April, 2004- Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Higher Education Act that provides federal financial aid for college students. This year's reauthorization cycle is different. The federal budget deficit places enormous pressure on members of Congress to limit federal spending on discretionary programs. The imminent national election encourages consideration of many topics for short-term political advantage. And the climate is ripe for greater accountability in education.
Elaine Tuttle Hansen
President of Bates College
(207) 786-6330
bmcnulty@bates.edu
"Reauthorization of the HEA has focused on the lack of budget resources for discretionary programs. We have been asking our Congressional delegation, 'What is the economic game plan for America that does not involve getting more people through higher education?' The responses to that question have largely been silence. There is no other game plan, but that is not where the dollars are going.
"The emperor’s clothes of the HEA are the 'triple whammy' of larger numbers of students, more needy students, and higher costs for higher education. The distribution mechanisms of the HEA largely work, but the funding is ignoring the demographic and economic facts of America. Ironically, the funding of access to higher education is where conservatives and liberals should come together. The conservatives want people working to share tax burdens, and the liberals want to give as many people as possible a chance to succeed."
John Strassburger
President of Ursinus College
(610) 409-3587
jstrassburge@ursinus.edu
Fortunately, those U. S. Representatives who were proposing specific measures to impose price controls on higher education have been dissuaded from doing so. The whole effort is extraordinarily misguided. While federal support aimed at increasing access to higher education -- which has been a part of federal policy for 35 years -- has not even come close to keeping up with inflation, the percentage of the poorest students attending college has increased considerably. Colleges are doing more than ever to expand access to college for students from the lowest family income brackets. Flagship universities, such as Princeton, and more recently Harvard, are leading the way, but a look at some public and many private institutions, including my own, reveals a tremendous commitment to building student bodies that include increasing numbers of students from the lowest income brackets.
Mary Brown Bullock
President of Agnes Scott College
(404) 471-5451
ldancy@agnesscott.edu
Creating the Higher Education Advisory Board as proposed in amendments to the federal Higher Education Advisory Act threatens to curb international education programs at a time when they should be expanded.
Sponsors of H.R. 3077 say changes to Title VI would help expand discourse on international issues. But empowering this new board to recommend programs that would “reflect diverse perspectives on the full range of views on world regions” could add a layer of federal review potentially favoring some lines of inquiry over others.
Even more ominous is a proposal that empowers the board to “study, monitor, apprise and evaluate a sample of activities.” It suggests even more ominous regulatory powers during a time of widespread distrust in this nation -- an unfortunate byproduct of 9/11.
This growing fear and suspicion of other cultures should be countered through greater interaction and education -- objectives H.R. 3077 is unlikely to achieve.
Ronald R. Thomas
President of University of Puget Sound
(253) 879-3201
president@ups.edu
In focusing on the rising costs of higher education rather than the issue of declining access, we overlook a principal cause of both: the erosion of government support for what should be one of our highest priorities. Ever since WWII and the GI Bill, Americans have understood the power of higher education to build the economy and provide a better quality of life for our citizens. Unfortunately, the same access to higher education provided to so many in the ‘50s is not available today. The value of the Pell Grant has decreased 20 percent since 1975, and average awards from the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant have fallen 20 percent over the past 10 years. Our neediest students are competing for a greatly reduced pool of government aid and are often unable to enroll in colleges for which they are otherwise qualified. I urge us to look for ways to increase government-based aid to the financially neediest students in America. Our citizens and our economy can only benefit as a result.
Jake B. Schrum
President of Southwestern University
(512) 863-1570
vandanen@southwestern.edu
Given our current global realities -- international terrorism, genocide, economic distress, a depleted environment, overpopulation, poverty, racism -- never before has there existed such a compelling reason to continue support of international education. Getting these complex issues, and, in turn, the world, into clear focus requires a transformative experience -- one that inspires and nurtures a more enlightened global perspective. Such an experience usually finds its foundation in the liberal arts classroom and continues through study, service or other activities in any number of “learning centers” worldwide. These unique, life-altering experiences allow students to cross myriad cultures and, subsequently, engender a broader, more lucid vision of the world in which we live. Those students who will likely help solve the world’s most pressing problems in years to come need support and encouragement from their political leaders -- not the kind of obstacles to international education the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act would introduce.
Christopher M. Thomforde
President of St. Olaf College
(507) 646-3000
thomford@stolaf.edu
One of the great, distinguishing characteristics of St. Olaf College is our long-standing commitment to global education, not only for our students who participate in international study programs, but also for degree-seeking international students and non-degree-seeking exchange students who come to live and study on our campus. St. Olaf currently has 51 international students representing 23 countries. They are vital, contributing members of our community. It is important that we provide international students easy access to an American education. Increasing student knowledge and awareness of the world's cultures, peoples and languages enables our young men and women to grow into a deep, sophisticated understanding of the way people in different cultures live out their lives. At a time when there is such fear and suspicion between nations, it is important that the Academies of the world maintain an open dialogue with each other and provide an inclusive sense of community.
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