The University of Hawaii is facing significant federal funding cuts to programs supporting Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian American students after the U.S. Department of Education announced this week that it will no longer provide hundreds of millions of dollars under its Minority-Serving Institutions grant program.
The decision could affect dozens of programs, hundreds of staff positions and thousands of students across the University of Hawaii system, school officials said.
“This is a deeply concerning development raising important questions for all 10 campuses. It will affect all of our students, the programs that support them and the dedicated staff who carry out this work,” UH President Wendy Hensel said in an open letter this week to the school community. “(The DOE) announcement in no way diminishes the value or importance of that work. Like many in the UH ‘ohana, I am deeply saddened by this development.”
UH officials declined Friday to offer details on how much money will be lost and which programs would be affected.
“We are actively assessing the impact on each UH campus and program, and we will share campus-specific details as soon as they are available,” Hensel said in her letter.
About $350 million in DOE discretionary funds were expected to be distributed in fiscal year 2025, which ends Sept. 30, across seven grant programs including those benefiting predominantly Black institutions, and those serving Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics.
U.S. DOE officials said in the announcement that the termination of discretionary funding follows a determination by the U.S. Solicitor General that similar Hispanic-Serving Institutions programs “violate the equal-protection component of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause,” and that the Department of Justice would not defend them in ongoing litigation because “race-based eligibility requirements in Minority- Serving Institution programs are unconstitutional.”
“Discrimination based upon race or ethnicity has no place in the United States,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a news release. “Diversity is not merely the presence of a skin color. Stereotyping an individual based on immutable characteristics diminishes the full picture of that person’s life and contributions, including their character, resiliency, and merit.”
Hensel said DOE discretionary grants for Alaska Native and Native Hawaii-Serving Institutions and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions will end on Sept. 30.
DOE officials said they plan to reallocate these funds to programs that do not use racial or ethnic quotas and that align with other administration priorities. Mandatory funding for similar programs, totaling about $132 million, will continue for now, though its long-term future is still under review, DOE said.
Hensel said UH remains committed to the preservation and advancement of Hawaiian knowledge and language. “It is central to our mission as a Native Hawaiian place of learning and an Indigenous-serving institution, as articulated in our system and campus strategic plans,” she wrote.
McMahon added that DOE plans to work with Congress to redesign programs that help underprepared or under-resourced students without relying on racial or ethnic quotas.
Minority-Serving Institutions were created under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand access to higher education for historically underrepresented groups, including Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, Black, Hispanic and Asian American and Pacific Islander students. The programs provide support for tutoring, mentoring, STEM and research programs, cultural enrichment and faculty development.
Eligibility for these grants has historically been tied to enrollment quotas of specific racial or ethnic groups:
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions must have at least 10% Native Hawaiian or 20% Alaska Native students.
• Asian American- and Native American Pacific Islander- Serving Institutions require a minimum of 10% Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander students.
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions require at least 25% Hispanic enrollment.
• Strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions requires at least 40% Black student enrollment.
• Minority Science and Engineering Improvement programs require at least 50% minority enrollment.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticized the DOE’s decision, saying it prioritizes political agendas over students and creates disruption in schools nationwide, the New York Times reported.
Murray emphasized that the action highlights the need for Congress to maintain control over how taxpayer dollars are spent, rather than allowing decisions to be made by the administration.
Supporters say the programs have helped historically underrepresented students overcome financial, academic and social barriers to higher education. Many students at UH have relied on the support provided by these discretionary grants for tutoring, counseling, internships and cultural programs, they say.
Hensel wrote, “In the days ahead, campus leaders will identify programs that have been terminated or are at risk and implement contingency plans to sustain high-priority student services. We will provide regular updates to students, faculty and staff as more information becomes available and as federal guidance evolves.”
Source: The Garden Island