November 21, 2014

Media Contact: Norma Jean Revilla-Garcia

Statement by HACU President Antonio R. Flores on the 43 missing Mexican students

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) President and CEO Antonio R. Flores has issued the following statement on the 43 Mexican college students missing.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) extends its heart-felt sympathy to the families of the 43 teacher-education students abducted near the municipality of Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico on September 26, 2014, and shares in their pain at the absence of their children and anguish over the uncertainty of their fate. These horrific and reprehensible acts make us reflect on the crucial role education plays in the development of civic consciousness and spirit of social service, and how significant it is to improving our society.

HACU also extends its solidarity and moral support to its sister university associations in Mexico, the national association of public universities and the federation of private universities (ANUIES and FIMPES, respectively, for their acronyms in Spanish). HACU supports their work with their member institutions to educate the emerging generations of Mexican leaders, scientists, professionals, and technicians that will build a more prosperous and just nation in the years and decades ahead. HACU and its more than 400 member colleges and universities across the United States and Puerto Rico stand ready to assist them in any way possible.

The U.S. Department of State reports that “millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day.” Institutions of higher education can find travel advisories and state-by-state assessments on Mexico at: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html.

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