The United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) presented the 2008 Cesar Chavez Community Service Award to Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzmán, president of Palo Alto College, during its 26th Annual National Conference Special Awards Dinner in Chicago, Feb. 15.

Dr. Guzmán has been selected by the USHLI Board to receive the award in recognition of her lifetime achievements as an educator, advocate for school reform, and champion of equal opportunity for all children.

“It’s an honor to have been selected for such a prestigious award from one of the most internationally recognized Latino organizations in the country,” Dr. Guzmán said. “It’s extremely meaningful to me that the award comes from an organization that shares the same concerns for promoting educational and leadership development programs for all Hispanics.”

Dr. Guzmán became the first woman president of Palo Alto College in August 2001. Under her leadership, the college has seen a 27 percent increase in enrollment, along with the addition of 12 new occupational technical programs to the college’s degree and certificate programs. A native of Cuba, Dr. Guzmán has been in educational administration for more than 30 years and is a leading voice for Hispanic Americans in education.

The Special Awards Dinner will be one of the highlights of the USHLI National Conference, which will be held Feb. 13-17 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Other awards being presented during the dinner are the Willie Velasquez Volunteer of the Year Award, and the USHLI Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Alamo Community Colleges, one of the nation’s largest post secondary institutions, has achieved a record enrollment of 65,677 students for Spring 2008. This includes credit enrollment of 53,613 students, an increase of 3.8% over the past five years. The record total also includes a projected Continuing Education and Workforce program enrollment of 12,064 for the period of December 2007 to May 2008. Annually, the Alamo Community Colleges enroll more than 25,000 students in Continuing Education and Workforce programs, contributing to a total annual enrollment of about 95,000 students.

“Our continued enrollment growth reflects our commitment to providing the widest possible access to higher education,” said Dr. Bruce H. Leslie, chancellor. “This includes convenient locations as well as flexible scheduling, including day, evening, weekend and Internet courses, in addition to affordable tuition,” he added,

Spring 2008 credit enrollment at each of the Alamo Community Colleges

• Northeast Lakeview College 186*
• Northwest Vista College 11,328
• Palo Alto College 7,906
• St. Philip’s College 10,655
• San Antonio College 23,538

* A total of 3,411 students are attending classes at Northeast Lakeview College. 186 of these students are registered through Northeast Lakeview. 2,201 are registered through San Antonio College and 1,024 students are registered through St. Philip’s College. Northeast Lakeview is in the process of completing accreditation.

Former PAC student Eliab Chavira was featured for his achievements in academic excellence in Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and Biomedical Science newsletter entitled “CVM Today.” The article highlight’s PAC 2+2 program with A&M and the foundation it provided Chavira, and quotes Dr. Skip Landis, Director of Biomedical Sciences, that “(PAC) sets the expectations for schools to follow.” The complete article can be found at: http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/news/ cvmtoday/winter2007/eliab.shtml.

Jannesa Prado and Jennifer Sanchez received $400 Roger B. Bailey scholarships, a fund created in honor of the late and well-loved English Professor Roger Bailey. An English major with an emphasis in creative writing, Prado has a cumulative GPA of 4.0 and is planning to transfer to Texas State University in the fall. Sanchez is also an English major, with a 3.4 GPA, who plans to teach in high school and later in college. She is married and has three children.