Commission on Higher Education presents $77 million request and targeted line items including HBCU consortium and cyber insurance

Dr. Purcell, speaking for the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), presented the commission’s budget request and a set of targeted program asks to a joint legislative committee, highlighting items not included in the governor’s recommendation.

Why it matters: ACHE’s budget underpins scholarships, workforce pipelines into teaching and STEM fields, and programmatic supports for campuses statewide. Several relatively small targeted grants — for HBCU capacity-building, teacher recruitment and student tracking — could influence campus programs and student services.

Purcell said ACHE’s operating request is roughly $77 million and noted that the commission manages a growing set of financial-aid programs ("about $24,000,000 in financial aid programs" managed directly by ACHE). He described six new program requests and several increases to continuing programs.

Key line items Purcell highlighted included:

- HBCU…