The Thirteenth Annual Conference of the Hispanic Association of Colleges
and Universities (HACU) was held in Miami October 30 to November 2,
1999. Membership in HACU is open to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI),
including those institutions having a student population composition
that is at least 25 percent Hispanic.
Florida International
University is the only institution in the Florida State University System
classified as an HSI. HACU works at the national level to support programs
for the HSIs and was successful in having the federal government include
HSIs as a special category. Like Historical Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCU), HSIs qualify for special federal grants to create programs for
its students.
One of the most
important issues discussed at the conference was strategies to encourage
more Hispanic students to complete high school and continue on to college.
The keynote speakers and many of the sessions addressed this issue,
as well as programs that are successfully meeting this challenge.
Two sessions featured
FIU faculty and staff. The first, "Creating and Sustaining a Pipeline
for Hispanic Students: The Sciences, Education and Engineering," featured
Delia García (Education), Zaida Moráles-Martínez (Chemistry), and Jorge
Nosti (Engineering). The panelists discussed the programs in their respective
disciplines that foster educational opportunities for Hispanic students.
Joining the panelists was Tatiana Arteaga, chemistry major, who shared
her experiences and discussed the mentoring she received while pursuing
her studies. Olga Magnusen, director of Career Services, presented the
second session, "Career Services Partnerships with Government and Industry
to Attract and Retain Hispanic Students." Magnusen discussed the services
offered by her office, particularly the success it has had in placing
students, of which Hispanics are a significant percentage, in internships
around the nation.
In addition, several
members of the College of Engineering participated in events. Dean Gordon
Hopkins was a panelist in "Global Education: The Virtual University,"
associate dean Sushil Gupta met with other members of HACU's 4th International
Conference Planning Committee, and associate dean Gustavo Roig shared
the successes of FIU's PREP (Pre-Freshman Engineering Program) program
for middle school students.
A particularly
important aspect of the conference was the opportunities it offered
students. Scholarships were made available to pay for college students'
conference registration fee. Fifty FIU students were awarded scholarships.
HACU believes that it is important to have students participate in its
national conference. To help the students feel more comfortable, the
conference hosted special orientation sessions, a student mixer and
other activities.
Younger students
also participated in the conference. Before the official opening, a
special day-long session for elementary, middle and high school students,
"Discovering the Keys to Your Future!! Youth Leadership Development
Fair," was held. Ana Sippin, director of International Student and Scholar
Services, and Magnusen were two of the presenters at this workshop.
Gisela P. Casines,
Ph.D., is associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida
International University.
