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News Room

What's New in Private Higher Education?

• NAICU Survey: Impact of Economic Conditions on Private Colleges and Universities
  

• Campuses Announce New Affordability Initiatives for 2009-10 Academic Year
  

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National Higher Education News

Congress to Slash Earmarks, Again Chronicle of Higher Education News Blog January 6, 2009 There will be 50 percent fewer earmarks in the spending bills for the 2010 fiscal year than there were in the fiscal-2006 bills, the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees announced today.  Under the new rules, members of Congress will be required to post information on their Web sites describing each earmark they are requesting and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds.

Tuition Ammunition: a Happy Lesson on Lending Wall Street Journal January 6, 2009 Despite a massive federal effort to aid banks and boost the economy, lending has plunged in the last year.  Home-mortgage volume and bank loans to big companies are down dramatically.  But the government's response is expanding credit in at least one sector:  higher education.  Although the recession is weighing on colleges in many ways, the ability of students to get federal loans to pay tuition isn't one of them.

Senator Claiborne Pell’s Vision New York Times - Editorial January 6, 2009 The program is far from perfect. The aid hasn't kept up with the cost of a college education. The money doesn't help nearly as much now as it did back then.  Yet even Mr. Pell probably never realized, in the beginning, all the good the program would do.

Moody's Sees Stiff Challenges for Colleges—Especially Private Ones—in Next Year Chronicle of Higher Education January 6, 2009 A new annual-outlook report from Moody's Investors Service says that higher-education institutions are facing a range of challenges in the next year and a half. Although all colleges will face hardship, private colleges will be especially stressed compared with public colleges and community colleges.

Colleges Plan for Obama Inaugural Inside Higher Ed January 6, 2009 On campus, many institutions are hosting large viewing parties on Inauguration Day.  For other institutions, however, a simple viewing party will not suffice. A number of institutions, responding to great demand from their students, are sponsoring trips to Washington for those who wish to see the inauguration firsthand.

Don't Cancel College MSN Encarta - Column January 5, 2009 The rampaging bear market is doing a real number on many families' college financing plans. But there are ways to tame the beast.  College admissions experts stress that it's worth being persistent rather than pessimistic. This is one investment that's still safe, they say, promising better returns for a teenager than his mom's last 401(k) statement.

At Meeting of Small Private Colleges, Presidents Don't Worry Too Much About Economy Chronicle of Higher Education News Blog January 5, 2009 The No. 1 topic of discussion at the annual gathering here of presidents on the Council of Independent Colleges is, of course, the economy.  At a session led by Kent John Chabotar, president of Guilford College, in North Carolina, dozens of presidents shared stories about how the recession had had an effect on their campuses.

Clinton, Kennedy honor Claiborne Pell Boston Globe "Political Intelligence" Blog January 5, 2009 Former President Bill Clinton, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy were among those paying tribute today at the funeral of former Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island.  Pell, who died Jan. 1 at age 90, was a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and also championed student aid, with grants bearing his name.  (Kennedy's remarks, as delivered in Newport, R.I., are included in post.)

A helping hand for college students The Oregonian, Portland - Editorial January 5, 2009 Oregon lawmakers can do their part by funding student financial aid near the level recommended by the governor.  As for Congress, the most direct way to help students is through federal grants and loans. Congress can make a world of difference by further improving funding for Pell Grants to meet the rapidly growing need. Congress also can work with President-elect Barack Obama to make sure the Treasury helps keep credit flowing for low-interest student loans.  (Regional emphasis)

Wise Investment: Governor hits mark with proposed student loan program Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y. - Opinion Piece January 5, 2009 Thirty-eight states currently provide their college students with some form of affordable student loan program. New York is the only state in the Northeast without this low-cost capital alternative for families. Implementation will help encourage New Yorkers to stay in New York and give them the choice to attend any college or university in the state.  (Regional emphasis)

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