Colorado State University Pueblo celebrates Hispanic Serving Institutions Week

From Monday, September 11 through Sunday, September 17, Colorado State University Pueblo will celebrate “Hecho en CSU Pueblo,” (Made at CSU Pueblo), a series of events scheduled during Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) week. The week falls within National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated September 15 through October 15. CSU Pueblo has a slate of activities scheduled to increase awareness of HSI week and will highlight educational sessions around campus initiatives that advance and elevate the campus’s status as a premier HSI. All activities are free and open to the public.

“We earned the distinctive honor of being an Hispanic Serving Institution in 2005,” CSU Pueblo President, Dr. Timothy Mottet said. “This week celebrates diverse voices, the power of inclusion, and the vital role HSIs play in empowering and uplifting Hispanic communities, creating pathways to success, and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.”

CSU Pueblo will host keynote speaker Guillermo Diaz Jr., Chairman of the Hispanic Technology Executive Council, at the Fireplace located in the Occhiato Student Center at noon on Tuesday, September 12. Diaz Jr. will lead a panel discussion focused on STEM Careers and leaders in technology whose journeys all began in Pueblo.

"Hispanic Serving Institutions week at CSU Pueblo is a time for us to reflect on what it truly means to be a Hispanic Serving Institution,” said Associate Vice President of Operations and Advancement, Dr. Derek Lopez. “This week and every week, we celebrate the academic and professional achievements of leaders who have ties to the Pueblo community, discuss issues and advancements in equity and inclusion, and discover more about the history of our region.”

Events on Wednesday and Thursday include informational sessions in the Occhiato Student Center Pre-Function room to learn more about HSI funding through Title V and Title III grants and how to support HSI colleagues. Keynote addresses will be provided by CSU Pueblo employees who are leaders on campus and champions of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Friday concludes the week with an interactive tortilla-making workshop led by Rick Gonzalez at 9 a.m. followed by a 10-year anniversary of the Latino/a/x Book Festival at the Rawlings Library at noon. The luncheon features award-winning author and founding member of the Undocupoets, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo.

Click here to view a PDF of the week’s events.

About HSI Week

CSU Pueblo joins the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) to celebrate HSI Week as part of the campus-wide commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access and affordability to higher education in Southern Colorado and beyond. CSU Pueblo became a designated HSI in 2005 and is proud to serve a student population that has exceeded 30% Hispanic students for more than a decade.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities government relations staff works with members of Congress each year to recognize the contributions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in their communities.

HSIs are defined as having 25% or more undergraduate Hispanic student full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment. In 2021-22, there were 572 institutions that met the definition of an HSI and they enrolled 65.6% of all Hispanic undergraduates and 30.5% of all undergraduate students in nonprofit postsecondary education.