Posted on Sat, Nov. 12, 2011

For the third time in less than a year, thousands of college students throughout South Florida and around the nation are worried about losing the crucial financial aid that helps them stay in school. A student might look at this and other recent developments and conclude that his or her dream of a college education could be in jeopardy.

As Congress ramps up discussions on how to cut the federal budget, Pell Grants, which provide critical financial support to more than 66,000 students attending Miami-Dade County’s major colleges and universities, are on the chopping block again. At FIU, the number of students who qualify for Pell Grants has increased over the past few years and it is now approaching the 18,000 student mark — about 48 percent of undergraduate students. An additional 100,000 South Floridians use Pell Grants to attend colleges in Broward County, vocational schools and for-profit institutions.

The proposed budget put forth by the House of Representatives changes eligibility criteria in ways that would shut out of the program many students who currently receive Pell Grants. The bipartisan “Super Committee” will undoubtedly consider reductions that will affect financial aid funding, directly or indirectly.

Federal programs such as the Academic Competitive Grants (ACG) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant), which provided scholarship support to needy students, have been eliminated. These programs were not handouts; they are competitive scholarships meant to support our brightest students and those who were pursuing careers in critical fields such as mathematics, science and engineering.

One of the proposed changes to the Pell Grants program would cut off aid to low- and middle-income working families who are able to make a modest contribution toward their education.

Joseph Chue-Sang, a junior studying biomedical engineering at FIU, would likely see his Pell Grant disappear if this proposal is approved. He is a good student, whose goals include pursuing a master’s degree in engineering and working in industrial research or perhaps medicine. Joseph, who lives in Kendall, is the second of three children of Jacinta Chue-Sang, a secretary, and Cornel, an auto mechanic.

Joseph, sister Ashley and brother Cornel hope to be the first generation in their family to graduate college and they are pursuing their dreams with a combination of funding from grants, scholarships and loans. The Chue-Sang’s are not alone: 78 percent of FIU students receiving Pell Grants represent the first generation of their families to attend college.

But pursuing the dream is getting harder every semester.

“Most likely I will have to take out loans to go to graduate school,” said Joseph. “I’m worried about starting to accumulate debt so early.”

As tuition increases and sources of aid dry up, students like Joseph, are being squeezed from every direction. Even those who hold jobs, live at home and take out loans are having trouble paying for school. We are perilously close to turning our backs on talented, smart but financially needy students.

At FIU, faculty and staff are working more efficiently than ever. We have closed numerous programs while we have seen our state support reduced by nearly $70 million in five years. In the same time period we managed to expand access to nearly 8,000 eligible students. Today we are proudly graduating more than 10,000 students a year.

At this crucial economic time, when we are faced with choices that could chart our course for generations to come, we need a long-term community educational attainment strategy that has affordability, innovation and entrepreneurship at its core.

Pell Grants are an investment in our future. And America’s public institutions are the best stewards of that investment because we do the best job at graduating students on time, with the least debt. I urge our members of Congress to recognize that public institutions are providing opportunities for people — indeed entire families — to change the course of their lives and contribute to the economy in ways their parents could not.

Mark B. Rosenberg is the president of Florida International University.