In April, I hosted a roundtable at Jefferson Community College in Watertown with dozens of students as well as faculty and administrators where we discussed many important higher education issues.
As expected, the issue at the forefront of everyone’s minds was how we can make college more affordable for students and families in our district.
As the first member of my immediate family to graduate from college, I know how important higher education is to the future of our students, and of our nation.
Unfortunately, higher education costs have skyrocketed over the past few decades. The average 2016 graduate amassed over $37,000 dollars in debt.
This crushing level of debt causes many to put off important purchases, such as owning a car or buying a first home, or even to delay getting married or having children.
One of the most critical tools our federal government has for helping low and middle income families afford higher education is the Pell Grant.
In fact, over a third of undergraduate students use the Pell Grant to help them afford tuition and fees, books, and even room and board when attending college. When I asked the students in attendance at Jefferson Community College who used Pell Grants, the room lit up with students raising their hands.
This is why I am excited that a very important initiative of mine was recently signed into law that will help families and students across the North Country.
While the Pell Grant has been a critical resource for many students, it has faced a severe limitation – it has only been able to be applied to coursework and costs that fall into the traditional Fall and Spring academic calendar. This means a student wishing to take summer classes would not have access to this important financial resource – until now.
In May, President Trump signed into law my initiative to expand the Pell eligibility window to include summer classes and increase the possible maximum Pell Grant award by 50 percent.
This has been an initiative I have championed since first hearing the idea from Jefferson Community College President Carole McCoy at a higher education meeting I hosted in 2015.
Today’s students are characterized by different demographics than the students of the past. An increasing number of students are older, have a family, and work full or part-time jobs. In the case of Jefferson Community College and other institutions across our district, many students are veterans returning to school after service.
This means that these students need the added flexibility to access classes over the summer so that they can customize their higher education experience and make it fit into their schedule around the needs of their work and their families.
These students still want to get their degree as quickly as possible, and being able to apply for Pell Grants year-round will increase graduation rates, increase college completion, and help us tackle the student loan debt challenge that we face.
This new initiative will be effective for the 2017-2018 award year that begins July 1, 2017, so students and families can inquire to the Department of Education as to how to access these funds this summer or contact my offices for help.
I will continue to work in Congress on policy solutions that help unlock doors for families across our district, and help the next generation pursue the American Dream.
