For immediate release

Congress urged to support Hispanic graduate education

WASHINGTON, D.C - Leading members of Congress joined the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) on Capitol Hill today to urge support for legislation providing first-time funding for Hispanic graduate education programs.

"Congress has a historic opportunity to invest in a new era of innovation and prosperity for this country by supporting proposals to target federal investments in graduate education for the country's youngest and largest ethnic population," said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores.

"By investing in the advanced education of our diverse students, we will equip them with the knowledge and skills they must have to excel. Their opportunities to achieve greatness will fuel our success as a nation," Flores said.

Flores was joined at the news conference by U.S. Representatives Ruben Hinojosa of Texas, Heather Wilson of New Mexico, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Raul Grijalva of Arizona, and by University of New Mexico President Louis Caldera. Student enrollment at the University of New Mexico, a HACU member Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), is 29.2 percent Hispanic.

At the news conference, each urged the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to add legislative language and first-time funding for graduate education programs for HSIs under Title V of the Higher Education Act, or HEA. Congress this year is considering amendments to the HEA as part of the five-year reauthorization cycle of an Act that governs federal funding policies for all higher education institutions. Title V of the HEA, which specifically addresses HSIs, currently includes federal funding only for undergraduate education.

Hispanics make up one of every three new workers joining the U.S. labor force, but remain under-represented in every profession demanding an advanced degree. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 3.3 of all Hispanics have an advanced degree.

"Federal policy to date has largely focused on elementary and secondary education and access to college. It's time to look for ways to seed the pipeline at the advanced degree level where acute Hispanic under-representation threatens to retard growth in other areas such as teaching, health, research and economic development," said Hinojosa, author of the landmark "Next Generation Hispanic-Serving Institutions" bill, H.R. 2238.

The bill introduced last year by Hinojosa, chair of the Education Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, would authorize $125 million in new federal spending each year on graduate education enhancements for HSIs beginning in federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 by adding a new graduate education component to Title V of the HEA.

Hinojosa's legislation was introduced last year with the bipartisan support of 81 House co-sponsors, including Wilson, Grijalva and Ros-Lehtinen. Ros-Lehtinen is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Congress is being asked to insert language specifically from Hinojosa's bill into Title V amendments to the HEA.

"I am proud to join in this effort to address the great need to include funding for graduate degree programs in HSIs," said Ros-Lehtinen.

"We need to open the doors to advanced degrees for more minority students so that they are prepared for the jobs of the 21st century," said Wilson, who joined Grijalva and Caldera in urging swift action by Congress to add Hispanic graduate education funding to pending HEA reauthorization legislation.

"HACU applauds the championship of this important legislation by Representatives Wilson, Ros-Lehtinen, Hinojosa and Grijalva. We are grateful for their leadership in supporting this vital investment in our under-funded HSIs," Flores said.

"Certainly, the University of New Mexico is an outstanding example of the critical role HSIs play in serving the fastest-growing sector of our future workforce and leadership ranks," Flores said.

HSIs serve more than half the country's Hispanic higher education students, yet on average receive only about half the federal funding per student accorded to every other higher education institution. Only 20 percent of HSIs now offer a master's degree. Less than 12 percent of HSIs offer a doctoral degree.

A Senate version of the Hispanic graduate education bill was introduced last year by U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, co-chair of the Senate Hispanic-Serving Institutions Coalition. U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, co-chair of the bipartisan Senate HSIs Coalition, was principal co-sponsor of the Senate bill.

"HACU commends the authors and supporters of these important bills in the House and Senate. We again call upon their leadership to guide efforts to ensure these proposals become law," Flores said. "Graduate education funding for our HSIs will enrich every one of us by bringing new diversity, ideas and innovations to every professional field of endeavor."