February 11, 2020

HACU statement on the Impact of President Trump’s Proposed FY 2021 Budget on Hispanic-Serving Institutions

SAN ANTONIO, TX – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has released the following statement on the impact of the Trump Administrations’ proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget on Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), from HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores.

"President Trump’s proposed FY 2021 education budget is short-sighted with respect to HSIs and fails to accomplish its stated goal to protect our nation’s most vulnerable students. The proposed budget consolidates institutional development grant programs for Minority-Serving Institutions, including the HSI programs under Title V of the Higher Education Act, into a single formula-based allocation. Such a drastic change, which includes freezing funding at the FY 2020 levels, would negatively impact the way these critical grant programs serve their multiple purposes and does not take into account the annual growth of HSIs. This approach is counterproductive and will not help the 3.6 million Hispanic and other low-income and first-generation students achieve their dream of attaining higher education success.

"HSIs are engines of upward mobility for millions of students despite being financially disadvantaged when compared to other institutions of higher education. HSIs only receive 68 cents for every dollar going to all other institutions of higher education annually, per student, from all federal funding sources. A significant increase in federal investments is essential to help support the growing number of HSIs and the nearly 5 million students they serve. The Administration’s FY 2021 budget fails to equip HSIs with necessary funding support so that they can prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs.”

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). Information is available at www.hacu.net.