Spring Break
Stimulus bill passed, not much aid for higher education
Aid goes to states, students, science, research, but not to institutions
Krystal Moya / Administration Editor
Issue date: 2/17/09 Section: News
Congress passed the final stimulus bill aimed to bolster the crippled economy, but the compromise bill shies away from directly stimulating higher education.
Instead, the money is allocated to the states, students, science and research rather than institutionally bound.
Administrators at Eastern have been collectively working with state legislators to replenish the general revenue funds that have not recovered since the 2002 fiscal year cuts.
"We expect a lot of aid for students and the state, which are the areas we would hope the federal stimulus would help," said Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations.
The compromised stimulus bill allocates $53.6 billion in new state aid over a two-year span.
Divided into two parts, $39.5 billion will go to state budgets filling holes left gaping by past cuts and $8.8 billion will go to the governors of states for education and other purposes.
Congress stipulated $17.1 billion to increase the maximum on Pell Grants and overcome any deficit in the program and gave $200 million to college work-study in order to assist students.
Congress temporarily will replace the Hope Tax credit with higher credits to stimulate and continue college enrollment growth.
Computers will also be included under the expenses covered by 529 savings plans.
Science and research received approximately $16 billion in respective areas.
The National Science Foundation, NASA, National Institutes of Health, Energy Department and Homeland Security were all benefactors of the stimulus' assistance to scientific research.
However, colleges and universities lost the $6 billion proposed by the House to fund facilities planning, or building renovation and renewal, and $1.5 billion to support more grants and loans to colleges.
Students also lost an increase to loan limits and $61 million in capitol to contribute to Federal Perkins Loans.
"We have been going after this stimulus at a state level because higher education funds seemed to be pretty uncertain," Nilsen said.
Nilsen and President Bill Perry have been working with State Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, and State Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, to acquire funding to support the new Renewable Energy Center, a project both have emphasized as critical to Eastern.
"The steam plant is currently the most important aspect in our fiscal plans," Nilsen said. "It is critical that we secure funding from the state to support a project that will bring jobs in and is mission critical to our institution."
Nilsen and Perry's efforts began without seeing a finalized stimulus bill and therefore aimed at securing any state aid that would be handed down federally.
Interim Budget Director William Weber has been looking at the options on more of an overarching study, going over the aspects of the bill generally.
"My work has been a pretty general overview, and without knowing too much I think it is too early to say what will help Eastern," Weber said.
He said the budget office is trying to sort out plans for fiscal year 2010, which he believes is subject to how well the stimulus provides for the states and the economic crisis.
"It is time for the government to invest in public projects that will provide relief for the outstanding job-loss in the nation state by state," Weber said. "If the states get the aid they need and they fund projects like the (renewable energy center), then I think my optimistic look at the economic future will be upheld."
Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7942 or at ksmoya@eiu.edu.
Instead, the money is allocated to the states, students, science and research rather than institutionally bound.
Administrators at Eastern have been collectively working with state legislators to replenish the general revenue funds that have not recovered since the 2002 fiscal year cuts.
"We expect a lot of aid for students and the state, which are the areas we would hope the federal stimulus would help," said Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations.
The compromised stimulus bill allocates $53.6 billion in new state aid over a two-year span.
Divided into two parts, $39.5 billion will go to state budgets filling holes left gaping by past cuts and $8.8 billion will go to the governors of states for education and other purposes.
Congress stipulated $17.1 billion to increase the maximum on Pell Grants and overcome any deficit in the program and gave $200 million to college work-study in order to assist students.
Congress temporarily will replace the Hope Tax credit with higher credits to stimulate and continue college enrollment growth.
Computers will also be included under the expenses covered by 529 savings plans.
Science and research received approximately $16 billion in respective areas.
The National Science Foundation, NASA, National Institutes of Health, Energy Department and Homeland Security were all benefactors of the stimulus' assistance to scientific research.
However, colleges and universities lost the $6 billion proposed by the House to fund facilities planning, or building renovation and renewal, and $1.5 billion to support more grants and loans to colleges.
Students also lost an increase to loan limits and $61 million in capitol to contribute to Federal Perkins Loans.
"We have been going after this stimulus at a state level because higher education funds seemed to be pretty uncertain," Nilsen said.
Nilsen and President Bill Perry have been working with State Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, and State Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, to acquire funding to support the new Renewable Energy Center, a project both have emphasized as critical to Eastern.
"The steam plant is currently the most important aspect in our fiscal plans," Nilsen said. "It is critical that we secure funding from the state to support a project that will bring jobs in and is mission critical to our institution."
Nilsen and Perry's efforts began without seeing a finalized stimulus bill and therefore aimed at securing any state aid that would be handed down federally.
Interim Budget Director William Weber has been looking at the options on more of an overarching study, going over the aspects of the bill generally.
"My work has been a pretty general overview, and without knowing too much I think it is too early to say what will help Eastern," Weber said.
He said the budget office is trying to sort out plans for fiscal year 2010, which he believes is subject to how well the stimulus provides for the states and the economic crisis.
"It is time for the government to invest in public projects that will provide relief for the outstanding job-loss in the nation state by state," Weber said. "If the states get the aid they need and they fund projects like the (renewable energy center), then I think my optimistic look at the economic future will be upheld."
Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7942 or at ksmoya@eiu.edu.
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