The University of Alaska will take on thousands of student scholarships until lawmakers reach an agreement
Legislator Voted earlier this week However, to avoid a partial government shutdown, they were unable to agree on funding college scholarships and grants that support more than 5,000 students in Alaska.
This means that the money is currently not in the state budget.
But the University of Alaska steps in.
Interim President of the United Arab Emirates, Pat Pitney Announced Thursday that the higher education system recognizes the scholarships and grants for current and new students until the legislature takes action.
“Our students rely on these important financial resources to fund their education and they have worked incredibly hard to deserve these awards,” said Pitney.
The legislature is expected to hold another special session beginning August 2 to resolve the scholarship issue along with dividends from the Permanent Fund and a number of other budget disputes.
CONNECTED: Dunleavy vetoed PFD funding from the state budget, says dividends must be funded in a special session
Pitney said she was confident that lawmakers would fund the grants and grants in August.
“Legislators did not intend to influence these grants or grants,” her statement said. “Rather, these critical student aid programs are an unintended victim of major budget negotiations and the necessary reverse sweep.”
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The financial aid programs caught in the crosshairs of lawmakers are the Alaska Performance Scholarship and the needs-based Alaska Education Scholarship.
It also affects the state’s contribution to the medical school’s WWAMI program, Pitney said.
She urged people to turn to the governor and legislature to fund the programs.
Alaska Public Media’s Tegan Hanlon contributed to this report.
