Hispanic-Serving Institutions Caucus Democratic Co-Chairs Applaud Executive Actions to Expand Educational Opportunities for Latino Students
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Senate Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Caucus, along with Joaquin Castro (D-Texas-20) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), Democratic Co-Chairs of the House HSI Caucus, issued a joint statement applauding key actions the Biden-Harris Administration will take to expand educational opportunities for Latino students.
The actions will establish the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Hispanic-Serving Institutions and the President’s Board of Advisors for HSIs. The lawmakers also applauded a Department of Education proposed rule to expand the federal TRIO program, which helps low-income students, including Dreamers, successfully transition to higher education:
“A good education is the foundation of the American Dream. For too long, our nation has tolerated an unacceptable gap in college attendance and completion rates for Latino students. The strength of our workforce and economy depends on giving every student a fair chance at a quality higher education — and Hispanic-Serving Institutions are critical partners in achieving this goal.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement today will help advance educational excellence across HSIs, increase pathways to higher education, and prepare the next generation of our nation’s workforce. The Administration is also taking key steps today to help thousands of Dreamers and other aspiring first-generation students get the resources and support services they need to smoothly transition to college. As leaders of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Congressional Caucuses, we remain fiercely committed to building on this announcement to provide HSIs with the necessary tools to uplift Latino communities across our country.”
Hispanic-Serving Institutions are accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with 25 percent or higher total undergraduate Hispanic or Latino full-time students. There are 600 HSIs in the United States that enroll over two-thirds of all Hispanic undergraduate students and more than 4.7 million students in total — empowering and improving communities of color. California is home to the most HSIs of any state, including 172 HSIs and 45 Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
As co-chair of the Senate HSI Caucus, Senator Padilla has been a strong advocate for expanding educational opportunities for Latino students. For the last two years, Padilla has introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week. Last year, Padilla also introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment (HERE) Act, which aims to provide Hispanic and Latino students with the necessary tools and resources to lessen the higher education achievement gap. Previously, Padilla and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing support to close the gap in STEM jobs among Latino students and young professionals entering the workforce. Padilla also unveiled a bipartisan resolution in 2022 recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Hispanic National Internship Program (HNIP), a seminal program of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities known for promoting Latino excellence and creating greater career development opportunities for Latino and Hispanic students across the country.
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