HACU President and CEO, Governing Board Members submit public comments to Department of Education

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities submitted public comments to the U.S. Department of Education's proposed Priorities and Definitions for discretionary grant programs, to ensure that Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are explicitly recognized and included in federal funding frameworks moving forward. HACU was joined in submitting comments by four members of its Governing Board. The proposed rule can be found here.

"HSIs enroll 67% of all Hispanic undergraduates and 37% of Pell Grant recipients. These institutions are engines of upward mobility, community transformation, and workforce development. Federal investments have allowed HSIs to expand STEM programs, deepen community outreach, and launch innovative workforce training programs across high-demand sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, aerospace, and artificial intelligence," said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. "We strongly urge the Department to explicitly include HSIs in the final priorities to ensure these institutions remain eligible for discretionary funding and can continue delivering high-impact programs that serve as vital hubs for economic and workforce development across the country."

Also submitting public comments were HACU Governing Board Chair and University of California, Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz; Immediate Past-Chair and Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores; Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval; and Harold Washington College President Daniel López, Jr. The board members were joined by HACU-member institution leaders San Bernardino Community College Chancellor Diana Z. Rodriguez; and Central New Mexico Community College President Tracy Hartzler.