USDA To Strengthen Hispanic-Serving Higher Education Institutions

The USDA has announced a $12 million investment to Hispanic-serving Institutions of higher education. This announcement was part of a launch of the first in a series of virtual roundtable engagement sessions with Minority-serving Institutions and Land-grant Universities serving underrepresented students.

“We recognize and value the multifaceted contributions of our nation’s Hispanic-serving Institutions, which educate more than 3.2 million students every year across the country. USDA has the great privilege of partnering with Hispanic-serving Institutions, and Minority-serving Institutions as a whole, to advance scientific research, develop future agricultural leaders and, we hope, cultivate the next generation of USDA employees,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

During a recent virtual roundtable engagement session, USDA leaders emphasized their commitment to advancing investments in innovative research and partnerships with academic institutions critical to building an agricultural workforce and research infrastructure that meet the needs of the diverse populations we serve.

HSI leaders present at the roundtable today represented institutions that received funding as part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Hispanic-serving Institutions Education Grants Program that enhances student learning experiences and opportunities across the agriculture sector.

Investments include institutions located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Texas.

The $12 million investment to Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs) will help strengthen their ability to attract, retain and graduate underrepresented students pursuing careers in agriculture, natural resources and human sciences.