Editor,
A prosperous new future for New Mexico starts with investing in education.
As students return to campus for the new school year, the opportunities seem endless. Walking through campus when I was at UNM recently to greet students at Welcome Back Days by the Duck Pond, it was clear that all the potential we could ever ask for sits in classrooms across New Mexico. The research being done at our universities holds much promise to lead the nation in innovation. I saw this firsthand at UNM’s School of Engineering labs where I met students and researchers advancing the development of directed energy in partnership with Air Force Research Laboratory in New Mexico.
Higher education prepares students for careers here in New Mexico and allows us to target areas where our state has the potential to create jobs and major new industries. But unless we support our educators and students, from early childhood all the way through higher education, that promise will languish. I will do everything I can at the federal level to make sure all New Mexicans who strive for a college degree have a fair shot at affording it without being crushed by debt.
Pell Grants are the primary form of financial aid for millions of students, providing access to an education that might otherwise be out of reach. I was proud to secure the reinstatement of year-round Pell Grants in the latest government funding bill, which will make it possible for students to continue their education year-round and join the workforce sooner. I also recently introduced the Middle Class CHANCE Act to ensure Pell Grants remain a useful financial aid tool. My bill would adjust the value of Pell Grants for inflation, make year-round Pell Grants permanent, and increase the number of eligible semesters from 12 to 15.
We must reduce the burden of private and federal student loans. Students need greater access to loan forgiveness, repayment and refinancing options. I also support making two years of community college tuition-free so students can earn the first half of a bachelor’s degree or the technical skills they need to succeed in the workforce.
Preparing our students and retraining our labor force for emerging fields — like clean energy, health care, biomedicine, and advanced technology manufacturing — can power a sustainable economic future.
I have made a point of bringing our state’s major employers — like our national labs, military bases and private industries — and educators from our public schools, universities and community colleges together to foster collaboration and think strategically about the future.
As just one example, about one third of the employees at Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories will become retirement eligible by the end of 2020. That means more than 5,000 jobs in our state that New Mexico graduates should be able to fill. I’ve brought Los Alamos National Laboratory leadership together with regional community colleges and universities to discuss the concrete steps we can take to better prepare New Mexico students for the science and engineering jobs at our national labs and potential growth industries.
Access to higher education needs to be an opportunity open to all New Mexicans. That includes veterans, parenting students and returning students. I recently helped pass legislation in the Senate to modernize and strengthen veterans’ education benefits and enhance the post-9/11 G.I. Bill, and I’ll be working to increase support services for non-traditional students.
There are no easy answers for many of the systemic challenges we face as a state. But building a better education pipeline from cradle-to-career and from one generation to the next for quality jobs is the one sure way to turn our economy around. If we invest in our students and communities today, we will build a brighter future for the Land of Enchantment.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich
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