The University of Houston-Downtown's Daniel Villanueva, Jr. has been named a Fellow in the inaugural class of La Academia de Liderazgo of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

Villanueva, UHD associate vice president for Enrollment Management & Registrar, will begin his fellowship this fall. The one-year program is focused on preparing the next generation of culturally diverse leaders for the ranks of college and university presidents. 

La Academia is a direct response to the declining rate of Hispanic university presidents (from 4.5 percent in 2006 to 3.9 percent in 2016), despite the unprecedented growth of U.S. Hispanic college student enrollment.
 The inaugural class will be comprised of individuals whose wide-ranging and substantive experiences will help Fellows better position themselves for postsecondary leadership roles and will enrich the quality of the learning opportunities of the Academia de Liderazgo leadership development program.

According to HACU, fellows selected for the program will participate in an array of leadership development activities that will not only prepare them for leadership roles in the full spectrum of institutions of higher learning, but will especially sensitize and mold them for leadership positions within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Emerging HSIs.

“Spending the next year in this program will be transformational and provide great exposure for our University. For that, I have a great deal of gratitude to UHD’s leadership for their faith and confidence in nominating me,” said Villanueva. “This is an example of the great leadership at UHD. They are not only committed to our professional development, but also to furthering the development of Hispanic-serving institutions.”

This fellowship complements Villanueva's additional involvement in higher education advocacy, including his recent election to the role of president-elect for the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education.