HACU names 10 Leadership Fellows

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) named 10 HACU Leadership Fellows as the next generation of Hispanic higher education leaders for the country’s diverse college campuses and communities.

The 10 Fellows from California, Arizona, New Mexico, New York and Texas are one of three cohorts of minority educators following the first and second year cohorts of the program, in this third year of the national Kellogg Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) Leadership Program.

Funded through the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education with a four-year, $6 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the program is designed to identify and mentor the next generation of Hispanic, Native American and African American higher education leaders.

The Alliance was founded as the first unified voice for minority higher education by HACU representing Hispanic-Serving Institutions, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) representing Tribal Colleges and Universities and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) representing the country’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The Fellows will receive mentoring, training and networking support as part of the program’s goal to address more effectively the shortage of minority higher education presidents and other senior executives at those colleges and universities serving the largest concentrations of minority students.

Organizers predict that at least half the participants in the Kellogg MSI Leadership Fellows Program will be serving as presidents or other high-ranking executives within the next decade.

“HACU is excited about the third year of this program.  The 10 HACU Leadership Fellows reflect the type of diverse leadership needed for the changing demographics of our campuses and our country.  The higher education community will benefit greatly from the training all of the Fellows receive as part of this program,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores.

The HACU Leadership Fellows met in Washington, D.C., with their AIHEC and NAFEO counterparts to begin a year-long series of intensive workshops, briefings, forums and mentoring opportunities to support their advancement through higher education leadership ranks.

HACU, the nation’s leading voice for Hispanic higher education, represents more than 350 colleges and universities that collectively serve more than two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students.

The HACU Leadership Fellows for 2005-2006 are:

• Dr. Manuel Avalos, Associate Provost for Research & Faculty Development, Arizona State University
• Dr. Waded Cruzado-Salas, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, New Mexico State University
• Dr. Lynda Y. de la Vina, Dean, College of Business, University of Texas at San
• Dr. Dorothy J. Duran, NNMCC El Rito Campus Director, Northern New Mexico Community College
• Dr. Mari Fuentes-Martin, Associate Vice President & Dean of Students, The University of Texas at Brownsville & Texas Southmost College
• Dr. Gerardo M. Gonzalez, Director, National Latino Research Center & Professor of PsychologyCalifornia State University, San Marcos
• Dr. Miguel A. Gonzalez, Interim Dean & Associate Director for the School of Engineering & Computer Science, The University of Texas, Pan American
• Dr. Rita Martinez-Purson, Dean of Continuing Education, University of New Mexico
• Mr. Jose Luis Morin, J.D., Associate Professor & Department Chairperson, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• Dr. Adriana Segura Donly, Professor & Predoctoral Director for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 

For more information about the HACU-Kellogg Leadership Fellows Program, contact HACU at (210) 692-3805 or visit www.hacu.net

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