DALLAS, -- Higher education and the support of Hispanics to achieve it is the mission of the University Partnership Program (UPP). The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) has teamed up with the now 43 college and universities across the United States whose objective is to increase the number of Hispanic students completing bachelor and master's degrees. Financial assistance for outstanding Hispanics has been made possible by the participating universities in the program. The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) is pleased to announce the addition of seven new universities to its University Partnership Program and the respective NSHMBA chapters within the universities' regions: University of Rochester, Simon Graduate School of Business (New York Chapter), Yale University, Yale School of Management(Connecticut Chapter), University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business (Denver Chapter), University of Washington - Bothell (Seattle Chapter), The University of Texas at San Antonio, College of Business (San Antonio Chapter), Thunderbird, School of Global Management (Phoenix Chapter), and the University of South Florida, College of Business (Tampa Bay Chapter). NSHMBA created the University Partnership Program in 2006 to provide select academic institutions an expanded pool of qualified Hispanic applicants for graduate business programs. This joint partnership creates opportunity for Hispanic students and professionals while invigorating the pipeline with students completing bachelor and master's degrees by offering financial assistance in the form of scholarships, fellowships and assistantships to qualifying individuals. The concept for the program began several years ago when NSHMBA chapters around the nation collaborated with local universities to solve the dilemma of Hispanic students who are challenged with financing their educations. NSHMBA encourages more universities to join its partnership program and help build the number of opportunities available for top Hispanic students seeking MBAs, and to develop a close relationship with the NSHMBA local chapters. In 2009, NSHMBA awarded through the UPP and NSHMBA Scholarship Programs over $680,000 in financial assistance to outstanding, deserving Hispanics pursuing their Master of Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent. "Since its inception, the National Society of Hispanic MBA's sole mission has been to elevate Hispanics both educationally and professionally," said Steve Ramos, NSHMBA Interim CEO. "The fact NSHMBA has fine-tuned an objective to such a degree that educational echelons are uniting with us, only underscores NSHMBA's existence. "The UPP universities will have a profound effect on the future landscape of business schools and corporations as we see more diverse MBA students graduate and move on to promising careers."Unifying the Front Lines of Graduate Management Education: List of Top Universities Supporting NSHMBA Grows