When Julián Castro was growing up in San Antonio, he benefited from educational opportunities provided to him by the public school system. Later, when he and his twin brother Joaquín were accepted to Stanford University, they were able to afford the cost of tuition with Pell and Perkins Grants.
Yet, the federal and state programs that helped Castro ultimately earn a law degree from Harvard Law School and go on to become the mayor of San Antonio and the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) may be at risk in today’s political climate, he told a crowd of student affairs professionals at the Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education (NASPA) conference in San Antonio on Tuesday.
“The political climate that we’re in is one that is giving short shrift to education in general, and budget-wise, may well take an axe to a lot of domestic programs, including to higher education and research programs that are vital for the future prosperity of the United States,” Castro said.
The Trump administration is set to release its proposed budget in the coming days, which is expected to seek to increase defense spending by $54 billion. That $54 billion would most likely come at the expense of domestic programs, including higher education, Castro said, affecting research conducted at universities and loan and grant programs that help students pay for college.
Castro was frank about the challenges ahead in the current political landscape.
“The few words that come to mind when I think about what we face today are volatility, uncertainty, division, and gridlock,” Castro said. “I think that’s more pointed today, but I also think we’ve been dealing with it for a few years, and it’s been getting worse and worse.”
Given the current climate, higher education leaders have a responsibility to speak up for the institutions, Castro said, counseling conference attendees to not underestimate the value of a phone call or letter to elected officials. He also pointed out that the majority of elected officials — and their staffers — attended a college or university, meaning that institutions have a direct, personal link to the Capitol.
