The National Science Foundation has been roiled by changes since President Trump took office for his second term. The administration canceled a slew of grants, cut its staff, ordered “senior appointees” to take charge of giving out and denying future grants, and abruptly laid off its entire board this spring. Research universities have been watching warily as the major provider of federal research funding reels.
But community college advocates say research institutions aren’t the only ones with concerns for the agency. They’re anxious about the long-term health of NSF’s Advanced Technological Education program, which supports STEM training for technical fields that don’t necessarily require bachelor’s degrees, such as cybersecurity, biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Since its founding, the 32-year-old program has invested about $1.6 billion in training related to these fields spearheaded by community colleges, according to advocates.
Community colleges are required to lead, or act as major partners, for all ATE-funded projects. And the funds go a variety of state and regional projects, focused on curriculum and program development, educator training and applied research on technical education in high-demand technical fields. The program also supports Consortia for Innovations in Technician Education to strengthen partnerships between community colleges and industry and 10 centers across the country dedicated to improving technical education.
