Marking a Milestone - Higher Education: Born 40 years ago after a hard-fought battle between the University of Houston’s (UH) administration and the Mexican American Youth Organization in 1972, the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at UH has grown exponentially while carrying out the mission of its founders. “They wanted to see a center that had some strong connection to the community and actually was involved in trying to increase the educational level of the number of Mexican Americans that had a college degree,” said Dr. Tatcho Mindiola, director of CMAS since 1980 and an associate professor of sociology. “When I took over, that ideology was sort of in the air.”
In the 32 years since assuming his post, Mindiola has seen the center’s staff multiply from one part-time front-office attendant to half a dozen, its budget surge to over $2 million, a visiting scholars program take off, a graduate fellowship program attract top talent, and most importantly, the number of underserved students in college jump.
