Member Advisory

February 13, 2015

Underfunding of Hispanic-Serving Institutions continues in President Obama’s proposed budget

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) is urging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs and its supporters to convene in Washington, D.C. for its 20th Capitol Forum on March 23-24, 2015, where important budgetary issues and the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) will be discussed. Delegations from colleges and universities will visit Capitol Hill to meet with key members of congress to help make the case for Hispanic higher education. HACU DC office is coordinating the Capitol Hill visits as representatives of institutions register for the two day Capitol Forum.

“It’s important that we urge the 114th Congress to improve on the President’s level-funding request and make the necessary national investments in institutional aid and STEM education,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores.

Earlier this month, when President Obama released his proposed budget for 2016 fiscal year, Flores stated that HSIs are not being funded accordingly.

“President Obama’s budget request for fiscal year 2016 fails to recommend much-needed funding increases for Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

There’s an inequality when we consider that HSIs on average only receive 69 cents in federal funding on a per student basis for every dollar going to the rest of higher education. This inequity stands to worsen as more HSIs become eligible for the scarce and stagnating funding provided by Title V of the Higher Education Act and by the Farm Bill for them to serve the educational needs of their burgeoning student populations.

The National Science Foundation unwillingness to establish an institutional development aid program for HSIs even though Congress gave it the statutory authority is also an issue.”

The President’s budget proposal calls for an increase of $3.6 billion in funding for the Department of Education, an increase of 5.4 percent over FY 2015. Yet there is no proposal for new undergraduate resources for HSIs, one of the fastest-growing segments of higher education. The Promoting Post-baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans program would receive a proposed $1.7 million increase to complete current awards but, with no further funds allotted, no new awards are expected to be made in the coming fiscal year. With the 2014 loss of over $10 million in funding previously mandatory, the support for graduate programs at HSIs is far below its original level.

Flores notes the Department of Education stated in its budget justification to Congress: "Although Hispanics have made significant gains in education, their enrollment rates and degree attainment remain lower than many of their non-Hispanic peers." However, the President’s Budget does not request additional resources to address this persisting education gap.

The National Science Foundation also continues to resist creating an HSI-dedicated program even though it acknowledges in its budget justification: “A significant obstacle to the development of U.S. STEM talent is undergraduate student retention. Across STEM fields, non-Asian racial and ethnic groups continue to be underrepresented in bachelor’s degree attainment relative to their shares of the population.” It also recognizes that “As the Nation’s demographics shift rapidly, it is even more crucial to ensure the engagement of people from groups that traditionally have been underrepresented in STEM so that the diverse talent of the Nation is fully utilized.”

However, the NSF fails to provide dedicated and targeted resources to all the institutions that are enrolling these underrepresented students. According to Flores, the NSF will not be able to meet its mission 'To promote the progress of science…' if it continues to ignore HSIs and the hundreds of Hispanic communities they serve.

“From 2012 to 2013 alone, the most recent year for which federal data exists, 39 new HSIs emerged and joined the 370 already eligible, an annual growth rate of over 10 percent. These 409 institutions in 21 states and Puerto Rico serve the overwhelming majority of the 3 million Hispanic students in college today that are America’s future workforce. Overall, the proposed FY 2016 budget represents a net loss to the much-needed investment in the institutions that are educating almost 60 percent of Hispanic higher education students. It is imperative that Congress invest in HSIs equitably for the good of the nation and our economy,” said Flores.