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- Sami Edge | The Oregonian/OregonLive
With some fanfare this spring, Western Oregon University became the state’s first public university designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.
The distinction, which requires Hispanic or Latino student enrollment to hit at least 25%, typically allows such institutions to qualify for federal grants to better serve their students.
But Western Oregon University won’t get that aid. The U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it was canceling 2025 grants to designated minority-serving institutions, arguing that the grants “discriminate” by benefiting colleges and universities that have met a particular quota of minority student enrollment.
The federal government will stop funding about $350 million worth of grants for institutions that serve large populations of Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students, Black students, Asian American and Pacific Islander students, Native American students and Hispanic or Latino students.
Western Oregon University had not yet received any grants as a Hispanic-Serving Institution because its designation was so recent, spokesperson Maureen Brakke said last week. Grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions help colleges and universities boost student retention and graduation rates, she said. At Western, more than 50% of the students are among the first in their families to attend college.
"The loss of HSI programs and the opportunity to apply for grants related to this will not change the high-quality student services we provide to our entire student body," Brakke said, “Or our commitment to maintaining a diverse learning environment where our students feel a sense of belonging and pride.”
A 2024 report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association found that minority-serving institutions “have a track record of being engines of upward mobility that lift college students from lower income distributions at higher rates.”
Portland State University, which was Oregon’s first university designated as an Asian American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, got word last week that the federal government is canceling the remainder of its $1.9 million grant, which the university expected to be paid out in installments over several more years, spokesperson Katy Swordfisk said.
Betty Izumi, who directs projects funded by the grant, said the money helped the university hire a Pacific Islander studies scholar to craft new courses and launched a support program for first-generation Pacific Islander students.
The university is looking for ways to keep funding the initiatives in the coming year to “avoid disrupting vital student services,” she said.
“These initiatives empowered our Pacific Islander and Asian American students and had a positive impact on our entire campus community,” Izumi said in a written statement. “We remain committed to our mission of serving students and fostering equitable opportunities through education and community building.”
Sami Edge covers higher education and politics for The Oregonian. You can reach her at sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430.
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