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CSU Statement on Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

Mar 11, 2021

California State University Chancellor Joseph I. Castro today released the following statement on the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), provided through the recently signed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021:

“As part of the country’s largest four-year public university, all 23 campuses of the CSU are deeply grateful for the funding that the bill provides them and our students.

“With 50% of students who come from low-income households (as defined as Pell eligible), the emergency financial grant aid will help them cope with the financial strain caused by the pandemic, including food and housing insecurity and other hardships. This assistance will empower our talented and diverse students to persevere in obtaining their degrees and thus become future leaders who positively impact our communities and society.

“In addition, the emergency one-time funding is critical to enable the CSU—a leader in social mobility—to continue advancing our critical public service mission. This funding will help the university to deal with the added costs associated with COVID-19, such as greatly expanding technological services by purchasing and loaning thousands of computers and wireless hotspots for students, so they could continue their studies. The funding will also help cover the widely documented revenue losses associated with the pandemic.

“The California State University system takes the role of financial stewardship of public funding very seriously, and we vow to expend it strategically and transparently, while we continue educating and graduating future leaders of California and beyond.

“Lastly, we appreciate the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, along with Congressional leaders including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in prioritizing assistance for students and universities as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.”

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    About the California State University
    The California State University<http://calstate.edu> is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 56,000 faculty and staff and 486,000 students. Half of the CSU’s students transfer from California community colleges. Created in 1960, the mission of the CSU is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity, and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards nearly 129,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 3.9 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter<https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/news>.