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HCC chancellor takes part in Washington, D.C. roundtable on educational outreach to Hispanic students

Feb 24, 2023

Houston Community College Chancellor Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E. was one of more than a dozen collegiate leaders taking part yesterday in a Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Roundtable with U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials.

The Washington, D.C. event brought together leaders to discuss higher education strategies, including ways to create pipelines for students interested in careers in homeland security and cybersecurity, among other fields.

Colleges with large numbers of Hispanic students attended, including institutions based in Arizona, California, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Texas. HCC has a large Hispanic presence on its campuses. Currently, more than 41 percent of HCC’s students identify as Hispanic.

“I was very happy to share what HCC is doing to advance opportunities for our diverse students in high-demand roles like cyber security,” Maldonado said.

He noted that this fall HCC has launched a program to offer education that can lead motivated students to earn a four-year bachelor's degree in cyber security. The program is in addition to its associate degree and certificate programs.

The roundtable event was sponsored by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities headquartered in San Antonio. The group was founded in 1986 and represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the U.S., Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the nation.