been the driving force behind the Texas population boom. I’m Mike Landess for UT Tyler Radio. Here to talk about this latest Hibbs Brief is the dean of the Soules College of Business, Krist Swimberghe. Welcome.
SWIMBERGHE: Good morning, Mike.
LANDESS: The U.S. Census Bureau says that the Texas Hispanic population is at more than 12 million people. There’s been an increase in the Hispanic population in East Texas as well.
SWIMBERGHE: Absolutely, maybe not as dramatic as for the entire state. Obviously, most of the increase has happened in the southern and western states which border Mexico. But even in Smith County, for instance, over a period of time, I think, 10-12 years, it’s increased by an average of a few percentage points each decade, if you will. We’re now in Smith County over 20%, or one out of five of every inhabitant of Smith County, is from Hispanic descent. If you go up a little further north, in Cass County, I believe we have a Hispanic population there of over 40%. So Gregg County, for instance, also 20+ percent. So, yes, the Hispanic population has increased in East Texas as well, but comparatively not as much as, obviously, the southern and western counties of the state.
LANDESS: Texans of all races are aware of the Hispanic influence on our culture. With El Paso, San Antonio or Dallas or Cass County, here in East Texas we’re seeing more recognition of that culture, perhaps most visibly in Tyler’s Rose Festival Parade. I mean this is the second year of tipping the sombreros, so to speak, to our Hispanic neighbors.
SWIMBERGHE: Yeah, I think you know while some people may be intimidated with an increasing population of a particular ethnic group, I think it brings an amazing diversity to the community, both in culture, in food and every scene of life. It provides vibrancy, and it’s undeniable.
LANDESS: What is the great line about “Never eat Mexican food east of the Mississippi?” I think that Texas is the heart of that. Now the title of the Hibbs Brief states that the Hispanic population is growing in presence and relevance in Texas, and East Texas is no exception. As the East Texas Economic Development Council and other groups seek to bring in more big business to our part of the state, how does this Hispanic presence play out?
SWIMBERGHE: Well, obviously, the Hispanic presence, you know, depending on what type of industry we were seeking to bring into the county, into the city, you know they provide a labor pool, a labor pool that’s necessary, that’s ready to work, that’s willing to work. That’s one of the amazing attributes of the Hispanic group is their willingness to work and do whatever it takes to pursue economic opportunity and be socially mobile. So obviously, that’s very important to new big businesses that are coming in. But I think what’s even more important perhaps, that when you look at who starts small businesses in our community, almost 65% of small businesses are actually started by individuals from the Hispanic ethnicity-Hispanic entrepreneurs, if you will. So I think when you look at the number of people who are employed by big businesses versus small businesses, the largest group of businesses that employ people, 80% of people are employed by small businesses. So the fact that Hispanics are starting businesses at a much higher pace than other groups is very important to our community as well.
LANDESS: I understand that, post-pandemic, the Hispanic workforce was one of the first to recover from the recession caused by the virus, going back to work sooner than other groups.
SWIMBERGHE: Well, that perhaps was because of the nature of the profession. Obviously, we see a large Hispanic population that’s active in the construction industry, outdoor jobs and obviously, those were the first ones who went back to work, if they didn’t, if they did not even continue to work throughout the pandemic. So I don’t think it’s a surprise, if you will, that the Hispanics were the first ones who were fully back to work, went fully back to work after the pandemic.
LANDESS: We see the number of bilingual public schools increasing, and the number of Hispanic-Serving Institutions — “HSIs,” as they call them — for higher education have increased as well, from 131 in the mid-90s to nearly 500 just a few years ago. That’s really quite remarkable.
SWIMBERGHE: That is one of the exciting things for me as an academic dean to see our number of Hispanic students increase even at UT Tyler. For you know, for the last 10 years, since I arrived in 2010 here at UT Tyler, nearly about 8% of students who were pursuing a bachelor’s degree were of Hispanic descent, whereas this year, the enrollment, undergraduate enrollment of students pursuing bachelor’s degrees at UT Tyler exceeded 30%. And so, for the third year in a row, UT Tyler’s enrollment, undergraduate enrollment of students who pursued bachelor’s degree exceeded more than 25% of Hispanic students, which again qualifies us as an institution to apply and become an Hispanic-Serving Institution, which has quite a few benefits.
LANDESS: What kinds of benefits are there? Incentives from the government to make this happen?
SWIMBERGHE: Absolutely. So the federal government is not oblivious to the pattern of population growth and who is contributing. Unlike many other industrial countries, who experience very much a reverse-age pyramid where fewer and fewer younger people support more and more older people, one of the, you know, the Hispanic immigration population and the birth rates, you know, make the United States one of the few countries where that is not happening. Now, what’s very exciting, then, is also that, with the increase of the Hispanic population, the federal government has also seen the need to increase access to higher education for Hispanic students, and so there’s a number of federal programs that UT Tyler has a consequence of becoming an HSI, or Hispanic-Serving Institution, will become eligible for, and that can you know, of course, eligibility doesn’t mean a guaranteed access to funds, but it can make a large difference to continue to guarantee access at an affordable price for Hispanic students, and again, it’s all about this taking advantage of economic opportunities through higher education.
LANDESS: Let’s point out that, while you are the dean of the Soules College of Business, the heavy lifting on this report and others is done by Manuel Reyes and Cecilia Cuellar. Tell me about these two and the work that they do.
SWIMBERGHE: Absolutely. They are two amazing economists, both obviously as their names suggest, of Hispanic descent, coming from Mexico and contributing greatly to the work that we do at the Soules College of Business. They’re passionate about their community. They’re passionate about advancing the community in Tyler. They have an amazing skill set, and so undoubtedly, they’re examples of two young Hispanic professionals who’ve achieved postgraduate degrees. They’re both Ph.D.s in economics and contribute greatly to not only the work that we do at the Soules College of Business and The University of Texas at Tyler, but to the greater community at large. Myself, I’m a first-generation college student, and it was higher education that was the portal to economic opportunity and social mobility. And to see that happen for so many young Hispanic professionals here in Smith County in the East Texas region, it’s exciting.
LANDESS: Our guest has been the dean of the Soules College of Business, Krist Swimberghe. To hear this conversation again or to share it, go to KVUT.org. I’m Mike Landess for UT Tyler Radio.
(Transcripts are automatically generated and may contain phonetic spellings and other spelling and punctuation errors. Grammar errors contained in the original recording are not typically corrected.)