Our Mission

The mission of The National Hispanic University (NHU) is 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.

Our Philosophy

The philosophy of The National Hispanic University is well grounded in theories and principles of such scholars as Sabine Ulibarri, Juan Aragon, Tomas Arciniega and Vincent Tinto all leaders in multicultural and higher education.

"Language is culture; it carries with it traditions, customs, the very life of a people. You cannot separate one from the other. To love one is to love the other; to hate one is to hate the other. If one wants to destroy a people, take away their language and their culture will soon disappear." (Ulibarri)

According to Ulibarri, every individual in our classroom and society is different. Teachers cannot assume that all students learn alike. To be effective, teachers must understand and respect differences in students not as deficiencies or handicaps but as assets, which students bring to school.

Aragon wrote about a "filtration" system that exists in our U.S. society. He compares our U.S. system to a large number of ethnic ponds with different types of fish (Italian, Polish, African-American, Hispanic, etc.) and a mainstream of Anglo fish into which all ponds feed. Aragon contends that extended from each of the ponds to the mainstream is a giant filtration system. For fishes from each of the ponds to "get into the mainstream," they first must go through the "filter" and lose their language and culture.

Next, the color of their skin must be of light complexion; otherwise, the fish must remain in their "pond" or barrio (ghetto). Aragon states that most of the European ethnic ponds are now empty. While some of the African, Hispanic and Asian "fish" have gone through the filtration system into the mainstream, a majority of these fishes have not been accepted due to their differences; thus, separate ponds outside the mainstream still exist in our society.
Aragon emphasizes that a truly pluralistic society would welcome all different types of fish (people) and respect their differences without forcing them to pass through some filtration system. While all would communicate in a common language, they would not be forced to lose their native language and culture. He feels that the diversity of fish would enrich our mainstream, make it more economically competitive and bring about better understanding.

Arciniega, a more contemporary scholar who retired as President of California State University, Bakersfield, expresses similar views towards the importance of pluralism in our educational system from kindergarten through college. He cites the current demographic changes in our society, which show the increasing number of minorities, immigrants and women who will constitute our future work force, to emphasize the importance of multicultural pluralism in our educational system.