Oct. 4, 2012

Lupe Flores

The APIACU joins the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education

The Alliance for Equity in Higher Education accepted a request for membership from the Asian Pacific Islander American Association of Colleges and Universities (APIACU), joining the Hispanic Association and Colleges and Universities (HACU), the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), and the National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) in representing the shared interests of Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The alliance is opposed to cuts for Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act and related programs that serve MSIs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a result of the meeting, further steps to prevent additional cuts in the 2013 fiscal year funding cycle and the sequestration process were developed, including requesting meetings with high level White House officials and congressional members to preserve programs that serve MSIs.

The Alliance for Equity in Higher Education was established in 1999 by the AIHEC, HACU, and NAFEO to represent the shared interests of Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Combined, minority-serving institutions (MSIs) educate more than one-third of all students of color in the United States. MSIs disproportionately address the needs of low-income, minority students while contributing significantly to generating a highly skilled workforce, developing civic and community responsibility, and producing citizens who are exceptionally attuned to the increasingly diverse country in which we live.