March 18, 2011
NJ Revilla-Garcia
HACU and USDA sign MOU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have renewed a long-standing partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to continue to strengthen HSI capacity building and Hispanic inclusion in agriculture-related education and research.
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| (L-R) U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and HACU Governing Board Chair Sandra Serrano sign a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the two parties on March 18. |
HACU Governing Board Chair Sandra Serrano, Chancellor of Kern Community College District, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack signed the MOU on behalf of the two parties on March 18.
The partnership is focused on promoting agriculture, food and environmental sciences and other agriculture-related careers for students attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACUs). Other focal areas address increasing employment opportunities in USDA for students attending HACU-member institutions and supporting capacity enhancement of HACU-member institutions and their faculty.
The USDA-HACU partnership was established over 20 years ago and is regarded as a best practice showcased frequently by HACU. The partnership has served not only to strengthen capacity, but also to encourage Hispanic representation at all levels of the agency, especially through the HACU National Internship Program. A Leadership Group, which includes HSI college/university presidents and USDA senior officials, has also served as a resource to guide the implementation of the MOU.
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