Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As our nation celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chairs of the Senate Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Caucus, alongside Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), today unveiled a bipartisan Senate resolution recognizing 559 HSIs across the country that play an important role in educating and providing professional development opportunities to the next generation of emerging Hispanic leaders. The resolution designated the week of September 12, 2022 as “National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.”
“As the proud alumnus of one of New Jersey’s leading Hispanic-Serving Institutions, my life trajectory would not have been possible without the unparalleled academic and professional opportunities I received as a student at St. Peter’s University,” said Sen. Menendez. “It is therefore with immense appreciation for my colleagues that I thank them for supporting this bipartisan resolution, which recognizes the profound impact Hispanic-Serving Institutions have in empowering Hispanic students throughout the nation.”
“Hispanic-Serving Institutions play a critical role in fostering our nation’s economic growth and vitality,” said Sen. Padilla. “California is home to the most HSIs of any state and I’ve witnessed firsthand how important their work is in providing more equitable access to higher education for Latino students. As a co-founder of the first-ever Hispanic-Serving Institutions Senate Caucus along with Senator Menendez, I’m committed to ensuring HSIs have the support they need to continue uplifting Latino communities across the country.”
“As a member of the HSI Coalition in the Senate, I applaud the outstanding work of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to provide quality education for Texas’s growing Hispanic population,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I thank educators at these institutions for helping their students achieve their full potential, especially given the challenges of these past few school years.”
The resolution is supported by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
“HACU joins the 559 Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the observance of HSI Week to celebrate the many accomplishments in Hispanic higher education. We are pleased that the U.S. Senate has presented this bipartisan resolution in recognition of the important role HSIs play in improving access to education and grateful to the offices of Senators Menendez, Padilla, and Cornyn for, once again, leading this effort in the Senate,” said Antonio R. Flores, President and CEO of HACU.
Defined as degree-granting institutions where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes no less than 25% of the total enrollment, HSIs play a critical role in educating Hispanic youth and creating economic opportunities for the economies in which these institutions are embedded. HSIs are located in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, with emerging HSIs located in 40 states and the District of Colombia.
Joining Sens. Menendez, Padilla, and Cornyn in cosponsoring the resolution are Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
A copy of the resolution can be found HERE.
###