Senator Whitehouse Highlight $226,000 in Federal Funding to Help Ensure Success of Latino College Students at RIC
Providence, RI – On Monday, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse joined Rhode Island College (RIC) President Jack Warner to celebrate $226,000 in federal funding to support the college’s federal designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).
Whitehouse secured the FY2023 earmark to help RIC launch a HSI capacity building initiative to help Hispanic and Latino college students succeed. Funding will also support the development of a Latino Policy Institute report analyzing barriers and opportunities in higher education for Hispanic and Latino students in Rhode Island, and exploring how RIC can leverage its HSI status to address enrollment, retention, and equity gaps that may exist.
RIC became the first institution of higher education in Rhode Island to earn federal HSI status in 2022. About 25 percent of full-time undergraduate students at Rhode Island College identify as Hispanic or Latino.
