June 1, 2017 

HACU working with Members of Congress to launch an HSI Caucus

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) President and CEO Antonio R. Flores has held various meetings in Washington, D.C., recently to discuss the launch of a Congressional Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Caucus. The HACU Governing Board has guided and supported this initiative on behalf of HACU’s more than 470 member institutions across the nation. HACU Government Relations staff recently provided an overview of the proposed Congressional HSI Caucus policy priorities during the HACU Capitol Forum and Capitol Hill visits.

According to Flores, “With the latest figures showing HSIs now totaling 472, it seems the right time to work with members of Congress to establish a caucus to ensure policy makers and their staff understand the impact of HSIs in their districts, states and across the nation.”

Nearly two-thirds of the 3.5 million Hispanic college students are enrolled at HSIs. These institutions also enroll a large portion of other underserved students in higher education and a total of almost five million students altogether.

“With the number of HSIs continuing to rise, the role of these institutions in preparing the U.S. workforce is increasingly critical and adequate federal funding is essential for their success. The Congressional HSI Caucus will be crucial in attaining these goals,” said Flores.  

HACUs Government Relations staff will provide support for the Congressional HSI Caucus activities to jointly champion Hispanic success in higher education. 

HACU is grateful to the four representatives who made a commitment to co-chair the Congressional HSI Caucus:

Representative Susan Davis (D-CA)                                     

Representative Raúl Grijalva  (D-AZ)

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)

Representative Will Hurd (R-TX)                             

Under their leadership all other members of the House of Representatives will be invited to join the Caucus, particularly those whose districts are home to HSIs or emerging HSIs.

Urge your Representatives to Join the HSI Caucus here

For additional information about the HSI Caucus, contact HACU’s Chief Advocacy Officer, Luis Maldonado at or 202-261-2087.