[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]
[[Page 59583]]
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
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89 , No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
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