More than $3.6 million in federal funding has been awarded to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and South Texas College to assist students who’ve been impacted by COVID-19, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Mission, announced in a news release Wednesday.
STC and UTRGV will specifically receive a combined $3,676,935 as part of the Higher Education Relief Fund through the CARES Act, or Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security.
Through the Developing Hispanic-serving Institutions (DHSI) program, STC will be receiving $1,254,388 while UTRGV, who offers DHSI as well as the Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA), will receive a combination of $2,422,547 — $2,093,978 coming from DHSI and $328,569 from PPOHA.
As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Cuellar helped secure $13.95 billion for the Higher Education Relief Fund in the CARES Act, of which 7% of the funding is reserved for additional awards to institutions under titles III, V and VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
“This public health and economic crisis has upended the lives of students across our community,” Cuellar said in the release. “This federal investment will be used to provide relief to students and help institutions of higher education mitigate the impact of COVID-19. As a senior Appropriator, I am committed to ensuring our colleges and universities nor our students find themselves a casualty of this pandemic.
“I want to thank University Of Texas – Rio Grande Valley President Guy Bailey, South Texas College President Dr. Shirley A. Reed, and their staff for their dedication to ensuring that their students have all the educational opportunities as we work to weather this storm.”
