Higher Education Makes Its Case to Be Part of the Economic Stimulus Package

Led by the American Council on Education (ACE), a group of higher education organizations recently began introducing the concept that a portion of any Obama stimulus package should support higher education institutions. Read the full press release here.

Elements of the proposal include:

• Increase in student aid funding to provide immediate financial relief to families struggling to pay tuition during the economic downturn. This request includes an immediate increase in the Pell Grant maximum award by $700 and retirement of the shortfall the program has amassed, as well as doubling the funding for the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) Program.
• Creation of Higher Education Infrastructure Block Grants (HEIBG) to support campus projects that provide jobs now and strengthen the academic capacity of colleges and universities. The grants would be available for “shovel ready” projects capable of starting within 180 days.