Survey reveals unmet digital infrastructure needs

 

POSTED ON Jul 15, 2024

 

In the 2021–2022 school year, 574 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the higher education system of the United States enrolled over 2 million Hispanic students, representing 60 percent of all Hispanic students in college.

Like most colleges, HSIs need to continue investing in their facilities and digital infrastructure to serve their students effectively and safely.

However, a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has highlighted the extensive physical and digital needs at HSIs.

Many HSIs have technology needs, including unmet digital infrastructure needs related to internet access, connectivity, cybersecurity, and hybrid learning efforts.

For instance, at approximately a third of HSIs, more than 10 percent of students cannot reliably connect to the internet off-campus due to affordability issues or lack of appropriate devices.

Moreover, an estimated 74 percent of HSIs have experienced cyberattacks within the previous five years.

While these colleges have invested in hybrid learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent estimate suggests that 90 percent of HSIs offering hybrid courses need assistance in continuing to deliver them based on survey results.

Over the last five years, HSIs have relied on multiple funding sources to address their capital project needs.

These sources often included state capital grants or appropriations for public HSIs and tuition and fees for private HSIs.

However, securing funding for capital projects remains a challenge for many colleges, with insufficient state funding being a prominent concern for an estimated 74 percent of public HSIs.

Furthermore, about three-quarters of private HSIs need assistance with declining tuition and fee revenue.

Although the Department of Education has three grant programs for eligible HSIs, these colleges generally use the funding for other needs, such as student services, according to Education officials.