MISSION, Texas - Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, gave the keynote speech at the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Latina Leadership Conference.
The event was held at Mission Event Center.
In her speech, Murguía said she is concerned about the direction the country is going in. One of her concerns is a reduction in federal funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions like UT-Rio Grande Valley.
Murguía said: “Just last month, the Trump administration announced it would be ending federal support for our country's Hispanic serving institutions, the colleges and universities that largely serve our Latino students.
“We have to be aware and informed of what the results and impact of these decisions are. These institutions are the backbone of higher education in their communities, including the Rio Grande Valley. Universities like UTRGV have educated generations of Latino and Latina students in South Texas.
“HSIs have provided an avenue to higher education that is too often unavailable to many of our students. In fact, two thirds of all Hispanic undergraduates attend an HSI.
“The loss of federal funding will devastate students and will further devastate the economy of South Texas. We need Congress to restore funding for these vital institutions and programs.”
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of Janet Murguía’s speech at the 2025 Latina Leadership Conference:
