MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Fall 2024: WELCOME! Welcome to the 2024 Fall Semester at Hostos Community College! For 56 years (and counting) Hostos has played a crucial role in the lives of thousands upon thousands of students, providing the knowledge, expertise, and experience they required to change their lives and the lives of their loved ones. I am delighted that you have decided to join their ranks. You’ve made a marvelous choice. Hostos offers a wide variety of top-notch, accessible, and affordable academic programs taught by our award-winning faculty. You’ll find we place a high priority on creating the kind of nurturing, supportive community that will help you derive the most from your time here. Hostos takes pride in its history and in its namesake: Don Eugenio María de Hostos, the Puerto Rican philosopher, educator, man of letters and fighter for the independence of Puerto Rico. This brave visionary’s fervent belief in the transformative powers of education played a crucial role in the College’s founding. Born in the ferment and turmoil of the late 1960s, Hostos owes its existence to the activism of many Puerto Rican, Latino, and other supporters who believed the South Bronx deserved its own institution of higher learning. The College has weathered bad times and celebrated good times. It's no secret that we live in a troubled, tumultuous era, both here and abroad; controversy flares almost everywhere we look. Given these circumstances, it is more important than ever to stress the fact that Hostos is and always will be a welcoming home to all students, regardless of race, creed, color, country of origin, gender, or political opinion. Our strength as an institution stems from our diversity and our ability to work together to achieve a common goal: student success in the classroom and in the larger world. Student and Instructor are collaborators, colleagues – part of a shared community of learning. All are welcome at Hostos, all are respected and valued. Tolerance, inclusion, and civility are highly prized qualities here. Individually and collectively, we strive to embody them in our every word and deed. A new academic year brings exciting new opportunities for students, and I know this will be a challenging and rewarding experience for you. You are here to excel – and we are here to help you do exactly that. I wish you all the very best, whether this is your first day at Hostos or your final semester on the road to graduation. Sincerely, Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. President