[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 132 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H9707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday we began our Nation's Hispanic 
Heritage Month. Hispanics comprise over 45 percent of New Mexico's 
population, and our State's Hispanic community has deep roots and a 
rich history in our State. I am truly honored to highlight this 
important community in Congress today.
  For a population that is expected to triple in size in our country by 
2050, education continues to be an issue of fundamental significance. 
Preparing our children for the future is the greatest investment that 
we can make for our long-term economic vitality and for our country's 
ability to compete in the 21st century. We have many disparities to 
address in education and a long way to go to ensure the success of our 
children throughout their elementary and secondary education, 
particularly our Hispanic students.
  But, Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today to highlight an 
example of a New Mexico institution of higher learning that is doing a 
tremendous job of serving our Hispanic students.

                              {time}  1500

  This month the University of New Mexico was given top rankings by 
Hispanic Business Magazines's list of top 10 schools in the Nation for 
Hispanics in the fields of engineering, business, law and medicine.
  UNM, which is located in my district, is our State's flagship 
university. UNM's success at serving the Hispanic community is the 
result of decades of hard work by the university's administration, 
their faculty, many organizations, and their students.
  UNM's Law School, which the magazine ranked number one in the country 
for the third year in a row, has an outstanding number of Hispanic 
faculty and a school-wide emphasis on the engagement of students, 
faculty, and alumni in the wider community. Organizations like the 
Mexican American Law Student Association recruit local Hispanic high 
school students and then mentor them through their undergraduate years 
and help them to prepare for admission to the law school. It's worth 
noting that the UNM Chapter of MALSA was just named Law Student 
Organization of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association.
  UMN's School of Medicine, which the magazine ranked sixth in the 
country, has also formalized a pipeline program called ``Joining 
Communities to Increase Access and Reduce Disparities.'' There, mentors 
from the School of Medicine recruit students from underrepresented high 
schools to consider careers in health care, enroll them in the New 
Mexico Clinical Education Program for undergraduates, and support 
students taking the MCAT.
  UNM's School of Engineering, which earned a seventh-place ranking, 
has steadily grown its enrollment of Hispanic students to 32.7 percent 
this year. Much of that increase is owed to the school's leadership in 
creating the Hispanic Engineering and Science Organization's Annual 
Science Extravaganza with more than 500 youths from our State.
  And, finally, at the Anderson School of Management, which Hispanic 
Business Magazine ranked sixth in the Nation, the number of Hispanic 
students entering their graduate program in the fall of 2009 was double 
from the previous year. Much of the Anderson School's success is owed 
to innovative programs such as a regular breakfast that they hold with 
members of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce to increase 
interest in the MBA and the master's of accounting programs.
  Mr. Speaker, across the University of New Mexico community, there is 
an ingrained commitment that strives to ensure that the university is 
representative of our community. That commitment is not just symbolic; 
it is essential to the service that UNM graduates offer to our 
congressional district once they graduate.
  I want to congratulate the University of New Mexico for its national 
recognition as a top university by Hispanic Business Magazine, and I 
wish them continued success in serving our community and our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that when our Hispanic students 
succeed, New Mexico succeeds and our Nation succeeds.

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