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College Affordability & Cost

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 Offer Extra Aid to Strapped Students Chronicle of Higher Education January 5, 2009 Colleges are creating more student-aid programs or expanding existing ones. Others are offering students additional counseling or a grace period for paying their tuition bills. And even some that haven't seen an increase in student need are preparing for one next year.

As rich rivals cut back, small colleges sell stability Boston Globe January 5, 2009 Lesser-known schools, which do not have the luxury of dipping into multibillion-dollar reserves, are scrambling to market themselves as affordable and sound investments. Their survival, after all, is directly tied to the number of students - and tuition dollars - they bring in.

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)

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)

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.

Sen. Pell opened the doors to college for many Oakland, Calif., Tribune - Column January 4, 2009 When I was in college and my funds were short, I used my Pell grant to pay for food and books.  Unfortunately, with the costs of a four-year-college education continuing to soar, the grants now cover far less than they did when the program first started, or for that matter in the '80s when I was in school. Today the maximum grant covers 65 percent at a public university and 17 percent at a private institution.

Tuition blame game needs to stop Indianapolis Star - Opinion Piece January 4, 2009 How can colleges, families and government agencies work together to make college more affordable? Colleges must and will continue to be strategically frugal.  Families also can find ways to save.  The federal government can redesign the system for students to qualify for aid by eliminating the FAFSA form or linking it to families' IRS documents, and can use its economic clout to make sure that families have access to student loans.

Budgets tight at private colleges Charlotte News & Observer December 29, 2008 Private universities are bracing for tough times.  Some are freezing hiring, delaying construction, cutting course offerings and trimming some part-time faculty.  Their biggest fear is that come spring, prospective students frightened by the economic situation will take their money to cheaper public universities and community colleges or stay away from college altogether.  And students who do choose private colleges are likely to need more financial aid.  (Regional emphasis)

Don't be deceived, college aid is available Indianapolis Star - Opinion Piece December 29, 2008 The greatest danger of the report "Measuring Up 2008: The National Report Card on Higher Education" is that it might discourage many Hoosiers from considering a full range of college options, or any higher education, out of fears of affordability, despite the fact that aid is available.  Indiana's 21st Century Scholarship Program assures low-income students a full tuition scholarship. Students can attend either public or independent institutions in Indiana.  (Regional emphasis)

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College Financial Health/Management

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 Protect Workers and Cut Elsewhere Chronicle of Higher Education January 5, 2009 Most colleges have steered through the first jolts of the recession without resorting to layoffs, cutting employee benefits, or imposing across-the-board freezes on hiring. But the economic pain is afflicting campuses in many other ways, according to the findings from a new survey of chief business officers conducted last month by The Chronicle and Moody's Investors Service.

As rich rivals cut back, small colleges sell stability Boston Globe January 5, 2009 Lesser-known schools, which do not have the luxury of dipping into multibillion-dollar reserves, are scrambling to market themselves as affordable and sound investments. Their survival, after all, is directly tied to the number of students - and tuition dollars - they bring in.

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.

Economy dominated higher ed news in 2008 USA Today December 31, 2008 The economy overshadowed just about everything else this year in the world of higher education, and no sector was spared.  Beloit College, a private liberal arts school in Wisconsin, said it must cut 40 jobs by the end of this academic year.  California State University plans to limit enrollments on its 23 campuses next year.  A number of community colleges face budget cuts, at a time when their relatively low tuitions attract more enrollments.

Going on a Diet Inside Higher Ed - Opinion Piece December 30, 2008 For American colleges and universities, the deepening recession means that costs will be rising (because of increased enrollments as unemployed persons return to school to stay gainfully occupied) while revenues will be falling, as state appropriations, private donations, and endowment income shrinks.  In such an environment, higher education institutions and their faculty may start to do some unpalatable things previously off the table. Let me list 10 possibilities.

Budgets tight at private colleges Charlotte News & Observer December 29, 2008 Private universities are bracing for tough times.  Some are freezing hiring, delaying construction, cutting course offerings and trimming some part-time faculty.  Their biggest fear is that come spring, prospective students frightened by the economic situation will take their money to cheaper public universities and community colleges or stay away from college altogether.  And students who do choose private colleges are likely to need more financial aid.  (Regional emphasis)

Higher-ed not immune from economic downturn Boston Globe - Column December 28, 2008 Like homeowners who borrowed beyond their means and are now struggling with escalating mortgage payments, many colleges are confronting rising debt payments as higher interest rates kick in on variable-rate loans that once looked so enticing.  A new report from Moody's released last week found that colleges and universities have increasingly turned to riskier volatile loans to finance projects.

Pinched colleges squeezing their alumni Los Angeles Times December 25, 2008 Walking a narrow ledge between reassurance and realism, college presidents and chancellors have struggled to assess the effect of a slow-motion slump that has no clear beginning or end. More than one president has sent out a relatively rosy assessment, only to follow up with news of cutbacks, hiring freezes and canceled projects.

Higher education must be part of stimulus package Springfield, Ill., State Journal-Register December 23, 2008 The economic downturn is crushing college students across the country. Even parents who still have jobs are watching their homes and investments plunge in value - exactly the assets they planned on tapping to pay tuition.  When Congress crafts an economic-stimulus program next year, higher education should be a top priority, and there is no shortage of ideas.

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Student Financial Aid

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.

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.

Colleges Offer Extra Aid to Strapped Students Chronicle of Higher Education January 5, 2009 Colleges are creating more student-aid programs or expanding existing ones. Others are offering students additional counseling or a grace period for paying their tuition bills. And even some that haven't seen an increase in student need are preparing for one next year.

As rich rivals cut back, small colleges sell stability Boston Globe January 5, 2009 Lesser-known schools, which do not have the luxury of dipping into multibillion-dollar reserves, are scrambling to market themselves as affordable and sound investments. Their survival, after all, is directly tied to the number of students - and tuition dollars - they bring in.

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)

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)

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.)

Sen. Pell opened the doors to college for many Oakland, Calif., Tribune - Column January 4, 2009 When I was in college and my funds were short, I used my Pell grant to pay for food and books.  Unfortunately, with the costs of a four-year-college education continuing to soar, the grants now cover far less than they did when the program first started, or for that matter in the '80s when I was in school. Today the maximum grant covers 65 percent at a public university and 17 percent at a private institution.

Scandalous loans Long Beach, Calif., Press-Telegram - Editorial January 4, 2009 Many students have filed civil suits against various banks alleging deception, and discrimination that targeted minority students for the highest-rate loans.  Many said they were led to believe they were talking to college counselors when in fact they were dealing with employees of private lenders, who sometimes didn't provide disclosure forms with details of the loans until after the school term had started.  Disgusting business.

Tuition blame game needs to stop Indianapolis Star - Opinion Piece January 4, 2009 How can colleges, families and government agencies work together to make college more affordable? Colleges must and will continue to be strategically frugal.  Families also can find ways to save.  The federal government can redesign the system for students to qualify for aid by eliminating the FAFSA form or linking it to families' IRS documents, and can use its economic clout to make sure that families have access to student loans.

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