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Biden is hosting a ceremony to celebrate federal support for facilities that serve Hispanics

Biden is hosting a ceremony to celebrate federal support for facilities that serve Hispanics

President Joe Biden held a ceremony Wednesday to publicly celebrate his executive order establishing an initiative to increase funding for Hispanic institutions and establishing an advisory board for HSIs.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which are nonprofit schools whose full-time equivalent students are at least a quarter Hispanic, are critical to the goals of equity in educational and economic opportunity, according to White House.

With nearly three-quarters of the nation’s population growth coming from Hispanic ancestry, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for 2022-2023, college leaders are calling on the president to publicize the new initiative because of its potential to help Hispanic students meet You like-minded people with different backgrounds.

“Institutions that serve Hispanics are places that make dreams a reality for students across the country,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement on X. “When we support inclusive spaces, we support everyone!”

The ceremony came after the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, a nonprofit advocacy group, released a petition for Biden to host a public event promoting the HSI initiative.

Higher education advocates in Latino communities say they are optimistic about federal efforts to support hundreds of local colleges and universities.

In a statement, HACU CEO Antonio R. Flores, who attended the ceremony, thanked Biden for his actions to advance the success of HSIs. Flores said the executive order shows a federal understanding of how important HSIs are to the country’s future.

“The multiple forms of support for HSIs created by this regulation represent the beginning of a new era for our schools, expanding and improving the landscape in which they operate,” Flores said. “This ensures that HSIs have a seat at the table so that the students they serve have access to an equitable and accessible education, fulfilling the promise of the American Dream, which increasingly depends on a college degree.”

Latino students hope the executive order will help HSIs improve their infrastructure and ability to provide more resources in a variety of languages ​​to their students.

The more than 500 HSIs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico serve more than 4.7 million students each year, according to federal data. Many students are low-income and nearly a third are eligible for Pell grants, which are federal grants for needy students.

Unlike historically Black and Native American colleges and universities whose awards are based on their missions, any college can receive the HSI label and associated federal funds if at least 25% of its student body is Latino.

Hispanics, who can be of any race, are the second largest population group in the country. Their population grew by about 1.2 million last year to 65.2 million, meaning Hispanics make up nearly a fifth of the total population, according to census estimates.

Biden’s order is intended to strengthen HSIs’ ability to provide high-quality education, benefit from existing federal programs, and increase the educational and economic mobility of their students.

HSIs “play a critical role in ensuring that Latinos have access to the middle class and the ability to fulfill their aspirations,” White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press. “The President’s executive order will strengthen these important institutions and expand their ability to provide economic mobility for all of their students.”

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