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.