[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9320 of September 11, 2015

National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our higher education system is one of the crown jewels of our Nation,
and investing in it is a hallmark of America. In an economy where
knowledge is the most valuable asset, the best way to get ahead and
ensure mobility to the middle class is to earn a college degree.
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) help make the promise a college
education provides a reality for many Hispanic students across our
country, enabling them to secure a better future for themselves and
their families. This week, let us recognize the tremendous impact these
institutions have and rededicate ourselves to continuing our support of
their valuable work.
An education can broaden horizons and empower us to be better people and
better citizens, and no one should be left out of that opportunity.
Roughly one-quarter of students in our Nation's public schools today are
Hispanic, yet less than one-fifth of Hispanics in the United States have
a college degree. HSIs help address this disparity, moving us closer to
the day when we have the highest proportion of college graduates in the
world. HSIs serve more than half of our Nation's undergraduate
Hispanics, and they work to provide more Americans--especially low- and
middle-income students--with the chance to thrive in an institution of
higher learning.
Hispanics are projected to account for almost one-third of our Nation's
population by 2060, and ensuring they have access to the best edu

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cation possible is important to securing America's success. In the last
few years, we have seen the dropout rates for Hispanics significantly
decrease, while college enrollment has steadily risen. But more work
remains to be done to ensure all our people can realize the American
dream, and that is why my Administration has pledged $1 billion in
funding over the course of this decade to support HSIs. Additionally, I
announced a plan that would open doors of opportunity for millions of
people by making community college free for responsible students willing
to work hard--because in America, nobody should be denied a college
education simply because they do not have the resources to pay for it.
At the heart of our country is a basic bargain: that with determination
and grit, you can get ahead--no matter who you are, what you look like,
or where you come from. By working to provide many Hispanics with the
chance they deserve to get a higher education, HSIs embody this truth
and pull the country we all call home a little closer to its founding
ideals: that all of us are created equal and all of us should have the
chance to make of our lives what we will. This week, let us recommit to
strengthening these institutions and pledge our support to all who
attend them.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 14 through
September 20, 2015, 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 eleventh day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA