.

I’ve tweeted about a lot this week but wanted to share some thoughts below (with associated links) since I think they highlight continued trends regarding the importance of the growing Hispanic workforce. Enjoy!

Hispanics in the South: The University of Alabama is hosting a one day conference on the growing presence of Hispanics in the South. This is growing trend with states such as GA, TN, and NC already experiencing significant growth over the last decade. I lived in Little Rock, AR. for two years and saw tremendous growth of the Hispanic population during my time there. Little Rock actually hosted the LULAC National Convention there a few years ago. It was a great convention!

Education Where It’s Needed: Teach for America is offering potential Hispanic teachers the opportunity to give back to their community by placing them in areas where they’re needed the most – they’re own communities. Teach for America salaries are just a bit higher if a candidate teaches in an urban or high need area. The organization recruits college graduates from all backgrounds, trains them, and places them where there is a high need. A great opportunity to give back, make a difference, and begin a career in education.

Intel Making a Difference: Intel is investing in providing K-8 teachers professional development on math content by taking an innovative approach.  This Intel Math program is an intensive 80 hour course facilitated by a practicing mathematician and a math educator.  The curriculum is available for free to any state in the US.  Another organization making a difference is my alma mater – The University of Texas at El Paso. I worked at the career center there and it’s where I earned my BA and MA degrees. With more than 70% of its student body of Hispanic descent- it’s making a huge difference in graduating students into STEM careers .

Hispanic Trends for 2010: Jose Villa provides some excellent thoughts regarding Hispanic marketing trends for 2010. I’ve insisted that many of these same ideas can be applied to recruiting Hispanic professionals into the workplace. I particularly like his thoughts regarding generational differences and acculturation.

Demographic Trends: The NewYork Times shared an article on how seven states in the U.S. have seen a decrease in their 18 and under population. The list of states is provided in the article. Despite some of these contractions, the Hispanic population in these states is still growing.

Future Leadership:  I’ve long advocated that organizations need to tap and exploit growing pools of talent for future leadership - especially as more Hispanics graduate from college. To this thought, Kevin Wheeler shares some ideas regarding the future of leadership. With baby-boomers and non-Hispanic whites decreasing in population, there will be a definite leadership gap in the coming decade.

As I review my leftover “to do” list from 2009, I’m excited to begin a new year and a new decade. It promises one to be filled with both excitement and challenges. Here at HTM, we’ll be introducing two new features. First, we’ll be incorporating podcasts starting later this month. Podcasts will follow the same theme that you’ve seen over the last few months, but with contributions from subject experts in a number of areas related to the Hispanic workforce. Although I anticipate some minor technological hic-cups along the way, I’m confident it will add a lot of value to the HTM site. Second, we’ll be adding some “vlog” (video post) content before Spring. Again, these posts will be geared at the same type of content with some local and regional guests appearing via HTM. We have some folks here in Cincinnati and the Tr-State area (OH, IN, KY) that are incredibly knowledgeable about the Hispanic workforce. Adding their perspectives can only improve what we’ve started here.  Third, the first few weeks promise to be busy. I’m waiting to hear back regarding a manuscript I submitted to the Business Journal of Hispanic Studies, I’ve got an online presentation coming up this week, and a graduate class that begins next week. Finally, I’m working on my next study that will hopefully be completed by this Spring.

So it all begins again tomorrow – here’s to a great and prosperous 2010. See you soon.

Hard to believe the year and decade are coming to an end. For me, it’s a time of reflection and goal setting so posts will be relatively light until after the new year. I’ll be spending some quality time with the family and working on additional plans for the upcoming year. Hopefully, we’ll be introducing  podcasts and vlog postings soon after 2010 is under way. Best wishes for a safe and happy new year! See you soon.

I’ve been teaching a few classes, getting ready for a few presentations, and edting a journal paper so and my lack of postings is related to time management not continued interest! I’ll be getting back to consistent posting starting today — I do enjoying writing this blog — however it does take a lot of work to be a blogger!

Thanksgiving is time for family, friends, and reflection on the blessings we each have in our lives. I intend to do just that over the next few days so postings will be absent for a few days while I enjoy my family and the start of the holidays.

Best wishes to all for a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

See you soon.

The Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA) has joined the National Association of Hispanic Education’s Hispanic STEM Initiative Network. The partnership reinforces NAHE’s current implementation of an aggressive five-year plan to mobilize the nation’s full range of human and institutional assets for the expressed purpose of improving the educational attainment of Hispanic students, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Procter & Gamble became the second-leading marketer to emphasize that fashioning its business to adapt to a multicultural society will be key going forward.

HispanicSMB.com is a new  premier online community for the 1.6 million Hispanic-owned small and medium sized businesses in the United States. The site provides the depth of resources, content and community for the fast growing Latino business community. HispanicSMB.com the ideal platform for marketers wishing to reach Hispanic business owners, entrepreneurs and managers — an affluent and highly desirable but elusive segment of the market.

Keila Cosme will join the 6th District Court of Appeals becoming the first Hispanic named to an Ohio appellate court. Ms. Cosme has specialized in civil litigation for 15 years.

Finally – the second annual Social Recruiting Summit was held in New York earlier this week. Here a few links that summarize some key take aways and provide videos from the meeting: 1,  2,  3,  4.

PODER360 provides a great overview of how to increase Hispanic knowledge capital in higher education. As their post notes “education has to go beyond enrollments, it is about providing human beings with opportunities to prove themselves that they are able to make a difference, and will positively impact society as a whole.”

Jonathan Hilley over at TAG argues that college career centers operate under a model that is outdated and in need of major revision. Jonathan argues one approach career centers could use would be to leverage their “real world” contacts through networking and collaborative intiatives.   

VotoLatino provides a statistical summary of the Hispanic population in the United States. The summary covers education, business, states, counties, voting, and other insightful information. If you’re looking for a quick view of the Hispanic population – this is a great post!

Finally the Hispanic College Fund (HCF) has announced that it is now accepting applications for 2010-2011 scholarships. A great opportunity for Hispanic high school graduates looking for financial support. To qualify for the scholarships, undergraduate and graduate students must maintain a 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA; be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident residing in the United States or Puerto Rico; be enrolled full-time at an accredited university for the 2010-2011 school year; and must demonstrate financial needs. Certain scholarships are restricted by major. For more information visit HCF. Get the word out to those high school counselors.

I’ve been selected to present at Intern Bridge’s Online Career Services Conference in January. InternBridge provides services focused on internship opportunities for college students. It’s an exciting opportunity to share some of my research on Hispanic college recruitment and retention strategies. It’s also refreshing to be part of a conference that incorporates technology to deliver information to career professionals who would normally not be able to attend such events. According the InternBridge, previous online conferences have hosted over 500 participants. Many of them are university career center professionals with limited travel budgets. Thanks to InternBridge.com! I’m looking forward to being part of the event.