Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advice for Higher Ed

As institutions consider options for reopening for face-to-face instructions, the CDC updated its recommendations for doing so. Read about it on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Receives CARES Act Allocation

ED released funds awarded to FIPSE and announced that the balance of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) will be disbursed through competitive grants. Read about it on the Department of Education website.

Higher Education Leadership Webcast

The Global Pandemic and the HBCU, is a series of webcasts hosted by the Higher Education Leadership Foundation. Recent additions include Leading Through Covid: Data, Resilience and Sustainability and a panel discussion on the post-pandemic future of the higher education business model. Read about it on the Bennett College website.

HBCUs Urged to Compete for Coronavirus Funding

In a recent publication, the White House Initiative on HBCUs encouraged institutions to apply for federal funding available from the Department of Commerce. The report, Revitalizing America Post COVID-19, provides an outline for activating HBCU Revitalization Ecosystems (HBCURE). Read about it on the HBCU Advocate website.

Collegiate Sports Remain on Hold

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) says it is up to each member institutions to decide when to resume. Considerations include sanitation costs, social distancing requirements, protective equipment, and coronavirus testing. It is unclear how scheduling will be modified to adapt to likely rolling resumptions. The pandemic caused winter seasons to be cut short and spring seasons to be cancelled, leaving some institutions missing an important revenue stream and recruitment tool. Read about it on the NCAA website.

Institutions Weigh Relief Risks

Some institutions have decided not to apply for HEERF funds. It is not yet clear how much of the hesitation is due to the nature of the CARES HEERF Certification and Agreement. An institution that fails to live up to that agreement can be fined three times the amount of the award it received. But the agreement grants significant leeway to ED in judging compliance. For example, it requires institutions to continue to pay all employees and contractors to the greatest extent practicable. That wording does not indicate the types of mitigating factors that would be considered. Not all of the abstaining institutions are well off. Some institutions have chosen to wait for more clarity as some restrictions, like student eligibility, have unfolded through FAQs and guidance letters. Read about it on the Chronicle of Higher Education  website.

Legal Ramifications of the Pandemic

Businesses, including institutions of higher education, carry insurance to mitigate risk of catastrophic loss. Few policies provide coverage for viruses and many specifically exclude them. During the current pandemic, the insurance industry has routinely denied business interruption claims, even on policies that do not explicitly exclude viruses. Several states are considering legislation to force insurers to pay business interruption claims. The move toward class action is gaining steam, though the industry has pushed back. Experts recommend analyzing policies for evidence that nonphysical conditions such as contamination have rendered the insured property temporarily unusable. The insured may also be able to collect on losses under contingent business interruption coverage. Losses due to government imposed restrictions may also be covered. Read about it on the Insurance Journal  website.

Fewer Returning Students Filing FAFSA

Industry watchdogs report a significant decline in FAFSA renewals by low income students for the 2020-2021 cycle. The number of renewals for Pell-eligible students continued to decline even after higher income categories began to bounce back. Read about it on the Diverse Issues in Higher Education  website.

Student HEERF eligibility Updated

ED added a caveat that whittled down student eligibility for HEERF. Initially, institutions were given leeway to devise their own formula for distributing the half of the HEERF designated for student aid. However, an updated FAQ narrowed eligibility to students receiving or eligible to receive Pell-grants. Additional requirements such as citizenship were included in the update. Read about it on the Hechinger Report  website.

Second Chance Pell Expansion

Three HBCUs were selected to participate in the expansion of the Second Chance Pell Grant program. The program permits eligible incarcerated students to apply for Pell Grants. Bowie State University, Claflin University and Lane College join existing HBCU participants: Langston University, Shorter College, and Wiley College. Read about it on the Inside Higher Ed  website.

Student Aid and Education Benefits Jeopardized

A veterans' advocacy organization has alleged that updated guidance from the Department of Education could leave veterans ineligible for student aid available under HEERF. The guidance bases eligibility, in part, upon FAFSA data. Members of the National Guard deployed to help with coronavirus testing and tracking, may also miss out on federal benefits. Their deployment ends one day shy of the 90-day mark that would make them eligible for education benefits. Read about it on the Politico website.

HBCU Fall Enrollment and Degrees Conferred Data

The National Center for Education Statistics released a table featuring data on the fall enrollment for 2018 and degrees conferred at HBCUs for the 2017-2018 academic years. The table also showed total expenditures for 2017-2018. Read about it on the National Center for Education Statistics  website.

Institutions Resist Issuing Tuition Refunds

Although most institutions prorated refunds for room, board, and other fees, few offered tuition refunds. Students at a few institutions have sued. At least one state has considered legislation to make prorated tuition refunds mandatory. Pundits caution that such a policy may backfire and lead to a drop in fall enrollment. For their part, institutions say they cannot afford the refunds. They say it is too difficult to access endowment funds and diverting money from faculty and staff would be counterproductive. Read about it on the New York Times  website.

Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act

Congressmen from Minnesota and Texas introduced the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act. The proposed law would extend the 8-week time limit for forgiveness expenses, eliminate the 25% ceiling on non-payroll expenses, and remove restrictions on payroll tax deferment. Read about it on the Hill  website.

Congress Passes The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act

The Act passed the House on May 15, 2020, but the senate failed to take it up. The bill would provide additional stimulus funds for taxpayers, states, and the Postal Service. Read about it on the Forbes  website.

Federal Student Aid Data

The Department of Education has released several reports and data related to federal student aid programs. Information released includes default rates, loan forgiveness reports, and Title IV data. Read about it on the Federal Student Aid  website.

DeVos Under Fire

Criticism of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has escalated and three lawsuits were filed against her during the past month. Issues include making DACA students ineligible for HEERF, the new Title IX rules, and garnishing student loan borrowers' wages during the pandemic. She was also called out for her handling of CARES Act funding both for K-12 and for post secondary institutions. Some say her interpretation of the CARES Act will harm public schools that serve low-income students and benefit private schools that typically serve wealthier students. A similar concern was voiced in regard to discretionary HEERF funds. A researcher found that the top 20 institutions receiving HEERF served just over 200 Pell-grant recipients, most of whom were enrolled at a single institution. Read about it on the Forbes website.

Awards and Opportunities

Public HBCUs Get a Boost 

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded over $14,000,000 in grants to 19 HBCUs as part of its 1890 Scholarships Program for 1890 land-grant institutions. The funds were authorized under the 2018 Farm Bill.  Read about it on the National Institute of Food and Agriculture  website.

Plant Biotic Interaction Program Award

Dr. Vincent Fondong, a professor and researcher at Delaware State University, will continue working to develop a non-GMO response to the potato virus Y. The Plant Biotic Interaction Program, which is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation, awarded Dr. Fondong $1,100,000. He will collaborate with Dr. Blake Meyers of the Danforth Plant Science Center. Read about it on the Delaware State University  website.

Coronavirus Aid from the Economic Development Administration (EDA)

The EDA announced it is accepting applications for grants to distribute additional funding it received through the CARES Act. According to its FAQ, institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for the EDA's Economic Adjustment Assistance Program's strategy and implementation grants. Read about it on the Economic Development Administration website.

Grant to Establish Business Hub

Fayetteville State University's Broadwell College of Business and Economics won a $199,280 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The award will be used to establish an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub at the College. The Hub will feature an idea space and provide consulting services and other support for entrepreneurs. Read about it on the Fayetteville State University website.

Consortium Awarded Grant

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $5,700,000 grant to North Carolina A&T University, Wake Forest, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Duke University. The four institutions make up the North Carolina Diabetes Research Center (NCDRC) consortium. The University will house the Enrichment/Community Engagement Core of the project under the direction of Dr. Elimelda Moige Ongeri. Read about it on the North Carolina A&T University website.