Jersey City, N.J. – September 7, 2025 – As Saint Peter’s University joins institutions nationwide in celebrating Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Week, the University is proud to announce its selection by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) for the second cohort of the Visioning, Organizing, Leading and Advancing the Research Enterprise (VOLARÉ) Institute.
Saint Peter’s is one of only 25 institutions of higher education chosen to participate in the yearlong program, which begins this fall. The VOLARÉ Institute is designed to broaden participation in STEM, cultivate a new research workforce and strengthen institutional capacity by providing faculty and staff with tools and training to enhance competitiveness for external research funding.
“Being selected for the VOLARÉ Institute during HSI Week is especially meaningful for Saint Peter’s,” said Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University. “As New Jersey’s only Jesuit Catholic University and a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution, we are deeply committed to advancing opportunities for our students and faculty. This initiative will not only expand research capacity, but will also reinforce our mission to serve as an anchor of educational excellence and equity in our community.”
The VOLARÉ Institute equips faculty and staff with the tools and training to secure research funding and expand their institution’s research programs. Through a yearlong series of collaborative learning and capacity-building activities, participants will strengthen institutional infrastructure, broaden pathways into STEM and contribute to a more robust and inclusive national research system.
Saint Peter’s University faculty and staff leading this effort include Virginia Bender, Ph.D., assistant to the president for special projects; Rebecca Conley, Ph.D., associate professor in the mathematics & statistics department and director of faculty research and development; and WeiDong Zhu, Ph.D., interim vice president for academic affairs.
The VOLARÉ Institute project is led by Oralia De los Reyes, Ph.D., assistant vice president of programs and services at HACU, and is made possible by a grant funded by the National Science Foundation’s Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity initiative.
In addition to Saint Peter’s University, the 2025 cohort includes: Ana G. Mendez University; Caldwell University; California State University, Bakersfield; California State University, San Bernardino; Central New Mexico Community College; Dominican University; Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College, CUNY; Felician University; Lewis University; Marymount University; Mercy University; North Central College; Northeastern Illinois University; Northwest Vista College; San Antonio College; Seminole State College of Florida; Southern Oregon University; St. Thomas University; The University of Northern Colorado; University of New Mexico, Taos; University of Southern Indiana; University of the Incarnate Word; Valparaiso University; and Yavapai College.
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For more than 150 years Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, please visit www.saintpeters.edu.
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