A delegation from New Mexico Junior College (NMJC) recently attended the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Annual Conference, an educational event dedicated to advancing the education of Hispanic students and supporting Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The conference, which fosters innovation, collaboration, and the sharing of the best up to date practices, was an invaluable learning experience for the NMJC team.

Attendees included NMJC faculty, staff, and students: Dr. Maryrose Eannace, David Buckingham, Sandra Thompson, Debbie Pruitt, Brady Edwards, Sherhil Alcos, Giovanna Ponce, Sebastian Tapia, Valerie Onsurez Gauna, Deira Fernandez, Kelly Rueda, Abel Lujan, and Karla Castanon. The team participated in various sessions focusing on strategies to empower Hispanic students, enhance social capital, and build pathways to higher education and professional success.

Dr. Maryrose Eannace, Vice President for Instruction, emphasized NMJC's commitment to its HSI designation: "NMJC is privileged to hold the designation of being a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). As such, we continuously strive to offer culturally respectful and supportive academic and social resources to ensure that our Hispanic students feel welcome and are successful. The HACU Conference gave us myriad opportunities to learn from experts at other HSIs. Much of what we learned will benefit all NMJC students, and we are excited to implement these proven strategies."

The conference provided unique opportunities for professional development and collaboration, as highlighted by David Buckingham, Vice President for Student Services: "For me, there were a number of things, beginning with the opportunity to share some professional time with colleagues. Additionally, we enjoyed several meals together and attended concurrent sessions in pairs and independently. My favorite sessions were the Saturday session titled Empowering Latinx Students: Strategies for Building Strategic Social Capital and Sunday’s session on Bilingual Excellence: Strengthening College-Going Pipelines with Spanish TV."

The HACU Annual Conference’s goals align with NMJC’s mission to empower students and strengthen educational opportunities. Key conference highlights included discussions on: Successful programs and initiatives of HACU-member institutions, strategic partnerships between educational institutions and public/private sector organizations, graduate education opportunities and policy issues affecting Hispanic students, and emerging trends in higher education, such as distance learning and student-centered approaches. As part of its dedication to student success, NMJC included Hispanic students Giovanna Ponce and Sebastian Tapia in the delegation. Their participation ensures that the student perspective will directly inform the implementation of the strategies learned at the conference.

 

New Mexico Junior College (NMJC) is a leading educational institution committed to providing success through learning and high-quality education to its diverse student body. Founded in 1965, NMJC offers a wide range of academic programs, certifications, services to empower students to achieve their educational and career goals.

Contact: Valerie Onsurez Gauna, Director of Engagement & Outreach, New Mexico Junior College, 575-492-2780, vgauna@nmjc.edu, or Brittney Garcia, Recruiter, 575-492-2794, bgarcia@nmjc.edu.