July 20, 2011
Tessa Benavides

HACU, HSIs join national efforts to save Pell grants

The Hispanic of Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU), along with more than 60 national organizations, joined the efforts of All Education Matters (AEM) on the Save Pell! campaign aimed at urging President Barack Obama, his Administration, and Congress not to make cuts to the Pell Grant awards during the debt ceiling negotiations.

HACU government relations staff attended the Senate press conference on July 19, where presidents of nine higher education institutions, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions, were among those who spoke of the importance of the Pell grants. The presidents of the following HACU-member institutions spoke at the event: Mark Rosenberg of Florida International University; John Welty of California State University, Fresno; and Leo Morton of University of Missouri, Kansas City.

On July 15, a letter signed by HACU and other organizations was sent to President Obama in representation of a commitment to the Save Pell! campaign. The letter stated that cutting Pell Grant awards or eligibility will reduce access to college, undermine the economy, and lower college completion rates at a time when we need to be raising them. Pell Grants make college possible for more than nine million Americans by enabling the neediest students to get the postsecondary education required to increase their earning potential and keep America competitive in the global economy.

July 25 has been designated as Save Pell Day. For more information, visit www.savepell.org.