FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 9, 2022

HACU Statement of Support for the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities to increase Hispanic opportunity

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities has issued the following statement of support for twenty of the nation’s top research universities that have announced the formation of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) to increase Hispanic opportunity. 
 
“HACU commends the HSRU Alliance for taking the lead in creating a pipeline to increase the number of Hispanics in the professoriate at Alliance institutions. We must all commit to expanding the reach and success rate of more students succeeding in academia, particularly at the doctoral degree level,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “HACU fully supports the HSRU Alliance’s work addressing a systemic issue of underrepresentation. This is a significant step in creating equitable pathways for Hispanic students and sets a standard for establishing collaborations for higher education institutions at all levels.” 
 
The institutions that make up the Alliance are both categorized as R1 (very high research activity) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. 
 
The HSRU Alliance aims to achieve two key goals by 2030:
• Double the number of Hispanic doctoral students enrolled at Alliance universities, and 
• Increase by 20% the Hispanic professoriate in Alliance universities.
 
“While these two aims are commendable, HACU hopes that by engaging other relevant institutions across the country, a critical mass of Hispanic Ph.Ds. can be achieved to provide entrance into the professoriate,” added Flores. 
 
Universities in the Alliance include: 
Arizona State University
City University of New York Graduate Center
Florida International University
Texas Tech University
The University of Arizona
The University of New Mexico
The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at San Antonio 
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Riverside
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Central Florida
University of Colorado, Denver
University of Houston
University of Illinois Chicago
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of North Texas

About HACU

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain, and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, California. Additional information is available at www.hacu.net.