For immediate release
HACU Corporate & Philanthropic Council
welcomes Citigroup, Gateway representatives
SAN ANTONIO, Texas –The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) welcomes two new members representing Citigroup and Gateway Inc. to HACU’s Corporate & Philanthropic Council for 2004.
“HACU is honored to welcome two new outstanding supporters of Hispanic higher education success from corporations renowned for promoting diversity in communities across the nation and globally,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores.
“HACU looks forward to the expertise and guidance of every distinguished member of our Corporate & Philanthropic Council in our shared mission to open new doors to college and career success for our country’s largest ethnic population,” Flores said.
The Governing Board of HACU, composed of presidents and chancellors of HACU member higher education institutions, appointed two new members to the Council for 2004:
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As Hispanic Markets Director for global financial services giant Citigroup, Vargas oversees successful strategies to penetrate the growing U.S. Hispanic market, including the development of bilingual services, targeted product and marketing and long-term partnerships with community organizations. Vargas created the first set of Citigroup marketing materials tailored for the Hispanic markets. She also acts as a liaison between Citigroup’s U.S. businesses and its Banamex operations in Mexico to leverage cross-border capabilities with a focus on new product development.
Citigroup, with a presence in more than 100 countries, and where 98 percent of employees are hired locally, has been labeled as “perhaps the most diverse company in the world.” Citigroup has been named among the top companies for minorities by Fortune and among the best companies for Latinas by Latina Style.
Citigroup is partners with the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, helping Hispanic and other minority college graduates pursue careers in business, and the Robert A. Toigo Foundation, providing fellowships for top minority students pursuing MBAs. Citigroup is also a sponsor of annual Hispanic Heritage Month events.
Placencia, who created the Ethnic Marketing Department at technology giant Gateway, was recently awarded HACU’s award as “2003 Partner of the Year for Extraordinary Leadership in Support of Hispanic Higher Education Success.” HACU presented the national award to Gateway in October during the 17th Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA.
Under Placencia’s leadership, Gateway is a formal partner with HACU in efforts to bridge the digital divide between minority and non-minority populations. Gateway is providing affordable technology solutions and new educational opportunities to HACU’s 360 member and partner colleges and universities. Discounted PCs and a rebate program are part of the initiative. Gateway is also a leading sponsor of HACU annual conferences and events.
In 1999, Gateway launched the PC industry’s first Spanish-speaking
initiative that allows Spanish-speaking customers to purchase PCs and benefit
from Gateway customer service and technical support in Spanish. Gateway also
is partners with the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Education,
or NAFEO, in service to the country’s Historically Black Colleges and
Universities.
Other members of HACU’s Corporate & Philanthropic Council for 2004
are:
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HACU represents 360 colleges and universities that collectively
serve more than two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students in the
United States. HACU’s international membership represents leading higher
education institutions in Latin America and Spain. For more information, contact
HACU national headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, at (210) 692-3805. Ext. 3214.
Or visit www.hacu.net.