Oregon s colleges and universities will get a needed boost from the newest federal COVID-19 relief and omnibus bill signed Dec. 27 by President Donald Trump.
The funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act s $22.7 billion dedicated to higher education across the U.S. comes at a time when low enrollment and other budget problems are cause for concern for Oregon s higher education institutions.
Oregon s Higher Education Coordinating Commission estimates
$228.1 million will come to the state from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, anticipating
$102.4 million to public universities,
$97.6 million for community colleges and
$28.1 million for private institutions. It s not enough to fix the looming budget concerns of many colleges and universities, HECC Executive Director Ben Cannon said. Nearly all of the state s colleges and universities have seen declines in enrollment, which poses problems as many still rely on tuition for the bulk of revenue. The i