118th CONGRESS 1st Session |
Designating the week beginning on September 11, 2023, as “National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week”.
September 18, 2023
Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Casey, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Luján, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Reed, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Brown, Ms. Warren, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Cruz, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Lankford) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
Designating the week beginning on September 11, 2023, as “National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week”.
Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are degree-granting institutions that have a full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment of at least 25 percent Hispanic students;
Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions play an important role in educating many low-income and underserved students and creating opportunities and increasing access to higher education for such students;
Whereas, in the 2021-2022 academic year, 572 Hispanic-Serving Institutions operated in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, enrolling more than 5,000,000 students;
Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are engines of economic mobility and a major contributor to the economic prosperity of the United States;
Whereas, Hispanic-Serving Institutions represent 19 percent of all institutions of higher education, yet serve 30.5 percent of all undergraduate students and 65.6 percent of all Hispanic undergraduate students;
Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are located in 28 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico;
Whereas the number of Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions, defined as institutions that do not yet meet the threshold of 25 percent Hispanic full-time equivalent enrollment but serve a Hispanic student population of between 15 and 24.9 percent, stands at 400 institutions operating in 43 States and the District of Columbia;
Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are actively involved in empowering and improving the communities in which the institutions are located;
Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are leading efforts to increase Hispanic participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (commonly known as “STEM”);
Whereas 7 of the top 10 institutions of higher education ranked by the Social Mobility Index were Hispanic-Serving Institutions;
Whereas celebrating the vast contributions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions strengthens the culture of the United States; and
Whereas the achievements and goals of Hispanic-Serving Institutions deserve national recognition: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
(1) recognizes the achievements and goals of Hispanic-Serving Institutions across the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico;
(2) designates the week beginning on September 11, 2023, as “National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week”; and
(3) calls on the people of the United States and interested groups to observe the week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to demonstrate support for Hispanic-Serving Institutions in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.