University of New Mexico President Louis Caldera has been named a 2004-05 governing board member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). HACU is the nation’s leading voice for the higher education needs of the country’s largest ethnic population.
UNM has a long history with HACU. Dr. Eliseo Torres, vice president of Student Affairs, was one of the originators who met in San Antonio, Texas, in 1986 to develop the concept and the name. Torres was then at Texas A & M, Kingsville. The only New Mexico representative at the time was Gilbert Sanchez from New Mexico Highlands University. Once Torres came to UNM, he was designated the UNM representative to HACU by then-UNM President Richard Peck.
UNM is represented on the Alliance for Minority Serving Institutions, a HACU initiative. Last year, Torres took part in a Kellogg Foundation sponsored program to train minorities to serve in leadership roles in minority-serving institutions. This year, UNM is represented by Dr. Jerónimo Domínguez, UNM vice provost, Extended University.
At the HACU 18th annual conference last month, Alexander Gonzalez, president of California State University, Sacramento, was unanimously elected chair of the HACU governing board, joined by a new roster of officers and three new board members.
“HACU is excited to welcome the expertise, visionary leadership and extraordinary credentials that every new officer and board member brings to an association that will surely benefit with record new reach and results in the critical year ahead,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores.
The following were elected to serve with Gonzalez as governing board officers for 2004-2005: Valencia Community College-Osceola Campus (Florida) Provost Silvia Zapico, vice chair and chair-elect; University of the Sacred Heart (Puerto Rico) President Jose Jaime Rivera, secretary; and University of Texas at San Antonio President Ricardo Romo, treasurer. As past board chair, Northeastern Illinois University President Salme Harju Steinberg remains a member of the board’s executive committee.
In addition to Caldera, two other governing board members were unanimously elected during HACU’s 18th annual conference in Miami, Fla., in October. They are Pima County (Arizona) Community College District Chancellor Roy Flores and Florida International University President Modesto Maidique.
“We are so pleased that UNM President Louis Caldera is on the governing board. He will find out about HACU’s latest programs and collaborations with the federal government that will be of benefit to our students and faculty,” Torres said.
HACU will hold their biannual international conference in Santa Fe, N.M., May 22-24, 2005. The conference is expected to draw national and international participants from higher education, business, non-profit organizations, and the federal, state and local governments. In addition to President Caldera and Vice President Torres from UNM, Director of Special Programs Tim Gutierrez, is on the conference planning committee.
As HACU governing board chair, Gonzalez will guide the board of an association that represents more than 390 colleges and universities that collectively serve more than two-thirds of all U.S. Hispanic higher education students. HACU’s international membership includes leading universities located throughout Latin America and Spain.
“I am honored to assume this new role for a respected national association with an international reach,” said Gonzalez. “Our membership represents those colleges and universities at the forefront of every major effort to address the education needs of our country’s fastest-growing college-age population. As a nation, we must embrace every opportunity to support these institutions. They will educate the next generation of innovators and leaders.”
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920