June 1, 2020
Institutions of higher education and their students, faculty and staff continue to face immense challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the federal government has provided financial support through several supplemental appropriations acts, more is needed.
To address the unprecedented revenue losses of the United States’ postsecondary institutions and increased student need, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges along with 83 other organizations signed on to a letter written by the American Council on Education advocating for increased federal support through direct distribution to institutions and protections from state budget cuts.
In the letter, supporters wrote:
“While we share many of Congress’s concerns regarding the implementation of the CARES Act, it is equally clear that using the existing federal system for providing aid to institutions is the fastest way to get support to where it is needed. By pairing this rapid disbursal of funds with statutory language that gives campuses broad flexibility and authority to use funds in ways that best match the unique needs of students and their institutions, Congress can bypass the kinds of bureaucratic limitations that hampered the effectiveness of some CARES aid. The language included in the HEROES Act effectively addressed this issue, and we recommend its inclusion in any future supplemental legislation.”
