Presidential Opinion

Macalester College (MN) President Suzanne M. Rivera writes:  Student loan debt is a national emergency. The rising cost of college affects families, communities and organizations that require highly educated workers, and it’s a problem we need to tackle together as a state and as a country. Most pressingly, we need to reduce cost as a barrier for lower-income students interested in pursuing a college education. The Pell Grant is an essential tool for doing just that. 

Isiaah Crawford, president of the University of Puget Sound (WA), writes: Congress has an immediate opportunity to act on a popular bipartisan issue: college access and affordability. Right now in Washington, D.C., legislators are negotiating the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better reconciliation bill. The next few weeks will be critical to the college access and affordability agenda as lawmakers, including Washington state’s own Patty Murray, have the opportunity to ensure that much-needed Pell Grant increases are protected during these negotiations.

Thomas Botzman, president of University of Mount Union (OH), writes:  For close to 50 years, students from low-income and moderate-income families have benefited from receiving Pell Grants. Depending on their individual circumstances, they received up to $6,495 to be used over 12 semesters. These grants diversified the student body in every type of higher education institution, and in a small way, anticipated the equity initiatives that are currently framing curriculum, hiring and admissions decisions. The academic and workplace success made possible by these Pell Grants, especially for first-generation students and their families, has been transformative.   

Ronald J. Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins University (MD), writes: Institutions of higher education have remained, at best, bit players in the project of educating the citizenry.

Lola W. Brabham, president of Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities; Henry C. “Hank” Foley, president of New York Institute of Technology; Miguel Martinez-Saenz, president of St. Francis College; Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University; and Laura Sparks, president of The Cooper Union; write: For nearly 50 years, the Pell Grant has been the centerpiece of federal student aid, helping individuals most in need of financial support to attend the college or university of their choice. Pell Grants help more than 370,000 New York students and their families afford a college education every year. They are proven to be the most effective and equitable investment the federal government can make in students. Simply put, investing in Pell Grants tackles student debt head-on.