APLU Urges House Passage of Bipartisan FUTURE Act to Provide Critical, Continued Funding for HBCUs, HSIs and Other MSIs

Washington, DC – Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson today sent the following letter to Democratic and Republicans leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives urging that the chamber approve the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act this week. That bill would continue critical funding for the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) that is set to otherwise expire.

The full text of McPherson’s letter to House leaders follows:

September 16, 2019

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Steny Hoyer
Majority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Steve Scalise
Minority Whip
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader Hoyer, and Minority Whip Scalise:

As president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), I write to urge the House of Representatives to pass H.R. 2486, the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act, which we understand will be considered under suspension of the rules on Tuesday.

APLU is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities. Annually, our 197 U.S. member campuses enroll 4.1 million undergraduates and 1.2 million graduate students, award 1.1 million degrees, employ 1.1 million faculty and staff, and conduct $42.4 billion in university-based research.

As you know, our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), play a critical role in educating students who have historically been underrepresented in higher education and boosting their economic mobility. Without congressional action, a critical funding stream, Title III Part F of the Higher Education Act, for these institutions will expire at the end of the month. This funding is used by institutions for a range of efforts, including strengthening STEM education, enhancing research capacity, investing in academic services and student success, and providing support to students at risk of dropping out.

The bipartisan, bicameral FUTURE Act, introduced by Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC) and Mark Walker (R-NC) in the House, would extend this mandatory funding in HEA before it expires on September 30, 2019. Without the FUTURE Act, our HBCUs, HSIs, and other MSIs will face a $2.55 billion-dollar funding cliff that would directly harm the students at the hundreds of impacted institutions. For example, a number of institutions within the California State University system have used this funding to boost STEM education initiatives supporting students.

Thank you for your attention to this very important issue. Please let me know how APLU can be a resource.

Sincerely,
Peter McPherson