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Enrollment has risen at many public colleges and universities across Massachusetts, fueled in large part by an ­increase in Latino students and older students, according to a new state analysis.

The number of undergraduates on public campuses is increas­ing even as the state’s high school population is slowly declining.

“The data tell an important story, namely that many of our campuses continue to see remark­able growth while also serving as critical gateways for underserved populations,” Richard M. Freeland, state commissioner of higher education, said in a statement Tuesday.

Between 2008 and 2011, ­Latino student enrollment in the state’s public colleges ­increased 50 percent while non-Latino enrollment rose 7 percent. Enrollment by students 25 or older increased by 21 percent, compared with 6 percent for students under 25, according to the study by the state Education Department.

The analysis also revealed significant one-year enrollment increases at five state college campuses: Framingham State University, 6.2 percent; the University of Massachusetts ­Lowell, 5 percent; Fitchburg State University, 4.3 percent; Bunker Hill Community College, 4 percent; and Northern Essex Community College, 3.9 percent.

UMass Lowell has led the UMass campuses in undergraduate enrollment growth the past three years; Bunker Hill has similarly led in growth at the community college level. Framingham State has topped the state university system in enrollment growth the past two years. READ MORE

September 15th marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. With a population that has reached over 50 million, Hispanics are the fastest growing class of citizens in the United States. Accordingly, they also represent the most significant growth pattern of small business owners in the country. Hispanic-owned businesses comprised 59.8 % of all businesses in El Paso, followed by San Antonio, (39.4%), Houston (23.3%), Albuquerque, N.M. (23.1%) and Los Angeles (21%).

A 2010 survey of business owners conducted by the Census Bureau found that Hispanic-owned companies comprise 2.3 million of the 27.1 million U.S. businesses. Further, Hispanic-owned businesses have increased by 43.7% since 2002. Hispanic-owned businesses generated $345.2 billion in sales in 2007, up 55.5% when compared with 2002, while the number of Hispanic-owned companies with receipts of $1 million or more increased 51.6 percent -- from 29,168 to 44,206 businesses -- between 2002 and 2007. READ MORE

Karen Mills, chief administrator with the Small Business Administration, said on Tuesday that a new pilot program by the SBA and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will help connect local lenders with Hispanic business owners.

Combining resources will generate new opportunities for Hispanic entrepreneurs, as well as “drive competitiveness and innovation, and strengthen our economic recovery and growth,” Mills said in a statement.

Latinos can visit offices in Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Ohio, and Utah, to obtain financial and business counseling under the new program.

Hispanic-owned businesses launch at twice the rate of the national average, yet these enterprises tend to remain small and have fewer people on their payrolls, partly because it’s hard for them to obtain commercial bank loans.

“Latino businesses are looking to build something that will grow and grow. They want to have something to leave behind to generations,” said Roberto Barragan, president and CEO of the Valley Economic Development Center in Van Nuys, Calif. READ MORE

A recent Pew Hispanic Center report on trends in Latino voter participation counts a record 24 million Latinos as eligible to vote in November’s presidential election (11 percent of all potential voters). It also finds that Latinos are particularly important in several battleground states. Their rising numbers and geographic concentration suggest that how and if Latinos vote on November 6 could determine the race.

While a large voting bloc for several election cycles now, Latinos have yet to fully wield their potential political power. Part of the reason is turnout – few Latinos make it to the polls on election day. In 2008 only half of eligible Latino voters cast ballots versus 65 percent of blacks and 66 percent of whites.

Latinos are also a heterogeneous bunch with vast differences across the population; for instance the priorities of Florida’s conservative Cuban base are vastly different from Arizona’s predominantly Mexican-American constituency. Complicating political appeals even further, a recent Gallup poll shows that Latinos’ political priorities differ by generation. As shown in the chart below, foreign born Latinos care most about economic growth, second generation citizens focus on unemployment, and third generation members prioritize healthcare. READ MORE

Telemundo Media announced today it named Chris McDonnell to President and General Manager, Telemundo Chicago WSNS. The announcement was made by Manuel Abud, President, Telemundo Station Group, to whom McDonnell will report.

In this role, McDonnell will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of WSNS. He will direct and manage all aspects of the station operations, including news, sales, promotions, engineering, finance, human resources and community relations. In addition, he will oversee the development and implementation of strategic sales and marketing plans, as well as direct sales forecasting activities to meet specific company goals.

“Chris has an extensive background in broadcast television, including both Spanish-language and general market. He is no stranger to Chicago or Telemundo, having grown up in Chicago and previously managed the Telemundo Chicago sales team,” said Abud. “His strong sales background, coupled with his knowledge of both the market and our organization, make him the ideal leader for our station."

McDonnell has been with the NBC-owned television station group since 1995. Most recently, he was Vice President, Sales & Marketing at NBC Dallas/Fort Worth KXAS since 2009. In this role, he was responsible for all revenue-generating activities and consistently grew the station's new business, as well as its online and sports revenues.

Prior to joining KXAS, he was Vice President, Sales & Marketing at NBC San Diego KNSD since 2005. Previously, McDonnell was Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Telemundo Chicago WSNS from 2002-2005. From 1995-2002, he was at NBC Chicago WMAQ, where he held multiple roles including Local Sales Manager, National Sales Manager and Account Executive. McDonnell also served the role of Sales and Marketing Executive at New World Sales & Marketing in Chicago from 1994-1995. He worked at Petry Media Inc. since 1991 as an Account Executive, and began his career as a Media Planner & Buyer at Leo Burnett Worldwide for McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble in 1989. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism from The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

ABOUT TELEMUNDO MEDIA:

Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal, is a world-class media company, leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multiplatform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. Telemundo’s multiple platforms include the Telemundo Network, a Spanish-language television network featuring original productions, theatrical motion pictures, news and first-class sports events, reaching U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets through its 14 owned stations and its broadcast and cable affiliates; mun2, the preeminent voice for bicultural Hispanics in the U.S. reaching TV households nationwide on digital and analog cable, and satellite; Telemundo Digital Media, which distributes Telemundo’s original content across digital and emerging platforms including mobile devices, www.telemundo.com and www.mun2.tv; an owned and operated full power station in Puerto Rico that reaches 99% of all TV households in that DMA; and Telemundo Internacional, the international distribution arm which has positioned Telemundo as the second largest provider of Spanish-language content worldwide by syndicating content to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages.
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Opponents of Walmart’s planned Neighborhood Market in downtown Los Angeles are trying desperately to paint a portrait of David versus Goliath – mom-and-pop shops against Walmart.

But when it comes to economic growth, small businesses and large companies actually support each other. Indeed, the entrance of a large retailer like Walmart into a new marketplace is the key to helping many local vendors to grow.

As a former U.S. Small Business Administrator, I advocated for the small businesses that are vital to this country’s economic fabric and ingenuity. We helped minority- and women-owned businesses to expand and flourish, and awarded more loans to small business owners than any previous administration.

But during my time at the SBA, I learned that small businesses cannot flourish without a strong and healthy free-market that is friendly to companies of all sizes.

The positive impact Walmart would have on Los Angeles’ small businesses can be explained by the basic law of supply and demand. When a large retailer like Walmart enters a new market, it needs local suppliers to help fill its maintenance and product needs, which means surrounding vendors benefit.

According to Dun & Bradstreet, an independent firm that compiles commercial and business data, Walmart spent $25.85 billion for merchandise and services with over 4,000 suppliers in the state of California in fiscal year 2012. The number of supplier jobs that result from Walmart’s relationships with such vendors is approximately 281,785. READ MORE

Many Californians have been struggling with rising gas prices this week, but Latinos especially are feeling the pain at the pump.

Gasoline prices reached up to $5 per gallon on Monday, after a week of soaring gasoline prices. According to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, which tracks gas prices from the Oil Price Information Service, the cost of fuel is reaching record-breaking levels.

Although the record-setting prices have begun to ease, the cost of the gas prices is still at unprecedented levels. The average price on Wednesday was around $4.67 a gallon, making it the highest in the nation.

RELATED: Pedro Santos discovers new technology to produce cheaper gas

Latinos are traditionally among the hardest hit when gas prices go up. According to a Center for American Progress report, 72 percent of Latino households experienced financial hardship in 2011 as a result of rising gas prices. The numbers are even worse for California. Last year, 88 percent of Latinos reported financial hardship due to soaring gas prices.

Angelica Solis is the Executive Director of the Alliance for a Better Community, a California-based group that promotes economic development and financial literacy for Latinos. According to Solis, many Latinos that the Alliance works with come from lower-income families in the Los Angeles area, and are having to cut back on all their expenses in order to save money.

“This had already been the case because of the economic crisis, but the Latino community is further impacted in addition to what they’ve already been experiencing. They’re being resourceful,” Solis says. READ MORE

A new TV network joint venture between ABC News and Univision News, targeting the young and fast-growing Hispanic market in the United States, will begin broadcasting out of Miami in late summer of 2013, company officials announced on Wednesday.

The two companies are investing $275 million in the new English-language news and lifestyle network, which will create about 350 jobs, Cesar Conde, president of Univision Networks, told a luncheon of Miami business leaders also attended by Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

"The new ABC-Univision network will be headquartered in a state-of-the art facility and will retain and attract the very best talent in the industry," Conde said.

In the lead-up to the launch, the two companies explored locations in New York, Houston and Los Angeles, before opting to put the new network's production facilities in Miami, where Univision already has its headquarters.

The companies each own 50 percent of the venture and will share operating costs. The networks are banking on an exploding Hispanic population across the country to fuel the channel's growth. Hispanics currently number about 52 million in the United States, representing about 16 percent of the population, with that number expected to grow to 30 percent by 2050. READ MORE

In a movie career spanning more than 20 years, Benicio del Toro has won an Oscar for Traffic, been nominated again for 21 Grams and starred in Che, The Usual Suspects, and The Wolfman.

But the Puerto Rican-born, Pennsylvania-raised star believes Latino actors are still being typecast in Hollywood.

''It's a little bit better than when I first started … but, yeah, we're still typecast,'' he says during a visit to Sydney to launch the Oliver Stone crime thriller Savages.

''But there's more Latino film makers giving opportunities to other Latinos [and] also showing that they can tell stories. And there's more Latinos in positions of power that will provide opportunity to Latino actors.''

The charismatic 45-year-old, who visited Bondi Beach and climbed the Harbour Bridge during his short stay, played his share of thugs and drug dealers before his Hollywood breakthrough as a resourceful Mexican cop in Traffic.

In Savages he plays what could easily be seen as another Latino cliche: a ruthless Mexican drug cartel enforcer who chainsaws off the heads of his enemies. READ MORE

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic demographic represents a full 16% of the total U.S. population, and is growing more than three times the rate of other ethnic groups. For retailers, it’s a consumer segment that presents tremendous opportunities in the area of health and wellness.

Hispanic consumers need some guidance. Statistics compiled by The NPD Group for its new benchmark It’s Mealtime with U.S. Hispanics study found that more than 70% of Spanish language-dominant adults are overweight or obese, compared to 60% for English-dominant or non-Hispanic adults.

An interesting challenge that the marketers of wellness products and services face in wooing Hispanics is overcoming cultural perceptions, particularly in the way this group of consumers looks at food.

NPD researchers found that many subgroups (those foreign-born or Spanish-dominant) define nutrition not only in terms of quality, but quantity, too. So, for instance, filling and eating everything on your plate is a sign of robust health. In other words, a hearty appetite is just as important as putting that salad, or those green beans, on the plate. READ MORE

In October we celebrate the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Are there any reasons to observe it? The answer is a definitive “yes.”

Since 1990, the death rate from breast cancer has been declining. The research, funded mostly by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), have improved our understanding of breast cancer and have produced more effective treatments.

The outlook for U.S. Hispanic women is mixed. Although Hispanics are less likely to develop breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women, more than 17,100 Hispanics will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and more than 2,400 will die from the disease. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Hispanic women in the U.S. and the leading cause of cancer deaths in this group. Research shows that it is more likely that Hispanic women are diagnosed after their breast cancer has progressed to a more advanced stage than non-Hispanic white women. And Hispanic women are more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women diagnosed at the same age and in the same stage of disease.

The good news is that information is powerful. Become well informed. And, as always, talk to your health care provider about your concerns. READ MORE

The U.S. unemployment rate for Latinos fell to 9.9 percent in September, the lowest jobless rate in nearly four years, and the lowest level since President Barack Obama first took office.

Latino unemployment has hit a 45 month low as September marks the first time the Latino jobless rate has fallen below 10 percent since December of 2008, when it was 9.4 percent.

The number of unemployed Hispanics has dropped by nearly 20 percent since the number of unemployed Latinos hit its peak at over 3 million in November 2010.

If not for all the people who have simply dropped out of the labor force, the real unemployment rate would be closer to 11 percent.

- Mitt Romney, Republican Nominee

According to the report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, September's Latino unemployment rate declined from 10.2 percent in August and is in line with the overall downward national trend for the jobless rate, which fell to 7.8 percent, down from 8.1 percent,--a 44-month low. The number of unemployed Americans is now 12.1 million, the fewest since January 2009. READ MORE

As we celebrate the final week of Hispanic Heritage Month, the American Latino Heritage Fund (ALHF) of the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, today proudly joined the President of the United States Barack Obama, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, in establishing the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument as an official park of the National Park System. Located within the property known as Nuestra Senora Reina de La Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace), the Monument commemorates the home and final resting place of renowned Latino civil rights activist, Cesar E. Chavez, which also served as the former headquarters for the labor movement he helped create – the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).

The American Latino Heritage Fund of the National Park Foundation has dedicated $150,000 needed to open and fund operations of the national monument throughout its first year. ALHF's mission is anchored in preserving the full spectrum of American Latino history in the U.S. by identifying and celebrating historic sites and places essential to understanding the influence of Latinos' cultural, economic and civic contributions to the American story.

"The national park system exists to tell the stories of this nation and its people, and to provide individuals with a place to visit and honor those contributions. Today's dedication is a seminal moment as we ensure this historic chapter is noted in our American history," said Neil Mulholland, President & CEO of the National Park Foundation. "The American Latino Heritage Fund is dedicated to ensuring that the contributions of this nation's Latino community, like Cesar Chavez's legacy of equality and rights, are honored and protected forever." READ MORE

Steep declines in Hispanic birth rates and a new low in teen births, according to a new government report released Wednesday.

U.S. births fell for the fourth year in a row, with experts calling it more proof that the weak economy has continued to dampen enthusiasm for having children.

Hispanics have been disproportionately affected by the flagging economy, experts say, and teen birth rates have been falling for 20 years.

But there may be a silver lining: The decline in 2011 was just 1 percent — not as sharp a fall-off as the 2 to 3 percent drop seen in other recent years.

"It may be that the effect of the recession is slowly coming to an end," said Carl Haub, a senior demographer with the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization. READ MORE

President Obama and Mitt Romney are both playing pander bear with the Hispanic vote as they prepare for their first debate tonight. It’s so transparent that it borders on insulting.

Obama’s pandering is perhaps the more egregious. He has 70 percent of the Hispanic vote, according to a CNN poll this week. Those voters likely feel they have nowhere to go, but even they have to admit he didn’t do much to move the needle on immigration reform in his first term in office, an issue close to the heart of the community. The president failed to build support in Congress for the DREAM Act, a bill which would have provided a path to citizenship for young adults brought here without documents as children. Obama did finally issue an executive order to lift the threat of deportation hanging over that group, but there’s no path to citizenship. And it came awfully close to the election. READ MORE

The value of partnering with local Hispanic chambers of commerce is that they can open doors for your business’ marketing campaign to Hispanic consumers.

A big mistake companies make is asking Hispanic consumers for their business before establishing friendly relationships within the Hispanic community.

Latinos can be loyal business associates and customers of companies they respect, trust and consider friends. Establishing this relationship takes time, and -- most important -- showing up. Your executives need face-to-face interactions and conversations in order to learn about Hispanic cultural and buying patterns.

Showing up means being visible at chamber networking events, in the community, and via financial support of nonprofit groups and schools that serve Hispanics.

So, like the TV game show “The Price is Right,” Hispanic chambers offer three doors, each with opportunities to win with your Hispanic marketing efforts:

Door No. 1 -- Meeting Hispanic businesses that are looking to partner with non-Hispanic companies. They can become collaborative associate businesses. Some Hispanic businesses have the potential to become suppliers for your company. Either way, you can glean valuable information from them about Hispanic consumers and cultural buying trends. READ MORE

Latinos make up the largest group of minority students enrolled for the academic term beginning this autumn at the University of Southern California, the school said Thursday.

Out of more than 46,000 applications, 3,021 students were admitted, of whom 21 percent are members of minorities, more than half of them Hispanics.

USC's dean of admissions, Timothy Brunold, said that about 90 percent of incoming students were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes with an average GPA of 3.70.

The number of Latino students admitted for the 2012-2013 academic year is more than twice the number of African Americans and more than six times the number of Native Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Of this year's freshman class, 14 percent are the first in their families to go to college, Brunold said.

Of the total number of USC undergraduate students in 2011, about 3,300, or 19 percent, belonged to minorities, the largest percentage among the country's private research universities. READ MORE

A coalition of 30 national Latino organizations is still waiting for an apology from Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser after he swore at a prominent Hispanic leader.

Kaiser allegedly cursed out Felix Sanchez, the chairman for the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. Kaiser has since said that he regretted using ?strong language? during the tense telephone conversation.

?There is no excuse for Mr. Kaiser?s outburst and it should not and cannot be tolerated,? Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, said in a statement sent to Fox News Latino. ?He profoundly disrespected our colleague Felix Sanchez and the Latino community, a community that merits inclusion and fairness, not insults, when it comes to one of the nation?s highest cultural honors."

Sanchez said Kaiser told him to ?go f*** yourself? after he called the foundation's president to discuss the lack of Latino artists being named Kennedy Center honorees. Kaiser then abruptly hung up. READ MORE

We start with the obvious question: Why do the media, political observers and presidential campaigns spend so much time talking about the Latino vote?

Many Americans resent the implication that some votes are more important or have more impact than others. (No one is saying that's the case.)

Still, why don't we talk with equal enthusiasm about voting by African-Americans or white evangelicals or left-handed senior citizens who live in Rhode Island? READ MORE

As part of its efforts to promote equity in health and health care, the Aetna Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Aetna (NYS: AET) , has bestowed a $130,000 grant on the New York-based Hispanic Federation. The funds will be used to launch the organization's pilot program that will engage Brooklyn teenagers in the drive to improve Latino health outcomes and reduce health disparities in the North Brooklyn community of South Williamsburg.

The initiative, called Youth Health Explorers, will train 36 Latino teenagers, aged 14 to 19, in the science of community mapping, on-the-street interviews and data analysis, to determine the environmental factors in their predominately Hispanic neighborhoods that can influence their communities' high rates of obesity, especially among young people.

The initiative's goal is to develop a significant pool of useful data to guide neighborhood health policies in South Williamsburg and coach young people to work with community leaders to address environmental factors that contribute to obesity. The teenagers will be trained in leadership, public speaking, and community mobilization skills. Upon completion of their analysis, they will present their findings to local public officials, community groups and civic organizations. When the pilot program is concluded, the Hispanic Federation hopes to expand the project to other communities across the country.

"Nearly two in five Latino youth are overweight or obese - the highest prevalence rate in their age group by race or ethnicity," said José Calderón, president of the Hispanic Federation. "Latinos want to be healthy, but food choices and environmental factors in our neighborhood frequently contribute to poor outcomes. Thanks to the Aetna Foundation's support, we are able to develop a project that explores the relationship between environment and health using data-driven methods."

Gillian Barclay, D.D.S., Dr.P.H., the Aetna Foundation's vice president of programs, said, "Teaching young people the fundamentals of public health assessments and advocacy to improve the health of their own neighborhoods can be a powerful force for change. By engaging teens in this endeavor, we not only expect to get a clearer picture of how the built environment can influence obesity rates in urban neighborhoods, but also inspire a young generation of Latinos to become leaders in public health." READ MORE