The Department of Education announced today that colleges and universities in Nebraska have received over $217 million from the American Rescue Plan (which GOP Sens. Ben Sasse and Deb Fischer and Reps. Don Bacon, Jeff Fortenberry and Adrian Smith voted against). It was one of the largest one-time infusions of funding ever provided to the state’s colleges and universities.
These funds were provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) over the past year. The American Rescue Plan requires half of these funds to be used to provide direct financial relief to students; the Department of Education expects far more will ultimately
be used for that purpose.
In addition to $194 million provided under previous coronavirus relief legislation, these funds are already being used by colleges and universities in Nebraska to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are already having a significant impact on institutions and students:
• A recent survey of college presidents by the American Council on Education found HEERF enabled:
— 93% of colleges to provide direct financial support to students at risk of dropping out
— 81% of colleges to keep student net prices similar to pre-pandemic levels
— 70% of colleges to continue to employ faculty, staff, and other employees otherwise at risk of unemployment
— 63% of colleges to keep students and faculty safe by purchasing COVID-19 tests, health screenings, and health care
• Thousands of colleges and universities all across the country are using HEERF to keep students enrolled and on track to graduate, as well as make college more affordable, by providing emergency grants, discharging outstanding student debt or unpaid balances,
and eliminating transcript withholding practices.
As part of a state-by-state breakdown of funding, the Administration reported that these American Rescue Plan funds included significant investments in key institutions in Nebraska,
including:
— Approximately $69 million for community colleges
— Over $5 million for 2 Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
— Over $2 million for 1 Minority-Serving Instituton (MSI) – which includes HispanicServing Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific IslanderServing Institutions, and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions.
Community colleges in Nebraska receiving American Rescue Plan funds include:
— Metropolitan Community College: $25,852,038
— Southeast Community College: $16,852,674
— Central Community College: $8,118,828
— Northeast Community College: $6,712,493
— Western Nebraska Community College: $3,028,394
TCCUs in Nebraska receiving American Rescue Plan funds include:
— Little Priest Tribal College: $2,854,203
— Nebraska Indian Community College: $2,745,280
MSIs in Nebraska receiving American Rescue Plan funds include:
— Union College: $2,221,590
Examples of other colleges and universities in Nebraska receiving American Rescue Plan funds include:
— University of Nebraska: $42,399,646
— University of Nebraska at Omaha: $32,960,397
— University of Nebraska – Kearney: $11,690,35
ARP HEERF Provided by Congressional District
Nebraska Total: $217,666,322
— NE, District 01: $91,179,432
— NE, District 02: $77,528,932
— NE, District 03: $48,957,958
