Robbing Peter to pay Paul - reauthorizing the higher education act

Black Issues in Higher Education, Oct 2, 1997 by Charles Dervarics

Doubling the $19 million HBCU graduate program would allow newly created graduate schools to join the program, says Dr. Frederick S. Humphries, president of Florida A&M University,:where new Ph.D. programs in engineering cannot receive aid because they began after the last HEA reauthorization in 1992.

A funding increase also would help address an imbalance in federal support for Black colleges, according to Humphries. Non-U.S. residents in 1994 received seven times the number of Ph.D.s as African Americans.

"Foreign students Enjoy greater support for graduate opportunities than African Americans," he says. "It is a devastating commentary on our times that in the case of graduate programs, HBCUs are as critical to African American progress today as they were in the nineteenth century."

Tribal college leaders note that American Indians are the only group historically denied educational access who currently are left out of Title III. Many of these institutions need physical improvements and hold classrooms in trailers or buildings with leaky roofs, these officials told Congress.

And HSI leaders note the tremendous growth of their institutions - and Hispanic educational needs, in general.

"It is not our goal today to pit one favorite child against another," said Dr. Norman I. Maldonado, president of the University of Puerto Rico, seeking to avoid discord about access to funds. In offering his $100-million Title III plan, he says, "We recognize that a rising tide lifts all boats."

Dealing with Remediation

To free up money for new or expanded programs, lawmakers will look for savings - which is why some are particularly interested in discussing remedial education. Some lawmakers and researchers would end the use of federal financial aid for remedial services, arguing funds could better serve those already capable of college-level work.

But students of color are over-represented in remedial education compared to their higher education enrollments, studies show, and many institutions view remediation as an essential part of their mission.

Most college presidents and faculty would prefer to work on their "main mission" to prepare students for the challenges of the next century, says Dr. Thomas W. Cole Jr., president of Clark Atlanta University. Before getting to this stage, however, "we recognize that we are often compelled to correct the educational deficits in some of our students before we can perform the functions of the academy."

Supporters of remedial education won a small victory on this issue this summer from an unusual source: the General Accounting Office (GAO). A new agency study found that little federal financial aid pays for remedial courses no more than about 4 percent. The GAO acknowledged that its survey responses "raise questions about some pre-conceived notions about the relationship between college remediation and financial aid."

However, congressional leaders still are silent about whether this report will affect their HEA plans. Though it launched HEA hearings this summer, House and Senate members will not produce a reauthorization plan until next year.