Last week, the U.S. Department of  Education announced that it will be ending grant funding to certain minority-serving institutions. This includes Goshen College, which has had the designation of Hispanic-Serving Institution since 2023.

This change represents a significant cut to grants nationally. According to the DOE’s press release, “Approximately $350 million in discretionary funds were expected to be allocated to support these programs in fiscal year 2025. These funds will be reprogrammed into programs that do not include discriminatory racial and ethnic quotas and that advance Administration priorities.”

President Rebecca Stoltzfus said that this did not come as a total surprise. She said, “We knew that this was a possibility, but when the memo came down, it was very abrupt.” She said that it is particularly unfortunate to be receiving news of a change like this in the middle of an active semester.

Gilberto Pérez Jr., vice president for student life and Hispanic-serving initiatives, added to this. He said, “I think institutions across the country, as well as HSIs and [historically Black colleges and universities] and all of the other minority-serving institutions, had a sense that potentially we were headed in that direction.”

Pérez Jr. continued, “All of us were hopeful that the changes would not come to an actual full discontinuation of those funds, but it is the reality. It is what it is.”

The grant funding that GC was receiving as a result of its HSI status covered a variety of initiatives, primarily related to the Academic Success Center. 

Michelle Blank, academic success director, provided details as to where the grant funding was being used. Those initiatives include expansion of success coaching to include all students, the position of student success program coordinator, the GC bilingual parent newsletter “Conexiones,” the textbook success program for students who couldn’t afford textbooks, micro-internships being launched this semester, parts of LEAD and some faculty work being done on the grant to expand personnel time.

Blank said, “So that’s our work now, is to try to figure out whatever our team gets to look like, whatever powers we have available, whatever this means for grant funding, how do we still meet the needs of our students.”

Jodi Beyeler, vice president for institutional advancement, said that she wanted to assure students that no scholarships will be affected by the cut to grant funding.

Pérez Jr. emphasized that GC has been in “student-serving mode” for far longer than simply the time it has had the HSI designation, and that no part of that philosophy will change because of the cuts to funding.

Pérez Jr. said, “It’s well documented that as a nation, we know that minoritized students have not had as much access, and we have attempted at Goshen College to be that place where we welcome all students.” He added, “Goshen College will continue to be oriented around love.”

President Stoltzfus said that it comes down to “solidarity in uncertain times, and wanting to create a community where people know that other people have their backs.”

According to President Stoltzfus, the current administration has been developing a concept of “illegal DEI” that could encompass examples such as giving hiring or admissions preference to a candidate of color over a white candidate, or to a female candidate over a male one.

President Stoltzfus said, “The really frustrating thing is that that’s not what it’s about at Goshen College for us.” GC is not making admissions decisions on the basis of race or ethnic background.

Rather, the demographics within GC’s student body are increasingly reflective of those in the local area. President Stoltzfus said, “We are 29% Hispanic because Elkhart and Concord and Goshen High School are all 37-56% Hispanic. This is who Elkhart County is. This is who our region is.”

As of right now, there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the effects this will have on GC. The $350 million referenced in the DOE’s press release will be reallocated according to the administration’s priorities, but according to President Stoltzfus, there are several options as to what that might mean.

It is unclear if those funds will still be available to GC.

Blank said, “A good amount of our work, of our personnel, are grant-funded. Now, it doesn’t mean they’re going away. It could be that there are other funding sources and I know that there are some folks right now looking at where those other funding sources might be.”

Regarding the difficulties of the situation, Blank said, “We’re somber, but we are a determined team and we will continue to be determined.”

President Stoltzfus added, “Our full intent is that students will not feel an upheaval through this.”

Already the college has sent a letter to Indiana Senators Banks and Young. President Stoltzfus encouraged students who want to get involved to send letters of their own. She said, “The more our Congresspeople hear from all the citizens that are affected by this, the better.”

 

We misattributed Jody Saylor; the quote was from Jodi Beyeler.