Texa Border Business
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Forty years after a group of higher education leaders gathered at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) to establish a national organization dedicated to advancing Hispanic students and the institutions that serve them, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) returned Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2026 to the campus where its historic journey began.
OLLU hosted HACU leaders, higher education representatives and community partners for a 40th Anniversary Celebration recognizing four decades of advocacy, student support, leadership development and institutional capacity building. The celebration included a mariachi birthday serenade, a press conference, official recognition from the City of San Antonio, a panel discussion examining HACU’s legacy, impact and future, and recognition of HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores for 30 years of service to the organization as he prepares for retirement. The anniversary concluded with a dedicated mass at OLLU’s historic Sacred Heart Chapel.
“When HACU began 40 years ago, our founders understood that institutions serving large numbers of Hispanic students needed a strong, unified voice,” said HACU President and CEO Dr. Antonio R. Flores. “That need has not diminished, it has grown. Hispanic-Serving Institutions now educate millions of students who will shape the future workforce and economic strength of this country. HACU’s role is to ensure those institutions have the resources, leadership capacity, partnerships and policy support they need to serve students successfully. Our impact is measured not simply in programs or dollars, but in the generations of students whose education has opened doors for their families and communities.”
What began with 18 institutions representing six states has grown into the only national educational association specifically representing Hispanic-Serving Institutions, or HSIs
HACU’s 2026 analysis identified 645 HSIs based on 2024-25 enrollment data. Those institutions enroll approximately 6 million undergraduate and graduate students, including more than 68% of Hispanic undergraduates enrolled at nonprofit institutions nationwide.
HSIs are now found across 31 states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, reflecting dramatic growth in Hispanic enrollment and the expanding role these institutions play in the nation’s higher education landscape.
HACU continues to advocate for federal resources, policies and programs supporting institutions that educate large numbers of Hispanic students. Its work also encompasses scholarships, internships, workforce preparation, leadership development, research capacity and institutional support.
“OLLU is extraordinarily proud that an organization with such national influence traces its beginnings to our campus,” said OLLU President Abel A. Chávez, MBA, Ph.D. “Forty years ago, leaders here recognized that colleges and universities serving Hispanic students needed a collective voice, one strong enough to advocate for resources, build opportunities and ensure that students could not only enter higher education, but thrive and graduate. That mission remains critically important today. As a founding member and continuing member of HACU, OLLU is honored to carry forward that vision and the charge, to help shape what comes next.”
A touching recognition is that the event took place at OLLU’s Sueltenfuss Library, named after Sister Elizabeth Anne Sueltenfuss, who worked alongside Dr. Antonio Rigual and Gus Cardenas in conceiving the establishment of HACU in late 1985.
