[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 59585-59589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16225]



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Vol. 89

Monday,

No. 140

July 22, 2024

Part III





The President





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Executive Order 14124--White House Initiative on Advancing Educational 
Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Hispanic-Serving 
Institutions
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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 89 , No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Executive Order 14124 of July 17, 2024

                
White House Initiative on Advancing Educational 
                Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through 
                Hispanic-Serving Institutions

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, and in order to advance equity in economic and 
                educational opportunities, strengthen the capacity of 
                Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to provide a high-
                quality education, increase opportunities for these 
                institutions to participate in and benefit from Federal 
                programs, and ensure that HSIs can continue to be 
                engines of educational opportunity and economic 
                mobility, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. Hispanic-Serving Institutions have a 
                history of expanding educational opportunities for 
                generations of Hispanic and Latino students. As defined 
                in section 502(a)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 
                1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)), HSIs are institutions of 
                higher education that have an enrollment of at least 25 
                percent Hispanic undergraduate full-time-equivalent 
                students and satisfy other criteria, including with 
                respect to enrollment of needy students and 
                expenditures per full-time-equivalent undergraduate 
                student.

                Today, more than 500 HSIs, located in 27 States, the 
                District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, serve more than 
                4.7 million students annually. Hispanic-Serving 
                Institutions vary in size; support a range of academic 
                interests; and serve urban, rural, and suburban 
                communities. Over half of Hispanic and Latino 
                postsecondary students in America attend an HSI, and 
                nearly 40 percent of those students attend a 2-year 
                HSI. Hispanic-Serving Institutions serve a significant 
                number of students from low-income backgrounds. 
                Students enrolled at HSIs account for approximately 30 
                percent of all Pell Grant recipients, even though these 
                colleges and universities make up only 13 percent of 
                all postsecondary degree-granting institutions. 
                Further, HSIs can play a critical role in fostering 
                diversity in science, technology, engineering, and 
                mathematics fields. Notably, 69 percent of doctoral 
                students in HSIs are enrolled in science- and 
                engineering-related degrees, highlighting the 
                significant role HSIs can play in ensuring a workforce 
                that meets the Nation's evolving needs in technical 
                fields.

                As Hispanic and Latino college enrollment has grown to 
                historic levels over the last few decades, so has the 
                number of HSIs, making HSIs' success vital to the 
                strength of the Nation. These institutions are creating 
                and implementing evidence-based practices that lead to 
                Hispanic and Latino student success.

                Despite the fact that HSIs represent a large and fast-
                growing segment of the Nation's colleges and 
                universities, per-student Federal funding at HSIs is 25 
                percent less than at other degree-granting 
                institutions. Over the last 30 years, the number of 
                HSIs has more than doubled and Hispanic or Latino 
                student enrollment at HSIs has more than tripled. But 
                per-student Federal funding at HSIs remains low 
                compared to degree-granting institutions generally, and 
                many HSIs report having unmet physical and digital 
                infrastructure needs. This scarcity of resources often 
                leaves HSIs at a disadvantage when compared with 
                better-resourced institutions. Students, faculty, and 
                staff at under-resourced HSIs often face challenges in 
                accessing the resources they need to excel.

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                Despite these funding disparities, research has shown 
                that HSIs tend to do more for Hispanic and Latino 
                student success than non-HSI colleges and 
                universities--and do so with fewer resources. Many HSIs 
                are leaders in promoting economic mobility for Hispanic 
                and Latino students, including by closing college 
                access, completion, and success gaps. Hispanic-Serving 
                Institutions could further improve outcomes for 
                students if they were adequately funded. The Federal 
                Government must strengthen the capacity of HSIs to 
                improve and expand their reach, while recognizing that 
                HSIs face discrete challenges and opportunities that 
                reflect their history and the communities they serve.

                As set forth in Executive Order 14045 of September 13, 
                2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational 
                Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for 
                Hispanics), the Federal Government must collaborate 
                with Hispanic and Latino communities to ensure their 
                long-term success, including by eliminating barriers to 
                Federal funding and strengthening the capacity of HSIs. 
                This order builds on those policies by establishing the 
                White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, 
                Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Hispanic-
                Serving Institutions and the President's Board of 
                Advisors on Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

                It is the policy of my Administration to advance 
                educational equity, excellence, and economic 
                opportunity through strong partnerships with HSIs to 
                ensure that they have access to Federal resources to 
                help current and future generations of students 
                succeed. The Federal Government must collaborate with 
                HSIs and the students, families, and communities they 
                serve to address and overcome barriers that may impede 
                educational attainment and upward economic mobility. 
                Strengthening the capacity of the Nation's HSIs is 
                critical to fulfilling that objective.

                Sec. 2. White House Initiative on Advancing Educational 
                Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through 
                Hispanic-Serving Institutions. (a) In furtherance of 
                the policy set forth in section 1 of this order, there 
                is established within the Department of Education 
                (Department) the White House Initiative on Advancing 
                Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic 
                Opportunity Through Hispanic-Serving Institutions 
                (Initiative), of which the Secretary of Education 
                (Secretary) shall serve as Chair. The Secretary shall 
                designate an Executive Director for the Initiative 
                (Executive Director). The Executive Director shall 
                manage the day-to-day operations of the Initiative, in 
                consultation with the Assistant to the President and 
                Director of the White House Office of Public 
                Engagement, as appropriate, and coordinate with senior 
                officials in the Executive Office of the President, who 
                shall lend their expertise and advice to the 
                Initiative.

                    (b) The Initiative shall advance educational 
                equity, excellence, and economic opportunity through 
                HSIs by focusing on the following goals:

(i) identifying and promoting the availability of Federal programs and 
resources to enhance HSIs' educational capacity, including with respect to 
research and infrastructure development, while also breaking down barriers 
and expanding pathways for HSIs to access such programs and resources;

(ii) identifying best practices for HSIs on developing, implementing, 
expanding, and sustaining strategies, programs, and initiatives that 
support the educational success and economic mobility of their students;

(iii) improving the ability of HSIs to align their program offerings with 
the Nation's economic needs and promote opportunities for careers in 
critical professions, with an emphasis on increasing the number of students 
preparing for careers in in-demand and high-wage fields, such as science, 
technology, engineering, and math, as well as teaching, including bilingual 
and multilingual education;

(iv) coordinating efforts to improve the fiscal security of HSIs;

(v) developing new relationships, and fostering collaboration, among HSIs 
and philanthropic organizations, public- and private-sector organizations,

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elementary and secondary education providers, labor unions, and other 
entities to improve postsecondary affordability and degree attainment, 
pathways for students to enroll in HSIs, career preparation at HSIs, and 
employment opportunities that advance economic mobility for HSI students 
and graduates;

(vi) strengthening Federal recruitment activities at HSIs to build 
accessible and equitable pathways into Federal career opportunities for HSI 
students, faculty, staff, and alumni;

(vii) encouraging HSIs, as institutions that provide students with degrees 
that lead to upward economic mobility, to participate in Federal 
policymaking processes;

(viii) encouraging the development of highly qualified, diverse, 
multilingual, and culturally responsive educators who support and instruct 
HSI students and contribute to effectively meeting those students' social, 
emotional, and academic needs; and

(ix) providing data, tools, and analytics to support HSIs in improving 
educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity for students.

                    (c) On an annual basis, the Executive Director, in 
                consultation with the Assistant to the President for 
                Domestic Policy, shall report to the President on the 
                Initiative's progress in carrying out its mission and 
                function under this order.
                    (d) The Executive Director shall meet regularly 
                with HSI students, leaders, and other representatives 
                to discuss matters related to the Initiative's mission 
                and function.
                    (e) The Department shall provide funding and 
                administrative support for the Initiative to the extent 
                permitted by law and within existing appropriations. To 
                the extent permitted by law, including the Economy Act 
                (31 U.S.C. 1535), and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations, other executive departments and 
                agencies (agencies) and offices may detail personnel to 
                the Initiative to assist the Department in meeting the 
                objectives of this order.
                    (f) To advance shared priorities and policies that 
                advance educational equity, excellence, and economic 
                opportunity through HSIs, the Initiative shall 
                collaborate and coordinate with other White House 
                Initiatives, including by sharing best practices on 
                improving student success--including the success of 
                Hispanic and Latino students--between HSIs and other 
                institutions of higher education.

                Sec. 3. President's Board of Advisors on Hispanic-
                Serving Institutions. (a) In furtherance of the policy 
                described in section 1 of this order, there is 
                established within the Department the President's Board 
                of Advisors on Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Board).

                    (b) The Board shall consist of not more than 21 
                members, appointed by the President, and may include 
                individuals who serve as representatives of their 
                respective organizations and institutions, such as 
                educational institutions, educational advocacy 
                organizations, labor organizations, research 
                institutions, public and private philanthropic 
                organizations, private-sector organizations, nonprofit 
                organizations, and community-based organizations. 
                Members of the Board should be knowledgeable about the 
                experiences of those who attend, work for, and work to 
                strengthen HSIs.
                    (c) The President shall designate one member of the 
                Board to serve as its Chair, and may designate another 
                member of the Board to serve as Vice Chair. The Chair, 
                in consultation with the Executive Director of the 
                Initiative, shall convene regular meetings of the 
                Board, determine the Board meeting agenda, and support 
                the work of the Board consistent with this order.
                    (d) The Department shall provide funding and 
                administrative support for the Board to the extent 
                permitted by law and within existing appropriations. 
                Members of the Board shall serve without compensation, 
                but may

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                be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu 
                of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons 
                serving intermittently in the Government service (5 
                U.S.C. 5701-5707). Insofar as chapter 10 of title 5, 
                United States Code (commonly known as the Federal 
                Advisory Committee Act), may apply to the Board, any 
                functions of the President under that Act, except that 
                of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the 
                Secretary, in accordance with guidelines issued by the 
                Administrator of General Services.
                    (e) The Board shall provide advice to the President 
                through the Secretary on how to advance the policy 
                goals set forth in section 2(b) of this order, 
                including with respect to:

(i) increasing the visibility of and participation by HSIs in Federal 
policymaking, including participation in Federal grant review processes;

(ii) providing HSIs, including those that have newly satisfied the criteria 
for the statutory definition, information about and access to Federal 
programs and Federal resources;

(iii) supporting the development of institutions on an enrollment 
trajectory to become an HSI, such as through mentorship with existing HSIs 
and sharing of best practices on how to improve the fiscal security of 
HSIs; and

(iv) establishing partnerships between HSIs and philanthropic 
organizations, public- and private-sector organizations, elementary and 
secondary education schools and their school districts, and labor unions.

                    (f) The Board shall periodically report to the 
                President, through the Secretary and after consulting 
                with the Executive Director, on the Board's progress in 
                carrying out its mission and function under this order.

                Sec. 4. Administrative Provisions. (a) As used in this 
                order, the terms ``Hispanic-Serving Institutions'' and 
                ``HSIs'' mean those institutions that meet the 
                definition of ``Hispanic-serving institution'' in 
                section 502(a)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
                (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)).

                    (b) The heads of agencies shall assist and provide 
                information to the Initiative and the Board established 
                in this order, consistent with applicable law, as may 
                be necessary to carry out the functions of the 
                Initiative and the Board.
                    (c) Each agency shall bear its own expenses of 
                participating in the Initiative established in this 
                order.

                Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

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                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    July 17, 2024.

[FR Doc. 2024-16225
Filed 7-19-24; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P