HAMBURG, N.Y. – At the Hilbert College Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, March 16, Hilbert’s Board passed a resolution supporting the expansion of New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) in lieu of the proposed Excelsior Scholarship and price controls at independent colleges through state-imposed tuition setting and resulting elimination of TAP and Bundy Aid.
Full resolution available here.
We applaud New York State's efforts to make higher education affordable, however, the proposed Excelsior Scholarship could have a devastating economic impact on Hilbert and other small private colleges. The resolution reads in part:
“It has been the long standing policy of the State, through its Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), to treat all students in need of financial assistance equally whether they choose to attend private, not for profit colleges and universities or public institutions.”
“This fair and equitable student aid policy should not be abandoned, for if our students fit the same financial profile as those of the SUNY or CUNY students that would be benefited by the Executive Budget’s proposals, they should be treated the same for New York State to remain a stellar example of public/private partnership, representing fairness and equity at its best.”
“The Board of Trustees of Hilbert College urges the New York State Legislature to expand TAP for all students rather than endorse supplemental financial aid only for those attending SUNY or CUNY and tuition price controls that would harm the very students it is designed to help.”
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Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,000 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs and evening degree programs geared to adult learners.