Grove City College
faith & learning An institutional perspective into the mission of Grove City College, the role of Christian scholarship in higher education, and the connection between faith and learning.
Why doesn’t Grove City College take federal funds? By The Honorable Paul J. McNulty ’80
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The Honorable Paul J. McNulty ’80 is the ninth president of Grove City College. Prior to assuming the role in 2014, he spent over 30 years in Washington, D.C., as an attorney in public service and private practice. He served as Deputy Attorney General, the second in command at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Chief Operating Officer of the department’s 100,000 employees, from 2005 to 2007. From 2001 to 2005 he was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and was a leader in our nation’s response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. McNulty worked for more than 10 years as a senior attorney in the U.S. Congress, including as Chief Counsel and Director of Legislative Operations for the House Majority Leader, Chief Counsel for the House Subcommittee on Crime, and Counsel for the House Ethics Committee. From 2007 to 2014, he led the global corporate compliance and investigations practice for Baker & McKenzie, one of the world’s largest law firms.
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merica is home to thousands of higher education institutions, but only a small handful reject funding from the federal government. Grove City College is the largest of this small group. We are occasionally asked by other colleges and universities how we do it. After all, turning off the federal money spigot may require enormous determination and sacrifice, especially for countless schools where the funding flow is a heavy stream. The Grove City model, without question, is highly distinctive. The College has long believed that private organizations should steer clear of government handouts, but we reached the proverbial fork in the road on this principle in the 1970s. In 1972, Congress passed the so-called “education amendments” to the federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. From our first days nearly a century and a half ago, Grove City College has strongly supported equal opportunity for all students. A foundational truth of our faith is that every person is God’s image-bearer and possesses inherent worth and dignity. Nevertheless, when federal regulators subsequently demanded compliance with all future and unknown regulations relating to this prohibition, GCC demurred because it did not receive “federal financial assistance.” But in 1984, after nearly 10 years of David v. Goliath litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Grove City College v. Bell that financial aid awarded to eligible students constituted federal financial assistance to the College. This landmark decision blurred the line between public and private education when it comes to government control. If students used grants to attend GCC, the College would cease to be truly independent. We would be giving the Department of Education a regulatory blank check, so to speak. As a result, the College chose the path
of independence and has declined all forms of federal financial assistance since 1984 and federal loans since 1997. (Learn more at www.gcc.edu/Supreme-Court-Case.) There are many forms of financial assistance. They include financial aid for students, government-funded research grants, and even COVID-19 relief. For Grove City College, this means forgoing millions of dollars within just the past two years. With the College’s COVID costs alone exceeding $3 million, our deeply held convictions clearly come at a price. Independence is a core value at Grove City College. We first opened our doors in 1876, the year of America’s centennial celebration, and we have been champions of freedom ever since. And just as the founders in 1776 envisioned independence as the necessary path for the prosperity of the new nation, so too has the College long cherished freedom for advancing our faithbased educational mission. Indeed, our motto is “faith and freedom matter.” Safeguarding our mission is the most important but not the only reason why Grove City College does not accept federal funds. Financial sustainability and affordability are among the other justifications. Indeed, losing the Supreme Court case was one of the best things that has happened to our beautiful campus. It seems counterintuitive to assert that declining federal funding has strengthened the College’s financial sustainability and affordability, but this is truly the case. Our alumni and friends have stepped up magnificently to support vigorously the College’s independence. They have built and continue to build a substantial financial aid program that far exceeds what the federal government currently offers. We have also raised millions of dollars to replace federal grants for research and facilities. Knowing that there will be no taxpayer bailouts or windfalls, we manage resources
