President Joe Biden hosted an official ceremony Wednesday to publicly celebrate his executive order establishing an initiative to increase funding for Hispanic institutions and creating an IS advisory board.

Hispanic-serving institutions, or HSIs, which are non-profit schools with a full-time equivalent undergraduate student body that is at least one-quarter Hispanic, are vital to the goals of equality in educational and economic opportunity, according to White. House.

With Hispanics accounting for nearly three-quarters of the nation’s population growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 to 2023 population estimates, higher education leaders are urging the president to spread the word about the new initiative given its potential to help students Hispanics. reach out to colleagues from other backgrounds.

“Hispanic-serving institutions are places that make dreams come true for students across the country,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement at X. “When we support inclusive spaces, we support everyone!”

The ceremony came after the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, a nonprofit advocacy group, launched a petition for Biden to host a public event to promote the HSI initiative.

Higher education advocates in Latino communities say they are optimistic about the federal effort to support hundreds of local colleges and universities.

In a statement, HACU CEO Antonio R. Flores, who was at the ceremony, thanked Biden for taking steps to promote the success of HSIs. Flores said the executive order shows a federal understanding of how crucial HSIs are to the nation’s future.

“The myriad forms of support for HEIs established by this order represent the beginning of a new era for our schools, expanding and improving the landscape in which they operate,” Flores said. “This will ensure that HSIs have a seat at the table so that the students they serve have access to an equitable and affordable education, fulfilling the promise of the American Dream, which increasingly depends on a college degree. “

Latino students hope the executive order will help HSIs improve their infrastructure and ability to offer more resources in a variety of languages ​​to its students.

The more than 500 HSIs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico serve more than 4.7 million students each year, according to federal data. Many students are low-income, and nearly a third are eligible for Pell grants, which are federal scholarships for needy students.

Unlike historically tribal or Native American colleges and universities, which are granted designations based on their missions, any college can receive the HSI label and related federal money if its Latino enrollment reaches at least 25 percent of the student body .

Hispanics, who can be of any race, are the nation’s second largest demographic. Their population grew by about 1.2 million last year to 65.2 million, making Hispanics nearly a fifth of the total population, according to census estimates.

Biden’s order is intended to strengthen the ability of HSIs to provide high-quality education, benefit from existing federal programs, and increase the educational and economic mobility of students.

HSIs “play a critical role in ensuring that Latinos have access to the middle class and can fulfill their aspirations,” White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press. “The president’s executive order will strengthen these critical institutions and strengthen their ability to provide economic mobility to all of their students.”

___

The Associated Press has received financial support from the Sony Global Social Justice Fund to expand coverage in select areas. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs sTANDARDS for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and coverage areas funded at AP.org.