WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University has begun an internal assessment of whether its civic engagement project can survive a Trump Administration decision to pull the plug on $1.1 million in funding. The project director, Elissa Alzate of the political science faculty, said she was in the middle of planning a speaker series for this spring when the funding was yanked. The focus was to encourage community dialogues on topics like: building welcoming and inclusive communities through transportation coordination, affordable housing, and cooperation on regional development. The project had been taking form since last fall after the U.S. Defense Department approved a two-year $1.1 million grant. The university president, Ken Janz, declined to take news media questions about what went wrong. Janz, however, assigned his marketing director, Joe Hammel, to address questions.
Caught in Trump crosshairs
From Joe Hammel and other sources, here is the timeline of what was called the Civic Center project
> Elissa Alzate, a political theorist, applied for federal funds to promote dialogue among government agencies, citizens and shareholders. Alzate’s doctoral research at the University of California-Davis had centered on the relationship between the individual and the community, the role of religion in politics, and civic education with a focus on the early modern period, particularly John Locke. She joined the Winona State faculty in 2012.
> The U.S. Defense Department approved Alzate’s proposal in August 2024 at $1.1 million. The award was part of the Biden Administration program to pump money into the economy to continue the recovery from the CoVid pandemic of the previous Trump Administration.
> Immediately Alzate began planning a conference called “Promoting Civility Through Dialogue.” She launched an internship program to provide hands-on work experience for students She partnered with SE MN Together, a group of local government administrators and employees, educators, and leaders of nonprofit organizations to strengthen local capacity to solve community issues.
> Trump was elected to succeed Biden in November.
> Trump was inaugurated January 20. He appointed a Minnesota native, Pete Hegseth, as secretary of defense. Hegseth’s appointment was approved the U.S. Senate by the narrowest of margins, 51-50. There serious reservations about his modest military qualifications (only an Army major) and a record of peccadilloes and alcoholism. Trump had known Hegseth casually through interviews on Fox News, where he was a weekend anchor.
> Hegseth began a quick review of Defense Department to programs to eliminate. Such were Trump’s instructions. Across all agencies, the President wanted action quickly, not allowing time for careful review and heedless to implications or merit. With the Trump mandate, hundreds of federal programs were chopped. An estimated 70,000 federal employees were emailed pink slips.
> On February 28, the Defense Department notified Winona State that the Civic Center grant was dead. Yes, it had been oromised — but not yet delivered. The letter referenced Code of Federal Regulations language that indicated a federal award may be terminated if the “award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.” There was no apology, no words of regret, no elaboration.
> For reasons not yet clear, the university chose against announcing the loss publicly, despite having announced the grant’s initial award with great fanfare back in October — and despite that both the university and DOD are public agencies that operate with public tax dollars.
> Word leaked to news media on March 5. that DOD had axed the Winona project
> Pressed by news reporters, the university belatedly issued a statement: “This grant represented a significant investment in student learning and regional community support for civic engagement, and we are disappointed the award has been terminated.”
> Meanwhile, Trump actions to downsize government metaphorically overnight have triggered hundreds of lawsuits. Some of the estimated 78,000 federal employees who were fired have filed actions for wrongful dismissal. There are other lawsuits that Trump ‘s executive orders to dismantle agencies, programs and projects were unconstitutional. These suits allege that Tump ran roughshod over the role of Congress, the legislative branch, which had appropriated agency funding for government operations.
> Unknown is whether Winona State is considering legal options.
Earlier: Trump kills $1.1 million WSU project
Alzate. Editor of the textbook “From Concept to Dialogue: An Introduction to Political Theory.”
Second editon due. Publisher: Cognella Academic Publishing at $122 retail.