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Manchin, Justice explore bringing back money for university programs

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday they are working on restoring funding for programs at West Virginia University and West Virginia State University following U.S. Department of Education cuts.

In the department’s proposed budget, West Virginia University’s McNair Scholars initiative and West Virginia State University’s Upward Bound program would not receive federal funding because of mistakes on the respective applications. WVU rounded their request up by $2, and WVSU’s application had a $104 discrepancy in the grant’s narrative.

McNair Scholars is aimed at assisting first-generation college students or those in need of financial assistance, and Upward Bound helps low-income and first-generation students receive college credit while in middle and high school. Both are considered TRIO programs because of each program’s mission.

WVSU learned its application would not be considered on March 20, while WVU received its notification on June 2.

According to Manchin, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told him she would reconsider the funding cuts.

Manchin introduced Tuesday the Defending Educational Opportunities for West Virginia Students Act Tuesday, which would allow DeVos to review TRIO program applications, including those with original minor errors.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

“In West Virginia, we have a lot of first-time college students, many of whom come from low-income families that simply do not have the resources or experience to help their children navigate things like college applications, financial aid, and finally college itself,” Manchin said in a statement. “TRIO programs at West Virginia State University, West Virginia University and our other institutions fill those voids and inspire students to achieve more than they ever thought was possible.”

Manchin’s legislative action received the support of a handful of educational leaders, including West Virginia State University President Anthony Jenkins and West Virginia University President Gordon Gee.

“Without the Upward Bound Program these students would not receive the needed services and opportunities to prepare for college, many of which will go on to be first-generation college students,” Jenkins said.

“The McNair Scholarship program has been an important tool for West Virginia University and others working to find ways for many underserved populations to get the education so necessary to future success,” Gee said.

As for Justice, the governor and DeVos spoke Tuesday about the funding loss according to a statement from his office.

“Obviously these programs at WVU and WVSU have been successful and productive for many years and to see small mistakes on an application jeopardize these programs for our neediest students is disheartening,” Justice said.

Gov. Jim Justice

“We want to make sure we do everything possible to keep these programs up and running smoothly. They are far too important to be eliminated, especially due to a small, unintentional human error.”

In the release, the governor also took a jab at the West Virginia Legislature, which passed a budget last month that reduced higher education spending by $16 million.

“Since the State Legislature whacked our higher education institutions with significant budget cuts this just compounds the problem,” Justice said. “This irresponsibility by our State Legislators could lead to more unnecessary pain.”

This is not the first time Justice has gone after the state Legislature; he also attacked lawmakers in letters dated June 29 to Manchin and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

Justice said legislators cut $54 million from Medicaid and replaced it with “voodoo, one-time money.”





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