August 22, 2014

Lujan Announces $650,000 Grant in Support of Hispanic-Serving Institutions for UNM-Taos

Santa Fe, NM – Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District announced today that the University of New Mexico-Taos has been selected to receive nearly $650,000 through the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program.  The program, which is administered through the U.S. Department of Education, provides competitive grants to help HSIs expand educational opportunities for Hispanic students and enhance their academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability.  To be designated an HSI, an institution must have an undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment of at least 25 percent Hispanic students.

“UNM-Taos has provided a strong educational foundation for the many students it has served,” Congressman Luján said.  “This grant will support its efforts to provide more students with a quality education and enhance the opportunities for distance learning – opportunities that are an essential component for students in rural communities.”

UNM-Taos will receive $649,492 in the first year of a five-year project period that ends in 2019.  The college will partner with Adams State College in southern Colorado and New Mexico Highlands University to address barriers of geography, distance, and under-funded K-16 education systems that have impacted access to postsecondary opportunities for residents in the region.  The project is focused on increasing the number of Hispanics and other students enrolling and succeeding in programs at the three schools, increasing the number of distance education courses available to students in northern New Mexico, and increasing the retention, success and graduation rates of students at each institution.

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