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Access and Equity: A Comparative Perspective

March 14, 2008, Inside Higher Education

After a year of researching issues of access and equity in higher education in regions round the world, the Fulbright New Century Scholars gathered in Washington, DC to share snapshots of their comparative research on affirmative action, barriers to college access, and the role of private colleges, among other topics.

Lawmakers Urge Spellings to Take Action to Ensure Students Have Continued Federal College Loans

Mar. 14, 2008, Insider Higher Education

At a hearing today on Capitol Hill, House lawmakers urged U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to make sure that contingency plans are in place and fully operational to ensure that students and families continue to have uninterrupted access to federal college loans in the unlikely event that stress in the nation’s credit markets leads a significant number of lenders in the federally guaranteed student loan programs to substantially reduce their lending activity.

LSU Tigers are NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Jan. 8, 2008, ESPN.com

Jan. 8, 2008, The Kansas City Star

Jan. 9, 2008, Montreal Gazette

Jan. 9, 2008, USA Today

Students and Parents Eligible for Tuition Tax Credits

Jan. 9, 2008, Reuters

USA Funds(R), the nation's leading education loan guarantor, advises college students, former students and their parents that they may be able to reduce their federal income tax bills if they paid certain college expenses during 2007.

US House Passes Larger Pell Grant, On to Senate

July 12, 2007, Washington Post

July 12, 2007, Reuters UK

The US House passed a measure increasing the maximum Pell Grant, but also removing subsidies for loan companies.

For deeper analysis on the issue, visit our Congressional Update - Current Federal Legislation

Florida Universities Sue Governor for Control of Tuition
July 11, 2007, Miami Herald

July 11, 2007, Orlando Sentinel

Sparking a showdown with the Florida Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist, the board that oversees universities voted Tuesday to freeze freshman enrollment, raise student tuition up to 5 percent and join a lawsuit that aims to wrest control over tuition and fees from state lawmakers.

The Board of Governors' votes mark the first time since it was created by voters in 2002 that it has pushed to assert authority over tuition rates and define its constitutional powers.

As a result, some universities have resorted to a hiring or enrollment freeze, while others will cut their budget to protect faculty hiring.

LSU Math is a Model
April 27, 2007, Newswise
The LSU Department of Mathematics has spent more than three years developing a new approach to teaching college algebra and has since become a national leader in the field of using technology to redesign the delivery of large-enrollment college mathematics courses. This new approach uses a combination of small classroom instruction and a learning lab environment.

Virginia Tech Shootings
April 17, 2007, CNN
On April 16, a gunman identified as a South Korean national majoring in English killed 31 people and injured many others in a shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg.

Analysis: The tragedy underscores the importance of safety on American college campuses and the open access of public universities. LSU has taken several precautions to prevent such attacks and is learning from the Virginia Tech event what can be done to improve safety.

At LSU, we are concerned about the safety and security of our students. LSU has a 70+ police force along with camera surveillance and K9 unit. The residence halls require card access for entry and in some cases each floor has security measures. LSU also has numerous emergency phone locations near pedestrian traffic areas. In the coming days, more will be reported on LSU's measures to improve security.

Department of Education to Launch FAFSA4caster
March 21, 2007, US Dept of Education
At a news conference yesterday, the Department of Education unveiled its "FAFSA4caster," a tool that will be available on line April 1 that would enable students and families to receive estimates of their federal financial aid and expected family contribution.  The tool will also be available in Spanish.

Additional information about the "FAFSA4caster" is available at the following Department of Education website:  http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/fafsa4caster.html .

President Bush Releases Details of Student Aid Plan, Higher Ed Surprised
February 6, 2007, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Last week, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced that the Bush Administration wanted to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by an amount higher than congressional Democrats had suggested. The details of the plan reveal that the President would like to revamp federal student aid and remain fiscally neutral.

The plan calls for the elimination of the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), an additional need-based pool complimenting Pell and using state match. Also on the chopping block is the subsidy to loan providers who use the money to cover Perkins Loans, a need-based federal loan program. The interest rate on parent loans (PLUS) would be increased. The Pell Grant would be limited to 16 semesters.

On the other side of the equation are increases in other programs. The merit-based program, Academic Competitiveness Grant, would see an increase, and the Pell limitations for low-tuition institutions would be eliminated. About $24 million would be directed toward critical language programs for national interests.

The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA), a state financial aid agency that receives some revenues as a student loan guaranty agency, would also be affected by the proposal. As a guarantor, LOSFA is entitled to keep a portion of the recovered loans in default status, but the President's plan would reduce that portion and recalculate the federally funded administrative costs for the service.

Bush budget to seek cuts for Medicare, Medicaid
His effort to balance the books in five years includes new spending on education, energy initiatives, farmers and the wars.
February 5, 2007, LA Times
WASHINGTON - In a bid to balance the federal budget in five years, President Bush will seek cuts in several key programs. But the spending blueprint he sends to Congress on Monday leaves room for some sweeteners, according to administration officials.

Under the Bush plan, grants for college students would rise after remaining stagnant for three years, and some parts of the No Child Left Behind Act would receive additional funding.

Student loan interest rate cut set for vote in House today
San Francisco Chronicle, January 17, 2007
The House of Representatives intends to vote today on a plan to provide relief to millions of future college graduates facing heavy debt, but several education experts say the plan isn't enough to fix what they consider a dysfunctional national student loan program.

It would be an excellent first step to cut interest rates for subsidized Stafford loans, but it would be just a start, said Barmak Nassirian, an official with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers in Washington, D.C.

According to Cong. Melancon (D-Napoleonville), HR 5 reduces interest rates over 5 years from 6.8% to 6.12% in 2007; 5.44% in 2008; 4.76% in 2009; 4.08% in 2010; and 3.4% in 2011.

Analysis: HR 5 will be discussed and likely voted on today. The bill intends to reduce the interest rates on the federal government's sponsored loan programs. This would reduce the post-college debt load, an particularly burdensome problem for low-income graduates and those who fail to earn a degree. In 2005-06, slightly more than one-third of LSU students took out loans, with the federal government backing almost all of those loans. An LSU's post-college loan debt load is averages about $19,000, slightly below the national average for flagship universities. The federal government also provided more than $18 million in grants, work study, and graduate support during the same time period.

Alert: House passed HR 5.

What does the Congressional elections mean for LSU?
There is no 'good' and 'bad' about the outcomes, but we can expect some changes in policy regarding student aid, tuition, benefits, grant programs, and health care. In terms of student aid, the Republicans kept the maximum Pell Grant at $4,050 and limited the maximum amount of a subsidized loan as a mechanism to force colleges to keep tuition low. In Louisiana, a two-thirds vote of the Legislature and fear of a ballooning TOPS program have kept tuition rates in check. LSU's tuition is only 79% of the national average (see Tuition Growth Down for Last 3 Years, below). Democrats have pledged to raise the Pell Grant to $5,100 annually and raise the loan cap.

Democrats have also promised to raise the minimum wage to $7.25/hour over the next two years. Student workers are the only wage earners at LSU. A pay rate increase for 1,244 student staff members would necessitate an increase in expenditures. Several state legislators proposed a living wage increase to $5.75/hour and $6.15/hour.

Sen. Mary Landrieu was appointed to the Homeland Security Committee, a major appointment that she intends to use to investigate the Hurricane Katrina disaster and federal response. This may also be helpful to keep major military programs at Barksdale AFB and Fort Polk, as well as defense related projects at LSU and in New Orleans. Cong. Charlie Melancon may be appointed to House Appropriations or House Energy & Commerce. However, Louisiana has more Republican representation in Congress, meaning Louisiana may lose some of its seniority positions, Cong. Rodney Alexander may lose his seat on House Appropriations. It has also been reported the Cong. Jim McCrery will not be viable for the chair if House Ways & Means, and Cong. Richard Baker will not chair the House Financial Services Committee.

US Dept of Education Announces New Financial Aid Programs
November 1, 2006, U.S. Dept of Education
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the upcoming availability of, and the state-by-state requirements for, Academic Competitiveness Grants and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants. Starting July 1, qualified Pell Grant-eligible students can begin applying for these new grants that provide $790 million in funding for the 2006-07 academic year and $4.5 billion over the next five years. These grants provide further incentive for students to take more challenging courses in high school and to pursue college majors that are in high demand in the global economy, such as science, math, technology, engineering and critical foreign languages.

Tuition Growth Down for Last 3 Years
October 24, 2006, The College Board
The average tuition and fee increase at all public universities slowed for the third year in a row, but prices are still up 35 percent from 5 years ago, after adjusting for inflation. The increase in average tuition and fees for two-year public colleges in 2006-07 was just slightly above the inflation rate.

Published tuition and fee charges at four-year public colleges average $5,836 in 2006-07 (LSU's tuition and fees equal $4,587, or 79 percent of the national average). There was a $344 increase over last year, which represents 6.3 percent, or 2.4 percent after adjusting for inflation (LSU's tuition and fees increase was $21, a 0.5 percent increase). The average total tuition, fee, room, and board charges for in-state students at public institutions are $12,796.

After grant aid and tax benefits are considered, full-time students enrolled in public four-year colleges and universities pay on average about $2,700 in net tuition and fees. After declining or just keeping pace with inflation each year between 1996-97 and 2002-03, the average net price students pay at public four-year colleges has increased even more rapidly than published prices for the past four years because grant aid has not kept pace.

Published tuition and fee charges at four-year private colleges average $22,218 in 2006-07. The $1,238 increase over 2005-06 represents an increase of 5.9 percent, or 2 percent after adjusting for inflation. The average total tuition, fee, room, and board charges at private four-year colleges and universities are $30,367.

Minority Enrollment Grew by 50% between 1993 and 2003
American Council on Education
Minority-student enrollment at colleges and universities increased by 51 percent in the decade ending in 2003, an improvement driven by growth in the number of Hispanic and minority-female students, according to a report scheduled for release today by the American Council on Education.

The report, "Minorities in Higher Education: Twenty-Second Annual Status Report," includes data on rates of high-school completion, college enrollment, college graduation, attainment of professional and doctoral degrees, and employment in higher education. It uses data collected by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau

Secretary Spellings to Announce Action Plan on the Future of Higher Education
Sept. 26, 2006, U.S. Dept. of Education
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will announce her plans to help make the U.S. higher education system more affordable, accessible and consumer-friendly on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 12:30 p.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Chairman of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education Charles Miller and other commission members will join Secretary Spellings.

Analysis: The announcement will include three major components. Need-based aid is the first, but Secretary Spellings is expected to stop short of raising PELL Grant award amounts, which the Bush Administration has resisted. The second point will be consumer-friendly aspects proposed to make shopping for colleges easier. The third, and most controversial, is a federal student tracking database. Two years ago, bipartisan Congressional opposition thwarted the implementation of the database.

Study Claims College is Not Affordable
Sept. 7, 2006, Boston Globe
Sept. 7, 2006, Los Angeles Times
Sept. 7, 2006, CNN
"The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education evaluates how well higher education is serving the public -- and leaves little doubt where the system is failing. Forty-three states received F's for affordability, up from 36 two years ago. The others got D's, except Utah and California, both of which eked out C's." Boston Globe

Analysis: For a state like Louisiana, affordability (also known as financial access) is an important factor in determining tuition rates and state support. Unfortunately, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education's affordability indicator can be misleading. For example, the center uses state median income and the median cost of attenance, however, the state median income has no relationship to students who actually come to college. A better indicator is the Estimated Family Contribution amount, which predicts the amount of money a family will have to contribute after federal and institutional grant aid and other scholarships. A student with TOPS and full PELL Grant can receive as much as $8,000 per year.

In addition, the low tuition rate in Louisiana as compared to other states is not counted, which also translates into lower loan debt at the end of college. The center also looks at state-provided, need-based aid, which Louisiana has little. Need-based aid in Louisiana has been the universities' responsibility. LSU uses some of its state appropriations to leverage federal grant aid and college work study. Also, LSU has an institutional scholarship fund and numerous need-based exemptions, all of which is uncounted.

To veiw the National Center for Public Policy & Higher Education's report on Louisiana's higher education, click: Louisiana.

The Daily Advertiser criticized the "Report Card" as being more for secondary education in Louisiana than higher education.

LSU and Southern Computing Grid Benefit from IBM Gift
The Governor's Information Technology Initiative, started under Gov. Foster in 2001 and continued by Gov. Blanco, has been a catalyst for making Louisiana an epicenter for grid computing. The IT initiative and the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (LONI) attracted the next generation in supercomuting, the Lambda Rail, which will also benefit the Southern University Research Alliance's (SURA) SURAgrid. As the pieces start to come together, more partners are attracted. On Aug. 11, IBM announced a collaboration with SURAgrad partners.
Aug. 11, 2006, Seattlepi.com
Aug. 11, 2006, The Baton Rouge Business Report
Aug. 14, 2006, EnterpriseITPlanet
Aug. 14, 2006, Information Week
Sept. 26, 2006, Businesswire.com

LSU named a National University Transportation Center
August 9, 2006, The Baton Rouge Business Report
The U.S. Department of Transportation has named LSU as a University Transportation Center and given the school an intitial grant of $430,000. U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, who helped secure the UTC designation, says LSU is in line to get about $2.5 million in federal transportation money through 2009. The university will use the money for transportation research, training and curriculum development. "It is a testament to LSU's excellence in transportation research that Congress accepted my recommendation to specifically grant LSU this prestigious designation, which normally requires a competitive process," says Baker in a statement.


Students Issues
July 7, 2006, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Majority of Americans Reject Idea of National Database for Student Records, Poll Finds
A majority of Americans oppose a plan to create a database that would track individual students' educational progress, according to polling data released on Thursday by a national higher-education group that is dead set against the proposal.

The poll, which was commissioned by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, showed that 62 percent of Americans oppose the creation of a system that would allow the government to track individual students' academic, financial-aid, and enrollment information; 33 percent support such a system; and 4 percent are unsure. The national poll of 1,000 adults was conducted for the association in June by Ipsos Public Affairs, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

June 29, 2006, The Chronicle of Higher Education
New Welfare Rules May Reduce Poor Americans' Access to Higher Education
The Bush administration announced new welfare rules on Wednesday that could reduce the number of the nation's poor who can study at colleges as part of the government-aid program.

The regulations would require states to move much larger numbers of people from welfare to work and, at the same time, limit the types of activities, like postsecondary education, that count as work.

LSU currently has more than 5,000 PELL grant recipients. PELL grants are awarded to students with the most financial need, as determined by the federal government weighing income, wealth, number of children in college, and other factors.