October 8, 2009
NJ Revilla-Garcia

Antonio R. Flores speaks about U.S. higher education at a conference held in Mexico

HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores spoke about “Higher Education in the United States” at the Annual Latin American Network Conference, “Public Policy, Leadership and Mentoring for Global Education: Advancing Ideas for Government Excellence.” The conference was held October 4-7 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Flores discussed the differences between U.S. education policies and those of other countries and provided a glimpse of degree completion rates in the U.S., noting the persisting disparity among different racial/ethnic groups.

“Among the population ages 25- to 29-years-old, we have observed a widening of the gaps that existed some 35 years ago.” Figures presented showed completion of bachelor’s degrees among Hispanics were 5% in 1971 vs. 12% in 2006. In contrast, degree completion among non-Hispanic Whites showed 19% in 1971 vs. 37% in 2006.

Flores also urged the growing population of Hispanics to play a “key leadership role” to “shape a new United States of America.”

Flores concluded by saying: “The world is at a crossroads in its quest for a more just and equitable global order. The United States higher education community is called to lead the way in such a quest. As perhaps the most socially and culturally diverse nation in the history of humanity, its main strength is its diversity.”

The Annual Latin American Network Conference was presented by the University of New Mexico, Latin American Network in Government and Public Policy and the Instituto de Administración Pública del Estado de México.