The Latin and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission honored Dr. Wilson Luna, Dean of Student Affairs, at their 20th Anniversary Celebration on October 11 with their Latin American Citizen of the Year Award.

Dean Luna is the senior administrator responsible for all areas of student services at Gateway Community College. He has worked in both public and private institutions and has a superior understanding of key issues in education.

Dr. Luna always stresses excellence in all of his endeavors, and has been a very active participant in several state-wide student centered initiatives, including the development of the Connecticut Strategic Plan for Racial and Ethnic Diversity and the New England Board of Higher Education’s Plan for Black and Hispanic Access and Retention in New England colleges and universities.

Dr. Luna was instrumental in developing an endowment for Latino scholarships through the Connecticut Association of Latin Americans in Higher Education (CALAHE) and succeeded in raising the statewide visibility and reputation of the organization.

Dr. Luna was awarded CALAHE’s Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2012 and is currently on the Board of Directors of CALAHE, LULAC and the Community Action Agency of New Haven.