Albertus Magnus College Hosts Hispanic Heritage Month Panel Event

Noche de Tertulia: 60 Years Later

New Haven, Conn., October 8, 2024 – Noche de Tertulia celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act  — as seen through the eyes of the Hispanic Community. Join us at Albertus Magnus College for a lively conversation with our  expert panelists. Also enjoy music and entertainment by Movimiento Cultural as well as tasty cuisine. Please note you must  RSVP by 10/8.  

What: Noche de Tertulia, a Hispanic Heritage Month Panel Event.  

    Moderated by Dr. Rosa Rivera-Hainaj, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. 

Where: The award-winning Hubert Campus Center - Behan Community Room.  

    831 Winchester Ave., New Haven, CT.  

When: Monday, October 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m.  

Meet the Panelists:  

Dr. Madeline Negrón, Superintendent of New Haven Public Schools  

Dr. Negron, a first-generation college graduate and now Superintendent, has spent her professional career as an educator in  Connecticut urban environments, rich with cultural and linguistic diversity. Her personal experience as a multilingual learner in  the state’s public educational system has resulted in her life’s passion for equity and excellence in schools.  

Dr. Charles Venator Santiago, Associate Professor of Political Sciences and Director of El Institute of Latino/a, Caribbean and  Latin American Studies at UCONN  

Dr. Venator-Santiago wears many hats, including founding director of the Puerto Rican Studies Initiative for Community  Engagement and Public Policy. He studies US territorial law and policy, teaches US legal history, legal theory, Latino and Puerto  Rican politics, and is currently building a historical profile of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut.  

Mr. Wilfredo “Willie” Matos, Founder and President of the Young Lords in Bridgeport  

Mr. Matos is best known for his vocal leadership in the early 1970’s, impacting the course of the civil rights movement in Bridgeport and Connecticut by advocating for the rights of poor families, tenants and workers, and later, for leading legal  battles to diversify police, fire, and education departments.  

Dr. Pierre Bourgeois, Thought Leader, Catholic teaching, and Social Justice  

Dr. Bourgeois is a scholar and humanitarian, awarded the Senior Teaching Fellowship for exemplary teaching, and the Beacon  Exemplar Award, conferred by Fordham University United Student Government for making a meaningful impact on students’ lives.  

St. Rep. Geraldo Reyes, Deputy. Speaker Connecticut House of Representatives, representing Waterbury

Rep. Reyes has represented the 75th Assembly District since 2016. He Chaired the Black Puerto Rican Caucus from 2021-2022  and currently serves on the Appropriations, Environment, and Transportation Committees as well as the Joint Committee on  Legislative Management. He’s passionate about addressing environmental concerns and advocates for mental health issues,  fairness for equity, and social justice in our state.

About Albertus Magnus College

Founded in 1925, Albertus is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money, and The New York Times, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For ten consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained employment or gone on to graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and graduate program levels. Proud to enroll a student body where nearly half of its undergraduate students receive Federal Pell Grants and are first-generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, including BSN and Connecticut's first LPN-to-BSN; General Health Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies; and Public Health. 

Among its graduate offerings is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program, and it is just one of three schools to offer a Master of Science in Human Services. In 2025-26, Albertus is celebrating its historic 100th Anniversary and completing implementation of the Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, with a bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.