As a member of the Saint Mary’s University community, I hope you will consider speaking up for college students here and around the state who rely on need-based grants that the state of Minnesota provides through the State Grant program. The State Grant program helps two out of five Minnesota college students.
After funding cuts that already impacted State Grant awards for this academic year, an unprecedented shortfall of $210 million was announced for the program starting next year. Equal to almost half of the program’s current funding, that shortfall needs to be addressed by state leaders. Without action, thousands of students, including hundreds of Saint Mary’s students, will have their State Grant awards significantly reduced or eliminated.
Gov. Tim Walz can help prevent these cuts by including full funding for the State Grant program in the budget that he is putting together by early January. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is encouraging the Walz administration to do that, speaking up on this with other private nonprofit colleges. It is also critical for individual constituents (that’s you) to ask for action on this issue.
Please consider sending a note of your own to Gov. Tim Walz and Commissioner Dennis Olson, Jr., who leads the Office of Higher Education, asking them to fully fund the State Grant program. A sample note you can edit and a simple tool for sending them is available when you click here. It will take you less than five minutes to send the note.
The Minnesota Private College Council has more information on the State Grant shortfall and saving the program, as well as more here on its impact at Saint Mary’s.
As Saint Mary’s faculty, students , staff, and alumni, we can share our views and let the Walz administration know how important it is to fully fund need-based aid for college students. Click here to go to a page where you’ll see more information and be helped in quickly sending an email.
If you can, please act on this request as soon as possible. The Walz administration is preparing its budget now and any notes need to reach them by early January at the latest.
Thank you!
