FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 9, 2024

National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week recognized by the White House

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the country are being recognized this week by President Biden, during National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.

On September 6, the White House issued a proclamation designating September 9-15, 2024, as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.

The Proclamation noted:

"Education is a ticket to a better life, and for more than 4.7 million Hispanic and Latino students, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) make it possible. The over 500 HSIs across our country are home to over half of Hispanic and Latino college students. During National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, we celebrate these critical postsecondary institutions, which empower our students to pursue the full limits of their talent and ambition.”

Each year, Hispanic-Serving Institutions from around the country celebrate HSIs Week with activities on their campus.

“HSIs are engines of opportunity, success, and upward mobility. They serve Dreamers, first-generation college students, and many who come from low-income and underserved communities. HSIs empower their students, no matter the students’ backgrounds, to obtain their degrees and begin building a more secure, prosperous future for themselves and their families.”

To read the full proclamation, click here.

In 1992, HACU 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.

Congress first formally recognized campuses with high Hispanic enrollment as federally designated HSIs in 1992, and in 1995 HSIs received the initial federal appropriations.

Below are some links to additional information about HSIs:

For a downloadable flyer, click here.

Download an HSIs Week Toolkit here.

Download HSIs Week general shares here and here.

View the list of HSIs and Emerging HSIs here.

Celebrate the role HSIs play in improving access to education and advancing equity for historically underserved students. Tag @HACUnews in social media and use hashtag #HSIsWeek.

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 offices in Washington, D.C, Sacramento, California, and Chicago, Illinois.

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