Leveraging National Partnerships
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
Leaders-in-Residence Program
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leader-in-Residence is a competitive program where students from HACU-member institutions across the U.S. and Puerto Rico apply to receive leadership and career development training. Selected students are designated as a "HACU Leader-in-Residence" at their home institution. These Leaders receive a sponsorship to participate in the Student Track component of the HACU Annual Conference, known as the ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute.
In addition, Leaders participate in HACU leadership development webinars during the academic year. Leaders also serve as a HACU resource to other students on their campus. Each Leader is required to identify a Faculty Advisor/Dean at their university and meet with their Advisor during the course of the program. Leaders are expected to conduct an information session on HACU internships, scholarships, and other services on their campus as well as assist in increasing engagement of their fellow students in HACU’s programs and advocacy efforts.
Student: Angie Benitez-Garcia
Quote: “Being a Leader in Residence for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities allowed me to pay it forward to the Hispanic community on campus. I felt like I was contributing to the future of my community by offering resources to students that included scholarships and internship programs. As a member of HACU and a student of UCF, I felt like I became not just a better student, but more importantly a better leader.”
Angie Benitez-Garcia, HACU Leader in Residence
HACU Leaders-in-Residence Program
Excelencia in Education
UCF demonstrates its commitment to SERVING Latino students by participating in Excelencia in Education Technical Assistance Institutes:
In June 2019, a UCF team comprised of five staff members from student-centered areas including, Student Enrollment and Development Services (SDES), the Burnett Honors College (BHC), the Division of Teaching and Learning, and the Center for Higher Education Innovation, attended the “High-Impact Practices and Student Success Institute.” At the institute, the team crafted an action plan to engage faculty in an intentional effort to increase the number of Latino students participating in undergraduate research. Upon their return from the institute, the team initiated campus engagement during National HSI week in September 2019 via a panel discussion hosted by the Honors College. The team was then invited to present on “Understanding and Serving UCF’s Latino/a/x Students” at the UCF Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning Winter Conference in December 2019 and to write about these faculty sessions for inclusion in UCF’s Faculty Focus (Vol. 19, No. 2) published in October 2020: “Serving Latino/a/x Students Through Pedagogy and Undergraduate Research.”
In September 2019, another UCF team of five faculty and staff members participated in the “Creating Hispanic SERVING Identity Through Faculty Hiring Institute.” Institute topics included: Equity-minded job announcements, interrogating bias, strategies for disrupting inequitable hiring practices, and addressing faculty retention. The UCF team was comprised of members from Human Resources, Office of Institutional Equity, Faculty Excellence and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Several of the resources provided at the institute have been incorporated into an “Inclusive Searches” training module that was launched in spring 2020.
Excelencia Faculty Hiring Institute
Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities
The Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) is a voluntary association of universities that are both Hispanic-Serving Institutions as defined by Title V of the Higher Education Act and in the top 5% of universities in the United States for research as determined by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. HSRU is leading efforts to increase opportunities for those historically underserved by higher education. The 20 member institutions (including UCF) are committed to deepening partnerships with each other and collaborating with other like-minded institutions to accomplish two important goals.
By 2030, HSRU anticipates this initiative will allow member universities to:
1. Double the number of Hispanic doctoral students enrolled at member universities, and
2. Increase by 20% the Hispanic professoriate in member universities.
Funded Projects:
Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative (Andrew W. Mellon Foundation)
Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (A NSF INCLUDES Alliance)
