Monday, October 18, 2004

For immediate release

International higher education award

presented to Universidad Veracruzana

MIAMI, Florida – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) today presented its highest international education award to Mexico’s Universidad Veracruzana for promoting academic outreach to Hispanic communities of learning worldwide.

“Universidad Veracruzana is an acclaimed center for scientific and technological research. It is equally renowned for international outreach through its Institutional Network for International Cooperation and Exchange and other innovative initiatives embracing learning communities far beyond its campus,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores.

“Rector Victor Arredondo Alvarez, who has already been honored by several countries for his accomplishments in the international education arena, has been instrumental in the rising prominence of his university in the global education arena,” Flores said.

Flores presented HACU’s Exemplary International Member Institution Award to Arredondo, who is also President of the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education, during HACU’s 18^th Annual Conference under way through Tuesday in Miami, Florida.

“Internationalizing higher education in today’s world is a ‘must.’ I see current trends to support global and regional integration through university collaboration as the most solid strategy to build intelligent solutions around the world,” Arredondo said.

“Trilateral university collaboration in North America has proven to be an effective contributor to the success of NAFTA. Now we need to strengthen inter-American cooperation in higher education in anticipation of a Free Trade Agreement in the Americas,” Arredondo said. “Organizations such as HACU and the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education are essential tools for progress.”

Universidad Veracruzana is one of more than 390 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America and Spain that comprise the membership of HACU, a U.S.-based nonprofit association that champions cross-border partnerships and programs benefiting the international Hispanic higher education community.

One of Mexico’s leading universities, Universidad Veracruzana is engaged in active partnerships with HACU-member colleges and universities that range from student and faculty exchanges to joint community health care education to small business and environmental protection education initiatives.

With 19 research institutes and 74 professional schools in 14 cities in Mexico serving more than 58,000 students, Universidad Veracruzana is continually expanding its international reach through the university’s Advisory Committee for the Internationalization of the University and its acclaimed Institutional Network for International Cooperation and Exchange.

Arredondo, a member of the HACU Governing Board, is the author, editor or co-author of 13 books and numerous articles on the globalization of higher education and other higher education issues. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Arredondo this year received the Gold Medal from the University of Barcelona in Spain for his contributions to international education partnerships and is a past recipient of the Award of Distinction from the North American Higher Education Collaboration, or CONAHEC.

For more information about HACU’s 18^th Annual Conference, visit http://www.hacu.net/, or contact HACU Public Affairs at (619) 997-1637. For more information about Universidad Veracruzana, visit http://www.uv.mx/.