December 22, 2020

San Antonio, Texas – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has released the following statement on the appointment of Secretary of State Alex Padilla as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s successor to the U.S. Senate.

Secretary Padilla, the son of immigrants, has a brilliant record of public service in multiple levels of government, and a commitment to higher education and equity issues. As the first Latino to represent California, he will be a critical voice for the nearly 16 million Latinos that live in California. 

“The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities commends Governor Newsom on the appointment of Secretary of State Alex Padilla as the first Latino U.S. Senator in California’s history,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “Secretary Padilla has a longstanding and exemplary record of success in working on important student equity issues during his time in the California Legislature. With California being home to the largest number of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the country, and the largest Hispanic college enrollment, we are confident he will play a critical role in championing Hispanic success in higher education and HSIs in the 117^th Congress and beyond.”

“HACU looks forward to working with Secretary Padilla when he joins the U.S. Senate on the issues that are critical to HSIs and the students they serve,” added Flores.