The House passed the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act on September 17. If enacted by the Senate, the FUTURE act will sustain mandatory appropriations for certain programs for Minority-Serving Institutions that would otherwise expire at the end of 2019. On September 30, these investments expired.
The FUTURE Act seeks to reauthorize $255 million in critical funding. According to one foundation, for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021, the FUTURE Act would ensure that:
• American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) continue to receive $30 million per year.
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) continue to receive $100 million per year.
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHs) continue to receive $15 million per year.
• Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) continue to receive $5 million per year.
• Native American-Serving, Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs) continue to receive $5 million per year.
Nearly 6 million undergraduate students rely on funding to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs and equip campuses with the technology necessary to educate students for in-demand jobs.
The FUTURE Act continues funding (Title III-Part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965), which boosts minority institutions, and their students, most of whom are first in their family to go to college. Title III Part F funding is described as ‘vital federal financial support which helps eligible colleges and universities expand their capacity to serve their students through the strengthening of their academic programming, including STEM.’
Earlier this fall, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities joined their counterparts from advocacy organizations to call on Congress to pass the FUTURE Act. These institutions represent 42 states and account for more than one-quarter of all undergraduates in the U.S. under-graduate system.
“At Tribal Colleges and Universities, Title III-Part F funding has been the means for building a foundation for American Indian and Alaska Native post-secondary success and targeted workforce development – both essential elements for community prosperity,” said Carrie Billy, president & CEO, American Indian Higher Education Consortium.
If passed, this bill will extend, for an additional two years, the mandatory portion of Title III funding (Title III, Part F).
“As the nation becomes increasingly diverse and the number of our institutions continues to grow, federal funding for these schools is more important than ever to ensure that we prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs,” said Antonio R. Flores, president and CEO, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
Flores added that Title III, Part F of the Higher Education Act has played a vital role in enhancing the STEM pipeline at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and expanding institutional capacity at Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, and other minority-serving institutions.
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