Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez was inducted into the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Hall of Champions Oct. 8 during the association’s annual conference in Denver, Colorado.

HACU represents more than 400 universities in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America and Spain, stating its mission is to improve access to postsecondary education for Hispanic students.

The Hall of Champions was created in 2011 to honor people who further the association’s mission. Agnes Mojica, chancellor of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germán Campus, was also inducted this year. She and Gonzalez bring the number of hall honorees up to six.

“I was honored to have been selected for this award from HACU. It’s gratifying to be recognized for making a positive difference,” Gonzalez said in an email.

Gonzalez, who has served as Sac State’s president since 2003, will retire from his post at the end of the 2014-15 school year. He has previously served as the president of CSU San Marcos and before that as a faculty member and administrator at Fresno State.

HACU president Antonio Flores attributed Gonzalez’s selection to his advocacy for Hispanics in higher education and his long-time leadership within the association.

“He is considered a role model by literally tens of thousands of young people at Sacramento State and Cal State San Marcos,” Flores said

Gonzalez served on HACU’s Board of Directors for more than seven years and was the chair for two of those.

Denise Fernandez, an ethnic studies major at Sac State, was skeptical of the award. She said Gonzalez’s actions don’t show a dedication to education, mentioning the proposed student fee that would go to an expansion of The Well and the University Union.

“Financially speaking, he hasn’t shared resources,” Fernandez said.

The fee was originally set at $250, but after a majority of students who responded to a poll opposed the increase, Union Well Inc., the organization that runs the two buildings, announced it would reduce the fee by an unspecified amount.

President Gonzalez supported the expansion in a letter published on Union Well Inc.’s website.

“I feel that’s not the quality of a good leader,” Fernandez said.

Erica Zamora, a member of education rights advocate Students for Quality Education, said Gonzalez’s policies more specifically did not benefit Latino students.

She pointed out that in 2013 the Sac State student body was 22 percent Latino, while only 6 percent of the faculty was.

“I don’t feel like we are catering to that population that need Latino professors as mentors,” Zamora said.

In November 2012, the Mexican government selected Gonzalez, a native Californian, for the Ohtli Award, the highest honor given to leaders of Mexican descent.

The award was presented by the consul general of Mexico, Carlos González Gutiérrez, and has gone to several prominent Americans, including then-Secretary of Labor Hilda Solís and the former governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson.

On the Hall of Champions induction, Gonzalez thanked his wife and colleagues, as well as students, faculty and staff he has worked with during his tenure.

“Because this award isn’t just about one person,” he wrote. “It reflects the importance of working together toward shared goals for the common good.”