US budget sends $3 billion to higher education

US president Joe Biden has signed into law a fiscal year 2022 federal budget that boosts a range of aid programmes for low-income college students while modestly raising research spending.

The long-delayed $1.5 trillion (?1.1 trillion) spending bill, for 바카라사이트 fiscal year that began last October, includes a total of $3 billion for higher education.

Its provisions include an increase of $400 ¨C a little more than 6 per cent ¨C to $6,895, in 바카라사이트 maximum value of 바카라사이트 Pell Grant, 바카라사이트 major federal subsidy for low-income college students.

It¡¯s 바카라사이트 largest increase for several years, though below 바카라사이트 doubling that Mr Biden promised during 바카라사이트 2020 presidential campaign.

The bill also increases aid to minority-serving colleges and universities, by 12 per cent, to $885 million.

The new federal budget, negotiated in 바카라사이트 Democrat-controlled Congress, also provides an overall increase of about 5 per cent for 바카라사이트 government¡¯s various research funding agencies.

Those amounts include gains of 5 per cent to $45 billion for 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health, 4 per cent to nearly $9 billion for 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation, and 6 per cent to $7.5 billion for 바카라사이트 Department of Energy¡¯s Office of Science.

The bill brought 바카라사이트 NSF its much-debated new division focused on finding commercial applications of research discoveries, though without any specific share of 바카라사이트 NSF budget dedicated to it. The idea has raised hopes of bringing new appreciation of government-funded basic research,?along with fears?that 바카라사이트 division might take money and attention from 바카라사이트 NSF¡¯s mission to generate those discoveries.

The budget also includes $1.5 billion for thousands of ¡°earmarks¡± ¨C including more than 200 for higher education,??¨C in 바카라사이트 revival by Congress of its long-banned practice of letting individual lawmakers specify money for projects in 바카라사이트ir own districts.

The biggest earmark benefiting academia is a $76 million commitment for 바카라사이트 University of Alabama at Birmingham to build a new biomedical research building. The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and Missouri State University also received $50 million apiece, for faculty recruitment and facility renovations boosting 바카라사이트ir work in science and engineering.

The bill also requires 바카라사이트 federal creation of online survey tool, with mandatory participation by institutions, designed to measure 바카라사이트 experiences of college students with sexual harassment and assault.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com