A year ago, Charles Miller, a former chairman of the University of Texas' Board of Regents, delivered the report of Commission on the Future of Higher Education to Secretary Margaret Spellings. Spellings hailed the report as a turning point: It was the day, she hoped, when U.S. colleges reoriented their mission to provide the highest possible…

The national Commission on the Future of Higher Education provides some deserved criticism of the way U.S. higher education currently works. Insofar as higher education institutions are the intellectual and economic engines that power New England, it is prudent for them to re-examine higher education in New England today from the perspective of…

This chapter identifies challenges facing colleges engaged in leveraging financial aid and presents four strategies they might employ in the future.

In a period of student loan scandals and U.S. financial market instability impacting on the cost and availability of student loans, this paper looks at alternative models of higher education funding. In this context, it also considers the level of financial support that the government should provide to higher education.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation's community colleges, representing nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 11 million students. Founded in 1920, AACC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association. AACC is governed by a 32-member board of directors,…

Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) Section 49-7-202 (c) (7) requires the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to "submit a biennial report to the governor and the general assembly, commenting upon major developments, trends, new policies, budgets and financial considerations which in the judgment of the commission will be useful to the…

This update contains analyses of legislation being tracked by California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) staff. It has updated positions on bills as adopted in the Commission meeting on June 8. A matrix of bills tracked by CPEC staff is included.

In 1999, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began an innovative scholarship program that provides full financial support to low-income minority students across the United States. The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program has already awarded more than 10,000 scholarships to exceptional students, with the ultimate goal of funding at least…

This longitudinal, mixed-method study explores how the financial burdens of college attendance impact student involvement and experiences throughout the first year of college. The student participants at 4 Midwestern, public universities were engaged to describe their experiences throughout their first year as they navigated a complex and…

"National CrossTalk" is a publication of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The National Center promotes public policies that enhance opportunities for quality education and training beyond high school. The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher…

This brief explores three examples of state policies designed to help students and families cope with rising tuition costs at four-year institutions: the Wisconsin Covenant, the Georgia HOPE Scholarship Program, and the Indiana Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. Although the authors acknowledge the important role two-year colleges play in…

This technical paper contains information about the variables in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) Year 1998 cohort data set. It groups each variable into data elements which identifies common variables within and across waves. Information is provided about each data element including its purpose, values, base populations and…

During this period of continued economic uncertainty, higher-education institutions are facing a variety of challenges that by now are very familiar to governing boards and institutional leaders, including poor investment returns, reduced liquidity, limited choices in how they structure debt issues, and threats to flexibility in tuition pricing.…

Community colleges are increasingly using the Internet for admissions and financial aid applications. The use of online processes has serious implications for students with disabilities, such as visual and learning problems, who may encounter difficulties with the Web sites if they are not designed in an accessible and usable way. A survey of…

This document provides a step-by-step guide to completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 1999-2000. Introductory information notes the availability of electronic versions of the FAFSA, requirements of renewal applications, and general instructions on form completion. Then the application process is broken down into six…