MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

At a time of the year when many member institutions are at the end of their spring semester, the Association also ends its annual spring event, The Capitol Forum on Hispanic Higher Education, held virtually on April 5-6, 2022. We thank all who participated in the sessions and the distinguished speakers who discussed the priorities for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Among them were Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services; Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education; James Kvaal, Under Secretary of Education; Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce, just to name a few. An HSI Caucus Policy update was also provided by Senator Alex Padilla (CA), Senator Mark Kelly (AZ) and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY). The Forum sessions and HACU’s Legislative Agenda aided participants in taking these priorities to their virtual meetings and conversations with members of Congress and their staff.

We were also very pleased that the Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act (HERE) Act was introduced by Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX) and Senator Alex Padilla. The legislation addresses college attendance and completion rates for Hispanic/Latino students by creating a new grant program supporting partnerships and collaborations between Hispanic-Serving Institutions and school districts with high enrollment of Hispanic students. More information on the bill is on page11.

HACU has been gratified to see advancements we have supported creating expanded opportunities for Hispanic students. New Mexico recently enacted the most expansive tuition-free college program supporting over half of undergraduate students in that state. Nationally, the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed by Congress and signed by President Biden is only a start in achieving equity for Hispanic students and the colleges and universities that serve them. Their underfunding is among the top priorities addressed in HACU’s Legislative Agenda at the Capitol Forum. We encourage you to include HACU’s Legislative Agenda in your advocacy efforts to urge Congress for equitable funding that meets the needs of our country’s 559 HSIs and 5.24 million students.

Our HACU news section of this issue includes both new partnerships and ongoing initiatives that support Hispanic student success, such as the HACU National Internship Program, an MOU signed with the Department of Homeland Security and a program for HSIs in partnership with Dominion Energy. Ongoing programs continue to expand, such as scholarships with corporate partners and the HACU Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo (which received a Carnegie Corporation of New York grant), and a new Global Faculty Exchange on the ProTalento Job Board – all programs that benefit Hispanics and other underserved students, faculty and administrators.

We welcome new members listed on page 7. Two HACU interns share their experiences of their work at the Library of Congress on page 14. Look for more stories this year celebrating 30 years of the HACU National Internship Program, an anniversary that will be featured in the summer issue of the magazine, as we celebrate over 14,000 internship placements since 1992. We are optimistic that we will see everyone again in person at our upcoming Annual Conference this fall in San Diego, and our 2023 Capitol Forum in Washington, D.C.

Sincerely,

Antonio R. Flores President and CEO