March 20, 2020

Call for action for funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions to help address COVID-19 pandemic

     

                                               Send a message now l Make a call now

San Antonio, Texas - The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has issued a call-for-action for additional funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) that were forced to abruptly end or quickly transition classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The persistent federal underfunding of HSIs and Hispanic higher education remains a major impediment. HSIs receive 68 cents for every dollar going to all other colleges and universities annually, per student, from all federal funding sources, to educate a disproportionately low-income student population.

HACU urges the leadership of the appropriations and budget committees of the U.S. House of Representatives to support funding for HSIs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter sent to the Congress, HACU requested the following for HSIs:

• $625 million of additional funding for all HSI federal grant programs under the Higher Education Act, including: Title III, Part F and Title V, Parts A and B; under the Farm Bill, the USDA-NIFA HSIs Education Grant Program; and the National Science Foundation’s HSIs Program.
• The creation of a new $10 billion loan-guarantee program for HSIs’ capital financing with an annual interest rate of zero (0.0) percent to equip HSIs to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing research facilities to support and advance scientific and community-based research, support research aimed at the prevention and abatement of epidemics, and increase broadband infrastructure and distance learning for the diverse and needy student populations that HSIs enroll.

HSIs have been historically underfunded and are now presented with the realities of implementing a seamless transition for faculty, staff, and students without the necessary resources. Federal funding for these schools is more important than ever to ensure that we can prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs.

HACU members and supporters: take action now and send a message to ask Congress to fund HSIs in the coronavirus stimulus package, click here. To call and take action click here.

About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. The Association’s headquarters are located in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Sacramento, California and Washington D.C. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Additional information is available at www.hacu.net.