Encourage your students to complete the Census
We are excited to announce that we are partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to support the 2020 Census. As a partner, we will be working to make sure our community is accurately represented in the upcoming decennial count.
The census counts everyone in the United States. Census results are the basis for congressional representation and help determine how more than $675 billion in federal funds is distributed each year to support vital programs in states and communities across the country. These funds shape local health care, housing, education, transportation, employment, and public policy.
This census is especially important to higher education. It dictates funding amounts for things such as:
- Federal student loans and Pell Grants
- Institutional funding
- Adult education, programs for vocational rehabilitation state grants, and dislocated workers
- Health and social services
- Federal research grants
- Federal legislation
- Students’ future careers – many professionals are heavily dependent on Federal funding (e.g., medicine, social work, nursing, science, research, or public health)
- And much, much more. Click here for a breakdown of the funding affected by the Census.
However, the U.S. Census Bureau identified college students as among the hardest to survey during Census time, so it is important for campus administrators to make sure that their on-campus and distance students know the importance of filling out the Census, and how it affects them and their community. We encourage our members to create some sort of outreach to these students encouraging them to fill out the Census. Take a look at some of the resources the Census has provided for this outreach.
As the 2020 Census approaches, we will continue to share information about how you can make sure our community is fully represented. Visit 2020CENSUS.GOV anytime to get the latest news.
Bob Hansen is the CEO of UPCEA. Since 2010, Hansen has reinvented the century-old organization – creating the Center for Research and Strategy in 2011, establishing a number of initiatives focused on the association’s unique role in online leadership and management, and positioning the association as an important advocate for policy issues related to non-traditional and online learners. The association has more than doubled in size during Hansen’s tenure by successfully diversifying revenue. Hansen previously served as Associate Provost for University Outreach at the University of Southern Maine, and as Assistant to the Governor for Education in Illinois. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame.