The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has announced that Harold Washington College President Daniel López, Ph.D., will serve as the vice chair of its Governing Board. President López will serve a one-year term as vice chair, with the opportunity to be elected for a second one-year term.
HACU represents more than 500 colleges and universities, and is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Its member institutions in the U.S. represent 17% of all higher education institutions nationwide, as well as two-thirds of all Hispanic college students.
López was first appointed to HACU’s Governing Board in November 2023. He was previously a fellow in the organization’s Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo, a one-year program to prepare culturally diverse leaders for executive positions in higher education, as part of its inaugural class of 2020. While completing his fellowship in January 2020, he was appointed to his current position of president of Harold Washington College.
López is a Chicago Public Schools alumnus who started his own college journey at Harold Washington College, where he earned his associate degree. He then transferred to the University of Illinois Springfield to earn a Bachelor of Arts in communication and continued his education at Loyola University of Chicago, where he earned a Master of Education, and at Illinois State University, where he earned a doctorate in higher education administration.
President López has more than 30 years of administrative and teaching experience at diverse higher education institutions in Illinois. Throughout his career, he has been involved with leading academic and student affairs units at public and private higher education institutions, with a laser focus on student success.
To read the full announcement from HACU, click here.