MN Senate probes Twin Cities college grant cuts
A Minnesota Senate subcommittee heard testimony that federal agencies have terminated or suspended more than $50 million in higher‑education awards statewide, including 101 University of Minnesota research awards worth $33 million and five St. Catherine University grants totaling $2.4 million, with Augsburg University’s McNair Scholars program among those defunded. The hearing, held last week, examined how Trump administration policy shifts canceling or suspending awards—some tied to diversity or antiracism references—are affecting research, workforce pipelines, and first‑generation and underrepresented students at Twin Cities institutions.
📌 Key Facts
- UMN tracked 101 federally funded research awards totaling $33M that were terminated or suspended (NIH, USAID, USDA, CDC, USGS, EPA)
- St. Catherine University lost five grants totaling over $2.4M, including a National Institute on Aging student research program
- Augsburg’s McNair Scholars program was defunded (one of 18 of 220 nationally), with the university saying its references to antiracism training were cited in the denial