Luján, Latino Democratic Senators Call for Investments in Minority-Serving Institutions in Infrastructure Deal

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) urged Senate Leadership to include investments in the infrastructure package for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The letter was signed by every Hispanic and Latino Democratic Senator to express robust support for HSIs is included in the upcoming infrastructure package.

“Even prior to the pandemic, institutions of higher education broadly lacked sufficient funding and resources to maintain adequate facilities, improve research and development, and ensure all programs could provide resources commensurate with preparing students for 21^st century jobs and skills needed in today’s workforce. But the investment in minority-serving institutions, has historically fallen short of what is needed to effectively serve their student populations,” the Senators wrote. “What’s more, Black, Hispanic and Latino and Native Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic; and, so have the higher education institutions that serve them.”

“It is critical that Congress provide sufficient, long-term funding to address infrastructure inequities affecting institutions of higher education, particularly those that enroll large populations of minority students,” the Senators continued. “We urge you to include additional, dedicated funding in the next infrastructure package commensurate with the needs of community colleges, HSIs, TCUs, HBCUs, and other MSIs to meet and advance the needs of the students, staff, and communities they serve.”

Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell,

We write to you today to urge you to include additional long-term funding in the next major infrastructure package to specifically support the infrastructure needs of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).

The historic investments provided through the American Rescue Plan and previous coronavirus relief have provided timely, necessary and overdue supports to higher education throughout the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan provided nearly $40 billion in support to institutions of higher education to support students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. While these funds were crucial in helping institutions of higher education sustain safe operations, these funds were not permitted to be used for construction or purchase of real property, deferred maintenance or capital improvement. Only minor remodeling was permitted under 34 CFR §77.1.

Even prior to the pandemic, institutions of higher education broadly lacked sufficient funding and resources to maintain adequate facilities, improve research and development, and ensure all programs could provide resources commensurate with preparing students for 21^st century jobs and skills needed in today’s workforce. But the investment in minority-serving institutions, has historically fallen short of what is needed to effectively serve their student populations. What’s more, Black, Hispanic and Latino and Native Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic; and, so have the higher education institutions that serve them. 

Existing authorization levels for minority-serving institutions have consistently fallen short of the needs of these institutions. The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program’s (Title V Part A)  is authorized at $175 million yet it only received $148.6 million in FY2021 appropriations. Similarly, Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans’ (Title V Part B) is authorized at $100 million but only received $13.8 million in appropriations for FY21. Additionally, up until FY 2014, there was mandatory funding for Title V Part B but that funding has ceased, effectively cutting the funding for Part B by 50 percent. Hispanic-Serving Institutions Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics and Articulation (Title III Part F) became a mandatory program when the FUTURE Act became law last year, yet while the program is authorized at $100 million, it was only funded at $94.3 million due to the sequester. The underinvestment in these vital accounts have exacerbated infrastructure challenges at MSIs, HBCUs and TCUs.

As you prepare legislation to realize the president’s American Jobs Plan, it is critical to provide additional infrastructure funding for HSIs and other MSIs, TCUs and HBCUs. The American Jobs Plan includes $12 billion for community college infrastructure, in addition to $100 billion for K-12 and $25 billion for child care infrastructure. To address existing and worsening education inequities, Congress must provide additional infrastructure funding for minority-serving institutions of higher education, including community colleges, TCUs, HBCUs, and HSIs. A significant portion of community colleges are minority-serving institutions, which means providing additional funding to them has important racial equity implications. For example, roughly 40 percent of HSIs are community colleges and enroll a significant share of the nation’s college-going Hispanic and Latino population.

It is critical that Congress provide sufficient, long-term funding to address infrastructure inequities affecting institutions of higher education, particularly those that enroll large populations of minority students. We urge you to include additional, dedicated funding in the next infrastructure package commensurate with the needs of community colleges, HSIs, TCUs, HBCUs, and other MSIs to meet and advance the needs of the students,  staff, and communities they serve. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to working with you to address the increased need of our nation’s colleges and universities.

Sincerely,

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