NAICU News

Statement from NAICU President Barbara Mistick, D.M., on the Passage of the CARES Act

March 27, 2020

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the $2 trillion CARES Act this afternoon providing relief resources to colleges and universities and the millions of students and communities they serve.  The bill, expected to be signed by the president, provides nearly $14 billion for all sectors of higher education.
 
NAICU President Barbara Mistick, D.M. released the following statement regarding the passage of the CARES Act:
 
“Members of Congress deserve significant credit for coming together and passing legislation that provides critical relief for so many sectors of our society.  I know they received significant input from their constituents, including hundreds of private, nonprofit college and university presidents.  What Congress has done today is provide important economic relief for our country to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act will also help ensure that students, who have had their academic year turned upside down, have a path to complete their education and institutions have the capacity to meet the changing needs of delivering that education.
 
“The CARES Act recognizes the important contributions that private, nonprofit colleges and universities make to their communities, regions, and states.  It also clearly illustrates the important role these institutions have within all of higher education.  Private, nonprofit colleges and universities educate more than 5 million students and provide more than 1.2 million jobs to the economy.  While the funding amount is important, more support will be needed for institutions to address the enormity of the crisis on their campus and continue serving their students and communities.
 
“The coronavirus emergency is historic in nature.  Colleges and universities, with help from federal, state, and local policy makers and, most importantly, their own communities, will persevere as they have previously through national emergencies.  On behalf of the more than 1,700 private, nonprofit colleges and universities, we look forward to continuing to work with Congress to help the nation recover and get through this crisis together.”
 
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With more than 1,000 colleges, universities, and associations as members, NAICU serves as the unified national voice of independent higher education and reflects the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the United States.  Our member institutions include major research universities, church-related colleges, historically black colleges, art and design colleges, traditional liberal arts and science institutions, women’s colleges, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions. 
 
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