BHEF advocates support for Pell Grants to President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Washington, DC (July 14, 2011) —The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) sent letters to President Obama, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, as well as other congressional and senate leaders in support of the Pell Grant Program. As President Obama and congressional leaders negotiate the FY2012 budget, BHEF urged the Administration to protect the sustainability of the Pell Grant Program to preserve student access to postsecondary education. Significant cuts to the Pell Grant Program will adversely affect millions of low-income postsecondary students in need to the detriment of the U.S. economy.

“The Pell Grant program fuels the nation’s human capital supply chain and is a vital source for our future workforce. Substantial reductions to the Pell Grant maximum will result in large numbers of at-need students foregoing college or dropping out if enrolled. As a nation, we can ill afford to jeopardize our future competitiveness by losing valuable human capital." said Brian K. Fitzgerald, BHEF’s Chief Executive Officer.

BHEF and its membership also urged the Administration to oppose disproportionate cuts to the Pell Grant Program, or the elimination of other Title IV programs to save the Pell program if reductions to Pell are unavoidable.