Two Yakima County colleges are at risk of losing federal support for students and programs because of what the U.S. Department of Education calls discrimination based on race.
“The Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas,” said Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education, in a press release.
Earlier this month, the Department of Education notified Heritage University and Yakima Valley College that it will discontinue funding for Minority-Serving Institution programs.
The grant programs will include 2025 awards and non-competing continuations, according to the press release.
Heritage and YVC are both designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions and receive federal funding due to Title V eligibility, supporting Hispanic and low-income students.
“Our students rely so heavily on these services, and there are (staff) who have given long amounts of their lives who may not have jobs because of these decisions,” said Christopher Gilmer, president of Heritage University.
Heritage is a small, Toppenish-based university of less than 1,000 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. More than 75% of undergraduates identify as Hispanic, with the majority of the student body coming from first-generation and low-income backgrounds.
YVC educates more than 6,500 students at the community college: 65% of the student body identifies as Hispanic, 75% are first-generation and 64% are low-income.
Heritage is at risk of losing around $1.5 million, canceling programs, renovations and infrastructure initiatives.
“To think that our students may not have all of the wraparound services that Heritage is known for is really a sense of profound disappointment,” Gilmer said.
YVC could lose $1.7 million from a Relevance Project grant, designed to enhance career development, student wellness and leadership learning opportunities for students. Over the past 10 years, the college has received $13 million in Title V funding, said Teresa Rich, YVC president.
“HSI funding isn’t discriminatory because it supports all students,” Rich said. “It doesn’t support a single population of students.”
HSI programs and federal funding at risk
In 2019, Heritage received Title V funding to support renovations for the university’s biology lab and IT infrastructure. The grant was meant to last until 2026, but has since been canceled, leaving $600,000 for the university on the table.
Other federal support includes the College Assistance Migrant Program and High School Equivalency Program, dedicated toward giving educational support and resources to migrant and seasonal farmworker families.
“We have suspected for some time that the CAMP and the HEP programs were probably going to be lost, so the students and the staff have been well notified and made aware of that,” Gilmer said.
CAMP provides academic advising, tutoring, peer mentoring, financial aid guidance, cultural enrichment and professional development to support first-year students from migrant or seasonal farmworker families in transitioning to college, according to the university.
The grant was submitted for renewal this school year, but Heritage believes the request will not be fulfilled. The university expects to lose $425,000 in funding.
“If the contributions of your race, sex or gender have not been equally regarded to those of everyone else, the doors may be open now but they haven’t always been,” Gilmer said. “And it doesn’t just take one generation to overcome those kinds of barriers.”
CAMP is also one of the biggest programs that YVC provides, with an expected loss of more than $500,000.
YVC’s program also does outreach to migrant and seasonal farmworker students, reaching more than 2,500 students across Central Washington from 2020-25.
The college’s CAMP has consistently exceeded national performance targets, with 100% first-year completion rates and 100% continuation rates from 2020-25, according to YVC.
“A lot of those students are first generation; they don’t know how college works,” Rich said. “So the program really provides the hands-on, hand-up that they need to be successful.”
The HEP program supports students from migrant and seasonal farmworker families before entering college. Heritage University and its other campuses provide instruction, in English and Spanish, across language arts, math, science, and social studies to help students earn a high school equivalency diploma.
Annually, 100 students enroll and 75% graduate, according to the university. The loss of funding equates to $475,000.
“Every student is college material and good enough for college, but if you start working with them in high school, and you show them in high school that they can succeed, they’re going to start believing that themselves,” Gilmer said.
State support
The recent developments from the Department of Education prompted Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office to reach out to Heritage, Gilmer said. There have also been conversations with Washington state Congress members and federal officials.
“The governor’s staff invited us to provide a briefing to them on what the repercussions of this would mean, and have pledged their support in trying to help to mitigate the losses,” Gilmer said.
“Heritage University is essential, and my from elected officials is that they understand and agree with that premise,” he continued.
Rich flew out to Washington, D.C., to speak with officials and legislators on Tuesday to gain more insight into what was happening at the federal level. The community college has also been in contact with state legislators to inform them about the affected programs and their impact.
“Right now there’s a lot of unknowns,” Rich said. “In D.C. right now, we’re in a state that we’ve never been in before. I think these are unprecedented times.”
What’s next for minority-serving institutions
Gilmer said he’s in the process of brainstorming other opportunities to mitigate the federal funding loss, including private resources and diversifying investment portfolios.
YVC plans to stay true to its mission and manage resources the best way possible, Rich said. The college is finding itself in a challenging position due to the ambiguity of the Department of Education’s letter.
Around $350 million in funding was meant to be allocated to support Title III and Title V programs for fiscal year 2025, but will be re-envisioned to support underprepared or under-resourced students, according to the press release.
“They’re making blanket statements with not a lot of detail, and we can’t plan on a blanket statement,” Rich said.
