"A new grant competition from the Department of Education redirects federal funding intended for college student success programs to four areas aligned with the president's priorities. Critics say those four areas have little to do with access and retention. Congress appropriated $171 million for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to be used toward seven established programs, including Basic Needs, Veteran Student Success and Rural Postsecondary Education Development."
"Since Congress chose to outline which programs should get which amounts of funding in a supplemental guidance document-instead of writing it into the bill-reprogramming FIPSE dollars is technically legal. But Clare McCann, a former policy adviser under President Biden and now the managing director of policy at American University's Postsecondary Education and Economics Research Center, says redirecting the money could harm hundreds of institutions and thousands of students."
The Department of Education redirected almost all of $171 million in FIPSE funding to a special projects competition focused on accreditation reform, artificial intelligence, civil discourse and short-term training. Congress had appropriated the funds for seven established programs including Basic Needs, Veteran Student Success and Rural Postsecondary Education Development. Previous presidents reprioritized FIPSE funds but did so within the congressionally directed programs. The reprogramming is legally permissible because Congress placed allocations in supplemental guidance rather than the bill. Student success advocates warn the redirection could harm hundreds of institutions and thousands of students as awards are distributed within weeks.
#fipse #higher-education-funding #accreditation-reform #artificial-intelligence #student-access-and-retention
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