Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen Institute
Blog Posts, and Of Interest
Unlocking the Promise of Latinos in America
August 1, 2015
“Why does the growth of the Latino demographic matter? Why am I as a non-Hispanic trying to help answer that question? My interest goes back 15 years to when I, as a member of the University of Texas Board of Regents, was charged with developing a long range plan for the university system of 15 campuses and 200,000 students. From that came a deep understanding of the demographic change the state faces — soon to become a minority/majority state, then a state where Latinos are the largest ethnic group by 2025, and finally a state with a Hispanic majority in 2035. Next, was a study of historical income and educational attainment levels in my hometown of El Paso, Texas. In the 1950 census El Paso had an educational level 20% above and an income level 14% above the rest of the state. This was higher than Austin, San Antonio, Phoenix, or Tucson. However, by the 2000 census our educational attainment level had fallen to 70% as compared to the rest of the state and, not surprisingly, our income was also at 70% of the state average. We were far behind our fellow Southwestern cities.”
