AUSTIN, Texas — The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities selected Victor Sáenz, a UT Austin College of Education professor, as a fellow for its Inaugural Presidential Leadership Academy, La Academia de Liderazgo.
HACU created the academy in response to a declining percentage of Hispanic university presidents, despite unprecedented growth of Hispanic college student enrollment nation-wide. Fellows will participate in a series of leadership development seminars throughout the year designed to prepare them for leadership roles in higher education.
Sáenz is the chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy and a faculty fellow with the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at UT. His research focuses on Latino male students and improving their educational experiences.
In 2010, Sáenz founded the award-winning initiative Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success) which focuses on advancing success for male students of color across the education pipeline. A mentoring program within Project MALES currently serves eight middle schools and five high schools in Central Texas and partners Latino college freshmen with high school freshmen to increase postsecondary success.
Over the years, Sáenz has been featured in national news stories and scholarly publications for his research on Latino males in higher education and his programmatic work on Capitol Hill. In 2009, he was named by Diverse Magazine as “One of 25 to Watch” diversity leaders in American higher education.
Sáenz is one of 24 fellows selected this year by HACU for the Academy. Through the program, Sáenz will be mentored by a nationally-recognized university president and develop a special project designed to have an impact at UT Austin.
“The Presidential Leadership Academy, La Academia de Liderazgo, meets HACU’s mission to champion Hispanic success in Hispanic higher education,’” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “By preparing more Latinos/Latinas for leadership roles with a special focus on Hispanic-Serving Institutions, HACU and the Fellows who participate will have a profound impact on the students they serve and the institutions they lead.”
