Presidential Documents

62687 

Federal Register 

Vol. 88, No. 176 

Wednesday, September 13, 2023 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 10619 of September 8, 2023 

National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2023 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Education beyond high school should be a ticket to the middle class— 

and across our Nation, more than 500 Hispanic-Serving Institutions have 

helped to make that promise real, opening the doors of opportunity a bit 

wider for generations of Hispanic college students. During National HispanicServing Institutions Week, we celebrate their important work. 

Today’s students are part of the most talented, resilient, and diverse generation in our history. But while creativity and work ethic are abundant, not 

everyone has an equal shot yet. That is why Hispanic-Serving Institutions 

are so essential. Two-thirds of all Hispanic college students in America 

attend one; they provide a quality education and empower underserved 

students—including Dreamers and first-generation college students—to earn 

degrees and build better lives for their families. And with the Supreme 

Court’s recent decision to effectively end affirmative action, their work is 

as critical as ever. 

My Administration is committed to strengthening these vital institutions 

and supporting their students through graduation and beyond. The American 

Rescue Plan invested $11 billion in Hispanic-Serving Institutions—the largest 

investment in Hispanic college students in our Nation’s history. And through 

our White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, 

and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, we are working together to support 

Hispanic and Latino college students and invest in the future of Hispanic 

and Latino communities. 

We have also increased Pell Grants for low-income families by the largest 

amount in over a decade, easing the overwhelming cost of college for about 

half of all Hispanic undergraduates. We fixed the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so borrowers who become teachers, police officers, social 

workers, military service members and other public servants get the debt 

relief they are entitled to under the law. We are reducing the amount 

that student loan borrowers have to repay on their undergraduate loans 

to 5 percent of their discretionary income each month, down from 10 percent—the most generous repayment program ever. That is going to save 

the typical borrower around $1,000 a year. And last year, I introduced 

the most ambitious student debt relief plan ever, which was on the verge 

of helping more than 40 million Americans. When the Supreme Court wrongly struck down that plan, we moved immediately to open an alternative 

path to relief that could further reduce costs for many Hispanic borrowers. 

No administration has fought harder for student debt relief than mine— 

and we are not done yet. 

This week, I am thinking about Julieta Garcı ́a, the first Hispanic woman 

in history to serve as president of an American college. Last year, I had 

the honor of giving her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work 

building a culture of excellence, affirmation, and curiosity for generations 

of students. Reflecting on her career, she once said, ‘‘My job was always 

to thrust open the doors of opportunity.’’ That is what Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions do—and that is what America is all about: widening the aperture 

of opportunity for everyone. 


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62688 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 176 / Wednesday, September 13, 2023 / Presidential Documents 

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 September 10 through 

September 16, 2023, 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 eighth day 

of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and 

of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 

and forty-eighth. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19921 

Filed 9–12–23; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F3–P 


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