Biden has made access to affordable education a cornerstone of his presidential tenure, and he reinforced that position by calling for an increase in Pell Grants and a further increase in “our record investments in HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] and Hispanic and Minority Serving Institutions [HSIs and MSIs].”

Scholars say that they were pleased by the president’s mention of these institutions and hope to see his call to action translate into increased funding for these under-resourced yet high-achieving institutions.

“[The speech] was very fiery,” said Dr. Pietro A. Sasso, an associate professor of higher education at Delaware State University, an HBCU in Dover. “That tone and fervor carried over when he talked about HBCUs and MSIs and HSIs. He was just as passionate and bold when he was talking about that in the same way he talked about other crises. It’s not just student loans, it’s trying to engage in addressing the structural funding inequities.”

Dr. Royel M. Johnson, professor at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California (USC) and director of the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates in the USC Race and Equity Center, said that Biden’s call for more investments “hopefully signifies that [his administration] will double down on their commitment to these institutions, given their vital role to our society and democracy.”