DENVER ― One of the most important topics for minority serving institutions is funding: where to find it and how to get it. At the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) conference, leaders discussed that issue in a series of panels.
Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) derive significant appropriations from a number of federal bodies, including the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
HACU leaders provided an update on how HSIs have gotten funding in the past and what challenges lie ahead at the panel “Federal Funding Opportunities for Teaching, Research, and Outreach for HSIs” on Sunday.
Luis Maldonado, chief advocacy officer at HACU, stressed the importance of political engagement. “This is the most important adage in Washington,” said Maldonado. “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the table.”
HSIs, Maldonado said, need a voice at the table in political decision making in Washington to ensure that their needs are met. By not participating in policy discussions, whether through advocacy from organizations like HACU or through the efforts of elected public officials sympathetic to HSIs, HSIs will lose out on funding opportunities.
HACU has been working with legislators in the nation’s capital to ensure that policies benefiting HSIs and Hispanics are promoted. The Farm Bill, which was reauthorized relatively recently, and the Higher Education Act, which Congress will consider reauthorizing soon, impacts all MSIs, including HSIs.
