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HEC tells education committee Aspire, FAFSA outreach reach thousands but faces funding cliff
Summary
Higher Education Coordinating Commission staff told the Education Subcommittee that outreach programs including Aspire and FAFSA/ORSAA partnerships served tens of thousands of Oregon students, but expansions funded with one-time dollars face sustainability risks in the 2025–27 budget.
The Education Subcommittee heard April 3 from Ben Cannon, executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, that the agency’s outreach programs have broad reach but face budget uncertainty.
Cannon told the committee that programs run out of the commission’s Office of Student Access and Completion focus on increasing college and career readiness and financial aid access for high school students. “Aspire is a kind of linchpin,” he said, describing the program’s role in mentoring and college‑readiness work.
Why it matters: Aspire and the commission’s FAFSA/ORSAA partnerships are intended to increase postsecondary enrollment and reduce barriers to aid for students who are low‑income, rural or from communities underrepresented in higher education. Several expansions were funded with one‑time…
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