About AAHHE ~ Twenty Years of AAHHE in Review: 2005 – 2025

In its twentieth anniversary, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) celebrates its initiatives, accomplishments, and advancements with great pride, remaining steadfast in its commitment and acute awareness of the need for significant change in the representation of the Latino community in higher education.

Consider the following in reflecting on the current state of the nation and the demographic and equality-centered impetus for the U.S. educational system to be responsive to the Latino community. The latest data by the National Center for Education Statistics reports (2022):

  • 29% of K-12 enrollment in the U.S. is Latino,
  • 22% of all undergraduate students in the U.S. is Latino,
  • 9% of graduate students in the U.S. is Latino,
  • 9% of K-12 teachers are Latino, as are 9% of K-12 principals,
  • 6% of higher education faculty are Latino, as are 6% of college presidents.

Moreover, in 2022 the Latino contribution of the total U.S. GDP is 15% at $3.6 trillion, marking this Latino economy as the 5th largest economy globally, above countries like the UK, France, Canada, Mexico, and Russia. The Latino community contributes greatly to the manufacturing, retail, construction, and administration sectors. Although the U.S. population is 20% Latino, only 2% of elected officials nationwide are Latino, with 11% of the current 435 voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives as Latino, and 6% of the 100 U.S. Senate members are Latino. Mining the Latino economic and political power through education is of great global and nation building interest.

If institutions of higher education are viewed as the pathway to an educated citizenry, critical to sustaining an economic and political democracy, it is imperative that education pathway inequities for Hispanics/Latines in higher education are addressed at the highest levels nationwide. AAHHE is well-positioned to work with institutions of higher education, foundations, business partners, and other collaborative organizations to develop and implement broad and effective change. Thus, AAHHE is committed to:

  • Addressing societal issues as they pertain to a democratic and just society,
  • Convening community and forums to inform leadership and public policy reflecting the growing Latino demographics of our nation,
  • Preparing more Hispanics/Latines to pursue a career in higher education as scholars, faculty, leaders, and policy makers.

* The terms Hispanic and Latinx/e are used interchangeably, and as a concept or community reference Latino is applied.

 AAHHE’s Contributions in Review

AAHHE continues to advance strategic alignment of its Fellows Programs to provide a pipeline of talented scholars and leaders for higher education institutions and industry sectors that serve and support Latino communities.

  • Undergraduate Fellows Program: In 2022, AAHHE launched the inaugural ETS/AAHHE Undergraduate Fellowship Program (UFP) to increase undergraduate students’ knowledge and understanding of post-baccalaureate options and career readiness through workshops and professionalization. The program provided strategies to assist fellows in achieving their academic and professional goals, exposed undergraduate student fellows to the importance of research, and built a community and network of mentors and scholars.
  • Graduate Student Fellows Program (GSFP): Since 1997, over 420 doctoral students from various disciplines have participated in the GSFP which focuses on guidance and mentorship to navigate the complexities of higher education and successfully complete their doctoral degree.
  • Faculty Fellows Program (FFP): Since 2008, over 203 early career faculty from various disciplines have participated in the FFP which focuses on guidance and mentorship to help them navigate the tenure and promotion process, as well as and provide strategies for achieving career goals. 
  • STEM Fellows Program: 146 master’s level students in the food and agricultural sciences participated in a nine-year (2012–2020) USDA $500,000 funded program focused on increasing the doctoral program and workforce pipeline.  All participants completed a master’s program and 35% enrolled in a doctoral program. In 2024, the USDA Caminos to Success Grant program was reestablished and will be participating in the AAHHE conference.
  • New Leadership Academy: More than 160 early career administrators from various disciplines have participated in year-long programs focused on developing administrative preparation skills from DEI perspectives. In 2021, the University of Utah partnered with AAHHE to deliver this programming. Previously, AAHHE partnered in this initiative with University of California Berkeley (2011– 2015) and the University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity (2015 – 2020).

 Showcasing and Celebrating Excellence at the AAHHE Annual Conference

  • As AAHHE’s longest standing lecture series, the Tomás Rivera Lecture highlights thought leaders on critical higher education issues. Featured speakers have included prolific authors, researchers, demographers, CEOs of philanthropic organizations, and activists.
  • Since 2017, the Cigarroa Family Medical/STEM Lecture highlights leaders addressing the advances in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
  • The AAHHE Annual Awards Program has recognized and celebrated dozens of faculty, artists, administrators, and Latine advocates.
  • Through the AAHHE Book of the Year Award, forty-seven authors have been recognized for their contributions focused on the Latino community and the impact on higher education for Latines.

Promoting Research and Scholarly Leadership

  • The Student Success Institute, a pre-conference session focuses on promising practices that address issues of access and success for the Latino population. In 2025, the institute was presented and sponsored by The Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success at the University of Texas at El Paso. This session was also co-sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS).
  • The Community College Institute specifically targets promising practices and leadership strategies for faculty and administrators working in community colleges.
  • Over the past 17 years, the Outstanding Dissertations Competition has recognized 41 doctoral candidates for their outstanding dissertations. The top three winners showcase their dissertations as featured conference sessions.
  • Until 2020, AAHHE annually commissioned AAHHE Scholarly Treatises that were presented at the annual conference and were published in the Journal of Hispanic Higher Education. Since 2023, AAHHE showcases the AAHHE “Best Scholarly Paper” Award open to accepted research and scholarly papers that are presented at the AAHHE annual conference.

 

 

 Revised April 23, 2025