Private universities are dismayed that a fact sheet of President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief package only mentions helping public universities.
Private colleges and universities are dismayed that President-elect Joe Biden might be leaving most of them out of getting additional help in the coronavirus relief package he will be proposing upon taking office Wednesday.
Causing the concern is that they were not mentioned in a fact sheet Biden released Thursday about the $1.9 trillion plan, including $35 billion of additional relief for public colleges and universities and private colleges serving minority students.
“The president-elect’s plan will ensure colleges have critical resources to implement public health protocols, execute distance learning plans, and provide emergency grants to students in need,” the fact sheet said. “This $35 billion in funding will be directed to public institutions, including community colleges, as well as public and private Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving Institutions.”
The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Association of American Universities both said they have reached out to Biden’s administration asking for clarification. A spokesman for Biden’s transition team hasn’t responded to several inquiries seeking clarification since Thursday.