get these nets
Veteran
*cued to the opening of his testimony
05/21/25
WASHINGTON — Tuskegee University President Mark Brown highlighted the importance of federal investments, such as Pell Grants, to students’ success in higher education during a hearing Wednesday.
Brown appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee alongside other higher education leaders. He discussed his perspective from a Historically Black College and University on the current state of higher education.
Brown is the first alumnus of Tuskegee University to lead the school. He noted how the impact of HBCUs, like Tuskegee, expands beyond the small percentage of the universities they represent in the United States.
“(Tuskegee University’s) 81% retention rate demonstrates our commitment to student success and our outcomes, again, looking at our 2025 graduating class speaks for themselves,” Brown said.
During the hearing, Brown focused his testimony on the critical need for federal funding for HBCU students. The Republican-backed tax cut plan is set to include limits to Pell Grants and eliminate certain loans for graduate students. The changes are part of the House Education and Workforce’s portion of the reconciliation bill.
“Reductions in federal needs-based funding would negatively impact 9 out of 10 HBCU students,” Brown said.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a member of the HELP Committee, introduced Brown at the hearing, saying “he brings unmatched experience in education leadership, federal student aid policy and HBCU advancement.”
Tuberville asked Brown and the other panelists what was causing the increasing costs of attending higher education institutions.
“I went to my Board of Trustees this upcoming year and said that I would like to freeze tuition for two years at our school,” Brown said. “They approved the freezing of the tuition, but when I looked at the cost of insurance, which is a subcomponent of that tuition, we had to go up. So, the real cost to the customer—the family—was more.”
Brown said running a university is just like operating a business, and the increasing costs in the economy create rising costs for schools.
The GOP budget bill includes a provision to eliminate Grad PLUS loans, which are used to help graduate or professional students pay for education expenses not covered by other aid. Brown said these loans make it possible for students to become veterinarians, social workers, or computer scientists. Tuskegee University processed over $22 million in federal loans in the current academic year, including $5 million in Grad PLUS loans.
“Eliminating or reducing Graduate PLUS loans without an alternative would severely limit access to graduate education, particularly for high-need, high-potential students in critical fields,” Brown said.
The reconciliation legislation also encourages universities to have “skin-in-the-game accountability” by requiring universities to reimburse the federal government for a percentage of loans their students fail to pay.
In his written testimony, Brown said changes to make higher education institutions financially responsible for students not repaying their loans could lead to Tuskegee and HBCUs facing “severe financial strain, damage to hard-earned reputations, and potential loss of eligibility for federal aid programs.”
The House is expected to vote this week on its tax cut plan before it’s sent to the Senate for consideration.
05/21/25
Tuskegee University president testifies on state of higher education
WASHINGTON — Tuskegee University President Mark Brown highlighted the importance of federal investments, such as Pell Grants, to students’ success in higher education during a hearing Wednesday.
Brown appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee alongside other higher education leaders. He discussed his perspective from a Historically Black College and University on the current state of higher education.
Brown is the first alumnus of Tuskegee University to lead the school. He noted how the impact of HBCUs, like Tuskegee, expands beyond the small percentage of the universities they represent in the United States.
“(Tuskegee University’s) 81% retention rate demonstrates our commitment to student success and our outcomes, again, looking at our 2025 graduating class speaks for themselves,” Brown said.
During the hearing, Brown focused his testimony on the critical need for federal funding for HBCU students. The Republican-backed tax cut plan is set to include limits to Pell Grants and eliminate certain loans for graduate students. The changes are part of the House Education and Workforce’s portion of the reconciliation bill.
“Reductions in federal needs-based funding would negatively impact 9 out of 10 HBCU students,” Brown said.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a member of the HELP Committee, introduced Brown at the hearing, saying “he brings unmatched experience in education leadership, federal student aid policy and HBCU advancement.”
Tuberville asked Brown and the other panelists what was causing the increasing costs of attending higher education institutions.
“I went to my Board of Trustees this upcoming year and said that I would like to freeze tuition for two years at our school,” Brown said. “They approved the freezing of the tuition, but when I looked at the cost of insurance, which is a subcomponent of that tuition, we had to go up. So, the real cost to the customer—the family—was more.”
Brown said running a university is just like operating a business, and the increasing costs in the economy create rising costs for schools.
The GOP budget bill includes a provision to eliminate Grad PLUS loans, which are used to help graduate or professional students pay for education expenses not covered by other aid. Brown said these loans make it possible for students to become veterinarians, social workers, or computer scientists. Tuskegee University processed over $22 million in federal loans in the current academic year, including $5 million in Grad PLUS loans.
“Eliminating or reducing Graduate PLUS loans without an alternative would severely limit access to graduate education, particularly for high-need, high-potential students in critical fields,” Brown said.
The reconciliation legislation also encourages universities to have “skin-in-the-game accountability” by requiring universities to reimburse the federal government for a percentage of loans their students fail to pay.
In his written testimony, Brown said changes to make higher education institutions financially responsible for students not repaying their loans could lead to Tuskegee and HBCUs facing “severe financial strain, damage to hard-earned reputations, and potential loss of eligibility for federal aid programs.”
The House is expected to vote this week on its tax cut plan before it’s sent to the Senate for consideration.
