President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week aiming to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (ED), possibly affecting Quinnipiac University and many other colleges around the country.
“Quinnipiac University remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting students by providing access to financial aid resources,” said John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations at Quinnipiac University in response to this move by the White House.
The Trump administration can’t completely remove the ED because it is a cabinet-level agency, but their plan for restructuring the agency may leave it crippled.
President Trump hopes to return the power of education to the states through this restructuring.
Some of the ED’s functions are to support state and local government education systems, promote education equity, and provide loans and grants to higher education institutions and students.
For example, the ED gave Quinnipiac University almost $27 million as part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief program during the COVID-19 pandemic, and part of that money went to emergency financial aid grants for students.
Students should be aware that the ED is also responsible for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, Or FAFSA, and this includes granting federal work-study opportunities.
Quinnipiac University is keeping a close eye on the situation, according to Morgan.
“We are closely monitoring the situation, including the potential closure of the U.S. Department of Education and the possible transfer of federal financial aid programs, including Pell Grants, to the Small Business Administration,” said Morgan.
Quinnipiac also receives grants from other federal agencies to support certain philanthropic programs. Recently, they received a little over $400,000 for a business accelerator program in the Greater New Haven area.
The Trump administration also froze around $14 million that were supposed to go to Connecticut school districts, according to the CT Mirror. Many school districts will not receive money that they had already included in their budgets.
“Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Financial Aid Office on the Mount Carmel Campus or the Student Services Office on the North Haven Campus with any questions or concerns,” said Morgan.
