Austin offers big city living in a small town environment; it is a city with a great academic and entrepreneurial environment, good quality of life and many professional opportunities. As a college town, Austin has many educational opportunities for Hispanics to choose from with a variety of colleges and universities.
Every year, Austin is the city of choice for thousands of college students. Some of the higher education institutions in the Austin area are: The University of Texas, Saint Edward’s University, Huston-Tillotson University, Concordia University, Austin Community College, DeVry University, the University of Phoenix, The Art Institute of Austin, Texas Culinary Academy, ITT Technical Institute, Everest Institute, the Acton School of Business, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and LeTourneau University.
The Teresa Lozano Long Institue of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) at UT Austin ranks among the world’s leading Latin American Studies centers. Its mission is to improve knowledge and understanding of Latin America through education, research and exchange. LLILAS includes the Mexican Center, the Brazil Center and the Center for Indigenous Languages of Latin America.
Additionally, the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, a unit of the UT Libraries, is a specialized research library focusing on materials from and about Latin America and on materials relating to Latinos in the United States.
For the first time in history, a Hispanic has been appointed as the chancellor of the University of Texas System. Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., was appointed the 10th chancellor by the UT System Board of Regents on Jan. 9, 2009. As chancellor, Dr. Cigarroa oversees one of the largest public systems of higher education in the nation, with nine universities and six health institutions, an annual operating budget of $11.5 billion (FY 2009), including $2.5 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources, and more than 194,000 students and 84,000 employees. Dr. Cigarroa also serves as vice chairman for policy on the Board of Directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Co. (UTIMCO).
In addition, Saint Edward’s University (SEU) is committed to maintaining a diverse campus student community. The student population at SEU reflects the cultural diversity of the state, especially in its service to Hispanics, who make up 33% of the total enrollment of more than 5,300 students. Therefore, St. Edward’s University has been constantly listed in “Hispanic Magazine” as one of the “Best Schools for Hispanic Students.” Also, St. Edward's University has been recognized by the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education as one of the “Top 100 Schools Graduating Hispanics.”
{Source: St. Edward's Awards and Recognitions}
The Kozmetsky Center of Excellence enriches the SEU and the Austin community with programs that present a broad spectrum of experts who generate discussions of major national and international public policy issues. Throughout the year, the Kozmetsky Center features several events analyzing public policy matters in Latin American countries. Currently, the Director of the Kozmetsky Center is Dr. Elisa Díaz-Martínez, the 2nd Hispanic woman to lead the center.
In Fall 2008, Hispanics represented 25% of the student population at Austin Community College (ACC). In Spring 2009, the Hispanic population of students represented 24% of the total student body with a total of 8,918 Hispanic students.
ACC has the following agreements for exchange of students and study abroad:
Canada-Mexico-US
St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology (Windsor, Ontario, Canada)
Douglas College (New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada)
Universidad de Colima (Colima, Colima, Mexico)
Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico)
Tulsa Community College (Tulsa, Oklahoma, US)
Mexico
Universidad Tecnológica del Norte de Coahuila (Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico)
Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico)
Universidad Tecnológica de Coahuila (Coahuila, Mexico)
Universidad Tecnológica de Aguascalientes-UTA (Aguascalientes, Mexico)
Universidad Tecnológica de Cancún (Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico)
Universidad Regiomontana (Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico)
Universidad Tecnológica de Tamaulipas-UTTN (Tamaulipas, Mexico)
ACC Study Abroad Programs (Faculty-led)
Costa Rica - Spanish III (PDF)
France - Government (PDF)
India - Contemporary Social Problems (PDF)
Italy - Art History (PDF)
Italy - Culinary Arts (PDF)
Italy - Hospitality and Culinary Internship (PDF)
Spain- Spanish IV (PDF)
United Kingdom - British Literature (PDF)
