Biden Declares HSI Week
U.S. President Joe Biden
The White House has issued a proclamation designating this week, September 11-17, as National Hispanic-Serving Institution Week.
“Education beyond high school should be a ticket to the middle class — and across our Nation, more than 500 Hispanic-Serving Institutions have helped to make that promise real, opening the doors of opportunity a bit wider for generations of Hispanic college students. During National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, we celebrate their important work,” said Biden in the proclamation.
The White House described HSIs, which two-thirds of Hispanic college students in the US attend, as essential in an environment where not everyone has an equal shot.
“They provide a quality education and empower underserved students — including Dreamers and first-generation college students — to earn degrees and build better lives for their families,” the proclamation said.
The proclamation positioned HSIs as essentially important after the Supreme Court’s June decision to wipe out race-conscious admissions policies. It also touted the Biden administration’s educational policy moves that have benefited Hispanic students, including $11 billion of funding through the American Rescue Plan, increases in the Pell grant, and the introduction of SAVE student loan repayment plans, which reduce monthly payments to 5% of discretionary income.
Congress first federally designated HSIs in 1992, and they received their first federal appropriations in 1995. HSI Week is typically marked on campuses with awareness-raising events that highlight the work that HSIs do to serve Hispanic and Latinx students.