FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2006
HACU Unveiling Commissioned Painting
San Antonio, Texas – A commissioned painting commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) will be unveiled by San Antonio artist Michael Gallegos during a press conference at Our Lady of the Lake University on Thursday, May 11, 2006. The press conference will also discuss HACU’s presence in San Antonio for the past 20 years and its Annual Conference scheduled for October 28-31, 2006.
HACU approached Gallegos in 2005 to create a 20th anniversary painting, which was reproduced and prints made available for purchase at http://www.hacu.net/ as a fundraiser for the non-profit organization. The 20th anniversary painting captures images that celebrate HACU’s birthplace in San Antonio and its mission of championing Hispanic higher education success. The images also stem from Gallegos’ childhood growing up on the west side of San Antonio.
“What I like about this painting is that it combines images of family and education and culture. Though the images are mainly Mexican-American in nature, the Hispanic experience is universal from the struggles we all face in striving to achieve the ‘American Dream’ and trying to better our existence through education,” said Gallegos. “A child’s development is largely affected by their family and environment so it is all interconnected. No one succeeds alone. Hopefully this painting will inspire people to see the connections and increase their respect for all the parts we all play in the future of the education of all Hispanics.”
Gallegos also mentioned the challenges of painting which encompasses the diverse educational issues addressed by HACU.
“HACU’s mission is to champion Hispanic higher education success. It’s difficult to create an image that touches on all the different ethnicities that covers,” Gallegos added. “When I spoke with Dr. Flores (HACU’s President and CEO) about this project I asked him to sum up his vision of the painting and the aspect of HACU’s location in San Antonio and the dominate Mexican-American culture here as well as HACU’s dedication to education became my focus.”
The unveiling is scheduled for 9:30 am on Thursday, May 11, 2006, at the Sueltenfuss Library, Community Room, on the Our Lady of the Lake Campus. The artist along with the President of HACU, Antonio R. Flores, and the President of Our Lady of the Lake University, Tessa Martínez Pollack, will be on hand.
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About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was established in 1986 with a founding membership of eighteen institutions. Today, HACU represents more than 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Although their member institutions in the U. S. represent less than 7% of all higher education institutions nationwide, together they are home to more than two-thirds of all Hispanic college students. HACU is the only national educational association that represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). HACU is a non-profit organization committed to assuring higher education access and success for Hispanic students. For more information, visit www.hacu.net.
