National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2010

Proclamation 8566 of September 17, 2010

National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Education is critical to our children's future and to
the continued growth and prosperity of our Nation. To
maintain our leadership in the global economy, we have
an obligation to provide a high-quality education to
our children and ensure they can obtain higher
education and job training. Currently, Hispanics are
the largest and fastest growing minority group in our
Nation, and they have been a vital force of innovation
and development. As we look to deliver a world-class
education that will determine America's success in the
21st century, we must ensure Hispanics have access to
the resources and tools needed to compete and thrive.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are key members of
our higher education system and vital sources of
strength for our Nation's students. They play an
important role in attracting underrepresented Americans
to science, technology, engineering, and math--fields
that will be pivotal in the 21st-century economy. HSIs
are committed to improving the lives of their students
as well as helping revitalize the communities where
they serve. Graduates of these institutions are helping
expand our economy and enriching all aspects of our
national life.

To prepare the next generation of great American
leaders, my Administration has set a goal to have the
highest proportion of college graduates in the world by
2020. Enhancing educational opportunities for Hispanics
will be vital to achieving this objective, and we will
need the continued leadership of our HSIs to increase
the enrollment, retention, and graduation rates of our
Hispanic students. Working together, we will open doors
of opportunity for all our children and help them
succeed on a global stage.

This week, we celebrate the contributions of the more
than 200 Hispanic-Serving Institutions in communities
across our country, and we recognize the students,
alumni, parents, teachers, and school leaders whose
vision and dedication has brightened countless futures.
We will need their dreams and hard work, ideas and
talents, perseverance and daring in the days ahead to
build a stronger, more prosperous tomorrow for our
Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 19 through
September 25, 2010, as National Hispanic-Serving
Institutions Week. I call upon all public officials,
educators, and people of the United States to observe
this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities that acknowledge the contributions these
institutions and their graduates have made to our
country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.