Today, Hispanic students make up nearly 20 percent of college undergraduates in the United States. They are our future leaders — the next generation of doctors and teachers, entrepreneurs and artists, first responders and scientists, elected officials and activists. Ensuring that these young people are prepared to take on the challenges of tomorrow is critical to the future of our Nation.
That is why this week we celebrate Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which foster cultures of belonging and respect on their campuses and offer Hispanic students a nurturing, inclusive environment to learn and grow. Recently, I was pleased to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dr. Julieta García, the first Mexican-American woman to lead the University of Texas at Brownsville, a center of excellence for countless students who have been inspired by her example. Committed to the value of education as a critical tool to uplift an entire community, Dr. García has demonstrated how HSIs can enable student success across the country.
My Administration knows that more needs to be done to support these places of higher learning that stand for the ideals of opportunity, dignity, and respect. Despite their many accomplishments, HSIs have been hit hard in recent years. Data show that Hispanic undergraduate enrollment has fallen by 7 percent since the pandemic began, and for the first time in 20 years, the number of these institutions has declined. That is why we are strengthening our commitment to help HSIs provide a pathway to opportunity and economic mobility for their students.
My Administration has invested approximately $11 billion from our American Rescue Plan to keep students and staff at HSIs safe from the COVID-19 pandemic and provide students emergency grants so they can stay enrolled. I also signed a bill to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by the greatest amount in over a decade, which will help approximately half of all Hispanic students, who depend on Pell Grants to pay for college.
