2022 Henry Paley Memorial Award
Roy Blunt
Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) has been named the 2022 recipient of the Henry Paley Memorial award, given to a leader in independent higher education in recognition of their unfailing service toward the students and faculty of private, nonprofit colleges and universities.
Sen. Blunt serves on the Senate Committee on Appropriations and has been chairman or ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education since 2015. In this leadership role, Sen. Blunt has become the champion for increased access to higher education through the Pell Grant program, and increased funding for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health.
After hearing from constituent students about their struggles staying enrolled in the summer, Sen. Blunt led the effort to reinstate “Year-Round Pell,” which had been eliminated in 2010. Reinstating this program had been a priority for Sen. Blunt since the onset of his role as chair of the subcommittee. Additionally, under Sen. Blunt’s leadership, the Pell Grant maximum award has seen a $670 increase, from $5,825 in FY 2016 to $6,495 in FY 2021. This represents a $2 billion increase in Pell Grant funding over five years.
The appropriations bill that is currently in the works would increase the maximum grant an additional $400, to $6,895, boosting funding for all seven million students who currently receive a Pell Grant. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant, Sen. Blunt’s support of the program generally, and his efforts to increase both the maximum award and its total funding, specifically, have made him a long-time champion of this critical student aid program.
Sen. Blunt’s stanch support for the private, nonprofit college sector has been demonstrated in many ways, both large and small. For example, since its inception, Sen. Blunt has sponsored the Congressional Independent Colleges Caucus annual reception in the Senate Russell Building. On a more significant level, Sen. Blunt made sure that private colleges and their students received COVID relief funding in the three bills that included Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds. Sen. Blunt’s support of equitable treatment by the federal government for all colleges, whether public or private, nonprofit is steadfast, and anchored in his personal experience.
That personal experience is another reason Sen. Blunt is such a strong supporter and advocate for private, nonprofit higher education. He is both a product of a private, nonprofit higher education and a former president of a private, nonprofit institution.
Sen. Blunt’s career exemplifies the combination of public policy advocacy and service achievements that the Paley Award recognizes. After growing up on his family’s dairy farm, Sen. Blunt went on to be the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a degree from Southwest Baptist University (MO). He became a history teacher, a county government official, and Missouri’s Secretary of State, before returning to Southwest Baptist University as its president from 1993-1996.
Sen. Blunt was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 to represent the 7th District of Missouri, which includes the Ozark Mountains. He rose quickly through the Republican Party ranks to be elected Majority Whip in 2003, and remained in leadership roles throughout his tenure. When Sen. Blunt was elected to the Senate in 2010, he was chosen by his colleagues to join the Senate leadership during his first year in office. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, and has been the lead Republican on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration since 2015, whether in the majority or the minority. Most recently, this position allowed him the honor of co-hosting and presiding over the inauguration of President Joseph Biden with his committee colleague Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
Sen. Blunt’s efforts in Congress embody the spirit of independent colleges while advancing policies and prioritizing funding that ensures private colleges can serve their missions and public purpose, and students can pursue their higher education goals at their best fit institution.
For his dedication, leadership, and lifetime work on behalf of both our nation’s students and American higher education, NAICU bestows the 2022 Henry Paley Memorial Award to the Honorable Roy Blunt.
Named for Henry Paley, president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York from 1975-1984, the Paley Award recognizes an individual who embodies his spirit of unfailing service toward the students and faculty of independent colleges and universities. Paley Award recipients have set an example for all who would seek to advance educational opportunity in the United States.
February 2022