Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions

In December 2005 legislation known as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Serving Institutions Act (S. 2160) was introduced to the U.S. Senate. If enacted this legislation would establish a federal designation for institutions of higher education serving AAPIs. H.R. 2616 serves as the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representative, which was introduced by Congressman David Wu (OR) back in May 2005.

The legislation provides the U.S. Department of Education with the authority to issue grants of assistance to higher education institutions that have at least 10% AAPI and whereas a significant percentage of students in the institution are low-income. Under current law, the U.S. Department of Education is authorized to issue grants and assistance to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions. Currently, higher education institutions that serve a large population of AAPIs are the only entities that do not have a federal designation. This bill seeks equity by providing increased higher education opportunities for low-income and underserved AAPI students.

Significantly, this legislation provides an incentive for higher education institutions to partner with AAPI community based organizations, and would result in strengthening the infrastructure for federal agencies to address the AAPI community needs.