FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE

September 22, 2006

Town Hall Meeting will cover Immigration Issues and responsibility of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

San Antonio, TX – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) plans an important Town Hall Meeting as part of its 20th Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas, Monday, October 30, 4:00-5:30 p.m., at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

The Town Hall Meeting will primarily address the question of how HSIs can emphasize “serving” Hispanic students in ways that go beyond the federal definition based simply on enrollment.  In addition, how institutions can serve the needs of undocumented students in the spirit of the proposed Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act will also be discussed.  These two questions are central to HACU’s advocacy work and are expected to generate a lively conversation between the panelists and the audience.

“Our country needs to do a better job educating the growing Hispanic population,” said Antonio Flores, President and CEO of HACU.  “HSIs play a huge role in this regard.  They play a leadership role in educating our future workforce and other institutions will look to them to learn how best to serve their own Hispanic students.”

The panelist scheduled for the meeting are:
• Governor Gaston Caperton, President of The College Board
• Dr. Ricardo Fernández, President of Lehman College, City University of New York
• Dr. Tessa Martínez Pollack, President of Our Lady of the Lake University, in San Antonio, TX
• Dr. Charles Reed, Chancellor and CEO of the California State University System

For more information about HACU’s 20th Annual Conference, please visit http://www.hacu.net/.

###