March 6, 2006

Dear HACU Supporter:

Along with the cherry blossoms in D.C., HACU’s 11^th Annual Capitol Forum is quickly approaching.  Your presence at this year’s forum is critical to the work HACU does in Congress.  I invite you to attend the Forum, the only national higher education legislative forum on Hispanics and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and join leaders of HACU’s 450 member colleges and universities along with representatives of Congress, the White House and key federal agencies to promote federal support of HSIs and Hispanic college and career success.

HACU’s 11^th Annual Capitol Forum on Hispanic Higher Education, scheduled March 26-28 at the Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C., will attract the leadership of Congress, the White House and presidents of colleges and universities in every fastest-growing Hispanic population center of the country.  Capitol Hill visits will place you in direct contact with the leadership of the 109^th Congress to present a unified voice for Hispanic higher education needs for FY 2007 and for the next five years through the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

The Forum’s impressive list of confirmed speakers and presenters include the following:

• The Honorable William Frist, Senate Majority Leader, TN
• The Honorable Mike Johanns, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
• The Honorable Bob Menendez, U.S. Senator, NJ
• The Honorable Richard Durbin, U.S. Senator, IL
• The Honorable Ruben Hinojosa, U.S. Representative,TX
• The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. Representative, FL
• Reg Weaver, President of the National Education Association
• The Honorable Beto Gonzalez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
• The Honorable Susan Beaudoin, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education, U.S. Department of Education

HACU’s Capitol Forum provides a platform to advocate for policy and legislative changes to strengthen HSIs and increase Hispanic college success. Join us at this important event to take HACU’s message to Congress and the nation that we can ill afford to ignore the pressing educational needs of the fastest-growing school-age population and the backbone of America’s workforce.  Everyone has a stake in supporting substantial new federal investments in Hispanic higher education. For more information or to register on line, please click here.

Support this effort.  Attend the Forum.  Make your voice count!

Sincerely,

Antonio R. Flores

President and CEO