2009 Public Policy AEDA - American Association of State ... · Affordability Priorities H. Amend...

Public Policy

AgendA

2009

American Associationof State Collegesand Universities

Contents

Public Policy Principles ......................................................................2

From the President ..............................................................................3

Affordability ..........................................................................................5

Federal Role in College Affordability ............................................ 7

State Role in College Affordability .............................................. 14

Access ................................................................................................... 17

Federal Role in College Access ..................................................... 19

State Role in College Access .........................................................23

Accountability ....................................................................................25

Federal Role in Accountability ......................................................27

State Role in Accountability .......................................................... 30

Competitiveness ................................................................................33

Federal Role in Competitiveness ..................................................35

State Role in Competitiveness ...................................................... 41

Council of State Representatives .................................................. 47

Endorsements

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities’

2009 Public Policy Agenda is endorsed by the following

organizations:

• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

• Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education

• Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities

• Council for Opportunity in Education

• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities

• National Association of State Universities

and Land-Grant Colleges

2009Public Policy

Agenda

American Association of State

Colleges and Universities

Public Policy PrinciPles

2 ❙ 2009 AAscu Public Policy Agenda

Public Policy Principles

AASCU’s Public Policy Agenda is rooted in an uncompromising commitment to opportunity for the nation’s students and expressed through the following core principles:

Higher education is a common good that provides significant benefits to individuals and society as a whole. While the personal gains from higher education are widely acknowledged, the societal benefits are even more significant and lasting, thus warranting continued public investment. These include tangible returns through economic productivity and increased tax revenues, but even more fundamentally, through the promotion of an enlightened citizenry and greater social cohesion and inclusion.

America’s public higher education system stands as an embodiment of the nation’s democratic ideals. State colleges and universities accomplish this by promoting broad access to education for all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, thus transforming society and setting a global standard. Amid fundamental changes in the state-campus relationship, this principle must not be compromised.

State colleges and universities are committed to delivering America’s promise through quality undergraduate and graduate programs that reflect responsible stewardship of the public investment; meaningful engagement of the social and economic issues facing their states, regions and communities; and the promotion of global awareness, understanding and competitiveness.

No American should be denied the opportunity to pursue higher education for lack of financial resources. Affordable public sector tuition and need-based federal aid are the two requisite ingredients for realizing this ideal.

from the President

2009 AAscu Public Policy Agenda ❙ 3

from the President

Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to present to you the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ 2009 Public Policy Agenda. This annual statement of policy principles and positions guides the association’s advocacy on current and developing issues at the federal and state levels.

Over the past year, the nation has witnessed a number of extraordinary events that will impact higher education in the years to come. The nation’s wide-ranging financial crisis is directly affecting college and university finances as well as state budgets, increasing the challenges of providing affordable higher education for all. The historic election of Barack Obama signifies change in Washington, D.C. and new prospects to expand educational opportunities for all Americans. After years of discussion and debate, Congress finally passed the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) to amend the Higher Education Act (HEA), including many provisions that AASCU helped to achieve. It expands access through increases in the Pell Grant, provides a new program for rural institutions, increases investment in minority-serving institutions, and improves loan counseling for student borrowers. AASCU is particularly pleased about the inclusion of the “maintenance of effort” provision in the HEOA that recognizes the connection between state appropriations and public university tuition. In June, Congress also passed the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 that provides veterans with the financial means to attend any public college in the nation.

While continuing to organize our policy positions around the central themes of affordability, access, accountability and competitiveness, this year’s Public Policy Agenda reflects the events and accomplishments of the past year. One timely new legislative

from the President


goal is to streamline and reform the federal student loan program to ensure that all borrowers are able to repay their loans. Our underlying commitments, however, remain consistent, focusing around the belief that investment in human capital is in the long-term best interests of our nation and all its citizens. AASCU calls on policymakers to honor their commitments to the nation’s students and their families, and to work together to ensure that the doors of college opportunity remain open for all.

The 2009 Public Policy Agenda is intended to serve as a point of reference for the association’s members and other interested organizations as well as federal and state policymakers. The association and its members stand ready to do their part to ensure a higher education system worthy of the public’s hope and trust.

Sincerely,

Constantine W. (Deno) CurrisPresident

Affordability

American families continue to identify college affordability as one of their biggest concerns. AASCU, representing more than 430 institutions and heads of systems on behalf of 3.5 million students who attend AASCU institutions, advocates for a higher education finance model that ensures every qualified student—no matter his or her financial need—can afford a college education.

Student grants, student loans and tax policies all contribute to college affordability. AASCU believes that while each is an important piece of financing a college education, limited public resources should be targeted to the neediest students in the form of direct grant aid. Student debt should be limited, student loan repayment options flexible and manageable for students in all income categories, work-study opportunities available and financially feasible for students, and education tax benefits transparent.

With the recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, several AASCU-supported policy provisions related to student financial aid and college affordability were implemented. These include a year-round Pell Grant, improvements to the SMART grant program that ensure all Pell-eligible students who pursue degrees in the math and sciences qualify for the program, improved student loan counseling, and more transparency and accountability in the private loan market.

There are more improvements to be made. While the Higher Education Act has also been amended to provide a variety of federal student loan repayment plans, many borrowers do not understand or have access to these options when they need them. This leads many to become “defaulters” with harsh financial penalties and no statute of limitations. AASCU believes that the legislative goal now should be to streamline and reform borrower repayment in federal student loan programs to

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ensure that all borrowers are able to repay their loans using an appropriate repayment plan without incurring penalties.

Affordability Priorities

H Amend the Higher Education Act to augment the maximum

Pell award to benefit the lowest income students.

H Clarify that the definition of “acceleration toward a degree,”

for purposes of newly established year-round Pell Grants,

includes enrollment in and completion of required remedial/

developmental courses.

H Advocate for a student aid financing model in which federal

grant and loan resources cover approximately two-thirds of

the total cost of attendance at a public four-year institution for

the lowest-income student.

H Secure sufficient appropriations to sustain the value of

Pell Grant awards given the demand for awards driven by

the statutory program structure, national economic trends

and demographic trends of enrollment in postsecondary

education.

H Maintain current aggregate loan limits for undergraduate

students in the federal loan programs.

H Require that all Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) loans

that are past due for a specified period of time be immediately

assigned by the lender to the Department of Education.

The loans would be transferred at par—the lender would

receive principal and accrued interest through the date of the

assignment.

H Support a change in federal student loan collection policy to

collect only what is currently due and manageable instead of

adhering to a practice of declaring the entire loan to be due

and payable.

H Support a legislative change to require mandatory use of

institutional certification of private loans by lenders.

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federAl role in colleGe AffordAbility


Federal Role in College Affordability—

AASCU Policy Statements

Federal Grants

Pell Grants

n Amend the Higher Education Act to augment the maximum Pell Grant award to benefit the lowest income students. Under current law, students whose family income equals the subsistence level set by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are expected to contribute zero dollars, also known as “zero expected family contribution (EFC),” but students with even lower incomes—equivalent to “negative EFC”—receive no additional benefits. The proposed change would augment the maximum Pell award by up to $750 for students with the lowest incomes.

n Clarify that the definition of “acceleration toward a degree,” for purposes of newly established year-round Pell Grants, includes enrollment in and completion of required remedial/developmental courses.

The FY 2008 maximum Pell Grant award ($4,731) covers approximately 33 percent of the 2008–2009 cost of attendance at public four-year institutions ($14,333) and approximately 72 percent of in-state tuition and fees ($6,585).

Under the current structure, when the maximum award for the Pell Grant is increased, essentially all awards are increased by the same amount and the recipient pool expands to include more families with higher incomes. This occurs because most awards are calculated by subtracting the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the maximum award. If a negative EFC were to be implemented those who currently have a zero EFC would benefit relative to those with higher incomes, effectively targeting additional dollars to the neediest students.

The Pell Grant program contributes significantly to the nation’s economy and security by making it possible for low-income students to earn college degrees. The majority of Pell Grant recipients enter fields of study essential to national and state workforce needs, including 20 percent majoring in health-related fields, 18 percent business, 9 percent education, 6 percent computer/information science, 6 percent math and science and 5 percent engineering, according to Department of Education research.

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n Advocate for a student-aid financing model in which federal grant and loan resources cover approximately two-thirds of the total cost of attendance at a public four-year institution for the lowest income student. The Pell Grant maximum award should be funded to cover one-half the cost of attendance, with the remaining federal responsibility to be met through subsidized federal loans and federal campus-based aid. The remaining costs should be covered by a combination of state grants and institutional aid. This model is predicated on the premise that states and institutions should work to ensure affordable tuition and the provision of funds for grant aid to students.

n Advocate for sufficient appropriations to sustain the value of Pell Grant awards given the demand for awards driven by the statutory program structure, national economic trends and demographic trends of enrollment in postsecondary education.

Academic Competitiveness and SMART

Grants (ACG/SMART)

n Revise the academic requirements for continuance of ACG/SMART awards to be consistent with other Title IV awards for financial aid programs’ satisfactory progress standards. The requirements should permit institutions to determine equivalencies for grades in grading structures such as Pass/Fail in determining student GPA performance.

Campus-Based Financial Aid Programs and Leveraging

Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP)

n Increase appropriations to Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Work-Study as well as the capital contribution to Perkins Loans.

For the lowest income students, assuming a $15,000 annual total cost of attendance at a public university, this model assumes that $7,500 would come from the Pell Grant, $2,500 from federal subsidized loans and federal campus-based aid, and the remaining $5,000 from state grants and institutional aid.



n Increase the appropriation to fully reimburse institutions for loan cancellations for various service-related activity in the military, teaching, public service, law enforcement, corrections and firefighting.

n Revise the institutional allocation formulas to distribute funds based on institutional need by comprehensively measuring need and phasing out the conditional guarantee levels.

n Ensure that Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) funds are used for need-based aid, particularly targeted toward Pell Grant recipients. Increased LEAP funds should be allocated only to states that do not reduce appropriations for need-based awards.

Federal Student Loans

Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)

and Direct Loan (DL) Programs

n Support the maintenance of both the FFEL and DL programs.

n Oppose all efforts to undermine either the FFEL or DL programs through legislative and regulatory provisions that would impose artificial disadvantages on the efficient operation of either program.

Student Debt Burden and Loan Limits

n Maintain aggregate loan limits for undergraduate students in the federal loan programs at the current level of $31,000 for dependent students and $57,500 for independent students (in both cases, no more than $23,000 can be subsidized) in the FFEL and Federal Direct Loan programs.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 75 percent of high school graduates expect to earn a four-year college degree, up from 50 percent in 1972. The greatest growth in aspirations has been among those in the middle and bottom socioeconomic status quartiles.



Loan Repayment

n Require that all FFEL loans that are past due for a specified period of time be immediately assigned by the lender to the Department of Education. The Department of Education should immediately contact the borrower to inform the borrower of the full range of repayment options and assist in selecting an option most appropriate to the financial circumstances of the borrower.

n Require that the Department of Education promptly contact

borrowers in the Direct Loan program who do not make regular payments. The department should put them in an appropriate repayment plan, including Income Based Repayment (IBR) and Income Contingent Repayment (ICR), and set up special handling for those borrowers who have recurring repayment problems.

n Support a change in federal student loan collection policy to collect only what is currently due and manageable instead of adhering to a practice of declaring the entire loan to be due and payable. Such a change in policy would facilitate borrowers addressing their past due status and mitigating the accumulation of excessive collection charges and fees when collection agencies are able to assess penalty fees based on the entire loan rather than just the payments due to date.

Private Loans

n Support a legislative change to require mandatory use of institutional certification of private loans by lenders. This will help ensure that students and families fully utilize

According to the College Board, the private loan industry now lends more than $17 billion annually, but declined in 2007–2008 by about one percent in constant dollars.

One in 10 students from families with annual incomes under $35,000 and one in four students from households with incomes between $35,000 and $50,000 did NOT complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to Sallie Mae’s national study How America Pays for College. This means that they may be missing out on federal financial aid to which they are entitled.

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state and federal grants and less expensive financing options, such as subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans, and PLUS Loans before securing more costly private loans.

n Support revising the bankruptcy code to permit the discharge of private educational loans in bankruptcy proceedings to provide greater protection to borrowers enticed into unmanageable debt burden.

Tax Policy

HOPE Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits

n Support changes in tax policy pertaining to the HOPE and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits and tax deductions that will make them more accessible to the most needy students. Strategies include consolidation, refundability, expansion to nontuition expenses, and removal of the offset against Pell and SEOG awards.

Student-Related Tax Policy

n Make permanent the deduction of education expenses of $4,000 for taxpayers, due to expire in December 2009, that provides an “above the line” deduction for qualified tuition and other education expenses at higher education institutions.

n Continue support for a refundable tax credit for student loan interest paid by low-income borrowers.

n Support the establishment of a federal tax exemption for loan forgiveness proceeds for borrowers in the Income Contingent Repayment and Income Based Repayment programs.

According to the College Board, in 2006 only approximately 11 percent of taxpayers with incomes below $50,000 benefited from tuition tax deductions. Tuition tax credit benefits went to about 41 percent of taxpayers with incomes below $50,000.



n Oppose any proposed modification of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) exemption for students working on college and university campuses.

Institution-Related Tax Policy

n Support legislation that would make permanent the tax provisions due to expire in 2009 that permit individuals 70½ and older to transfer up to $100,000 from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) tax-free to charitable and other nonprofit organizations. AASCU will explore the feasibility of lowering the eligibility requirement from age 70½ to 65.

n Oppose any proposal to restrict deductions for noncash gifts to the amount paid for such property, rather than the current standard of fair market value.

n Support legislation that would allow taxpayers that do not itemize deductions on their federal income tax returns to claim a deduction for charitable contributions.

n Oppose a permanent extension of the federal estate tax repeal, and call on Congress to instead consider estate tax reforms that balance the needs of farms and small business owners with those of states and charitable organizations.

n Support the active enforcement of existing laws and regulations governing the tax-exempt status of nonprofit and charitable organizations over the expansion of these laws and regulations. Specifically, AASCU supports current law that places the burden of proof for reasonable compensation under the intermediate sanctions law on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

n Oppose any attempt to repeal the existing exemption of tuition remission for college and university employees.

n Oppose any proposal to increase the federal tax liability of public college and university employees by changing the treatment of their contributions to state retirement plans.



n Oppose IRS attempts to create standardized definitions for early or normal retirement age with regard to governmental plans; rather, IRS should defer to applicable state or local laws, regulations and policies governing the plan.

n Oppose any proposal to make the Medicare Payroll Tax mandatory for all public sector employees, regardless of hire date or participation in another insurance plan.

n Oppose any proposal to eliminate the ability of issuers of government and tax-exempt bonds to do one advance refunding (i.e., refinancing of outstanding bonds before maturity or callability).

n Oppose any mandatory proposal requiring institutions of higher education to spend down their endowment assets. Currently, institutions voluntarily spend on average 4.6 percent of their endowments annually.

According to the College Board, in 2007 the estimated median average amount of endowment assets per FTE student was about $15,400 at public four-year doctorate-granting universities and about $2,100 at public four-year master’s universities, compared to an estimated median average of about $119,900 at private four-year doctorate-granting universities and about $9,000 at private four-year master’s universities.

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State Role in College Affordability—


Viewing State Operating Support for Public Colleges

and Universities as a Critical Public Investment

n Encourage states to view their public colleges and universities as economic assets that provide critical competitive leverage and to align state tax policy in a manner that will facilitate greater access to, and investment in, these institutions.

State Financial Aid: Strengthened Investment

in Need-Based Aid

n Encourage states to reinvigorate their investment in need-based grant programs that promote increased access for low-income undergraduate students, especially those who are Pell-eligible.

n Advise states to earmark grants that facilitate the completion of postsecondary credentials for nontraditional student populations, such as those who are over the age of 25 and those who attend part-time.

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs that Facilitate

Access, Boost Competitiveness

n Support state-coordinated loan forgiveness programs that offer incentives to individuals to seek postsecondary training in preparation for high-demand occupations such as engineering, sciences and health care, and critical public sector occupations such as teaching.

State operating support for public postsecondary education generates significant long-term economic return to states, and as such, should be viewed as a critical public investment.



Education Tax Credits

n Support provision of state income tax credits for students’ and parents’ investment in higher education, to include tuition, fees and related expenses.

n Support tax credits for employers who provide tuition reimbursement or other incentives to employees to promote postsecondary enrollment.

College Savings Plans

n Support state efforts to provide and sustain fiscally sound state prepaid tuition plans. Encourage states to make every effort to keep enrollment open to future enrollees.

n Encourage state policy reforms of 529 savings plans to increase future savings for lower-income families. Consider “seed” funding initiatives that provide an initial contribution and/or matching monies up to a specified dollar amount. Provide greater individual protection of 529 savings plans from creditors. Urge states to offer tax benefits to families using any state’s 529 plan.

Recognition of Inflationary Pressures

Impacting Higher Education

n Encourage states to recognize the higher-than-average relative price level of the goods and services purchased by colleges and universities, and to choose appropriate inflation indexes when drafting state policy that affects tuition pricing, state operating support, and grant aid programs. Alternative indices include the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), administered by the Commonfund

According to the Commonfund Institute, inflationary costs for the typical market basket of goods purchased by higher education institutions rose by an average of 4 percent annually between 2002–2008. When compared to an average annual increase of 2.8 percent in the Consumer Price Index, it is evident that inflation has an above-average impact on college and university purchasing power.



Institute, and the Higher Education Cost Adjustment (HECA), administered by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) association.

Improved Transparency of Tuition Cost Changes

n Urge states, coordinating boards and other agencies to improve transparency and comparability by expressing tuition changes in dollar terms as opposed to percentage terms—especially as it may relate to formal policy impacting state institutions, such as the provision of state operating support.

Mandated Tuition Caps

n Discourage mandated tuition caps on state colleges and universities that are set by state legislatures. Artificially set tuition caps may lead to decreases in academic quality, reduced ability to respond to market opportunities that will boost state competitiveness, and a reduction in the availability of institutional student financial aid. Exceptions may exist in cases where state appropriations sufficiently offset losses in tuition revenues.

Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR)

n Discourage efforts to amend state constitutions to place arbitrary limits on revenues and expenditures through Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABORs) or similar means. Inadequate funding of institutions of higher education penalizes students. The imposition of arbitrary limits on revenues and expenditures constrains the flexibility of state elected leaders to respond to changing needs and circumstances and to invest strategically in the state’s economic future, and they have proven devastating to higher education funding.

Reporting tuition cost changes in dollar figures rather than in percentages leads to greater transparency and clarity. For example, according to the College Board, tuition and fees rose by an average of 6.4 percent in 2008–2009 at state public four-year colleges, a rate slightly above the 5.9 percent increase witnessed at the nation’s private four-year not-for-profit colleges—yet, the actual dollar increases paid by students were $394 and $1,398, respectively.

Access

Access to college means ensuring that all students who wish to pursue a higher education have the opportunity to do so, regardless of their socioeconomic, demographic, geographic or academic backgrounds. It includes the opportunity to earn admittance, experience a supportive environment during their studies and graduate from college prepared to succeed in the workplace and participate as a citizen of the world.

State and federal governments—as well as institutions—play a role in ensuring the path to college is as smooth as possible for all students, with the federal government playing an especially important role in ensuring equal access to college. The states and federal government, in partnership with the nation’s pre-K-12 system, have a responsibility to focus the most effective strategies for access and inclusion on the precollege years and work to reduce barriers in the transition from secondary to postsecondary education.

AASCU is pleased that the most recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act includes provisions that address access issues supported and advocated by AASCU, including extending eligibility requirements in Title III to include the new designation of “Predominantly Black Institution;” adding six new graduate programs to the list of Historically Black Colleges and Universities; creating a new program under Title V to strengthen graduate opportunities for Hispanic students; and allowing for institutional payments to master’s degree-granting institutions that enroll a Graduate Assistant in Areas of National Need (GAANN) fellow.

In addition, during the 110th Congress, significant adjustments to student veteran benefits were signed into law. In the same measure, veteran education benefit eligibility requirements were improved and equalized among the various active and reserve duty components.

Access Priorities

H Boost appropriation levels for Title III of the Higher Education

Act, which supports the development and strengthening of

Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Predominantly

Black Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges

and Universities, Alaska Native and Hawaiian-Serving

Institutions, Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions, and

Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving

Institutions.

H Boost funding of Title V of the Higher Education Act, which

supports the development and strengthening of Hispanic

Serving Institutions (HSIs) in order to address the nation’s

changing demographics and the increasing enrollments at HSIs.

H Benchmark MGIB benefits (pre-9/11 GI Bill) to the cost of

attendance at public four-year institutions for those service

members who served prior to September 11, 2001.

H Fund Model Programs for Centers of Excellence for Veteran

Success authorized under HEA to award competitive grants

for model programs that support veteran student success in

postsecondary education.

H Support clarification of existing federal immigration laws

to allow states to determine the tuition status of qualified

dependents of undocumented immigrants.

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Federal Role in College Access—


Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs)

n Boost appropriation levels for Title III of the Higher Education Act, which supports the development and strengthening of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions.

n Boost funding of Title V of the Higher Education Act, which supports the development and strengthening of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in order to address the nation’s changing demographics and increasing enrollments at HSIs.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, underrepresented and disadvantaged populations increased by 15,472,793 between 2000-2007. The Hispanic population increased by 9,855,326; the black, non-Hispanic population rose by 2,943,469; the Asian population increased by 2,673,998.

Diversity is a compelling state interest, as articulated in Bakke v. Regents of the University of California, and must inform all executive, legislative and judicial deliberations regarding educational access and inclusion.

In FY 2008, the federal Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Program—designed to strengthen predominantly black institutions’ programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, health education, internationalization/globalization, teacher preparation and improving African American males’ educational outcomes—had estimated available funds of $15,000,000 to award a projected 25 grants of $600,000/year.



Federal Early Outreach and Student Services Programs: TRIO and GEAR UP

n Support increased funding for TRIO and GEAR UP through the annual appropriations process.

n Oppose any proposal to scale back or eliminate any significant component of TRIO and GEAR UP programs.

Veteran Students, Students Called to ActiveDuty and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps(ROTC) Students

n Benchmark MGIB benefits (pre-9/11 GI Bill) to the cost of attendance at public four-year institutions for those service members who served prior to September 11, 2001. Service members eligible under the current MGIB and that served on or after September 11, 2001 will have an irrevocable decision point to choose either set of benefits.

n Ensure that no student-reservist is required to repay any

unearned federal student aid received for an academic term in which they are called to active duty.

n Support the U.S. Veterans’ Affairs Office in its efforts to develop regulations to implement the new GI Bill and to create a payment system able to make timely and accurate payments to eligible recipients of veterans’ benefits. States and institutions

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or “New GI Bill” rewards veterans who have served for three years on active duty after September 11, 2001. It provides veterans with funds that cover tuition up to the cost of in-state tuition at the most expensive public college or university in that veteran’s state. It also provides an additional $1,000 stipend for books and supplies and a housing stipend based on the college’s location.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 2007 there were 2,886 TRIO projects, 844,889 total participants, and a total funding allocation of $882,898,107 for TRIO. However, according to the most recent data, 11 million or more people need TRIO services and less than 7 percent of people eligible for TRIO projects are served. Two-thirds of TRIO participants come from households where neither parent graduated from college and where the income for a family of four is under $28,000.



should not suffer adverse financial consequences as a result of federal action.

n Advocate for more advantageous tuition rates and portability equity for MGIB Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606) benefits earned during mobilization for a period of 10 years after leaving the service (equal to current portability for active-duty members).

n Fund Model Programs for Centers of Excellence for Veteran Success authorized under HEA to award competitive grants for model programs that support veteran student success in postsecondary education.

n Boost funding for the Upward Bound TRIO programs that prepare low-income, first-generation military veterans for college.

n Support ROTC programs on campus that allow students to develop both academic and leadership skills in the service of their country.

Pipeline to Graduate School

n Increase investment in federal scholarship and fellowship programs such as the Byrd Honors Scholarship, the Javits Fellowship, and GAANN programs as important means of building a pipeline for historically underrepresented groups into academia and advanced graduate studies.

n Boost funding to the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program through the TRIO programs in order to increase the number of undergraduate students who participate in advanced degree programs. Funding is used to encourage enrollment in advanced degree programs through mentoring, test preparation for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), tutoring and assistance in applying for graduate school. Students who benefit from this program are tracked and supported as they progress through their advanced degree programs.



Undocumented Students

n Support clarification of existing federal immigration law to allow states to determine the tuition status of qualified dependents of undocumented immigrants. AASCU believes that states’ authority over tuition policy must be preserved and respected.

n Support access to certain federal student financial aid, such as loans and work-study funds, for qualified undocumented students who were brought to the United States under the age of 16, have resided in the United States for five or more years and have graduated from a United States high school.

Affirmative Action and Diversityof College Campuses

n Oppose federal efforts that prohibit affirmative action policies for colleges and universities, in order to ensure equal educational opportunity and access for all students.

Between 2001 and 2006, 10 states passed legislation allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition. Since then, no additional states have joined them, and there have been legal challenges to existing law. In September 2008, a California appeals court was the first to find that the state’s law extending in-state tuition rates to undocumented students conflicts with federal law. Also, several states have sought to prevent undocumented students from attending college at all. Over the past year, South Carolina banned undocumented students from attending any public higher education institution in the state, and North Carolina and Alabama have banned undocumented students from attending two-year colleges.

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State Role in College Access—


Undocumented Students

n Encourage states to provide eligibility for in-state tuition rates to qualified undocumented students. Qualifications may include graduation from a state high school, state residency and intent to obtain U.S. citizenship.

n Discourage state efforts to prohibit undocumented students from enrolling in public institutions.

Tuition Benefits for Active Military Personnel and Veterans

n Encourage states to support programs that facilitate veterans’ entry into and success in postsecondary education.

Affirmative Action and Diversity Referendums

n Discourage state referendums limiting the ability of public colleges and universities to utilize admissions or other policies that aim to engender a diverse student body.

Strengthening and Aligning P–20 Standards

n Support state efforts to increase the preparedness for, and transition to, postsecondary education through strong P-20 coordination initiatives. Such initiatives may include:

• Alignment of secondary and postsecondary curriculum, standards and assessments.

• Clarifying and raising expectations for entering college freshmen by articulating a rigorous statewide high school core course of study that prepares students for college and the world of work.

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• Developing policies that promote access to accelerated learning options and that encourage participation of middle- and lower-achieving groups in such programs as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual/concurrent enrollment.

Seamless Student Transitioning

n Encourage states to develop effective policies to support the transfer of credit and streamline credit transfer, including statewide articulation agreements, while recognizing that academic matters are most appropriately handled through the collaborative efforts of accreditors and statewide, system and institutional boards.

n Urge adoption of policies that remove undue barriers to baccalaureate programs for students completing associate degree programs.

Nontraditional/Adult Learners

n Urge states to develop policies that facilitate adult learner re-entry into college and toward degree completion, such as assessment of prior learning and initiatives designed to help adults meet the logistical challenges of balancing occupational, parental and college responsibilities.

Accountability

Public colleges and universities have an obligation to be responsible guardians of the public’s resources and trust and to communicate clearly and effectively about their stewardship of the public’s investment in them. AASCU is committed to greater public accountability and has been a leader in promoting improved data systems, greater transparency and increased focus on student learning outcomes. AASCU calls on its members to participate in the AASCU/NASULGC Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), designed to improve transparency of institutional and student data, core educational outcomes and student engagement. Nearly two-thirds of AASCU members signed on to this initiative in its first year.

With the most recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, Congress has called upon colleges and universities to be more accountable, particularly in relation to transparency in college costs. AASCU worked with Congress to ensure these new provisions take into account the unique nature of costs in public higher education and tuition-setting authority of public colleges. AASCU helped to secure several provisions, including recognition of the measure of tuition in dollars and not just percentages; the role of state appropriations in tuition levels; and the role of tuition-setting authority in the price of tuition. AASCU is proud to have supported in the reauthorization bill the state maintenance of funding effort that strengthens the federal government’s commitment to ensuring state commitment to public higher education—an important piece in the college cost equation.

AASCU strongly supported and succeeded in its advocacy for a new requirement contained in the HEA reauthorization that adds an economic status component to the existing graduation rate by using receipt of federal financial aid as a proxy for income.

AASCU is pleased that the HEA continues to protect academic autonomy by retaining current transfer of credit law, provides a

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boundary between the federal government and the peer-review nature of accreditation, and clarifies the definition of an institution of higher education. The reauthorization falls short, however, by weakening regulation of federal student financial aid programs as it pertains to the “90/10 rule.” Amendments made to the HEA weaken the original intent of the provision by allowing for-profit institutions to include private institutional loans and the extra unsubsidized Stafford Loan eligibility authorized by the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA) in calculating the minimum required 10 percent of revenue that is to be derived from sources other than federal student financial aid. AASCU will support efforts to strengthen government oversight and institutional accountability to eliminate fraud and abuse in federal student aid programs.

Accountability Priorities

H Support the development of an integrated network of state

data systems, based on common data elements, to serve as a

privacy-protected national system of student-level longitudinal

data.

H Require the reporting in the Integrated Postsecondary

Education Data System (IPEDS) and display on the federal

College Navigator website of graduation rates for the following

three groups of students identified in the HEOA: Pell Grant

recipients; subsidized Stafford Loan recipients who are not Pell

Grant recipients; and students who do not receive any federal

aid or who receive only unsubsidized loans.

H Oppose the direct involvement of the federal government in

regulating inter-institutional academic practices such as the

transfer of credit.

H Support the strengthening of current laws requiring for-profit

institutions of higher education to have a diverse revenue

stream that includes 10 percent or more of their revenue from

sources other than federal student financial aid to ensure the

integrity of taxpayer dollars.

federAl role in AccountAbility


Federal Role in Accountability—


Consumer Information and College Costs

Postsecondary Student Data Systems

n Support the development of an integrated network of state data systems, based on common data elements, to serve as a privacy-protected national system of student level longitudinal data. To work toward accomplishment of this goal, urge funding of the State Higher Education Information System Pilot Program as authorized in the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008. The program will provide competitive grants for development of state-level postsecondary student data systems in up to five states to improve comparable data, to minimize the reporting burden placed upon institutions, and to improve the quality of data reported.

Graduation Rates

n Require that graduation rates using federal financial aid as a proxy for income be reported in IPEDS and displayed on the Department of Education’s College

Public institutions of higher education in only 15 states have authority to set their own tuition rates.

Increases in tuition at public colleges are directly correlated to declines in state appropriations; that is, when state appropriations decrease, tuition and fees must be increased—sometimes significantly—to make up the shortfall. For example, in 1999–2000, state appropriations increased by 7.0 percent and tuition and fees increased at a modest 3.3 percent. On the other hand, in 2003–2004, state appropriations decreased by 2.3 percent (continuing a decrease from the previous year), and tuition and fees increased by 13.9 percent.

The recent amendment of the Higher Education Act (HEA) by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) included requirements for institutions to provide more graduation rate data to the federal government for dissemination and, in some cases, display on the federal College Navigator site. For four-year institutions, this includes 200 percent graduation rates (e.g., students who complete their program of study in 200 percent of normal time, or eight years) and graduation rates disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity, Pell Grant recipients, certain student loan recipients, and those who received neither Pell Grant nor a student loan.

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Navigator website. These new graduation rates were identified in the HEOA for the following groups:

• PellGrantrecipients• SubsidizedStaffordLoanrecipientswhoarenotPellGrant

recipients• Studentswhodonotreceiveanyfederalaidorwhoreceive

only unsubsidized loans

Accreditation

n Support mandatory public disclosure and dissemination of findings from final accreditation reports.

n Encourage the six regional accrediting associations to clearly define and broadly communicate their expectations for assessing and reporting student learning in a manner that is aligned with the AASCU/NASULGC Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA).

Transfer of Credit

n Oppose the direct involvement of the federal government in regulating inter-institutional academic practices such as the transfer of credit. Academic matters are most appropriately handled through the collaborative efforts of accreditors and statewide, system and institutional boards.

Fraud and Abuse in Federal StudentFinancial Aid Programs

90/10 Rule

n Support integrity in federal student financial aid programs by encouraging changes to the recent amendment to the Higher Education Act that weakened federal regulation of these programs regarding the “90/10 Rule.” The amendment weakens the original intent of the provision by allowing for-

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profit institutions to include private institutional loans and the extra unsubsidized Stafford Loan eligibility authorized by the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA) in calculating the minimum required 10 percent of revenue that is to be derived from sources other than federal student financial aid.

n Oppose any efforts to weaken regulation of an institution of higher education’s financial viability for participation in the Title IV student financial aid programs.

Loan Program Integrity

n Encourage the replacement of Cohort Default Rates with improved indicators to track fraud and abuse in the federal student financial aid system.

Campus Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness

n Oppose onerous and expensive mandates from the federal government.

n Encourage and fund federal, state and institutional partnerships that enhance campus safety and security.

Cohort Default Rates (CDRs) on student loans have declined in recent years. However, the decline has been fueled by the misuse of the current CDR formula, which is used to determine eligibility for participation in Title IV programs.

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State Role in Accountability—


Improved Student and Institutional Data

n Support state efforts to work with the higher education community and the federal government to improve and expand student data systems to inform educators and policymakers on strategies for improving student attendance, retention and college completion. The implementation of statewide or multistate consortia student data systems will provide for the enhanced ability to identify both challenges associated with and solutions for improving student success.

n Encourage states to align data system efforts with institutional and system contributions being made via the VSA, a joint initiative between AASCU and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) that provides greater transparency of student demographic information, core student educational outcomes and student engagement.

Upholding Ethical Standards

n Promote collaborative efforts with states to ensure that appropriate policies are in place that promote ethical behavior, that ensure appropriate transparency and accountability for institutional transactions, and that seek to prevent conflicts of interest that may arise between institutions and third-party vendors.

Public Safety, Emergency Preparedness

and Disaster Response

n Support state-coordinated efforts to help higher education institutions plan for, respond to and recover from natural disasters and other public safety emergencies.

Just eight states have P-20 data systems that track students from kindergarten through college, but 39 states are developing such systems, according to Achieve, Inc.

stAte role in AccountAbility


n Support existing state law and proposed legislation that: 1) bans concealed weapons from public college campuses or 2) provides for institutional and system autonomy with regard to concealed weapons policy. Discourage new legislation that would overturn or weaken concealed weapons bans on campus.

Governing Board Selection, Preparation

and Institutional Relations

n Continue to endorse the selection/appointment criteria put forward by the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis: commitment to public education; record of public or community service; knowledge of complex organizations and academic institutions; demonstrated collaborative leadership; willingness and availability for constructive engagement; commitment to open-minded, nonpartisan decision-making; and a record of integrity and civic virtue.

n Encourage the formation and maintenance of appropriate and constructive relationships between institutions, their governing and coordinating entities and states’ elected leaders. The terms of these relationships must be absolutely clear. AASCU opposes changes in these relationships that muddle or politicize the decision-making process or compromise the autonomy or integrity of institutions.

n Continue to endorse the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities’ statement Governing in the Public Trust: External Influences on Colleges and Universities as a constructive articulation of the roles and responsibilities of those charged with governing the nation’s higher education institutions.

Academic Bill of Rights

n Encourage opposition to state legislation mandating intellectual diversity or faculty quotas on campus.

Competitiveness

Public colleges and universities play a central role in expanding the nation’s human capital and boosting our competitive advantage in today’s global marketplace. This is accomplished, in part, by providing quality preparation for the majority of the nation’s K-12 teachers. It is also accomplished by producing graduates in a variety of fields who have the knowledge and skills needed to meet the needs of business, nonprofit and public sector employers. This includes healthcare workers, scientists and engineers, business leaders, and others essential to the nation’s economy.

AASCU believes that the federal government must play an essential role in supporting institutional efforts to meet national and state workforce needs. The federal government can provide incentives for individuals to enter high-demand fields and to work in hard-to-staff areas, support scientific research and education, and streamline efforts to attract international talent. State governments, as well, can support institutional efforts to educate teachers, healthcare workers, scientists and engineers, and others. The nation’s economic competitiveness, security and prosperity depend in large measure on how well the nation’s colleges prepare citizens for a knowledge-based economy.

Among other federal laws, the Higher Education Act contains numerous programs that assist colleges and universities in preparing students to be informed, participating members of a democracy and of the global world while contributing to U.S. competitiveness. With the recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, Congress has created several new programs while amending previous law.

For example, in an effort to strengthen teacher preparation programs, Congress has aligned Title II of the Higher Education with provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind that create more prescriptive requirements

and stronger accountability measures in the preparation of the nation’s teaching force.

AASCU is also pleased to have advocated for provisions in the reauthorized Higher Education Act that create a new competitive grant program for rural colleges and universities in an effort to support and strengthen our nation’s rural communities.

Competitiveness Priorities

H Require that federally funded partnership programs between

institutions of higher education and K-12 schools include a

comprehensive focus on teacher induction, mentoring and

professional development.

H Target the limited federal funds available to support linkages

between teacher preparation programs and the needs of our

nation’s K-12 system, such as preparing teachers to teach in

high-need, hard-to-staff schools and in high-need subjects.

H Create incentives for partnerships among institutions and

states to strengthen traditional and nontraditional pathways

for qualified candidates to teach in science, technology,

engineering and math (STEM) fields.

H Provide appropriations for the newly authorized Rural

Development Grants for Rural Colleges and Universities

program. These grants encourage partnerships between rural

colleges and universities and local entities that promote greater

access to college for rural high school students.

H Support the Lincoln Commission recommendations to establish

a national study abroad program, particularly for students from

underrepresented institutions and populations.

H Strengthen the pipeline for those who have been traditionally

underrepresented in STEM fields, such as students of color,

low-income students and women.

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Federal Role in Competitiveness—


Teacher Preparation and Development

Title II of the Higher Education Act

Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants

n Require that federally funded partnership programs between institutions of higher education and K-12 schools include a comprehensive focus on teacher induction, mentoring and professional development.

n Support the strengthening of high-quality clinical experiences in all traditional teacher preparation programs and require that all federally funded alternative teacher preparation programs include high-quality clinical experiences.

n Target the limited federal funds available to support linkages between teacher preparation programs and the needs of our nation’s K-12 system, such as preparing teachers to teach in high-need, hard-to-staff schools and in high-need subjects.

n Oppose requiring states to use funds awarded pursuant to Title II in the Higher Education Act for reforming teacher licensure requirements or for developing policies related to merit pay, teacher advancement or teacher removal. These issues are more

In 2006–2007, AASCU institutions awarded over 54,500 bachelor’s degrees in education, almost half of those awarded nationwide.

AASCU has a long history of commitment to teacher preparation, development and support. In recent years, there has been growing consensus about the importance of teacher quality, as well as growing evidence that teacher quality is the most significant factor affecting student learning. AASCU therefore remains deeply committed to the development of a highly qualified teaching force as essential to achieving a more competent, competitive workforce.

AASCU’s involvement with teacher preparation policy at the federal level focuses on Title II in both the Higher Education Act (HEA) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

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appropriately addressed in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Federal/State Partnerships to Ensure Teacher Quality

n Provide resources to states to improve the quality of teacher preparation program approval requirements and develop and implement a voluntary process for evaluating the influence that teacher preparation programs have on student learning.

n Oppose federal legislation that infringes on state authority in the regulation of teacher preparation programs.

Accountability of Teacher Preparation Programs

n Provide federal funds for research and evaluation of teacher preparation programs, including improvement of data systems, in order to inform and improve program performance and productivity.

Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategies

n Provide federal funding to increase the number of educators from underrepresented and nontraditional teaching populations through centers of excellence based at institutions of higher education.

n Support service-payback models to recruit students who agree to teach in targeted school districts, especially schools that are difficult to staff or where salaries are often not comparable to those of more affluent school districts.

n Support loan forgiveness for teachers who work in high-need schools or teach in high-need subject areas.

When a single teacher education program tries to gather data to assess the impact of its graduates on K-12 student achievement, it takes extraordinary time and effort. When the state takes up the study of all its programs, in partnership with institutions, there is an economy of scale.

Every $1 spent on high quality teacher induction programs provides a return on investment of $1.66 after five years. The return on investment is primarily a result of enhanced student learning and reduced teacher turnover costs.



Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left

Behind

n Boost appropriations to assist states in meeting the teacher quality requirements set forth under the No Child Left Behind Act.

n Support efforts to align Title II of the Higher Education Act and Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to strengthen recruitment, pre-service preparation, induction, and in-service professional development of teachers, principals and other K-12 school leaders.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Education

n Create incentives for partnerships among institutions and states to strengthen traditional and nontraditional pathways for qualified candidates to teach in STEM fields.

n Boost appropriations to support training, placement and retention of STEM teachers in areas of greatest need and to encourage federal incentives to improve their compensation.

n Expand funding for research initiatives for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and other agencies that support institutional research efforts.

Economic and Workforce Development

Rural Colleges

n Provide appropriations for the newly authorized Rural Development Grants for Rural Colleges and Universities program. These grants encourage partnerships between rural colleges and universities and local entities that promote greater access to college for rural high school students. Other program objectives include increasing the number of adults in rural communities with a bachelor’s degree or higher,

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enhancing training opportunities, and stimulating technological innovation.

Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

n Advocate for amendments to WIA that more fully include and recognize the role of four-year colleges and universities in workforce education and include state college and university leaders in planning and decision-making processes for state utilization of federal WIA funds.

n Support modifications in federal law that would make it easier for states to coordinate their welfare-to-work systems.

Welfare Reform—Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

(TANF) Program

n Advocate for increasing the allowable time limits under which welfare recipients can pursue a higher education as a direct work activity, given that the current 12-month limit forces many welfare recipients to leave college before receiving the needed education and training.

International Education

Study Abroad

n Support the removal of barriers to the open exchange of scholars between all nations and oppose limitations on student study abroad, except in instances of personal health and security issues.

n Boost appropriations for international programs managed by the Department of Education: Title VI of the Higher Education Act: International Education Programs, Fulbright-Hays, and the Institute for International Public Policy.

n Support the Lincoln Commission recommendations to establish a national study abroad program, particularly for students from underrepresented institutions and populations.



n Expand student exchange programs with foreign countries for colleges and universities, and lift current travel restrictions imposed by the Department of Treasury that serve as barriers to student/faculty exchanges with Cuba.

Immigration and Visa Control of Foreign Students

n Relieve problems associated with the valid acquisition of H-1B visas and EB green cards.

n Protect provisions under current law that permit exemptions from the annual visa cap on H-1B visas for the academic community.

n Support changes in legislation that would raise the current limitation on new visas per year imposed on employers from the business community.

n Support the VISA process that increases access into the U.S. for legitimate international students and scholars, in part through the effective utilization of biometric technology employed by U.S. VISIT.

n Simplify federal regulations that hinder the successful development of international programs or severely restrict the access of foreign students to American institutions.

Science, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics (STEM)

STEM Research and Workforce Preparation

n Boost funding for the programs recently authorized in the America COMPETES Act and support specific

In 2006–2007, according to the most recent IPEDS data, AASCU institutions awarded approximately 33 percent of bachelor’s degrees in the United States in mathematics and statistics, 28 percent of bachelor’s degrees in computer and information science and 21 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering.



funding designations to public four-year institutions for research and workforce development in energy and sustainability fields.

n Recognize the contributions of each sector of higher education in the strengthening of STEM fields—the resources of the entire community must be tapped when creating, funding and implementing STEM programs that educate future scientists, engineers and mathematicians as well as create research opportunities for students studying in the STEM fields.

n Support and improve basic and applied scientific research and education activities for undergraduate programs in order to complement established graduate and research programming.

n Strengthen the pipeline for those who have been traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields, such as students of color, low-income students and women.

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State Role in Competitiveness—


Higher Education’s Role in Statewide Economic

Development Initiatives

n Urge states to include the higher education community as an essential partner in statewide economic planning and policy discussions.

n Call for state policies and programs that promote the role of higher education, including four-year institutions, in the development of the human capital essential to advancing state and local economic development and meeting workforce needs.

n Include all public four-year institutions in formal state-sponsored programs designed to facilitate applied research and development activities and regional economic development.

Preparing, Developing and Retaining a Quality Teacher

Workforce

n Support state efforts to establish and implement rigorous standards of learning for students in teacher preparation programs. These standards should address both specific content area comprehension and knowledge of appropriate methods of instruction and should be used to promote public accountability.

In FY 2006, AASCU member institutions expended $2.5 billion for research and development activities, according to the latest survey by the Association of University Technology Managers. This equates to the addition of 90,000 well-paying high-skill jobs, based on generally accepted multiplier estimates used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act (HB 1), approved in 1997, is illustrative of a successful and inclusive state initiative. The Kentucky Strategic Investment and Incentive Funding Program and the Regional University Excellence Fund serve as good examples of how states can effectively leverage state monies, allowing all public four-year institutions to fully tap their economic development capacity.



n Encourage states to develop comprehensive teacher workforce strategies that address teacher quality, recruitment, distribution and retention. These strategies might include:

• Strengthenedteacherpreparation,inductionandmentoring,and professional development programs.

• Effortstoincreasethenumberofeducatorsfromunderrepresented and nontraditional teaching groups.

• Increasedcoordinationbetweentwo-yearandfour-yearcolleges to facilitate seamless transfer of teacher preparation students.

• Financialincentives,includingincreasedsalariesandpayforperformance.

• Intensifiedpartnershipsbetweenteacherpreparationprogramsand school districts, including emphasis on formal, structured interactions between teacher preparation programs and schools.

• Increasedprofessionalismandimprovedworkingconditions(enhanced license reciprocity and pension portability, opportunities for advancement, reduced teaching loads and extra support in hard-to-staff schools).

• Comprehensiveteacherdatasystemsandresearchonprogrameffectiveness.

• Increasedimportanceofmathematicseducationforallteacherpreparation students.

• Alternativecertificationprogramsaimedathigh-needareaswith assurance that these programs have sufficient rigor.

State Investment in Capital Outlay and Infrastructure

Maintenance Needs

n Urge states to make a greater commitment to the infrastructure and facility needs of their public colleges and universities in



order to recruit and retain students and faculty and to fully deliver on their missions.

Ensuring Sufficient Staffing in the Healthcare Professions

n Support state efforts to incentivize and facilitate attendance at state colleges and universities for students who seek training in high-demand healthcare professions, such as nursing, through loan forgiveness programs.

Enhanced Preparedness for STEM Occupations

n Support state initiatives designed to prepare students’ interest in and training for careers that involve STEM disciplines, both at the K-12 and post-secondary levels.

Attracting and Retaining Talent Capacity

n Support state efforts to provide resources and policies that serve to attract and retain diverse and highly capable postsecondary workforce talent, such as through the use of progressive benefits packages.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)

and Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

n Continue to support the position of the National Conference of State Legislatures that expresses the need for state flexibility and adequate federal resources to ensure implementation of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provisions is successful.

n Encourage states to coordinate their TANF program with their WIA program, to the extent possible.

Council of State Representatives

council of stAte rePresentAtives


Council of State Representatives•Alabama• PhilipC.Williams,President,UniversityofMontevallo

Alaska• JohnPugh,Chancellor,UniversityofAlaskaSoutheast

Arizona• JohnD.Hager,President,NorthernArizonaUniversity

Arkansas• LeslieWyatt,President,ArkansasStateUniversitySystem• JackLassiter,Chancellor,UniversityofArkansasatMonticello

California• RubenArmiñana,President,SonomaStateUniversity

Colorado• BradBartel,President,FortLewisCollege• P.KayNorton,President,UniversityofNorthernColorado

Connecticut• JohnW.Miller,President,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity

Delaware• TBD

District of Columbia• AllenSessoms,President,UniversityoftheDistrictofColumbia

Florida• JohnA.Delaney,President,UniversityofNorthFlorida

Georgia• TBD

Guam• RobertUnderwood,President,UniversityofGuam

Hawaii• RoseY.Tseng,President,UniversityofHawaiiatHilo

Idaho• DeneK.Thomas,President,Lewis-ClarkStateCollege



Illinois• AlBowman,President,IllinoisStateUniversity• VaughnVandegrift,Chancellor,SouthernIllinois University Edwardsville

Indiana• JoAnnM.Gora,President,BallStateUniversity• HowardCohen,Chancellor,PurdueUniversityCalumet

Iowa• BenjaminJ.Allen,President,UniversityofNorthernIowa

Kansas• JerryB.Farley,President,WashburnUniversity

Kentucky• MaryEvansSias,President,KentuckyStateUniversity• JamesC.Votruba,(Chair)President,NorthernKentuckyUniversity

Louisiana• SallyClausen,President,UniversityofLouisianaSystem

Maine• RichardL.Pattenaude,Chancellor,UniversityofMaineSystem

Maryland• JonathanC.Gibralter,President,FrostburgStateUniversity

Massachusetts• TimothyFlanagan,President,FraminghamStateCollege

Michigan• RodneyL.Lowman,President,LakeSuperiorStateUniversity

Minnesota• EarlH.Potter,III,President,St.CloudStateUniversity

Mississippi• ClaudiaA.Limbert,President,MississippiUniversityforWomen

Missouri• AaronPodolefsky,President,UniversityofCentralMissouri



Montana• RonaldP.Sexton,Chancellor,MontanaStateUniversity,Billings

Nebraska• TBD

Nevada• FredJ.Maryanski,President,NevadaStateCollege

New Hampshire• StephenJ.Reno,Chancellor,UniversitySystemofNewHampshire

New Jersey• PeterP.Mercer,President,RamapoCollegeofNewJersey

New Mexico• JohnE.Counts,President,WesternNewMexicoUniversity

New York• JamesL.Muyskens,President,CityUniversityofNewYork, Queens College• DeborahF.Stanley,President,StateUniversityofNewYork College at Oswego

North Carolina• TBD

North Dakota• GaryD.Hagen,President,MayvilleStateUniversity

Ohio• RitaRiceMorris,President,ShawneeStateUniversity

Oklahoma• GlenD.Johnson,Chancellor,OklahomaStateRegents for Higher Education

Oregon• JohnMinahan,President,WesternOregonUniversity

Pennsylvania• FrancineMcNairy,President,MillersvilleUniversityofPennsylvania



Puerto Rico• JorgeIvanVelez-Arocho,Chancellor,UniversityofPuertoRico

Rhode Island• NancyCarriuolo,President,RhodeIslandCollege

South Carolina• AnthonyJ.DiGiorgio,President,WinthropUniversity

South Dakota• DouglasD.Knowlton,President,DakotaStateUniversity

Tennessee• TimothyHall,President,AustinPeayStateUniversity

Texas• R.VictorMorgan,President,SulRossStateUniversity• FlaviusC.Killebrew,President,TexasA&MUniversity-CorpusChristi• MaxCastillo,President,UniversityofHoustonDowntown

Utah• F.AnnMillner,President,WeberStateUniversity

Vermont• BarbaraE.Murphy,President,JohnsonStateCollege

Virgin Islands• LaVerneE.Ragster,President,UniversityoftheVirginIslands

Virginia• CarolynW.Meyers,President,NorfolkStateUniversity

Washington• RodolfoArevalo,President,EasternWashingtonUniversity

West Virginia• PeterB.Barr,President,GlenvilleStateCollege

Wisconsin• TBD

Division of Government Relations

and Policy Analysis Staff

Edward M. Elmendorf, Senior Vice [email protected] • 202.478.4651

Thomas Harnisch, Research [email protected] • 202.478.4660

Daniel Hurley, Director of State Relations and Policy [email protected] • 202.478.4657

Rose Jordan, Staff [email protected] • 202.478.4654

Lesley McBain, Senior Research and Policy [email protected] • 202.478.7831

Brittny McCarthy, Federal Policy [email protected] • 202.577.3346

Alene Russell, State Policy Scholar [email protected] • 202.478.4656

Patricia Smith, Policy Scholar in [email protected] • 202.478.4658

© Copyright 2009 American Association of State Colleges and Universities

1307 New York Avenue, NW • Fifth Floor • Washington, DC 20005

202.293.7070 • fax 202.296.5819 • aascu.org

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted, in any form or means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise,

without the prior permission of the American Association of State Colleges and

Universities.

Delivering America’s Promise

AASCU’s membership of 430 public colleges and universities is found throughout the United States and in Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We range in size from 1,000 students to 44,000. We are found in the inner city, in suburbs, towns and cities, and in remote rural America. We include campuses with extensive offerings in law, medicine and doctoral education—as well as campuses offering associate degrees to complement baccalaureate studies. We are both residential and commuter, and with on-line degrees as well. Yet common to virtually every member institution are three qualities that define its work and characterize our common commitments.

• Weareinstitutionsofaccessandopportunity.WebelievethattheAmerican promise should be real for all Americans, and that belief shapes our commitment to access, affordability and educational opportunity, and in the process strengthens American democracy for all citizens.

• Wearestudent-centeredinstitutions.Weplacethestudentattheheart of our enterprise, enhancing the learning environment and student achievement not only through teaching and advising, but through our research and public service activities.

• Weare“stewardsofplace.”Weengagefaculty,staffandstudentswith the communities and regions we serve—helping to advance public education, economic development and the quality of life for all with whom we live and who support our work. We affirm that America’s promise extends not only to those who come to the campus but to all our neighbors.

We believe that through this stewardship and through our commitments to access and opportunity and to our students, public colleges and universities effectively and accountably deliver America’s promise. In so doing we honor and fulfill the public trust.

1307 New York Avenue, NW • Fifth FloorWashington, DC 20005-4701

202.293.7070 • fax 202.296.5819 • aascu.org

January 2009

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