Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education moved to end discretionary funding, appropriated by Congress, for minority-serving institution grant programs, including Hispanic-serving institutions. This action is deeply disappointing.
Even more troubling, the move comes before the courts have resolved the lawsuit challenging the legality of Hispanic-serving institutions and other minority-serving institution designations.
Acting prematurely not only undermines confidence in the process but also raises questions about the unique roles and powers of the legislative and executive branches — questions best left to legislative leaders and lawyers.
As an educational institution, our focus is on what the department’s action does in practice.
Most immediately, it creates a fiscal challenge for the hundreds of colleges and universities that utilize minority-serving institution grant programs to ensure effective and impactful service to students. The immediate loss of funding will diminish the quality and scope of programs and services available to students across the nation.
Congress created these programs because it recognized that minority-serving institutions serve large populations of disadvantaged students and, by virtue of that mission, often operate with fewer resources than their peers. This decision disregards that reality.
At the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx, our Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant has made possible new faculty fellowships, undergraduate research opportunities, expanded STEM support and student mentoring programs.
These investments improve outcomes not only for Hispanic students, who comprise one-third of our Riverdale undergraduates, but for all first-degree students on our campus.
It is important to understand what the Hispanic-serving institutions designation is — and what it is not.
Hispanic-serving institution status does not provide race-based preferences in admission. Rather, it ensures that institutions already enrolling large numbers of Hispanic students have the opportunity to receive federal support through competitive grant programs. If awarded, the Hispanic-serving institutions then use grant funds to better serve all students.
Nationwide, Hispanic-serving institutions enroll more than two-thirds of all Hispanic undergraduates. But the benefits extend across demographics — through academic mentorship, financial aid counseling, career development, and more.
In fact, among private, nonprofit colleges and universities, 30 percent of undergraduate students are enrolled at a Hispanic-serving institution.
Beyond the immediate financial impact, the Department’s action creates an inflection point about values and priorities.
The minority-serving institution grant programs were established to advance equity in higher education as a pathway to lifelong socio-economic mobility. Hispanic-serving institutions in particular were created because, as the Department of Education’s own data affirms, Hispanic students are more likely to be first-generation college students and to face financial, linguistic, and cultural barriers to higher education.
The institutions that receive these awards — including my university — have demonstrated their commitment and ability to address the needs of students and make such opportunities possible.
At the University of Mount Saint Vincent, half of our students receive Pell Grants, nearly half are the first in their families to attend college and we are nationally recognized for social mobility and economic diversity. Our graduates leave not only with strong academic preparation but with purpose and professional readiness.
Our mission recognizes the dignity of every human person. That means remaining steadfast in ensuring access to life-changing education, particularly for those historically excluded from it.
We call on congressional leaders and our colleagues across higher education to defend minority-serving institution funding and to reaffirm our shared commitment to equity.
Susan R. Burns, Ph.D., is president of the University of Mount Saint Vincent.