Today, 576 organizations and institutions of higher education sent a letter to Congress asking them to protect federal student aid as they finish up FY17 appropriations and start working on FY18. U.S PIRG worked in a large coalition representing students, institutions, educators, advocates, and employers to draft and circulate the letter of support. The letter comes after calls by President Trump to cut the Pell grant reserve by a combined $5.2 billion in FY17 and FY18 and multiple proposals in Congress to cut a portion of the Pell grant reserve.
Letter:
Dear Member of Congress,
As you consider funding decisions this year, the 576 undersigned organizations representing students, educators, advocates, consumers, institutions, and employers, write to urge you to protect the federal student loan program and strengthen Pell Grants, which are the nation’s most important investment in higher education.
Recent troubling proposals to significantly cut or eliminate funding for Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), TRIO, GEAR UP and other programs threaten the stability of our nation’s higher education and workforce systems. Federal student aid serves a critical role in preserving access to higher education, and enabling student success at a time when postsecondary education has never been more necessary to support the American economy.
The federal government has long played a key role in ensuring that our nation has a highly-skilled workforce and individuals are able to pursue their higher education goals. That commitment has helped previous generations afford college and attain their educational and career goals. Continuing this commitment is even more imperative now that education beyond the high school level is critical to success in the workforce. Nearly all new jobs created in our economy require some postsecondary education, and these jobs represent the kinds of high-wage, high quality employment that builds prosperity and reduces demand on government services.
At a time when many in our nation are deeply worried about jobs and wages, education and career training provide the surest pathway to secure, high-income employment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in January 2017 the unemployment rate for workers with only a high school diploma was 5.9 percent, compared to 3.7 percent for those with an associate and just 2.5 percent for those with a bachelor’s or graduate/professional degree.
Federal student aid, including access to federal student loans and Pell grants, has been a remarkably effective tool for strengthening America’s economy and society for generations. Federal programs for college students date back to World War II, and have enjoyed strong bipartisan support ever since. As you consider the best ways to meet the needs of our country, we ask that you continue this support for our nation’s economy by opposing any attempts to cut or reallocate funds away from federal student aid programs.
On behalf of:
“I Have A Dream” Foundation
“I Have A Dream” Foundation Dallas
10,000 Degrees
Academic Success Program Dallas
Achieve Atlanta
ACT Center for Equity in Learning
Advancing Academics
Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Alabama Possible
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Alice Lloyd College
America Needs You-Illinois
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
American Association of Community Colleges
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
American Association of University Professors
American Association of University Women
American Council on Education
American Dental Education Association
American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Unions
American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers Washington
American Indian Higher Education Consortium
American Medical Student Association
American River College
American Veterinary Medical Association
Antioch University
Antlers Public Schools
Arizona College Access Network
Asbury University
Ashland Community & Technical College
Ashland University
Association for Biblical Higher Education
Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Universities
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
Association of Community College Trustees
Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio
Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design
Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Association of Research Libraries
Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions
Association of Vermont Independent Colleges
Athletic Scholars Advancement Program
Avila University
Azusa Pacific University
Baldwin Wallace University
Barnard College
Bay de Noc Community College
Bellarmine University
Bemidji State University
Benedict College
Bennett College
Bennington College
Bethany Lutheran College
Bethel University
Bluefield College
Boricua College
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeastern Ohio
Brescia University
Brookhaven College
Buffalo Valley School
Burlington-Edison School District
Cabrini University
California Community Colleges, Chancellor’s Office
California Education Round Table Intersegmental Coordinating Committee
California Institute of Technology
California Public Interest Research Group
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Monterey Bay
Calvin College
Campaign for College Opportunity
Campbellsville University
CampusLogic, Inc.
Cape Cod Community College
Capital Community College
Capital Region Sponsor-A-Scholar, Inc.
Capital University
Career & College Clubs
Carleton College
Case Western Reserve University
Center for American Progress
Center for Law and Social Policy
Central Carolina Technical College
Central Community College
Central Wyoming College
Champlain College
Charles & Margaret Jones Scholarship Fund
Charleston Southern University
Chicago Public Schools, Office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising
Chicago Summer Business Institute
Chicago Urban League
Chicagoland Regional College Program
Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Claflin University
Clark Atlanta University
Clarkson University
Cleveland Institute of Art
Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations
Cogswell Hall
College Access: Research & Action
College Beyond
College Bound-St. Louis
College Crusade of Rhode Island
College Forward
College Now
College Now Greater Cleveland
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
College of the Holy Cross
College Possible
College Possible, Chicago
College Possible, Milwaukee
College Possible, Omaha
College Possible, Philadelphia
College Possible, Portland
College Success Arizona
College Success Foundation
College Track
CollegeSpring
CollegeTracks
Colorado Public Interest Research Group
Columbia University in the City of New York
Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York
Commit! Partnership
Community Foundation of Lorain County
Complete College America
Concordia College
Concordia University Irvine
Conference for Mercy Higher Education
Connecticut Public Interest Research Group
Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
Consumer Action
Consumers Union
Consumers Union
Corban University
Cornell University
Cosumnes River College
Cottey College
Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
Council for Opportunity in Education Council of Independent Colleges
Council of New Jersey State College Locals
Council on Social Work Education
Council on Undergraduate Research
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Crowder Public Schools
Crown College
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
Daemen College
Danville Area Community College
DC Prep: PrepNext
Defiance College
Delta College
Demos
Denver Public Schools
Denver Scholarship Foundation
Dillard University
Doane University
Dominican College of Blauvelt
Duke University
East Bay College Fund
East Mississippi Community College
East Valley School District 90
East Village Youth Program
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Oklahoma State College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Emily Griffith Technical College
Esperanza, Inc.
Estrela Consulting
Faculty Association of Monroe Community College
Fairfield University
Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges & Universities
First Graduate
Fitchburg High School
Florida College Access Network
Folsom Lake College
Fordham University
Foundation for a College Education
Friends University
Fulfillment Fund
Fuller Theological Seminary
Gateway Community and Technical College
GEAR UP
Gear Up Project ReACH – Sul Ross State University
GEAR UP Vancouver Public Schools
Generation Progress
Genesys Works
Genesys Works Chicago
George M. Pullman Educational Foundation
Georgetown College
Georgetown University
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Georgia Independent College Association
Goddard College
Gogebic Community College
Gonzaga University
Grandview School District
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce
Greenville College
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
Guilford College
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College
Hamline University
Harris-Stowe State University
Hartwick College
Harvard University
Heidelberg University
Henderson Community College
Heritage University
Higher Ed, Not Debt
Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland
Higher Education Loan Coalition
Hinds Community College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Houghton College
Howard Community College
Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling
Illinois College Access Network
Illinois Public Interest Research Group
iMentor
Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida
Independent Colleges of Indiana
Independent Colleges of Washington
Indiana University
Institute for Higher Education Policy
International Association for College Admission Counseling
Iowa Association for College Admission Counseling
Ithaca College
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
Jackson College
James Madison University
Jarvis Christian College
Johns Hopkins University
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson University
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Kansas Independent College Association
Kentucky Christian University
Kentucky Wesleyan College
KIPP
Ladder Up
Landmark College
Le Moyne College
League of United Latin American Citizens
Learning for Life at Rhode Island College
Life Pacific College
Lincoln Park High School
LINK Unlimited Scholars
Lorain County Urban League
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Southwest College
Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Louisiana College
Macomb Community College
Madisonville Community College
Maine College Access Network
Malone University
Marlboro College
Marquette University
Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition
Maryland Independent College and University Association
Maryland Public Interest Research Group
Massachusetts Education and Career Opportunities, Inc.
Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group
Maysville Community and Technical College
McCurtain Public Schools
Medaille College
Memorial College of Nursing
Mentoring You College and Career Program
Mercy College
Messiah College
Metropolitan College of New York
Metropolitan Education Commission
Michigan Association of State Universities
Michigan College Access Network
Michigan School of Professional Psychology
Michigan State University
Middlebury
Middlesex Community College
Minds Matter Cleveland
Minnesota Association of College Admission Counseling
Minnesota Association of Counselors of Color
Minnesota Private College Council
Minnesota State College Faculty
Minnesota State College Student Association
Minnesota TRIO Association
Mission Graduates
Mississippi College
Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling
Missouri Baptist University
Monmouth University
Montreat College
Morehead State University
Moreno Valley College
Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles
Mount St. Joseph University
Mount Vernon School District No. 320
Mount Wachusett Community College
Mt. Adams School District
Mt. Hood Community College
Multnomah University
NAACP
National Association for College Admission Counseling
National Association of College and University Business Officers
National Association of College Stores
National Association of Graduate and Professional Students
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
National College Access Network
National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients)
National Council for Community and Education Partnerships
National Council of La Raza
National Education Association
National Scholarship Providers Association
Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
Network for College Success at the University of Chicago
Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities
New American Colleges & Universities
New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling
New Jersey Public Interest Research Group
New Mexico State University
New York Public Interest Research Group
New York State Association for College Admission Counseling
New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association
New York University
Newbury College
Niagara University
NODA-Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education
Norco College
Normandale Community College
North Central Michigan College
North Park University
Northwest Christian University
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Nazarene University
Northwest Technical College
Northwest University
Northwestern College of Iowa
Notre Dame College
Oberlin College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Oklahoma GEAR UP
Olivet Nazarene University
One Million Degrees
One Wisconsin Now
OneGoal
Opportunity Nation
Oral Roberts University
Owens State Community College
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Pace University
Pacific Lutheran University
Panola Public School
Partners for Education at Berea College
PASFAA, The Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
Pass With Flying Colors
Paul Smith’s College
PCACAC Government Relations Committee
Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling
Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group
Pepperdine University
PHENOM (Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts)
Philadelphia Futures
Pierpont Community & Technical College
Point University
Portland State University
Positive Impact Program
Princeton University
Progress Florida
Quinton Public Schools
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Reed College
Regis University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Richmond Promise
Riverside City College
Riverside Community College District
Robert Morris University TRIO, Upward Bound and Talent Search
Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation
Roberts Wesleyan College
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling
Rust College
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Sacramento City College
Saint John’s University (MN)
Saint Louis University
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing, St. Peter’s Health Partners
Santa Clara University
Savanna Public School
ScholarMatch
Scholarship America
ScholarVersity
School District of Lancaster
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle University
Seven Hills Behavioral Health Foundation
Siena College
Sitting Bull College
Smith College
South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities
South Louisiana Community College
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College
Southern Association for College Admission Counseling
Southern California College Access Network
Southern Nazarene University
Southern Vermont College
Southern Wesleyan University
Southwest Baptist University Southwestern Christian University
Southwestern College
Spalding University
Spelman College
Spiro Public Schools
Spring Arbor University
St. Bonaventure University
St. Catherine University
St. Francis College-New York
St. John Fisher College
St. John’s College-New Mexico
St. John’s University GEAR UP Program
St. Joseph’s College-New York
St. Louis Graduates
St. Michael’s College
Sterling College
Student Debt Crisis
Students Rising Above
Students United
Suffolk University
Summit Public Schools
Sunnyside School District
Tabor College
Talent Development Consultant
Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation
Tennessee College Access and Success Network
Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association
Terra State Community College
Texas Association for College Admission Counseling
Texas Tech University System
The Active Advocacy Coalition
The Bobby R. Larkin, Sr. Charitable Association, Inc.
The College of New Rochelle
The College of Saint Rose
The Community College of Rhode Island
The Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges
The Council of New Jersey State College Locals
The Education Trust
The EnCompass Program, De La Salle, Inc.
The Institute for College Access & Success
The Noble Network of Charter Schools
The Ohio Association of College Admission Counseling
The Ohio Student Association
The Resurrection Project
The Sage Colleges
The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis
The State University of New York
The State University of New York at Albany
The State University of New York at Geneseo
The State University of New York at Potsdam
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Toledo
The West Contra Costa Public Education Fund
Thomas More College
Tiffin University
Tillamook Bay Community College
Transylvania University
Trevecca Nazarene University
Trinity College
Trinity Washington University
Trocaire College
U.S. Public Interest Research Group
uAspire
UNCF
Union College (KY)
Union Institute & University
United Faculty of Miami Dade College
United States Student Association
United University Professions
United Way Suncoast
University of California Student Association
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Riverside
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Denver
University of Dayton
University of Evansville
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Springfield
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Kansas
University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Michigan
University of Michigan-Flint
University of Michigan-Dearborn
University of Missouri Graduate Professional Council
University of Missouri System
University of New Hampshire
University of Northwestern-St Paul
University of Northwestern Ohio
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of Southern Maine Student Government Association
University of St. Francis
University of the Southwest
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Washington GEAR UP
University Settlement, Inc.
Utica College
Valley City State University
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology
Vermont Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
Vermont Law School
Victoria College
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Volunteer State Community College
Waco Foundation
Walla Walla University
Warner Pacific College
Warner University
Wartburg College
Washington Campus Compact
Washington Consortium for the Liberal Arts
Washington Public Interest Research Group
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Washington State University
Washington Student Association
Washington University in St. Louis
Waukegan to College
Wayne State University
Webb Institute
Weber State University
Wells College
West Contra Costa Public Education Fund
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Western Association of College Admissions Counseling
Western Technical College
Western Washington University
Westmont College
Whitworth University
Wilberforce University
Wilburton Public Schools
Williams College
Wilmington College
Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Wittenberg University
Women’s College Coalition
Work Colleges Consortium
Wyman
Wyoming Community College Commission
Xavier University
Xavier University of Louisiana
Yale University
Yes We Must Coalition
Young Invincibles