The Independent Thinker
Private Colleges Serving the Public... One student at a Time
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AAICU Schools Welcome Back Students for Fall! |
AAICU schools are open and students are back on campus. After a difficult last year in which all our schools managed to stay open with students on campus, the faculty, staff, and students are all looking forward to a more "normal" school year. Incoming freshman are eager to start their college journeys and surrounding communities are embracing their thriving, vibrant campuses.
However, the delta variant continues to make "normal" difficult to achieve. Across the state the Alabama Department of Public Health is reporting an increase in the number of delta variant COVID-19 cases. Yet again, campuses must adapt to rapidly changing conditions. Having worked closely with our presidents, AAICU can attest that their very highest priority is the well being of their campus communities. While the welfare of the students, faculty and staff is paramount for each president, responding to COVID-19 is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.
The leadership of each campus is responding in a manner that best meets the needs of the institutions for which they are responsible. The campus location, facilities, demographics of the student population, and infection and vaccination rates are just a few of the many factors they must take into consideration in developing a campus response. Because no two campuses are exactly alike, neither are their pandemic plans.
In the last year and a half the presidents and their leadership teams have proved their capacity to be flexible and adapt quickly to the changing circumstances resulting from COVID-19. They had to make tough decisions, but thanks to their strategies, supported by faculty, staff and students, their campuses were noteworthy for their low rates of infection. We are entirely confident that we can expect the same resilience this fall. Welcome Back!
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HBCUs Across the Country Clear Student Balances and Cancel Debt with Federal Funds |
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Now, a number of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are stepping in to help alleviate that financial burden. With federal funding and private donations, these schools are wiping out current students’ account balances — including tuition and fees — and giving them a fresh start. Here are what some AAICU members are doing:
Stillman College in Tuscaloosa is assisting its students amid the COVID-19 pandemic by granting them a little bit of financial relief. College President Cynthia Warrick announced June 15 that all debt to the college for all of 2020 and the spring of 2021 has been settled and carries a $0 balance. In all, more than $736,000 in debt for 292 students was eliminated.
The effort was made possible by pandemic resources provided by the federal government, and Stillman decided to direct those funds toward assisting students during the pandemic, the college said in a news release.
Warrick said relieving students’ debt means they have a brighter financial future ahead.
“As these graduates begin their lives as leaders in service of their communities, Stillman is blessed to be able to give them a fresh start by relieving their student debt to the university during the pandemic,” Warrick said in a statement. “This is consistent with our philosophy at Stillman College to prioritize student success in the best way we can.”
Miles College has used just over $2 million dollars in federal pandemic relief money to clear the balances of all its students. Michael Johnson, Miles’ Vice President of enrollment explains the administration began discussing how to use the CARES Act funding to help students late last year .
“We understood that they were navigating some very great challenges while navigating the pandemic, some of which were studying from home or from other places and needed technology to continue their education,” said Johnson. “Some situations where our students didn’t have the financial support they usually had because mom and dad were laid off or there or other situations. And so they had less resources to continue their education.”
Johnson says the school is using an addition $1.6 million dollars in federal aid for an emergency fund, to help students with needs including equipment and transportation.
Talladega College will clear $925,666 in debt for students with balances for the terms of spring 2020 through summer 2021, according to a news release.
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Washington Update: Double Pell Grant |
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This year’s top federal priority of AAICU and higher education advocacy organizations across the country is to double the federal Pell Grants Program which was created in 1972 to help low-income students pay for college.
Currently the maximum Pell Grant is $6,450. A consortium of about two dozen higher education groups representing public and private two- and four-year institutions is calling for a maximum grant of $13,000. It’s rare for all sectors of higher education to come together on behalf of one initiative, but the Pell Grant Program is so far reaching, impacting about seven million students, it’s easy for everyone to agree on its expansion.
The students benefiting from the Pell Grant are the most economically disadvantaged, and often the first generation in their families to attend college. These students face a host of challenges to attend college, not the least of which is paying for it, and once they are enrolled, staying in school is just as imposing a task.
Doubling Pell would increase the confidence of low-income, first-generation students to pursue their dream of a college education. By reducing students’ financial burdens, doubling Pell would help them remain enrolled and ultimately graduate. Students should be focused on their studies and not distracted by financial concerns. Importantly, they would then graduate with lower debt thanks to the additional support they receive from the Pell Grant Program.
Doubling Pell empowers these same students to attend whatever institution best meets their needs. Rather than compelling a low-income student into one kind of college because it’s “free,” doubling Pell permits students and their families to select the college with the academic programs that suit their talents and campus communities most able to support them. It should be pointed out that doubling Pell would have the functional effect of making virtually all two-year colleges and many four year schools “free” without heavily subsidizing a particular college sector at the expense of others or subsidizing students who don’t need as much assistance to attend school.
You might be thinking, “Oh, with more aid available to students, colleges will just increase their tuition.” The truth is – that has not proven to be true when Pell Grants were increased in the past. In fact, 94% of the students attending AAICU colleges already receive institutional aid from their colleges and universities and many of our schools have frozen or rolled back tuition rates to continue to make themselves accessible to any student regardless of their background. Last year alone, AAICU member institutions provided more than $198 million dollars in institutional support to students. We have skin in the game. Now we’re teaming with others to ask Congress to raise their stake in the future of our students.
Doubling the Pell Grant is a win for taxpayers. At nearly 50 years old, it’s an established program that’s proven it actually pays off for the students and the nation as a whole. Several studies found that because Pell Grant recipients tended to stay in school and graduate, their increased earning power resulted in them paying more taxes, recouping the cost of their Pell Grants in about 10 years. In addition, the Pell Grant program has traditionally enjoyed support supported from both sides of the aisle – one of the few bipartisan issues in today’s world.
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NASA Invests in Partnership with Oakwood University |
Diverse teams comprised of individuals with different skill sets, perspectives, and solutions contribute to NASA’s successes. The agency takes various approaches to create an even more equitable and inclusive environment.
In 2021, NASA released its first-ever opportunity for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to propose for Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research planning grants. Called M-STTR, the initiative aims to foster partnerships between MSIs and small businesses to prepare them to submit technology proposals to NASA’s annual STTR Phase I solicitation.
NASA has selected 11 proposals – six from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and five from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) – to receive M-STTR planning grants. Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama will research UV Protective Coating for Photovoltaic Solar Cells in Space.
The grants last four months and provide NASA funding up to $50,000 to the universities. The schools will establish partnerships with a small business identified in their proposal well ahead of the Phase I submission period.
“Investments in MSIs allow NASA to tap into underutilized innovation and talent,” said Deputy Program Executive Gynelle Steele, who is spearheading the effort for the agency’s STTR program. “We’re hopeful that these planning grants will create the foundational partnerships needed to successfully compete for an STTR award and enhance the potential for long-term collaboration.”
For more information, click here.
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Talladega College Serves as Vaccination Site for Community |
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Talladega College was approved by the Alabama Department of Health to serve as a vaccination site. Shots are available through the College’s health center for students, faculty, staff, and residents of Talladega.
According to the College’s campus nurse, Stanmetrica Curry, safety is the institution’s first priority and prevention is the best line of defense against the virus. “No one wants to be sick,” said Curry. “We have been closely monitoring the Delta variant, and we intend to proactively promote vaccination awareness throughout the community.”
During the previous school term, less than 1 percent of the student population contracted the virus. According to Dr. Billy C. Hawkins, president of Talladega College, the institution is working diligently to assist in the statewide effort of increasing the number of vaccinated individuals. “We must educate the community about the importance of getting vaccinated,” said Hawkins. “I know that there is some great hesitancy out there concerning vaccinations, but I encourage everyone to make the sound decision to protect yourself and your loved ones.”.
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Did You Know? AAICU Member Colleges Serve the Highest Percentage of Pell Grant Students. |
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Founded in 1919, Jackson Thornton is a certified public accounting and consulting firm with more than 200 professionals and associates in seven offices located in Alabama, Tennessee and Kansas. In addition to accounting services, the firm offers wealth management, strategic planning, business consulting services, and specialized industry services. Their affiliate company, Jackson Thornton Technologies is a Managed IT Service Provider delivering consulting, resources, and higher quality IT services since 2000. They offer IT strategic planning and review, managed IT services, cybersecurity services, backup and disaster recovery services, Cloud computing, and hardware sales/implementation services. Click here for more information.
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