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Dominican University President Glena G. Temple recently met with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois to discuss affordability of higher education, the university’s nursing program, and improving access to education for undocumented students.

The meeting took place Sept. 28 at Durbin’s office in Washington, D.C.

“Meeting Sen. Durbin provided an excellent opportunity for me to share the good work Dominican is doing to improve access to higher education and the holistic way we support our students,” Temple said. “His advocacy at the federal level for Hispanic-serving institutions like ours can open the doors to further support the innovations we are leading."

A statement from Durbin’s office noted Dominican University's partnership with TheDream.US, an organization providing scholarships for undocumented students to attend college. That partnership was expanded this year with Dominican accepting recipients of Opportunity Scholarships from TheDream.US. These scholarships were created for students who live in states that deny in-state tuition rates at public institutions or block admission to undocumented immigrants.

“Hispanic-serving institutions, like Illinois’ own Dominican University, offer incredibly valuable financial support and educational opportunities to students, regardless of their immigration status,” Durbin’s statement said. “It was my pleasure to meet with Dominican’s new President, Dr. Glena Temple, to discuss how the federal government can continue to support Dominican and other HSIs as it works to alleviate the burden of student debt and remove obstacles to learning for students.”