On Thursday February 18, 2016 Dr. Victor Sáenz, Dr. Emmet Campos, and Claudia Garcia Louis, participated in the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) 41st Annual State Conference. This year’s theme was “¡Adelante! Latinos on the Rise: Remembering our Past, Leading Future” This year Dr. Sáenz and team participated in a session on male students of color titled “Abriendo Caminos: Addressing the Men of Color Gender Gap through a Strategic Statewide Partnership.” The session offered an interactive discussion on the persistent Latino and African American male educational achievement gap as well as showcased promising strategies for addressing this growing state and national imperative, through the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color Consortium (TECMSCC), a statewide partnership made up of K-16 institutions from across the state of Texas.The discussion included the progress their institutions have made through their partnership in the Consortium, benefits they have seen in participating in a large statewide network, and future plans for addressing the male students of color attrition rates.
The team will be busy presenting until the end of the spring semester. Their next presentations include presenting at the First Year Experience (FYE) annual meeting, taking place February 19-23, in Orlando, Florida, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) annual meeting, taking place March 10-12, in Costa Mesa, California, and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting, taking place April 8-12, in Washington, DC. We look forward to engaging with our local, state, and nation wide partners to continue the critical dialogue around issues impacting young men of color.