University Business - October 2008 - (Page 34)

ON THE HILL HEA Finally Gains Reauthorization Concerns over reporting requirements one major reaction By Alan Dessoﬀ A T LAST AFTER SIX YEARS, three Congresses, and 14 extensions of the existing law, the House and Senate ﬁnally agreed to legislation reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, and in August President George W. Bush signed it. e end to the protracted consideration of the measure was, by contrast, quick and routine. e House vote was 380 to 49, the Senate’s was 83 to 8, and Bush signed it without comment. e 1,158-page law will be the basis of federal higher education policy, including student aid, for the next ﬁve years. e result of months of work by a joint House-Senate conference committee after each house had passed its own version earlier in the year, the legislation emerged in its ﬁnal form as the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137). Among its key provisions, the Act: • Requires the top 5 percent of colleges that have the greatest cost increases for their sector to submit detailed reports to the secretary of education explaining why their costs have risen and what they will do to hold costs down. • Replaces the complex, seven-page Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with a two-page “EZ-FAFSA.” • Bars lenders from oﬀering gifts to college oﬃcials as a condition of making student loans, and requires colleges to adopt a code of conduct regarding student loans. • Helps service members, veterans, and their families attend and pay for college by providing interest-free deferral on student loans while service members are on active duty, in-state tuition rates for service Colleges with the greatest cost increases must explain why, and what they’ll do to hold costs down. members and their families who move to a new state due to military service, and new college scholarships of up to $5,000 for children and family members of service members who have died since 9/11. • Allows low-income students to receive Pell Grants year-round, expands eligibility for the Academic Competitiveness and National SMART Grant programs, and expands federal loan forgiveness for a wide variety of professions, including civil legal aid lawyers, prosecutors, public defenders, and teachers. e act also contains major provisions to help students with disabilities attend college, supports innovative training programs for K-12 teachers, expands support for minority-serving institutions, and creates special programs to address the nation’s nursing shortage. CONGRESSIONAL REACTIONS Congressional leaders involved in crafting the bill uniformly hailed its enactment and cited its highlights. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) pointed to its focus on holding colleges more accountable for their costs, addressing ethical scandals in the student loan marketplace, and expanding grant aid for the neediest students, in addition to simplifying the ﬁnancial aid application process. “As the cost of college continues to rise, this bill could not come at a more crucial moment,” Kennedy said in a statement issued by his Washington oﬃce. Recovering at his Cape Cod home after surgery for a brain tumor, he missed the last-minute deliberation and the ﬁnal Senate vote. “Today’s students face daunting obstacles on the path to college, from skyrocketing tuition prices to predatory student lending practices. is landmark bipartisan legislation will address those challenges and create a higher education system that is more consumer-friendly, fairer, and easier to navigate,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) in another statement. “ is bill is critical to enhancing our economic security and improving the knowledge and skills that are the gateway to the future for our students, working families, and businesses,” said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). e measure “puts quality information in the hands of consumers and takes meaningful steps to hold down the college cost increases that are threatening students’ ability to pursue their higher education dream,” added Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.). Alan Dessoﬀ is a former reporter for e Washington Post and a freelance writer based in Bethesda, Md. universitybusiness.com 34 | October 2008 http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - October 2008

University Business - October 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Admissions
Future Shock
On the Hill
The Changing Chaplaincy
Stop, Thief!
Chief Business Officers Speak Out
Independent Outlook
Internet Technology
What's New
End Note

University Business - October 2008