UCR’s Frances Valdovinos has been named a fellow by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, or HACU, for this year’s Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.
As an assistant dean and director of teacher education at the School of Education, Valdovinos has worked to break down barriers faced by Hispanic and Black students wanting to become teachers.
Last year, she played a key leadership role in addressing a teacher shortage in the Coachella Valley by establishing a teacher education program at UCR’s Palm Desert campus in collaboration with Coachella Valley Unified School District, which needs bilingual teachers.
She is also working with a $1 million grant from the Inland Empire Regional K-16 Education Collaborative to diversify the region’s teacher workforce.
HACU Leadership Academy works to increase diverse representation in executive and senior-level positions in higher education.
“As a first-generation Latina it is an honor to be accepted into HACUS’s Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo. My goal is to continue enhancing my leadership by building pathways for my community in the Inland Empire. I’m especially interested in collaborating with others who are focusing on creating opportunities for the Latina/Latino/Latinx student population in PK-16 settings,” said Valdovinos.
Fellows participate in development activities that prepare them for higher education leadership roles, with an emphasis on Hispanic-serving institutions.
“The HACU Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo has a proven record of advancing diverse leaders within a wide range of higher education institutions, demonstrating the value of the program in expanding representation at the highest levels of college and university administrations,” HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores said in a statement.
“We are proud of our previous cohorts in how they have moved into the upper ranks of academia with speed and fully expect this current cohort to match if not exceed our alums in successfully breaking into leadership roles across the nation.”
The one-year fellowship program includes webinars and three seminars, with the first seminar in October 2024 in conjunction with a HACU conference in Aurora, Colorado.
The second seminar will be in Washington, D.C., in April 2025, at HACU’s National Capitol Forum. The third seminar will take place at a still-to-be determined international location.
The Leadership Academy faculty consists of current and former presidents, chancellors, and senior administrators and brings over 100 years of combined experience in serving various sectors of higher education, including private/public universities, community colleges and faith-based institutions.
Mentorship with a university president or senior-level administrator is a key component, as well as the development of a special project at the fellow’s current institution.