In 2007 the Graduate Theological Union joined the Hispanic Theological Initiative Consortium (HTIC), a consortium comprised of 18 Ph.D.-granting institutions seeking to support and advance the work of Latina/o scholars in order to address the need for more representation of Latina and Latino students and faculty in higher theological and religious studies education. HTIC’s mission and purpose revolve around four major goals:
- To help identify and prepare highly trained educators and leaders who can articulate, model, and help teach values and ideas that will inform and make an impact in Latina/o faith communities and communities in general.
- To increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of Latina and Latino Ph.D. students across the nation by uniting and leveraging institutional resources (human, financial, and infrastructural).
- To increase the presence of Latina and Latino faculty–especially tenured faculty–in seminaries, schools of theology, and universities.
- To provide a forum for the exchange of information, ideas, and best practices to address the needs of Latina and Latino faculty and students in theological and religious education.
GTU supports the mentoring and networking costs for HTIC scholars. Additionally, GTU recognizes that pooling resources and building communities are essential elements for securing a stronger and more diverse scholarly theological body.