Cheyney University Celebrates Hispanic Heritage with a Keynote Address from Philadelphia’s First Latina Member of City Council

Cheyney, PA, September 01, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Each year, the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th to recognize the economic, cultural, and social contributions of the more than 47 million Hispanics residing in the U.S. This year, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Hispanic heritage on October 11, 2010 with a special program beginning at 10:30AM in Dudley Theatre. This year’s theme is, “Building a Community of Interest.” Cheyney University continues its proud tradition of providing access, opportunity and excellence to African-Americans while also recognizing the higher education needs of a diverse nation.

The program features tributes by Cheyney University student clubs and programs. This year’s special guest speaker is the Honorable Maria Quiñones Sánchez, who in 2007 became the first Puerto Rican/Latino elected to a district City Council seat and the first Latina to serve on the Philadelphia City Council. She is the youngest member of City Council and is serving her first, four year term. Councilwoman Sánchez was named one of Philadelphia’s Most Influential 50 with her freshman colleagues, a prestigious list lead by Governor Ed Rendell, after being named in 2008 as the “Best of Philly” new Councilperson and one of the future women leaders to “watch” by the Philadelphia Daily News. Councilwoman Sanchez is a rising star within political circles for her hard work and commitment to government reform and socio-economic development of her district.

This event, sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs & Student Life, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mr. Michael Taylor, Executive Director of Enrollment Management at (610) 399-2100 or michael.taylor@cheyney.edu.

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Cheyney University is the nation’s oldest historically Black institution of higher education. It is also the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE.) Now celebrating its 26th year, PASSHE comprises Pennsylvania’s 14 public universities, with a combined enrollment of more than 112,500, making it the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. At its inception, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania successfully provided free classical education for qualified young people, and today the university offers baccalaureate degrees in more than 30 disciplines and six master’s degree programs. For more information, please visit the website at http://www.cheyney.edu.