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Antonio R. Flores (aflores@hacu.net)
Ph.D. Concentration: Higher Education Administration (1990)
I focused on academic administration with emphasis on faculty effectiveness, and integrated a cognate on organizational behavior. In fact, my dissertation was on faculty productivity measures (teaching effectiveness, research output, and service activities) and their relationship to different organizational contexts (e.g., community colleges, 4-year teaching institutions, and comprehensive research universities).
My most rewarding and helpful experiences at CSHPE include the excellent and insightful class discussions in every course I took, the stimulating conversations with professors outside the classroom on special-interest topics and issues, the availability of world-class resources for my research work and supplementary studies, and the overall ambiance of support and fellowship that prevailed among peers, staff, professors, and others at the university.
My studies and experiences at CSHPE have been truly invaluable to my professional work. They help me understand the deeper meaning of complex policy questions and to critique coherently my own work. In my role as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) I'm able to respond quickly and effectively to important issues that emerge in my daily work with policy makers, the media, and heads of national organizations because of my solid foundation on higher education research and policy matters. I'm also able to assess my own executive management and planning work continuously to the benefit of the organization I lead. My biographical sketch is provided below.
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Antonio R. Flores became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) in 1996. As the nation’s leading higher education association for the country’s youngest and largest ethnic population, HACU represents more than 360 colleges and universities that collectively enroll more than two-thirds of all Hispanic Americans in higher education.
Under his leadership, HACU has more than doubled its membership, tripled its operating budget, expanded its programs three-fold, expanded its outreach to every major Hispanic population center and increased federal funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) from $12 million in 1997 to $94 million in 2004. Under his leadership, the HACU National Internship Program has become the largest Hispanic college internship program in the country. HACU has attracted millions of dollars in new private-sector funding for HSIs and has become a leading voice for the global Hispanic education community.
Flores is responsible for overall leadership, executive management, public and community relations, policy formulation and advocacy, association governing affairs, strategic planning, financial and investments oversight, human resources policies, and programmatic accountability and reporting. He presides over a staff of more than 40 professionals at HACU’s national headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and at HACU’s Washington, D.C., offices.
Flores is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Hispanic Business magazine for his career-long championship of Hispanic higher education success. Named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business and one of the 50 Most Important Hispanics in Business and Technology by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine, Flores also serves as Chair of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility and Chair of the ¡Adelante! U.S. Educational Leadership and Scholarship Fund.
Flores serves on numerous national associations and boards, including the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, Teach for America, Alliance for Equity in Higher Education and the Washington Higher Education Secretariat. His honors include an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Woodbury University in California, an Honorary Doctorate of Education from Madonna University in Michigan and formal tributes by two Governors of Michigan.
Prior to his position at HACU, Flores served as director of programs and services for the Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority and the Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority. His statewide responsibilities included policy analysis and development, legislative affairs, administrative leadership for programs, technical assistance and outreach services for all Michigan colleges and universities. Flores has taught at private and public community colleges and comprehensive research universities, served as administrator for campus-based and statewide programs, and published research and policy studies on higher education issues.
Flores earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Mexico’s Universidad de Guadalajara and Central Normal Regional, respectively. He earned a Master of Arts degree in counseling and personnel from Western Michigan University. He holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
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