Our Mission and CommitmentThe Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) remains committed to our mission to advance equitable access and success in postsecondary education and training, meet workforce needs, and strengthen Oregon’s collective future. The HECC’s commitment to equitable opportunity in postsecondary education and training has been woven into the agency’s policies, programs, and processes since the founding of HECC as a state agency in 2013. Agency work is driven by Oregon's state education and training goals that commit us to better serving underrepresented populations who are not served today.
The HECC’s work is anchored in the belief that every learner matters and deserves access to a wide range of postsecondary opportunities through community colleges, universities, career schools, apprenticeships, and workforce training programs. At its best, postsecondary education is a powerful equalizer, preparing diverse communities across the state to thrive, and meeting workforce and economic needs.
Monitoring Federal Changes
Working with Governor Kotek as well as state and institutional partners, the HECC is actively assessing the potential impact of recent federal directives on Oregonians served by the postsecondary education and training system. If there are significant changes to HECC agency operations, we will share details with the public here.
HECC Programs and Federal Resources
HECC is actively assessing the potential impact of recent federal directives, and at this time there are no changes to HECC programs.
The HECC agency work is directly connected to U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED) services in numerous ways:
- The U.S. ED administers federal student aid for college student such as the Pell Grant that serves tens of thousands of Oregonians statewide. The amount of federal aid in many cases impacts the amount of grant aid that the HECC-Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) awards, since some state financial aid programs are “last dollar" programs.
- The Oregon grant and scholarship programs (administered by OSAC) utilize the federal student aid form, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), to determine eligibility for many forms of financial aid awarded in Oregon. The HECC-OSAC is also the state's depository of FAFSA data.
- The HECC administers funding that is awarded by the U.S ED including;
- The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Title II) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) supports, through HECC, Oregon community colleges in serving adults who seek basic (pre-college) education.
- Postsecondary career and technical education programs in Oregon are supported by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), administered in partnership with the Oregon Department of Education.
- The HECC authorizes and licenses private institutions with a focus on consumer protection. The U.S. ED maintains a list of approved accreditors that the HECC relies on in its authorization and licensing of schools serving Oregonians.
- The HECC relies on the U.S. ED for data that the agency and institutions use for evaluation, accountability, and planning.
In addition, the U.S. ED serves Oregon students through its enforcement of civil rights, administration of student loans and loan repayment/forgiveness, college planning resources such as the College Scorecard, and other resources.
The HECC’s programs and activities are primarily state-funded, but numerous of its workforce and education programs depend on federal funding. In addition, numerous HECC programs and activities, including Oregon financial aid programs administered by the HECC, are reliant on the U.S. Department of Education services.
Oregon’s federally-funded programs administered by the HECC include:
- Workforce services for Oregon workers, dislocated workers, and job-seekers (delivered through local workforce boards and partners) under Title I of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Department of Labor
- Statewide service supported by Oregon’s AmeriCorps State Grant Program
- Postsecondary career and technical education programs supported by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), administered in partnership with the Oregon Department of Education
- Adult basic skills education including English language instruction programs, supported by Title II of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, which is part of WIOA
- Workforce and education resources through Future Ready Oregon programs, funded in part by pandemic relief funds that were awarded to the State of Oregon
Resources for Colleges and Universities
The HECC is assessing the potential impact of federal directives on Oregonians served by the state’s colleges and universities. As a coordinating (not a governing) commission, the HECC does not speak on behalf of Oregon’s independently governed institutions on federal directives, but we are in close communication with state and institutional partners to gain clarity on the potential impacts.
The following guidance issued on March 5, 2025 from the Oregon Attorney General addresses diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues in the context of the Feb. 14 Dear Colleague letter from the US Department of Education, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, and federal civil rights law.
On February 14, 2025, the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter setting out its interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution provides that all people are entitled to equal protection of the laws.
The Dear Colleague letter does not change existing federal law. The letter reiterates the existing requirement that entities receiving federal financial assistance follow federal civil rights laws. Higher education institutions should continue to comply with federal civil rights laws. Oregon has long-standing core values and statutory commitments to ensure that every child is entitled to a high-quality educational experience free from discrimination or harassment, in compliance with federal laws.
Those commitments to the principles of anti-discrimination, equity, and inclusion are reflected in many different laws, including: disability rights in education (ORS 659A.103), rights to public spaces (ORS 659A.403), prohibitions on discrimination (ORS 659.850), pay equity (ORS 652), educator equity (ORS 342), the Oregon Sanctuary Law (ORS 180.805 - 180.810 and ORS 181A.820 - 181A.829), and more.
The HECC remains committed to advancing policies that reflect Oregon’s values while ensuring compliance with all applicable laws.
Other Resources
Oregon’s Sanctuary Laws
Last updated: April 2, 2025