HACU's premier conference on Hispanic higher education to recognize leaders and feature prominent speakers

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) will honor eight individuals and organizations with Awards of Excellence and induct two prominent educational leaders to the Hall of Champions during its 27^th Annual Conference "Championing Hispanic Higher Education Success: Securing the American Dream," Oct. 26-28, 2013, Hilton Chicago.

"Our Annual Conference is the ideal place to honor these champions of Hispanic higher education success. This gathering of institutions and partners knows how many ways there are of supporting student success and how important each of them is," said HACU president and CEO Antonio R. Flores. "The Hall of Champions is our way of recognizing those who have invested their professional lives in assuring that Hispanic students have the educational and career opportunities they need to secure the American Dream for all of us." 

"This year, we increased the number of workshops to provide a wider variety of topics related to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). A Town Hall on Hispanic STEM education and a post-conference Deans' Forum will further the dialogue about creating new academic and career pathways for students in STEM and business fields."

More than 1,500 attendees including over 350 students are expected to attend HACU's premier conference on Hispanic higher education, with more than 63 workshops, a student track and other events.

Honorees at the Power Lunch, Sunday, Oct. 27:  

• The President's Award of Excellence to Salme H. Steinberg, Ph.D., president emerita of Northeastern Illinois University.
• HACU Lifelong Leadership Award to James M. Rosser, Ph.D., president of California State University, Los Angeles.
• Exemplary Policy/Advocacy Leadership Award to the Honorable Luis V. Gutierrez of the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Outstanding Associate HACU-Member Institution Award to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
• Outstanding HSI HACU-Member Institution Award to St. Augustine College.

Honorees at the Partnership Luncheon, Monday, Oct. 28:

• HACU's Hall of Champions induction of Anna Solley, Ph.D., president of Phoenix College.
• HACU's Hall of Champions induction of Carlos Hernandez, Ph.D., former president of New Jersey City College.
• The Outstanding HACU Private Sector Partner award to Central City Productions, Inc.
• The Extraordinary Philanthropic Partner Award to the American Legacy Foundation.
• The Outstanding HACU Public Sector Partner award to the U.S. Army.

Conference Highlights
The International Plenary: "Successful International Education Partnerships in Latin America," moderated by Sue Henderson, Ph.D., president of New Jersey City University, features speaker Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, special advisor for the U.S. Department of State on President Obama's 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative. Panelists include: Rodrigo Guerra Botello, general secretary of the Federation of Mexican Private Universities (FIMPES); and Salme H. Steinberg, Ph.D., president emerita of Northeastern Illinois University.

The HACU Town Hall "Building Hispanic Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)," moderated by Emir Jose Macari, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at California State University, Sacramento, includes panelists: Maria Cardona, principal of the Dewey Square Group, founder of Latinovations; Mark B. Rosenberg, Ph.D., president of Florida International University; and Luke Visconti, chief executive officer of DiversityInc Media LLC.

A pre-conference Latino Higher Education Leadership Institute and a post-conference Deans' Forum on Hispanic Higher Education: Fostering Career Opportunities for Business and STEM Students will also be offered in conjunction with the conference.

The HACU National Exhibit Hall, free and open to the public on Oct. 27, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Oct. 28, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., will also feature a free HACU College and Career Fair with college-related workshops on Oct. 27, 2-5 p.m., for middle school, high school and college students and their families.

The HACU conference is made possible thanks to the generous support of its 27th Annual Conference Sponsors.

About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) represents approximately 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America and Spain. For more information, visit www.hacu.net.

SOURCE Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities