FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 19, 2021

HACU applauds Texas Hispanic-Serving Institution, San Antonio College, recipient of the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

SAN ANTONIO – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities congratulates member institution San Antonio College for being named the winner of the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program made the announcement on May 18, 2021. San Antonio College is the first in Texas to win this top national honor.

The $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition for America’s community colleges. The Aspen Prize honors institutions with outstanding achievement in six areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, and leadership and institutional culture. By focusing on student success and lifting up models that work, the Aspen Prize aims to celebrate excellence, advance a focus on equitable student success, and stimulate replication of effective culture and practice.

“HACU congratulates San Antonio College, its president Dr. Roberto Vela and faculty and staff for this grand achievement,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “We are proud that SAC, a Hispanic-Serving Institution is being recognized for their dedication and hard work to providing a valuable education to its students.”

On the Aspen Prize bestowed to SAC, part of the Alamo Colleges District, its Chancellor Mike Flores and member of HACU’s Governing Board said in a SAC release, "They are the first of our colleges to win this prestigious national honor and one of three named to the Aspen Top 150 community colleges this year, along with Northwest Vista College and Palo Alto College. In 2019, four of our five colleges were named to the Aspen Top 100, the same year Palo Alto College was named in the top one percent of community colleges and a Rising Star by the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program.”

About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are located in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Sacramento, California and Washington, D.C. This year, HACU celebrates its 35^th Anniversary since its founding.