As the first Hispanic-Serving Institution in the U.S., OLLU is proud to share in the start of today’s celebration for National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week. 

On May 23, 1986, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was formed in Providence Hall’s Blue Room. From that meeting, organized by late OLLU Vice President Antonio Rigual, PhD, the term Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) emerged. As the first HSI, OLLU helped HACU secure federal funding for schools with Hispanic enrollment of at least 25 percent.

Today there are 559 HSIs across the U.S., Latin America and Spain. What starts at OLLU spreads across the U.S. and the world.