U.S. Department of Education: Promoting Educational Excellence for all Americans

A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Summary — February 4, 2008

 

Section II. E.  Higher Education Programs

Overview

The Administration's request for fiscal year 2009 includes $2.1 billion for Higher Education Programs. This request complements the Administration's proposals for elementary and secondary education by helping to ensure the availability of quality postsecondary educational opportunities.

The request would provide $296.7 million in discretionary funding for the Aid for Institutional Development programs, a decrease of $119.7 million from the 2008 level. In general, this decrease reflects a decision to reduce discretionary support for these programs because of the availability of $130 million in new mandatory funding provided for the same activities in 2008 and 2009 under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). Similarly, the budget provides $74.4 million for Developing Hispanic- serving Institutions (HSIs), a 20 percent reduction in discretionary support for new awards that is more than compensated for by the additional $100 million in mandatory funding provided for this program in 2008 and 2009 under the CCRAA. To help ensure that Historically Black Colleges and Universities have access to low-cost financing to fund infrastructure improvements, the budget includes a $10.2 million increase for HBCU Capital Financing loan subsidies that would support an additional $61 million in loans for the construction, reconstruction, and renovation of academic facilities.

The 2009 budget also renews the President's request for the Department's share of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), which would help address the need for skilled professionals with competency in languages critical to U.S. national security. The key NSLI component in the 2009 request is $24 million for a new Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnerships program, now authorized under the America COMPETES Act, which would make grants to institutions of higher education for partnerships with school districts for language learning from kindergarten through high school and into advanced language learning at the postsecondary level.

An additional contribution to the NSLI would be made through the $110 million request for the International Education and Foreign Language Studies (IEFLS) programs, which includes a $1 million increase to support the development of new assessment tools for measuring improvements in language competency in the IEFLS programs and $1 million to develop NSLI's e-Learning Clearinghouse to deliver foreign language education resources to teachers and students across the country.

Other proposed increases include $16 million for new competitive grants under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), including initiatives to facilitate transfer of credits from one institution to another and increase college access through dual enrollment and articulation partnerships between high schools and community colleges, and $2 million in the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need program for a special priority to address the acute shortages in the field of psychometrics that have hampered implementation of critical elements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The request also would provide level funding of $885.2 million in combined discretionary and mandatory appropriations to maintain college preparation and college student support services for approximately 830,000 participants in the Federal TRIO Programs, as well as $303.4 million for an estimated 743,000 middle and high school students preparing for college through the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP).

Title III: Aid for Institutional Development
(B.A. in millions)

  2007   2008   2009
Request
 
 
Strengthening Institutions (Part A) $79.5   $78.1   $78.1  
Strengthening Tribally Controlled
  Colleges and Universities
           
     (Part A) 23.6   23.2    
     (mandatory)   30.0 1 30.0 1
Strengthening Alaska Native and
  Native Hawaiian-serving Institutions
           
     (Part A) 11.8   11.6    
     (mandatory)   15.0 1 15.0 1
Strengthening Historically Black
  Colleges and Universities
           
     (Part B) 238.1   238.1   153.1  
     (mandatory)   85.0 1 85.0 1
Strengthening Historically Black
  Graduate Institutions (Part B)
57.9   56.9   56.9  
Minority Science and Engineering
  Improvement (Part E)
8.7   8.6   8.6  
Strengthening Predominantly Black
   Institutions (mandatory)
  15.0 1 15.0 1
Strengthening Asian American and Native
  American Pacific Islander-serving
  Institutions (mandatory)
  5.0 1 5.0 1
Strengthening Native American-serving
  nontribal institutions (mandatory)
  5.0 1 5.0 1
Total
419.6
 
571.5
 
451.7
 

   1Mandatory funds made available by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, P.L. 110-84 (September 27, 2007). These funds are not part of the fiscal year 2009 budget request.

The request for Title III maintains support for institutions that serve large percentages of minority and disadvantaged students. Title III funding, which is awarded both competitively and by a formula that directs aid to specified institutions, helps provide equal educational opportunity and strong academic programs for these students and help achieve greater financial stability for the institutions that serve them.

In general, the nearly $120 million reduction proposed for 2009 reflects an offset of newly provided mandatory funding in 2008 and 2009 for Title III activities under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). For example, the request would reduce discretionary funding for Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities by $85 million, or the amount of new mandatory funding provided for this program by the CCRAA, resulting in the same overall funding level as provided in 2007.

Similarly, while the request does not include discretionary funding for Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities or Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving Institutions (ANNH), these programs would nevertheless receive mandatory funding well in excess of their 2007 levels. The Administration continues to support the termination of the Strengthening ANNH program because these institutions are eligible for funds under the much larger Strengthening Institutions program.

The CCRAA also authorized and provided mandatory funds for the fiscal years 2008 and 2009 for 3 new programs that support minority-serving institutions:

Strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions authorizes 25 grants of $600,000 to be awarded competitively to eligible institutions of higher education to support programs in any of the following areas: science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; health education; internationalization or globalization; teacher preparation; or improving educational outcomes of African American males.

Strengthening Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institutions authorizes competitive grants to eligible institutions of higher education that have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 10 percent Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students.

Strengthening Native American-serving Nontribal Institutions authorizes competitive grants to eligible institutions of higher education that have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is not less than 10 percent Native American students and are not a Tribal College or University to plan, develop, undertake, and carry out activities to improve and expand the institutions' capacity to serve Native Americans.

Separate PART analyses for the Strengthening Institutions, Strengthening HBCUs, and Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institutions programs produced ratings of Results Not Demonstrated due to insufficient data demonstrating program effectiveness against newly established performance targets.

Developing Hispanic-serving Institutions
(B.A. in millions)

  2007   2008   2009
Request
 
 
Discretionary funding $94.9   $93.3   $74.4  
Mandatory funding   100.0 1 100.0 1
Total
94.9
 
193.3
 
174.4
 

   1Mandatory funds made available by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, P.L. 110-84 (September 27, 2007). These funds are not part of the fiscal year 2009 budget request.

This program funds competitive grants to expand and enhance the academic quality, institutional management, fiscal stability, and self-sufficiency of colleges and universities that enroll large percentages of Hispanic students. This request is a decrease of $18.8 million, or 20 percent, from the 2008 discretionary level that reflects the more than doubling of total support for this program due to the addition of $100 million in mandatory funding for 2008 and 2009 under the CCRAA. Even with the proposed reduction, the Department would be providing $79.5 million more in support in fiscal year 2009, for an estimated 60 additional projects at HSIs, than it provided in fiscal year 2007.

A 2005 PART analysis of the Developing Hispanic-serving Institutions program resulted in a Results Not Demonstrated rating because of insufficient data demonstrating program effectiveness against newly established performance targets.

International Education and Foreign Language Studies
(B.A. in millions)

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
Domestic Programs $91.5 $93.9 $94.9
Overseas Programs 12.6 13.4 13.4
Institute for International Public Policy 1.6 1.7 1.7
Total
105.8

109.0

110.0

The 14 International Education and Foreign Language Studies programs support comprehensive language and area study centers within the United States, research and curriculum development, opportunities for American scholars to study abroad, and activities to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in international service. In addition to promoting general understanding of the peoples of other countries, the Department's international programs also serve important economic, diplomatic, defense, and other national security interests. The 2009 request would fund approximately 471 grants to institutions of higher education, directly support over 1,010 individuals through fellowships and projects, and support the international service programs of more than 100 underrepresented minorities. The request includes a $1 million increase to support the development of new assessment tools for measuring improvements in language competency in the IEFLS programs, and $1 million to develop, as part of the National Security Language Initiative, an e-Learning Clearinghouse to deliver foreign language education resources to teachers and students across the country.

Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnerships

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
B.A. in millions $24.0

This program, authorized under the recently enacted America COMPETES Act, would help establish fully articulated language programs of study in languages critical to U.S. national security. The new program would make competitive grants to institutions of higher education for partnerships with school districts for language learning from kindergarten through high school and into advanced language learning at the postsecondary level. These language programs, coupled with directed and targeted fellowships for individual students, would produce significant numbers of graduates with advanced levels of proficiency in languages critical to national security, many of whom would be candidates for employment with agencies and offices of the Federal Government across a broad range of disciplines. The 2009 request would support 24 new awards focusing on critical languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian, as well as the Indic, Iranian, and Turkic language families.

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)
(B.A. in millions)

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
Comprehensive Program $15.7 $13.6 $23.4
International Consortia 5.9 7.4 13.3
Earmarks 98.9
Other 0.4 0.4 0.7
Total
22.0

120.3

37.4

FIPSE awards competitive grants to support exemplary, locally developed projects that are models for innovative reform and improvement in postsecondary education. The 2009 request results from the elimination of $98.9 million in funding for earmarks in 2008 and an increase of $16 million for competitive grants.

Funding for the Comprehensive Program would support projects that target areas of higher education deemed to be a top priority, including a $10 million initiative to facilitate transfer of credits from one institution of higher education to another and funds to support the recommendations of the Academic Competitiveness Council. Planned projects include rigorously testing novel ways to increase higher education access, persistence, and graduation rates; aligning curricula on a multi-state level between high schools and two- and four-year colleges; and improving the foreign language, math, and science skills of postsecondary students, including students preparing to become teachers.

Funding for the International Consortia programs would support 163 academic partnerships between U.S. institutions of higher education and institutions in Canada, Mexico, Russia, the European Community, and Brazil to provide students with increased opportunities to study abroad and increase cooperation and collaboration between institutions in these countries.

Federal TRIO Programs
(B.A. in millions)

  2007   2008   2009
Request
 
 
Talent Search $143.1   $142.9   $142.9  
Upward Bound 314.2   304.0   302.7  
Educational Opportunity Centers 47.0   47.1   47.1  
Student Support Services 271.6   281.0   282.3  
McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement 45.3   43.6   43.6  
Staff Training 3.3   4.0   4.0  
Evaluation 1.9   1.5   1.5  
Administration/Peer Review 1.8   4.1   4.1  
Upward Bound (mandatory)   57.0 1 57.0 1
Total
828.2
 
885.2
 
885.2
 

   1Mandatory funds made available by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, P.L. 110-84 (September 27, 2007). These funds are not part of the fiscal year 2009 budget request.

The request for 2009 would maintain level funding for these college preparation and student support programs, which would serve an estimated 830,000 middle school, high school, and college students and adults. Of the four TRIO programs reviewed by the PART, Student Support Services, Talent Search, and McNair received Moderately Effective ratings. The Upward Bound program received an Ineffective rating, but has implemented changes that address program deficiencies by better targeting funds to higher-risk students. The request also includes funding for Staff Training grants, evaluation, and administrative support for the TRIO programs.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)
(B.A. in millions)

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
State Grants $114.9 $121.9 $121.8
Partnership Grants 186.9 179.5 180.0
21st Century Scholar Certificates 0.1 0.1 0.1
Evaluation 1.5 1.4 1.5
Peer Review 0.5
Total
303.4

303.4

303.4

GEAR UP provides funds to States and partnerships for early college preparation and awareness activities to help low-income elementary and secondary school students prepare for and pursue postsecondary education. Several features of GEAR UP, including targeting entire grades of students, partnering with local organizations and businesses, and matching local contributions, allow projects to serve increasing numbers of students at the same level of Federal support. The request maintains funding at the 2008 level and would serve approximately 743,000 middle and high school students in fiscal year 2009.

The GEAR UP program received a PART rating of Adequate in 2003 based on evidence that the program employs a number of strategies that hold significant promise for success in college preparation. An evaluation on the early effects of the GEAR UP program highlights the positive impact of the program on participants attending middle schools, their parents, and middle schools housing GEAR UP programs.

Scholarships and Fellowships
(B.A. in millions)

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
Javits Fellowships $9.7 $9.5 $9.8
Graduate Assistance in Areas
  of National Need (GAANN)
30.1 29.5 32.5

Javits Fellowships provide up to 4 years of competitively awarded support to students of superior ability and high financial need who are pursuing doctoral degrees, or the highest terminal degree, in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The requested 3.3 percent increase over the 2008 appropriation would begin to arrest the long-term decline in the number of fellowships awarded. The request would support 225 fellowships in 2009, including 66 new fellows. The program received a PART rating of Adequate in 2004 based on data showing that its performance exceeded targets and that the program is on track to achieve program goals related to time-to-degree completion and graduation rates.

GAANN provides fellowships, through competitive grants to postsecondary institutions, to graduate students with superior ability and high financial need studying in areas of national need. Participating graduate schools must provide assurances that they will seek talented students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Increased funding is requested to arrest the long-term decline in the number of fellowships awarded under the program. In addition, $2 million would be used to address acute shortages in the field of psychometrics that have hampered implementation of certain aspects of the NCLB Act. The 2009 request would provide support for 747 fellowships, including 529 new fellows. Following an initial PART rating of Results Not Demonstrated in 2004, a 2006 reassessment of the GAANN program highlighted improvements in program management and performance supporting an Adequate rating.

Child Care Access Means Parents in School

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
B.A. in millions $15.8 $15.5 $15.5

This competitive grant program supports the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through campus-based childcare services. Grants made to institutions of higher education must be used to supplement childcare services or start a new program, not to supplant funds for current childcare services. The program gives priority to institutions that leverage local or institutional resources and employ a sliding fee scale. The 2009 request would fund 113 new and 55 existing projects.

Following an initial PART rating of Results Not Demonstrated in 2004, a 2007 reassessment noted improvements in program management and performance leading to an Adequate rating.

GPRA Data/HEA Program Evaluation

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
B.A. in millions $1.0 $0.6 $1.6

The request would fund the continuation of contracts for program evaluations, data collections to measure the performance of Higher Education Act programs, and data collection for the State teacher quality accountability reports. Data and information from these activities are used to comply with the reporting requirements of GPRA and the PART process, assess program effectiveness, make program improvements, and inform budgetary decisions. The requested increase would allow more rigorous studies of program interventions and best practices, with the long-term goal of improving program design and management, while also helping faculty and teachers better understand what works in teaching and learning.

College Access Challenge Grants

  2007   2008   2009
Request
 
 
B.A. in millions   $66.0 1 $66.0 1

   1Mandatory funds made available by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, P.L. 110-84 (September 27, 2007). These funds are not part of the fiscal year 2009 budget request.

This program, authorized by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, provides mandatory funding to foster partnerships among Federal, State and local government entities and philanthropic organizations through matching challenge grants aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented students who enter and remain in postsecondary education.

Academic Facilities
(B.A. in millions)

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
HBCU Capital Financing Federal
  Administration
$0.2 $0.2 $10.4
CHAFL Federal Administration 0.6 0.5 0.5

These programs support the construction, reconstruction, and renovation of academic facilities at institutions of higher education. The request for the HBCU Capital Financing Program would support the management and servicing of loan guarantees on previously issued loans. The requested increase of $10.2 million includes $10 million in loan subsidies that would allow the program to guarantee an additional $61 million in loans in 2009. In 2007, the program guaranteed $467 million worth of loans and, in doing so, depleted the remaining loan funds available under the statutory cap. The Administration is proposing to increase the loan cap to $725 million to make new loan guarantees for fiscal year 2009. Funds also would be used to establish an expanded technical assistance program to help HBCUs to increase their fiscal stability and improve their access to capital markets.

The program was rated Results Not Demonstrated by the PART in 2007, based on the lack of data available to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Funding for CHAFL Federal Administration is used solely to manage and service existing portfolios of facilities loans and grants made in prior years.

Howard University
(B.A. in millions)

  2007 2008 2009
Request
 
Howard University Hospital $29.5 $28.9 $28.9
General Support 207.9 204.3 204.3
Total
237.4

233.2

233.2

The 2009 request would maintain support for Howard University's academic programs, research programs, construction activities, and the Howard University Hospital. The request reflects the importance of maintaining and improving the quality and financial strength of an institution that has played a historic role in providing access to postsecondary educational opportunities for students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, especially African-Americans. The request includes $3.6 million for Howard University's endowment. The direct Federal appropriation accounts for approximately 50 percent of Howard University's operating costs.

The program received an Adequate PART rating in 2005 based on data showing that Howard's performance exceeded targets and that the program is on track to achieve program goals related to graduation rates, persistence, and enrollment.

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This page last modified—February 4, 2008 (mjj).