In joining other MSI leaders in support of the FUTURE Act, AIHEC president Carrie Billy states, “Many important but still vulnerable TCU programs will end entirely.”

Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) president and CEO, Dr. Harry L. Williams, along with the presidents and CEOs of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and the United Negro College Fund, are jointly calling on the U.S. Congress to pass the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act before September 30th to avoid the expiration of critical funds to their respective member schools.

The FUTURE Act continues critically needed funds for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHs); Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs); Native American-Serving, Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs); Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs); and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), which are set to expire on September 30, 2019. Without the continuation of this funding (Title III-Part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965), these institutions are facing a $255 million fiscal “cliff,” which could result in the loss of jobs and programming for the institutions. The fiscal cliff could also lead to a loss of material support for their students, most of whom are low-income or first-generation college students, or both.

Collectively, these diverse institutions represent 42 states and account for more than one-quarter of all undergraduates in the nation. Title III-Part F, funding is 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, enhancement of their fiscal stability, and improvement of their institutional management. 

“For several months the Thurgood Marshall College Fund has been working aggressively behind the scenes on behalf of not only our 47 member-schools but all MSIs to find a way to preserve this important funding,” says Harry L. Williams, president and CEO of TMCF. “We are proud to have worked cooperatively with the other higher education advocacy organizations as a united front, fighting for the passage of the FUTURE Act. It is critical that Congress heed the collective call of our organizations who represent the voices of nearly four million students in America and expeditiously pass the FUTURE Act. We must ensure our country continues to properly invest in the students who will be the drivers of the nation’s economic prosperity for decades to come.”

“At Tribal Colleges and Universities, Title III-Part F funding has been the means for building a foundation for American Indian and Alaska Native postsecondary success and targeted workforce development—both essential elements for community prosperity,” says Carrie Billy, president and CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. “Now—as TCUs and tribal communities now are positioning to sustain these essential programs—is exactly the wrong time to withdraw support. Many important but still vulnerable TCU programs will end entirely and considerable investment will be lost if Congress does not act swiftly to save the Title III-Part F program. We urge Congress to protect the future for all Americans—including the first Americans—by enacting the FUTURE Act this month.”

If passed, this bill will simply extend, for an additional two years, the mandatory portion of Title III-Part F funding, currently set to expire on September 30, 2019, at current funding levels.