State will not reduce SSACI funding

Roughly 500 Trine students
to benefit from state decisions

 

ANGOLA, Ind. — Thanks to the efforts of college students and administrators, Trine University — and the other 30 Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) — learned this week that the state will not reduce State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) funding for the 2011-2012 academic year.
 

This is good news for Hoosier families, as it means students will not experience a reduction in need-based aid. In addition, Trine students receiving need-based aid also will receive more funding than originally estimated, as officials conservatively anticipated additional state budget cuts for the coming year.
 

According to the ICI, which represents Indiana’s private schools and 25 percent of the state’s student population — over the past two years, Hoosier students with the most financial need had their grants from SSACI decreased by more than 35 percent. At the same time, funding for such aid increased in the state budget; however, the number of students applying and qualifying for financial help also increased.
 

Trine officials worked diligently to provide information and resources to ICI, as well as educational lobbyists. Trine students — and other college students from around the state — traveled to the statehouse in April to voice their concern over continued funding decreases.

 
“Legislators continually make decisions about higher education, and it is vital that our students and administrators have a voice, especially considering that over 500 of our Hoosier students receive SSACI aid and 50 percent are first-generation college students,” said Trine University president Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D.

 
In a survey conducted by the Tarrance Group LLC on behalf of ICI, 87 percent of Hoosier voters support students being able to use need-based aid from SSACI grants at either independent or public colleges, compared to 7 percent opposed and 6 percent unsure.  That supermajority included strong support from Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters alike.   

To share your news, contact Trine University communication specialist Lindsay Winslow Brown at winslowbrownl@trine.edu.