Dear NACCTEP Members:
I hope that you have all had a very productive fall semester. As part of NACCTEP Executive Board duties, in September, Virginia Carson, Past President; Ray Ostos, Executive Director; Pam Asti, Executive Assistant; and myself conducted our annual advocacy visits "on the hill" in Washington, D.C. The delegation disseminated information about all of the good work you are doing and sought support for your federally-funded projects. In particular, we focused on our ever important work on the STEM fields. As you know, that emphasis continues to be paramount.
Currently, more funding is available to our students through the increased Pell grant awards and more family-friendly loan programs. We expect that additional aid will be available as Congress begins to craft the American Graduation Initiative so that more students can graduate or earn a credential as part of President Obama's economic reform plans. I would encourage you to begin thinking and outlining some of your priorities so that you will be ready to apply for these funds. I recently had an opportunity to speak with the Deputy Secretary for Education, Dr. Martha Kantor, and she expects a quick turnaround of the guidelines and application process to ensure that we benefit from these funds in a timely manner. We will keep a close eye on these opportunities so that NACCTEP members can avail themselves of these additional competitive opportunities, as soon as they are announced.
Finally, if you have not yet registered for our upcoming annual conference, I want to encourage you to do so now. I look forward to seeing all of you in Baltimore for what promises to be one of our best conferences yet!
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