Secretary Cardona joins President Biden to Celebrate Executive Order Supporting Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Awards Nearly $19 Million to HSIs in New Grants

Today, Secretary Cardona joined President Biden for an event celebrating Executive Order (EO) 14214, establishing the first-ever White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) alongside close to two dozen champions for these institutions. President Biden and Vice President Harris also announced nearly $19 million in transformational research infrastructure investments for five HSIs in Florida, Illinois, Texas, and Puerto Rico through the U.S. Department of Education’s Research and Development Infrastructure Program (RDI), which is providing a total of $49 million in funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).

To remain the most competitive economy in the world, the nation’s most inclusive institutions of higher education that play a central role in educating students from diverse backgrounds must continue to lead in research and development. To advance this goal, the RDI grant program provides funds to HBCUs, TCCUs, and MSIs —including HSIs— to implement transformational investments in research infrastructure, including research productivity, faculty expertise, graduate programs, physical infrastructure, human capital development, and partnerships leading to increases in external funding.

Grants are being awarded to five HBCUs, three TCCUs, and five HSIs. 

“If we want America to remain the most competitive economy in the world, then we need our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and other Minority-Serving Institutions to be on the cutting-edge of research and development,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “These awards – totaling more than $49 million – are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued efforts to fight funding inequities and ensure our nation’s most inclusive institutions have the infrastructure needed to drive innovation, forge new partnerships, and prepare their students for success in today’s fastest-growing fields.”

These RDI awards are in addition to the billions of dollars in historic investments already made by the Biden-Harris Administration in HBCUs, TCCUs and MSIs—including HSIs— and are being announced on the same day as President Biden is welcoming HSI presidents and chancellors in the Oval Office to celebrate the EO, including from new RDI grantees National Louis University and University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus. 

For the 10 HSIs and HBCUs the grant will support these institutions in increasing their level of research activity in alignment with the Carnegie Classification designations to move from the Doctoral and Professional Universities (D/PU) classification toward the Doctoral Universities with High Research Activity (R2) classification, or from the Doctoral Universities with High Research Activity (R2) classification towards the Doctoral Universities with Very High Research Activity (R1) classification. For TCCUs, which have their own Carnegie Classification designation and cannot be classified as R1, R2, or D/PU, the funds will support an increase in research activities, undergraduate research opportunities, faculty development, research development, and infrastructure, including physical infrastructure and human capital development.

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