Rollins president: State financial-aid grant cut deprives students
Whether it’s in the classroom or the boardroom, most people agree that diversity is fundamental to progress. Thirty years ago, Rollins College was a predominantly white institution, with just 1 in 10 students identifying with an underrepresented group. Fast-forward to our most recent freshman class, where 1 in 3 identify as a student of color and nearly 1 in 4 are eligible for federal Pell grants, available only to students with the greatest financial need.
This shift stems from a mission to make liberal arts education accessible to all degree-seekers, regardless of their socioeconomic or racial and ethnic backgrounds. Beyond that, it comes from an understanding that the College is responsible for cultivating a campus representative of the larger communities in which we live and serve.
Like most private colleges and universities, Rollins can only achieve this goal through careful and strategic deployment of financial aid. Institutional funding alone cannot always make up for the gap between the cost of a private education and what the student can afford to pay. At Rollins, for instance, many students have financial need equivalent to about two-thirds of the total cost. We cover an average of 70% of that need with institutional dollars but look to other sources of funding to help fill in the rest. For the half of our student body that are Florida residents (roughly 1,400 students), statefunded programs like Bright Futures and EASE are critical to covering those remaining costs.
Unfortunately, with the reduction in the EASE grant this past spring, these students are seeing a cut in aid of $930,000 collectively. It may be tempting to presume that the $659 per-student reduction can easily be made up by either the students themselves or the institutions that serve them. For many institutions, the compounding amount of $659 multiplied by the number of students affected multiplied by the number of years it will take them to graduate is simply cost-prohibitive. For Florida students and their families, many of whom are already making financial sacrifices so their children can benefit from our form of personalized, focused education, it is one additional burden that takes the student’s focus away from their studies.
Many students impacted by this reduction have sought the advice of our Financial Aid office. In instances where we could adjust their institutional aid award to help close the gap, we did so. However, this adjustment could not extend to all students for the reasons mentioned above, leaving many to think about what $659 will cost them in real terms. For some, it may require taking out additional loans, contributing to future debt. And for others, it could mean reducing their schedule by a credit hour or two, setting them behind their peers. Clearly, $659 is not without real impact on the student.
Some may argue that the simple solution lies in switching to a public institution where this funding gap may be smaller — yet there’s danger in that logic. Private institutions serve a critical role in the landscape of higher education. They provide an option to students who thrive in smaller, more personal educational environments. They offer strong foundations in critical thinking and problem-solving skills so today’s student can become tomorrow’s leader. And they offer a rigorous process for analysis, reflection, revision and creation. The value of our brand of education extends well beyond the classroom and well beyond the individual student. We must continue to invest in our students, with state aid working alongside institutional aid, so they can remain focused on what matters most — their education.