Although HSIs have made steady gains in federal funding increases through Title V of the Higher Education Act, Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas, said, there still is such a disparity, not only with HSI funding, but in many areas impacting the higher education and career success of Hispanics. Leading members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus addressed the Forum, and were applauded for their efforts on behalf of the Hispanic community at a Celebrating the Success of Hispanics in Higher Education reception at the Library of Congress. Election Year 2000 National Capitol Forum on Higher Education was sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Philip Morris, Ford Motor Co. and the Educational Testing Service. Members of the Senate and House of Representatives joined leaders of HACU member, associate member and international member campuses to address issues ranging from affirmative action and student testing to the impact ofthe Hispanic vote in this year s presidential election. This is an election year.
Every vote counts.
We have the votes, Piedad Robertson, chair of the HACU Governing Board and president of HACU member Santa Monica College in California, told the Capitol Forum. A Capitol Forum session on the upcoming election attracted the participation of Democratic National Committee Executive Director Rob Engel and Leslie Sanchez of the Republican National Committee. HACU President Antonio Flores urged active support from Capitol Forum participants throughout the coming months for HACU s legislative agenda for fiscal 2001. Flores, who said he expects HACU higher education institution membership ranks to top the 250-mark this year, outlined a series of successes HACU has won in Congress in attracting steady increases in federal funding and program support to HSIs and Hispanic education initiatives. Flores said that never before has higher education success been so important in an economy that increasingly demands advanced skills from its workforce.