August 15, 2008

Flores meets with HUD

(L-R) Antonio Flores, President of HACU, Secretary Steve Preston and Assistant Secretary Williams of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development met recently in Washington D.C. to explore possible collaborative opportunities between HUD and HACU.

At their August 5 meeting, Dr. Flores and Secretary Preston discussed HACU's recommendations for increases in the HUD budget to support the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities grant program and to restore the HUD Hispanic-Serving Institution Work-Study Program.  They also explored other funding opportunities as well as the placement of HACU interns at HUD in the future.

During his Washington stay, Dr. Flores was able to meet also with staff from the offices of Congressmen Ed Pastor and Tom Udall and Senators John Kerry, Jeff Bingaman, Kay Bailey Hutchison, as well as the Majority Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research of the House Committee on Agriculture and the Majority Clerk of the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.  In addition to thanking the Members of Congress for their support of HSIs in the Higher Education Act reauthorization just completed and the earlier Farm Bill reauthorization, Dr. Flores explored implementation issues for both of these key pieces of legislation to assure maximum benefit for HSIs and Hispanic higher education.

On August 6, Dr. Flores and HACU were also honored during this visit by representatives from MillerCoors and named to the Coors Líderes Program.  Later that evening Dr. Flores and HACU hosted the HNIP Farewell Dinner for this summer's class of 425 interns.

The new GI Bill was the main topic of his visit with representatives from the Servicemembers Opportunities Colleges, a coalition dedicated to helping servicemembers and their families complete their degrees.  He also met with Independent Sector to discuss other legislative issues affecting non-profits.