FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2006

Latino/a Higher Education Leadership Institute works to prepare the next generation of leaders

San Antonio, TX - The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) will hold its 5th annual Latino/a Higher Education Leadership Institute on Saturday, October 28, 2006, to address the large number of impending Latino/a retirements and the need to refill the pipeline, and to “passing the baton to the next generation of Latino/a faculty, staff and administrators.”  The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX, is the site for this institute.

According to the American Council on Education’s annual report, “Minorities in Higher Education,” Hispanics make up less than 4 percent of all college presidents.

This year’s institute will feature topics on Latina & Latino Leadership; Institutional Change; Higher Ed Policy & Administration; Student Access, Retention & Success; and, Career Development. 

“The underrepresentation of Hispanic administrators and faculty in higher education is a serious issue,” said Antonio Flores, President and CEO of HACU.  “More and more Hispanic students are going to school and they need to see role models in the faculty and staff at the institutions they attend.”

HACU’s Leadership Fellows Program was designed to address the need for more Hispanic senior-level leaders at Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs).  HACU has selected ten Fellows every year and provided them with training aimed at developing the leadership skills needed to be a successful senior-level administrator, and also focused on developing skills needed to manage issues unique to HSIs.

The HACU Leadership Fellows Program has been part of a collaborative effort under the aegis of the Kellogg MSI Leadership Fellows Program aimed at increasing the number of senior-level leaders at MSIs.  The Program is currently on hiatus while continuation funding is being actively sought.

The Latino/a Higher Education Leadership Institute will take place during HACU’s 20th Annual Conference, October 28-31.  For more information on the institute or the conference, please visit http://www.hacu.net/.

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