"Luckily for us, this isn't the fall when a lot of new students are starting. A lot of students don't go home for Christmas because of the expense. So we could have been in a much worse situation," he said.
The federal budget impasse is preventing at least 21 foreign University of Iowa graduate teaching and research assistants from obtaining visas to return to school. Dozens of South Korean students set to come to the United States to learn the language and culture have been exposed to a side of American democracy they couldn't have picked up from a book.
Just because the shutdown is over doesn't mean an end to game-playing on the Potomac.
"Everybody knows now that this high-stakes, bluff-calling game is being played to the last card," said Blakey, a lawyer, education consultant and veteran participant in higher education debates.
ED officials were able to continue to distribute money for the federal challenge grants to historically Black colleges and universities, the Frederick Douglass teacher scholarship, Byrd Honor scholars and academic facilities grants, according to ED's chief financial officer, Donald Wirtz.
He said funds for discretionary programs, including the TRIO programs, were not distributed during the shutdown and will have to await congressional clearance.
Still, should the federal government go into another shutdown, ED is ready to continue shipping money out to higher education.
Said Wirtz: "We have to be ready for that possibility but none of us are taking bets one way or the other."
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