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Financial Aid and Opportunity in Higher Education: Going Where?. Kenneth Redd Director of Research and Policy Analysis National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). Original Purpose of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
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Financial Aid and Opportunity in Higher Education: Going Where? Kenneth ReddDirector of Research and Policy AnalysisNational Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
Original Purpose of the Higher Education Act of 1965 “The President's signature upon this legislation passed by this Congress will swing open a new door for the young people of America. For them, and for this entire land of ours, it is the most important door that will ever open--the door to education. “And this legislation is the key which unlocks it. “To thousands of young men and women, this [Act] means the path of knowledge is open to all that have the determination to walk it…. a high school senior anywhere in this great land of ours can apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 states and not be turned away because his family is poor” --Statement of President Lyndon Johnson on Signing the Higher Education Act of 1965, November 8, 1965, San Marcos, TX.
Since 1965, the Goals and Purposes of HEA Have Been Expanded Beyond Enrolling Just Low-Income “High School Seniors”… “This [Act] that I'm signing today gives a hand up to lower income students who need help the most. But it also reaches out into the middle-income families, the ones who skipped a vacation and drove the old clunker so that their kids could go to college. Too often, the funding cracks have been so big that these solid, decent families have slipped on through, and their children's dreams have been in danger of slipping away. Well, no longer. It's a matter of fairness. It's a matter of our future… “This [Act] also reflects an important new phenomenon. We used to think of education [as] something we only did when we were young. Today, education never ends. Although our temples may be graying and our jogging routes a little shorter, we always have to learn. And this [Act] recognizes that simple fact [by making Federal aid available for part-time students who are taking a class or two toward their degree while still holding down a job. ” Statement of President George H.W. Bush on singing the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, July 23, 1992, Annandale, VA
In the 1980s & 1990s, Accountability Was Added As An Additional Focus of the HEA & Aid Policy “But this [Act] does more than open up Federal funding to middle-income and to part-time students. It also sets tough standards to rid Federal aid programs of fraud and abuse both by sham schools and by students who default on their loans.”(Public Papers of the Presidents, George H.W. Bush – 1992). “This legislation is the culmination of bipartisan efforts by the Congress and my Administration to increase access to college, make higher education more affordable, improve teacher quality, and modernize the delivery of student aid.” (Public Papers of the Presidents, William J. Clinton—1998)
Other Expansions of Financial Aid Policy: • To foster state economic development and award academic quality (e.g., state merit grants; employer education tax credits); • To reduce or eliminate labor shortages in “critical” areas (e.g., teacher and health professions loan forgiveness); • To enhance affordability for all regardless of income (e.g., merit scholarships, tuition tax credits.
These Trends Have Led to Often Conflicting Goals of Financial Aid Policy: • To increase college access for poor citizens and maintain affordability for the middle- and upper-classes; • To direct aid to the financially needy and to award academic excellence—regardless of income; • To support the college access goals of both traditional-age students and older adults; • To support college access and enhance economic development • To increase access to all students while keeping costs down and ensuring quality. • Unfortunately, aid funding has been inadequate to achieve ANY of these goals…
In Addition to the Need for Increased Funding, Financial Aid Policy Faces These New Future Challenges (And Opportunities?): • Better linking state and federal financial aid policies with tuition/college costs policies. • Re-establishing federal and state financial aid partnerships to reduce chances of establishing conflicting goals. • Linking financial aid/college access policies with state and federal elementary/secondary school policies. • Expanding criteria for merit aid, tax credits, and other “affordability” policies to increase low-income student participation.
