History of The University

The National Hispanic University was established in 1981 to serve the needs of Hispanics, women, other minorities and other learners. The late 1960s witnessed the development of equal educational opportunities for Hispanics and other minorities, which became a major issue in higher education. In California, the University of California and the California State Universities established a number of programs to promote access t for Latinos to higher education. These programs, most notably Student Affirmative Action for the University of California system, Educational Opportunity Programs in the California State University system and Colleges, attempted to address the burgeoning numbers of minorities who needed higher education. Many Latinos benefited from these initiatives in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the gap between Hispanics and whites continued to widen. The large influxes of Mexican immigrants with limited English skills, the elimination of “race-based” admissions, the lack of educational achievement in K-12 and the population explosion of Hispanics in the last twenty years are key reasons why Hispanics continue to lag behind whites and others in higher education completions.

The 1980s were heralded as the "decade of Hispanics." It was at this time that The National Hispanic University was founded. It came to be after extensive research of the success rate and high quality of education provided by historically black colleges and universities that graduated (and still do today) almost half of the African American professionals in American society. In 1980, research on 118 black colleges found that although they only enrolled 17-19% of college eligible students, they awarded 50% of the baccalaureate degrees earned by African American students in 1980, (American Council on Education, "Minorities in Higher Education", report, 1980). NHU believed that a small private independent college could make a difference in the graduation of Hispanic professionals in education, technology, and business.

It is within this context that The National Hispanic University shaped its mission: "To enable Hispanics, other minorities, women, and others to acquire an undergraduate degree or certificate using a multicultural educational experience to obtain a professional career in business, education, or technology".

NHU recognized in its origins that Hispanic learners needed something different. They needed an educational system that acknowledged their learning needs. This was the starting point for The NHU. The work of the Bay Area Bilingual Education League (BABEL) directed by

Dr. B. Roberto Cruz, the founding President of The NHU and its academic visionary for 22 years, helped shape the framework for the different types of Hispanic learners. This framework coupled with the research conducted on Historically Black Colleges and Universities identified high expectations, role models and academic support systems, as effective strategies to graduate African American students. This became the foundation by which The National Hispanic University was established.

In many ways, the understanding of Hispanic learning needs and the development of role models, high expectations, and academic support systems were implemented before they gained recognition by traditional higher education institutions. NHU initiated these strategies with the hope that other institutions would learn from NHU’s experience. The late Dr. B. Roberto Cruz, shared these concepts nationally in 1990 at an American Association of Higher Education Conference in New York. Now as we enter 2004, it is clear that many private and public institutions interested in serving Hispanics and other learners are beginning to embrace the strategies NHU initiated.