By MARY LYNNE O'NEAL

Staff Writer

Students receiving federal funding for higher education can now breathe a sigh of relief.

According to an article published March 16 at http://www.acenet.edu, the U.S. Senate passed a $2.57 trillion budget resolution March 12, increasing the maximum Pell Grant awards by $450 to $4,050.

This change is a far cry from last December's announcement by Congress about cutting funds for Pell Grants.

"I'm pleased that the Senate has high priority for education," Joe Thomas, the vice president of financial services, said. "Overall, the investment in education has been a driver for this country and has given us an extraordinarily high standard of living."

Thomas said it is very hard to predict what Congress will do in the future, but said he is glad that the fees have increased.

The American Council on Education reports the Bush Administration released its 2006 fiscal year budget Feb. 7, boosting student aid funding by $28 billion over a span of 10 years, sending $19 million of that money to Pell Grants.

The maximum Pell Grant amount would increase $100 each year for the next five years, rising from $4,050 in 2005 to $4,550 in 2010.

Every benefit that comes with proposals, there are also eliminations in a few education department programs, including the Perkins Loan Fund and the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships.

In a Feb. 10 article on http://www.acenet.edu, Sally Stroup, the ACE's assistant secretary for postsecondary education, said the Perkins Loan was eliminated because it targeted select institutions.

Pamela Ford, Tech's dean of enrollment management, is pleased with the raise in Pell awards for students all across the country and at Tech, but said many students have to leave the university or fail to enroll because of a lack of financial aid to cover costs.

"At Tech, the current freshmen loan ($2625), plus maximum Pell (currently $4050) are not enough to cover tuition, dorm, and meals for the 2004-05 academic year," Ford said.Ê"This may have caused some students to leave the university or never enroll in the first place."

Ford said her personal goal is to have all aid (freshmen loans, plus other gift aid, including scholarships) to at least equal tuition, dorm and meals for students with financial need, who also have an outstanding academic background.

But, Louisiana is still a low-cost place to attend college, Thomas said.

"With the amount of financial aid that is currently available, Louisiana students have the opportunity for [Tuition Opportunity Program for Students] because it gives them an additional source of funding that they can earn instead of a loan," Thomas said.