Princeton, NJ, November 8, 2011–The Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) at Princeton Theological Seminary will commemorate its fifteen-year anniversary, Quinceanera/o, this month. The celebration, which is open to the public and themed, “Living the Legacy,” will take place on Saturday, November 19, 2011, at a reception at the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature’s Annual Meetings at Hilton San Francisco Union Square from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. More than 500 professors and guests are expected. The event will honor the accomplishments of HTI’s scholars and the commitment of its partners in supporting students and graduates in making national and international contributions to educational, governmental, and nonprofit sectors.

Dr. Margarita Benitez, senior associate at Excelencia in Education, and Dr. Otto Maduro, incoming president of the Academy of American Religion and director of the Hispanic Summer Program, will give presentations. Scholars’ published monographs will also be available for sale. To register for the event, please visit HTI’s Facebook page.

The Hispanic Theological Initiative was established in 1996 to train individuals to support the growing Latina/o religious communities across the U.S. With the Latina/o population in the United States at sixteen percent and growing, the relationship between Latina/o student success and the future of theological and religious education is evident. To date, HTI has supported the graduation of forty-three master’s and seventy-four Ph.D. Latina/o students in theological and religious education.

The Hispanic Theological Initiative’s scholars and ministers have taken HTI from being a “best kept secret” in theological and religious education to an agency known for helping scholars and promoting and ensuring scholarship in the academic, ecumenical, and theological arenas.

Princeton Theological Seminary (www.ptsem.edu) was founded in 1812, the first seminary established by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. It is the largest Presbyterian Seminary in the country, with more than 500 students in six graduate degree programs.