Tomás Rivera Lecture Series

Each year a distinguished scholar or national leader is selected to present the Tomás Rivera Lecture. In the tradition of the Hispanic Caucus, AAHHE continues this series. Named in honor of the late Dr. Tomás Rivera, professor, poet and former president of the University of California, Riverside, this series highlights the keynote address delivered each year at the annual American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) conference. Read more about Dr. Tomás Rivera here.  

42nd Annual Tomás Rivera Lecture
Friday, March 27, 2026, 1:00 - 2:00 PM PDT
AAHHE National Conference

Laura Rendon
Education Theorist and Thought Leader on Student Success and Transformative Learning

Laura Rendón is nationally recognized as an education theorist, activist and researcher who specializes in college preparation, persistence and graduation of low-income, first-generation students.

A native of Laredo, Texas, Rendón's passion is assisting students who, like her, grew up in poverty with hopes and dreams but not knowing how to realize them. Rendón is credited with developing the theory of validation, which colleges and researchers have employed as a framework for working with and affirming low-income students. 

Rendón is a teaching and learning philosopher and thought leader. She developed a pedagogic framework called Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy that emphasizes intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual student development along with social activism.

Rendón is an active scholar whose research has been published in key education research journals. She is also the author of Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation. Moreover, she is co-editor of books and monographs including: Transforming the First Year of College for Students of Color; Educating a New Majority; Introduction to American Higher Education; and Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Higher Education ASHE Reader.

She is co-director of the Center for Research and Policy in Education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Texas in San Antonio, which engages in research that informs the education community about critical factors that affect the academic success of key student groups.

She is also one of the founders and former Board Chair of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (Washington, DC) focused on providing access to college for low-income students. She has served on the Board of Trustees for Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Further, Rendón has designed and coordinated the yearly Latino/a Student Success Institute for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, the nation's premier scholarly organization focusing on higher education issues impacting Latinos.

As a leader in the field of college access and achievement, Rendón's research has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education and the PBS documentary, "The College Track." Rendón is a frequent speaker at colleges and universities throughout the nation on topics related to improving persistence and completion.

Previous Lectures' Presenters

  • 2025 Tomás Rivera Lecture - Xóchitl C. Chávez, PhD, Associate Professor, UC Riverside Department of Music, Faculty Advisor for Ballet Folklorico de UCR
  • 2024 Tomás Rivera Lecture - Tanya Katerí Hernández, PhD, Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law
    Fordham University School of Law
  • 2023 Tomás Rivera Lecture - Daisy Gonzales, PhD, Chancellor, California Community Colleges.
  • 2022 Tomás Rivera Lecture - Dr. Norma V. Cantú, JD, Professor, College of Education and School of Law, University of Texas at Austin.
The ETS Policy Evaluation and Research Center is pleased to have published the following lectures:

Previous Lectures' Presenters:

  • 2008 Jamie P. Merisotis
  • 2007 Sonia Nazario
  • 2006 Michael A. Olivas
  • 2005 Raul Yzaguirre
  • 2004 Angela Oh
  • 2003 Piedad Robertson
  • 2002 Harold L. Hodgkinson
  • 2001 Félix Gutiérrez
  • 2000 David Hayes-Bautista
  • 1999 Jim Cummins
  • 1998 Samuel Betances
  • 1997 Albert H. Kauffman
  • 1996 Rolando Hinojosa Smith
  • 1995 Ronald Takaki
  • 1994 Norma Cantú
  • 1993 Gregory R. Anrig
  • 1992 Henry Cisneros
  • 1991 Toni Morrison
  • 1990 Tomás Arciniega
  • 1989 David Hamburg
  • 1988 Arturo Madrid
  • 1987 Ann Reynolds
  • 1986 Alfredo de los Santos Jr.
  • 1985 John Maguire