If Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has his way, five private colleges with rich endowments would be kicked out of the running to receive money from the state.
The move would cut the $4.8 million the state is currently sending to Trinity College and to Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Wesleyan universities for scholarships for 3,320 students. Yale, which was not slated to receive money this year, would permanently become ineligible for this money, known as CICS. The other 11 private colleges in the state with less robust endowments would still receive $11.3 million to provide scholarships for low-income students.
While students from private colleges traveled to the state Capitol complex to voice their opposition — some from the five colleges impacted by the proposed cuts — the leader of the state office responsible for this scholarship grant explained that there would be an impact only on colleges with endowments over $200 million.
“With an endowment that large, they can come up with institutional aid,” Jane Ciarleglio told the Hartford Courant.
This is not the first time the legislature and Malloy have considered making cuts to higher education. The state public universities will receive a 9 percent drop in state funding — totaling $50 million — for the current fiscal year. The private colleges were cut by 22 percent, or $5.3 million, for this year.