Since 1993, it has been our aim to network Hispanic Serving Institutions in the United States and Puerto Rico in an effort to widen educational opportunities and access to post-secondary education through the use of the technological modalities of distance education. It is for me an honor to take the lead of this organization and help guide it through its new stages. I had the opportunity to preside the HETS Consortium back then, in an initial stage in which visionary institutions got together to share courses through telecommunications, guided by the interest in offering better academic opportunities to Latino students.
 
Today, the consortium has moved toward different ways of integrating the strengths of technology, access to information, and strategic alliances to the creation of new opportunities in education, including the implementation of different levels of collaboration among educational institutions, the private corporate sector, and other related organizations. HETS gives us all an opportunity to envision a better future for education and for the success of our college students, which soon will be the face of our professional workforce. In the end, all our efforts look forward to contributing to the future of education, and that’s what we want to achieve through the strategic use of technology.

 

Along our timeline, we have witnessed how technology and the access to information have made it possible to expand educational opportunities. These years of growth and lessons learned are part of our legacy to our members, translated into specialized services, development opportunities, innovative projects, knowledge, and educational contributions.
 
It is an honor to serve our members and their communities.

 

Dr. Eduardo Martí
Chairman of the HETS Board of Directors
Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges
Office of Academic Affairs, The City University of New York (CUNY)

Former President Queensborough Community College