[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 177 (Wednesday, September 14, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 56241-56242]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20004]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 177 / Wednesday, September 14, 2022 
/ Presidential Documents  

[[Page 56241]]


                Proclamation 10443 of September 9, 2022

                
National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                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 
                Garc[iacute]a, 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. Garc[iacute]a 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.

                Additionally, to address the financial harms of the 
                pandemic, my Administration is providing up to $20,000 
                in debt relief as part of a comprehensive effort to 
                address the burden of growing college costs. This 
                action will have a significant impact on Hispanic 
                borrowers, given that among Hispanic undergraduate 
                borrowers, 65 percent receive Pell Grants. My 
                Administration is also working to fix the broken Public 
                Service Loan Forgiveness program by giving public 
                servants--many of whom are educators at HSIs and 
                alumni--appropriate credit toward forgiveness. These 
                proposed changes build on the transformations already 
                made with the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program 
                that expire on October 31, 2022. For more information, 
                please visit PSLF.gov.

                I have reestablished the White House Initiative on 
                Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic 
                Opportunity for Hispanics. And since my Administration 
                began, the First Lady and the Secretary of Education 
                have visited HSIs across our Nation to support efforts 
                to keep students engaged, enrolled, and moving toward 
                the completion of a degree or certificate.

[[Page 56242]]

                There is still much more work to be done. We have a 
                long way to go to fulfill the full potential of 
                America, and my Administration sees HSIs as a critical 
                gateway to making that promise a reality. I am 
                proposing that we double the maximum Pell Grant amount 
                by 2029 and continue to make higher education more 
                affordable for all Americans. I am also requesting 
                increased funding from the Congress to help 
                Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal 
                Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving 
                institutions, such as HSIs, expand their research and 
                development infrastructure and strengthen their 
                curricula in science, technology, and agriculture.

                Every day, Hispanic Americans contribute immensely to 
                our Nation's economy, security, and culture. It is our 
                duty to ensure that the next generation of Hispanic 
                students can make the most of their God-given talents. 
                During National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, we 
                recommit our support for the institutions helping to 
                make this promise a reality.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 11 
                through September 17, 2022, as National Hispanic-
                Serving Institutions Week. I call on public officials, 
                educators, and all the people of the United States to 
                observe this week with appropriate programs, 
                ceremonies, and activities that acknowledge the many 
                ways these institutions and their graduates contribute 
                to our country.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-20004
Filed 9-13-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P