June 14, 2019

Chris de Hoyos

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities' staff members were among the presenters at the second annual Hispanic Serving Institutions Forum on June 14, 2019, at Hartnell College in Salinas, California. 

The HSI Forum provided an opportunity for dialogue and collaboration between Hartnell, area school districts, and regional universities that strive to support access and success of Hispanics in higher education. Topics included local, state, and national topics of importance for HSIs, and served as a discussion platform for regional HSI opportunities and partnerships.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta of the 20th District of California discussed the Congressional HSI Caucus and the role(s) of the regional HSIs. The Congressional HSI Caucus was reestablished by HACU to keep Members of Congress and their staff informed about the value and impact of HSIs in their districts and communities.

Speakers from HACU included David Ortiz, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief operating officer from the National Headquarters in San Antonio, Texas and Luis Maldonado, former chief advocacy officer from the government relations office in Washington, D.C.  Ortiz addressed HSI trends and Hispanic student achievement data, while Maldonado provided an update on current legislative proceedings on Capitol Hill.

Hartnell College has received two Title V grants to improve student access and success for underrepresented groups in the STEM disciplines, and it has been lauded by NASA, the NAACP and the University of California, Santa Cruz as being among the nation’s top community colleges in promoting and achieving success for its underrepresented students in the STEM disciplines.

Photo captions: (L-R) David Ortiz, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief operating officer; Luis Maldonado, former chief advocacy officer