HACU receives Public Policy in Higher Ed Award for Outstanding Contributions
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was recognized for its role in higher education public policy at the Council for Public Policy in Higher Education event held during the Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference in Tampa, Fla last month.
HACU won the 2018 Council for Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE) Excellence in Public Policy in Higher Education Award. The award recognizes excellence in work at the nexus of academic scholarship and policy practice in the field of public policy and higher education.
The Council is focused primarily on state and federal governmental issues, programs, or processes that affect higher education in the United States. Membership is open to all Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) members in good standing.
According to HACU, the award was accepted by David Ortiz, the organizations’ executive director for policy analysis and information.
HACU’s achievements since 1992 (Source HACU 101)
- In 1992, HACU led the effort to convince Congress to recognize campuses with high Hispanic enrollment as federally designated Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs).
- Soon after, HSIs were granted $12 million in 1995. Since then, funding has increased significantly because of HACU’s persistent advocacy.
- In 2019, $124.4 million were appropriated for the HSI undergraduate program under Title V of the Higher Education Act. HACU has recommended $150 million be appropriated for the fiscal year 2020.
- HACU maintains more than 30 Memoranda of Understanding and Partnership Agreements with federal agencies, offices, and business organizations.
- HACU also provides assistance and outreach to HSIs by hosting technical assistance workshops throughout the country on available federal program grants and other resources.
- The HACU National Internship Program places more than 450 student interns each year with corporations and federal agencies in Washington and field offices around the country.
- HACU’s Western Regional Office in Sacramento, California, offers support for state-level advocacy and program work in the western United States. Additional regional offices are being planned for the future.
- HACU’s Office of Policy Analysis and Information conducts policy analyses and research on issues affecting Hispanic higher education success and HSIs.
- HACU’s events include the annual Capitol Forum each spring in Washington, D.C., and HACU’s Annual Conferences. HACU’s 33rd Annual Conference, “Championing Hispanic Higher Education Success: Meeting the Challenge of Prosperity and Equality,” will be October 5-7, 2019 in Chicago, IL.
