HACU CELEBRATES THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

III

117TH 2D CONGRESS SESSION S. RES. 597

Recognizing the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National

Internship Program on the 30th anniversary of the program and celebrating its legacy of increasing diversity in the Federal Government and the private sector.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

APRIL 27, 2022 Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. DURBIN, Mr.

LUJA ´ N, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. BOOKER, Mrs. FEINSTEIN,

Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Mr. CORNYN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program on the 30th anniversary of the program and celebrating its legacy of increasing diversity in the Federal Government and the private sector.

Whereas 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Hispanic

Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘HNIP’’); Whereas the HNIP began with 24 interns in the summer of 1992 and has grown to a year-round internship program for Hispanic and underrepresented students, placing over 500 interns every year in multiple Federal agencies;

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:12 Apr 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR597.ATS SR597 The year 1992 brought a major change to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities that still benefits Hispanic-Serving Institutions and the students they serve to this day – the launch of the HACU National Internship Program, that to date, has made 13,830 internship placements and served as a pipeline for Hispanics to careers in the federal government and private sector.

The program has provided much needed experience for college students as they travel their higher education path and has resulted in a significant number of permanent hires among the interns into the agencies and corporations they served. The success of the program earned it recognition in the Hispanic Nine Point Plan by the Office of Personnel Management as a resource to increase the recruitment of Hispanic interns in the Federal Government.

Even during the worst of the pandemic, HNIP managed to keep placing students in roles that were primarily virtual but still provided hands on experience working in potential career fields. The resilience of the interns in adjusting to new ways of working was matched by the efforts of federal and corporate partners in finding ways to accommodate them. “HACU has always been a stalwart proponent of partnerships between academic institutions and public/private sector entities, and the HACU National Internship Program may be one of the best examples of how these partnerships can serve not just individual students but the communities in which they live and work,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “It is gratifying to know that a great number of working professionals got their start with the internship program, and we hope to continue guiding young people into these positions for many more years to come.

This year, the U.S. Senate recognized the contributions made by HACU’s National Internship Program with a bipartisan Senate Resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-founders and co-chairs of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Senate Caucus, alongside Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), on the 30th Anniversary of the HACU National Internship Program. The Senate Resolution celebrates the HNIP legacy of increasing diversity in the federal government and the private sector for over three decades, a notable recognition that is unmatched in serving the students of Hispanic-Serving Institutions across the country.