CSU Campuses Reel From Blow to HSI Funding

"California State University, Fresno, celebrated the launch of a new program this fall called Finish in Five, which allows students to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree within five years. University leaders were eager to offer students at the Central Valley campus-which serves large populations of first-generation and low-income students, many the children of local farmworkers-a streamlined pathway to high-demand STEM fields in an economically distressed region."

"But less than a month later, the program's funding, which came from a Hispanic-serving institution grant, abruptly ended. The Education Department stopped awarding grants for HSIs and many other minority-serving institutions last month, claiming the federal programs amounted to "discrimination." Officials argued the programs are "unconstitutional" because they require institutions to enroll certain percentages of students from specific racial or ethnic backgrounds, among other criteria."

"Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president of Fresno State, said he doesn't know what's going to happen to the Finish in Five program now that the money is gone. In the past, the campus relied on about $5 million annually in HSI funding, which fueled a wide range of student supports and programs. The university was also expecting to receive $250,000 this fiscal year as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution."

Finish in Five allows students to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree within five years through a streamlined pathway to high-demand STEM fields serving Central Valley populations of first-generation, low-income, and farmworker-family students. The program's funding came from an HSI grant that ended abruptly after the Education Department stopped awarding grants for HSIs and other MSIs, alleging the programs amounted to "discrimination" and were "unconstitutional" due to enrollment and demographic criteria. Fresno State previously relied on about $5 million annually in HSI funding and expected $250,000 as an AANAPISI this year. With 21 of 22 CSU campuses designated as HSIs and Hispanic students comprising nearly half of system enrollment, the cuts threaten a wide range of student supports and graduation initiatives across the system.

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