Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are degree-granting institutions that have a full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment of not less than 25 percent Hispanic students; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions play an important role in educating many underprivileged students and helping those students attain their full potential through higher education; Whereas more than 470 Hispanic-Serving Institutions operate in the United States; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions represent just 13 percent of all nonprofit institutions of higher education, yet serve more than 63 percent of all Hispanic undergraduate students, enrolling, in 2014, more than 1,750,000 Hispanic undergraduate students and more than 86,000 Hispanic graduate students; Whereas the number of emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions , defined as institutions that do not yet meet the threshold of 25 percent Hispanic enrollment but serve a Hispanic student population of between 15 and 24 percent, grew to more than 300 colleges and universities in 2014; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are located in 18 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions are located in 33 States and the District of Columbia; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are actively involved in stabilizing and improving the communities in which the institutions are located; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are leading efforts to increase Hispanic participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; Whereas celebrating the vast contributions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to the United States strengthens the culture of the United States; and Whereas the achievements and goals of Hispanic-Serving Institutions deserve national recognition: Now, therefore, be it