December 13, 2019
Student Aid Alliance Celebrates 25 Years
NAICU President Barbara Mistick recently co-hosted the 25th Anniversary celebration of the Student Aid Alliance at an event held on Capitol Hill. Mistick co-chairs the coalition of 85 organizations and institutions with American Council on Education President Ted Mitchell.
The Student Aid Alliance was created in 1994 as the Alliance to Save Student Aid when $20 billion in student aid cuts were proposed to help balance the federal budget. Since then, the higher education community – presidents, students, and campus officials at all types of institutions – have come together to fight proposed cuts and support funding increases for the student aid programs. Pell Grants, Campus-Based Aid, TRIO, GEAR UP and Graduate Education are all supported by the Alliance.
Joining Mistick to celebrate the achievements of the Alliance were Maureen Hoyler, president, Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), who co-hosted the event, student aid funding advocates, and congressional staff. Attendees also heard from several Members of Congress.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, spoke about his longtime support for Pell Grants and TRIO and assured attendees that subcommittee members were negotiating hard to get the highest funding levels possible for the student aid programs in the final FY 2020 spending bill.
Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) shared his story about being able to attend Texas Wesleyan University because of the Pell Grants and student loans he was able to receive. Rep. Veasey also spoke about the importance of an educated community to attract business and industry in his Dallas-area district.
The event concluded with remarks from original coalition co-founders David Warren, NAICU President Emeritus and Arnold Mitchem, COE President Emeritus, who rallied participants to continue the fight against cuts to student aid and for increased funding to help low-income students get into college and persist to degree completion.
The Student Aid Alliance was created in 1994 as the Alliance to Save Student Aid when $20 billion in student aid cuts were proposed to help balance the federal budget. Since then, the higher education community – presidents, students, and campus officials at all types of institutions – have come together to fight proposed cuts and support funding increases for the student aid programs. Pell Grants, Campus-Based Aid, TRIO, GEAR UP and Graduate Education are all supported by the Alliance.
Joining Mistick to celebrate the achievements of the Alliance were Maureen Hoyler, president, Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), who co-hosted the event, student aid funding advocates, and congressional staff. Attendees also heard from several Members of Congress.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, spoke about his longtime support for Pell Grants and TRIO and assured attendees that subcommittee members were negotiating hard to get the highest funding levels possible for the student aid programs in the final FY 2020 spending bill.
Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) shared his story about being able to attend Texas Wesleyan University because of the Pell Grants and student loans he was able to receive. Rep. Veasey also spoke about the importance of an educated community to attract business and industry in his Dallas-area district.
The event concluded with remarks from original coalition co-founders David Warren, NAICU President Emeritus and Arnold Mitchem, COE President Emeritus, who rallied participants to continue the fight against cuts to student aid and for increased funding to help low-income students get into college and persist to degree completion.
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Giesecke