[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 29 (Monday, February 12, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9739-9740]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02934]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 29 / Monday, February 12, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 9739]]

                Proclamation 10701 of February 6, 2024

                
National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week, 
                2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                I have always believed that the promise of America is 
                big enough for everyone to succeed and that it is each 
                generation's responsibility to open the doors of 
                opportunity just a little bit wider to include those 
                who have been left behind. During National Tribal 
                Colleges and Universities Week, we honor and celebrate 
                these critical institutions for doing just that: 
                providing opportunities for students and their 
                communities throughout Indian Country.

                A quality education can transform lives and give 
                students the power to shape their future. But we know 
                that not everyone has a fair shot at pursuing higher 
                education--including many Native American students. We 
                know that promoting educational opportunities is all 
                the more important for Native people, after over a 
                century of Federal assimilation policies that used 
                education as a tool of cultural and physical violence--
                devastating Native communities and ripping Native 
                families apart. We have seen time and again that Tribal 
                Colleges and Universities uplift Native American 
                students through culturally grounded education and put 
                them on a path toward a brighter future. That is why my 
                Administration has been working relentlessly to provide 
                these institutions with the support they need to 
                thrive.

                During my first year in office, I was proud to issue an 
                Executive Order on the White House Initiative on 
                Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic 
                Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening 
                Tribal Colleges and Universities. This initiative 
                directs the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of 
                the Interior, and the Secretary of Labor to collaborate 
                with leaders from Tribal Nations to advance educational 
                equity, excellence, and economic opportunity for Native 
                American students. We are also investing millions of 
                dollars to provide Tribal Colleges and Universities 
                with the resources they deserve.

                My Administration has also been working to make higher 
                education more affordable for all students. To date, we 
                have worked with the Congress to increase the maximum 
                Pell Grant by $900--making it easier for millions of 
                students to pay for school. We have also fixed the 
                Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to ensure that 
                students who become public servants receive the debt 
                relief they are entitled to under the law. Through our 
                Saving on a Valuable Education Plan, we are cutting 
                payments for undergraduate loans in half, providing 
                early forgiveness to many borrowers with low balance 
                loans, and saving the typical borrower around $1,000 
                per year. We are pursuing new actions to relieve the 
                burden of student debt for as many borrowers as we can, 
                as fast as we can.

                Every child in America has a dream. It is our 
                responsibility to give them the opportunity to make 
                those dreams a reality. This National Tribal Colleges 
                and Universities Week, let us recommit to supporting 
                these centers of academic excellence as they empower 
                young Native American leaders to pursue their loftiest 
                ambitions and build an America we can all be proud of.

                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 February 4 
                through February 10, 2024, as National Tribal Colleges 
                and Universities Week.

[[Page 9740]]

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

[FR Doc. 2024-02934
Filed 2-9-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P