UTSA to host inaugural Latino Policy Symposium May 4-5

UTSA Policy Studies Center to bring statewide advocates, researchers together to discuss public policy outcomes for Latino families

(April 27, 2017) -- The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Policy Studies Center will bring together Latino leaders, community advocates and researchers from around Texas for the inaugural Latino Policy Symposium on May 4 and 5 at the UTSA Downtown Campus.

Latino Policy Symposium participants are encouraged to develop short-term and long-term policy platforms that can be put into action across Texas. The goal of the symposium is to help inform and guide state and local policymakers on strategies that increase Latino education attainment, employment rates, homeownership, child development opportunities, health and wellness, and voter engagement.

"The Latino Policy Symposium is about establishing routes to public policies that contribute to the economic mobility and wellness opportunities which strengthen Latino families," said Roger Enriquez, J.D., associate professor and director of the UTSA Policy Studies Center. "The Latino population in Texas and the United States is growing. As a society, it is in our best interest to prepare for that demographic shift by helping Latinos succeed at work, at school and at home."

Texas is home to the second-largest Latino population in the country. Thirty-seven percent of the total population of Texas identifies as Hispanic, per the 2010 U.S. Census. Recent projections by the Office of the State Demographer predict that Latinos will make up more than 50 percent of the population by 2042.

The Latino Policy Symposium will also tackle how poor public policy related to education, taxation, voting rights and immigration could be putting the security of Latino families and future generations at risk. Panels will outline the positive and negative effects of certain policies at the local, state and national level, and discuss ways to improve the policies having intended or unintended negative effects on its population.

Located in the UTSA College of Public Policy, the Policy Studies Center is an interdisciplinary center that focuses on service, policy issues and applied research in demography, criminal justice, public administration and social work.

UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education.

- Jesus Chavez

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