The House of Representatives held a hearing this week to discuss the role of Hispanic-Serving Institutions and other Minority-Serving Institutions in providing higher education for all, and to determine how these institutions are using their resources to serve students.  Committee members also sought to determine what actions Congress might take to better help these institutions serve their students.  

The hearing was the second in a series of hearings to be conducted by the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment of the House Committee on Education and Labor dedicated to examining the role of universities that are dedicated to serving historically underserved students. 

The witnesses consisted of representatives from two Hispanic-Serving Institutions, one Predominantly Black Institution, and one Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. All witnesses shared the success of their institutions and some mentioned the need to double the Pell Grant, provide more funding to MSIs, and continue to simplify the FAFSA. Members of Congress spoke to the importance of these institutions but some also expressed the need for accountability of taxpayer funds. The topic of student loan debt was also discussed and what MSIs are doing to combat the issue.