FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2024
HACU Statement on Federal Study on HSI needs for Facility and Digital Infrastructure
SAN ANTONIO - The Hispanic Association of Colleges (HACU) has issued the following statement on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report released on the Facility and Digital Infrastructure needs of Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The full report is available at the following link.
“HACU applauds the Government Accountability Office for performing this, first of its kind, national study of the facility and digital infrastructure at Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “The report makes evident the compelling needs of HSIs for infrastructure improvements that HACU has been advocating for the U.S. Congress to alleviate; it would elevate our voices to finally get the resources required for HSIs to update and upgrade their facilities to prepare the workforce of 21st Century America.”
In 1992, HACU and its allies led the effort to convince Congress to formally recognize campuses with high Hispanic enrollment as federally designated HSIs and to begin targeting federal appropriations to those campuses. HSIs make up 572 institutions across the nation that educate two-thirds of all Hispanics in college today and over 5 million students from all backgrounds.
In 2021, HACU advocated for a GAO Report to help increase awareness of the persisting underfunding of critical federal resources and under-resourced gap for campus infrastructure repairs and research facilities needed by HSIs to adequately prepare their students for the new and future jobs of our nation. Thanks to the staunch support from the House and Senate HSI Caucuses, the GAO conducted the study to document the pressing and major infrastructure needs of HSIs across the country.
“We extend our gratitude to all the HSIs that took part in this historic study that made the GAO Report possible,” added Flores.
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. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C and Sacramento, California.
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