U.S. News and World Reports

U.S. News and World Reports published their rankings of the best colleges each year in an effort to provide families with options that will be the best value academically for the cost of attendance.  According to Morse & Flanigan (2011), the way rankings are calculated have been updated as indicated  below:

• Undergraduate academic reputation (22.5% for national universities and national liberal art colleges and 25% for regional college and universities).
• Retention (20% for national universities and national liberal arts colleges and 25% for regional universities and regional colleges
• Faculty Resources (20%)
• Student Selectivity (15%)
• Financial Resources (10%)
• Graduation Rate Performance (7.5% for national universities and national liberal arts colleges only)
• Alumni Giving Rate (5%) (p. 3)

Financial resources are evaluated based on per-student spending of the institution.  U.S. News considers greater per-student spending to be indicative of the institution's ability to offer a wider variety of services and programs to students (Morse & Flanigan, 2011).

Archibald and Feldman (2011) in their discussion of fiscal management and policies stated that the changes in the rankings in U.S. News over the last 20 years shows that public institutions are lagging behind private institutions.  In the first edition of the report from 1987, the top 25 rankings included eight public institutions.  Five of the public institutions in 1987 were among the top 20.  The 2010 rankings had only three public institutions in the top 25, and one of those was ranked at 21 and the other two were tied for 24 (Archibald & Feldman, 2011). 

Archibald, R. B. & Feldman, D. H. (2011).  Why Does College Cost So Much?  New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Morse, R. & Flanigan, S. (2011).  How U.S. Calculates the College Rankings. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/09/12/how-us-news-calculates-the-college-rankings-2012?PageNr=3

The Middle College National Consortium

Middle College High School (MCHS), a public secondary school committed to meeting the academic needs of marginalized populations of youth opened its doors on the LaGuardia Community College campus in New York City in 1974. As a form of accelerated learning, MCHS was created to provide a seamless transition between secondary and post-secondary education by providing a continuum that uses innovative curriculum and teaching methods. These principles paired with high school and college partnership, have the potential to produce an enriching educational opportunities for students who had been consistently pushed in the margins previously. 

Within the decade of successfully operating the first school, the Ford Foundation provided seed money in order to replicate the academic success and cost savings experienced at the LaGuardia campus.  Using the first as a model, more than twenty Middle College High Schools were created college campuses throughout the country that would afford additional students the opportunity to earn as much of the first two years of college credit while enrolled in high school.

With the financial support of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund in 1993 an informal group of Middle Colleges across the country came together to form the Middle College National Consortium (MCNC).  MCNC was immediately defined as a professional development organization for secondary and post-secondary public-sector educators.   MCNC has grown over the years to provide technical assistance and support to new and established schools in order to provide educational reform method that is reciprocally cost effective for students, families and colleges, as well as, state and federal government.   

References

Middle College National Consortium http://www.mcnc.us

Middle College National Consortium Proud to Share in the Celebration of Successful Early College HS Initiative. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/underservedstudents/prweb3957334.htm

Council for Higher Education Accreditation - Diploma Mills and Federal Aid

Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

CHEA is a, “national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation; CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations” (“About Council for Higher Ed Acc.”).  CHEA is also the, “largest institutional higher education membership organization in the United States, and it is governed by a 20-person board of college and university presidents, institutional representatives and public members” (“About Council for Higher Ed Acc.”). CHEA’s primary purpose is to act as an advocate for, “voluntary accreditation and quality assurance to the United States Congress and the United States Department of Education” (“About Council for Higher Ed Acc.”). This action is important for many reasons. However, the most important reason is access to federal funding through proper accreditation. 

U.S. accreditation can be a long and difficult process.  According to CHEA (n.d.), accreditation, “is a collegial process of self-review and peer review for improvement of academic quality and public accountability of institutions and programs.” The quality review process occurs on a continual basis, typically every 3-10 years (“Council for Higher Ed Acc.”).  The process requires,

 “a self-study by an institution or program using the standards or criteria of an accrediting organization. A peer review of an institution or program to gather evidence of quality. A decision or judgment by an accrediting organization to accredit, accredit with conditions or not accredit an institution or program” (“Council for Higher Ed Acc.”).

Additionally, accreditation is voluntary, and, as mentioned earlier, the primary purpose for accreditation is for students to receive federal funding for schools. If an organization is not accredited, then students are not allowed to receive federal funding (i.e., pell grants, federal loans).

As an advocate (lobbying group), CHEA conducts research, publishes articles, and openly communicates information to the public about accreditation issues, and diploma mills. One such research report was detailed Degree Mills: An Old Problem and a New Threat.  The cusp of the report was to show how diploma mills create high financial burdens for students, their families, and the local economy after students of these institutions have graduated. The majority of students are not able to secure gainful employment and are hampered by the vast amounts of student loans they acquired.  Thus, many of these students default on their loans. 

Another issue for CHEA, concerning diploma mills, was how the federal government creates loan limitations, or restrictions, on lending after these diploma mills are caught (“Council for Higher Ed Acc.”). The federal government acts in a reactive manner and they tend to implement consequences that harm all students and not the diploma mills in general. CHEA feels that such actions could be prevented through better accreditation standards, but the reports did not give great details into how that should be achieved. 

In conclusion, CHEA has a huge say when it comes to federal loans, access to lending, and what, if any, regulations should be applicable to students and institutions today.

About Council for Higher Education Accreditation. (n.d.). Retrieved from, http://www.chea.org/default.asp.

Council for Higher Education Accreditation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2011, from http://www.chea.org/degreemills/frmPaper.htm

National Association for College Admission Counseling

19 Midwestern college representatives gathered in March 1937 and called themselves College Field Workers.  While together in Oak Park, Illinois, the gathered group of individuals founded an organization that now represents over 11,000 college counseling and admission professionals with goal of providing students greater access to higher education.

Four years after the gathering in Illinois, the group became the Association of College Admissions Counselors, and by 1995 the Association became known officially as the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).  Despite its name changes, throughout its history, NACAC has been at the forefront of admission practices and policies. Such measures have included: addressing the rising costs of higher education; ensuring postsecondary access for disadvantaged students; encouraging minority presence on college campuses; and using technology effectively.

With twenty-three state and regional affiliates, NACAC leads the nation in efforts of serving students in their transition to postsecondary education.  In efforts to stay current and keep admission (and financial aid) professionals ahead of the curb, the National Association for College Admission Counseling continually demonstrates that it is an opinion leader when it comes to education finance.

References:

National Association for College Admission Counseling. www.nacacnet.org.

Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC)

The Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) works alongside the Georgia Student Finance Authority (GSFA) and the Georgia Higher Education Assistance Corporation (GHEAC) to provide the state of Georgia's residents with integrated financial aid resources and services (GSFC, 2011b).  GSFC administers the Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) Scholarship and is recognized nationwide for its state student aid efforts and operations (GSFC, 2011b). 

The HOPE Scholarship Program in Georgia was founded in 1993 with the first Georgia Lottery ticket being sold on June 29, 1993.  On September 1, 1993, the first HOPE Scholarship was awarded, for the 2010-2011 school year more than 250,000 students received $748.2 million in scholarships as a result of the HOPE program (GSFC, 2011a).

One of the promises of the HOPE scholarship in Georgia was that college enrollment would increase because of increased accessibility and affordability.  The research showed in a 2000 study that enrollment had increased from 6 percent since its 1993 inception to 7.9 percent.  However, the research also indicated that 75 percent of students lose the HOPE scholarship while enrolled in college, and 40 percent of those students end up dropping out before graduation (Chen, 2004).

References

Chen, V.  (2004). The Georgia HOPE scholarship.  In Antell, G. D. (Ed.), Policy Perspectives: The George Washington University Journal of Public Policy and Public Administration, 11, 9-10.  Retrieved from http://www.policy-perspectives.org/issue/view/320

GSFC (2010).  Annual Report 2010.  Retrieved from http://www.gsfc.org/main/publishing/pdf/2008/ar_2007.pdf

GSFC. (2011a). Scholarship and grant award history.  Retrieved from http://www.gsfc.org/gsfcnew/SandG_facts.CFM

GSFC. (2011b).  Who we are. Retrieved from http://www.gsfc.org/gsfcnew/about.CFM

Association of American Law Schools - Size does matter, when it comes to financial awards

Association of American Law Schools (AALS)

The AALS was formed in 1900 by 32, educationally focused, legal institutions (“Association of American Law Schools”). During this time in history, a lawyer was not required to obtain a legal education in order to practice law. Typically, lawyers only had to do an apprenticeship or pass a state qualifying exam, also known as a Bar exam. The AALS sought to increase these minimum requirements, by requiring lawyers to graduate from an accredited institution before being allowed to practice law.  Slowly, the AALS successfully achieved this goal, and by the 1960s all states required students to graduate from a national, or state accredited institution (“Association of American Law Schools”). Currently, the AALS represents over 172 law schools and 10,000 faculty members in the United States; and maintains the same premise of improving the practice of law through legal education (“Association of American Law Schools”).

           

In furtherance of their goals, the AALS conducts, and promotes research on items that affect legal education and the legal profession. One report sponsored by the AALS was how the public sector, of the legal profession, could be affected by increases in tuition for law students (Field, 2002). AALS’ concern was that without tuition waivers or scholarships available to students, most students would not enter the public sector legal field. In turn, a reduction in staff for this section could be detrimental to the practice of law, and to socio-economic classes, which rely on the public sector for legal support.  AALS believed students with large student loan debts would be forced to enter the private sector due to the pay disparities between the public and private sector. Therefore, the AALS co-sponsored a report which studied this concern.

           

Dr. Erica Field, currently an Associate Professor of Economics at Harvard University, studied four years of law student admission data, financial aid support, and matriculation employment to achieve her results. Field used New York University’s College of Law as her testing assessment. Upon analysis of all NYU financial awards, exit interviews, and job acceptances Field discovered that the greater the financial aid award the greater the likelihood a student would entering the public legal sector (Field, 2002).  The results were similar to a seesaw. As one side increased, the other side decreased in nature. After Field’s results, the AALS, similar to the AAU, advocated for greater financial aid packages to low and middle-income students, but also for anyone who would be interested in pursuing a career in the public sector. Since AALS’ call to action, a number of prominent law schools have implemented tuition forgiveness programs for select students who commit to a certain amount of years in the public sector.  Additionally, numerous state and federal departments utilize loan forgiveness programs to entice and encourage gainful employment of lawyers in the public sector. 

In conclusion, if not for the AALS’ call to arms, the public legal sector might have been irreparably damaged. However, thousands of legal students are now able to attend law school without having to worry about insurmountable student loans.  

           

References:

Association of American Law Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2011, from Association of American Law Schools website, http://www.aals.org/index.php

Field, E. (2002). Educational Debt Burden and Career Choice: Evidence from a Financial Aid Experiment at NYU Law School (IR Working Paper #469). Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www.aals.org/reports/education/index.php. 

What States Are The Leaders In Providing Student Support Toward Postsecondary Education

The National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP), located in Montana, is dedicated to the promotion of high standards in the administration/operation of student financial aid programs so that such support will be available to students in all states in order to afford them an opportunity to expand and further their postsecondary educational pursuits.

In its efforts, NASSGAP serves as a medium for the development and exchange of information and needs for student financial assistance for the benefit of its members and other student aid related organizations. The association also works with a collective of state, regional, and national councils in their mission to support student financial aid programs.

As a multifaceted organization, NASSGAP conducts research, publishes reports and holds conferences.  All of these measures are taken into account in order to engage existing student aid programs in their efforts to become more responsive to federal, regional, and state public policy goals.

Each year, NASSGAP completes a survey regarding state-funded expenditures for postsecondary student financial aid.  In its 41^st Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Student Financial Aid (2010), National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs stated, “a national organization recently suggested that among the top ten issues in higher education were the fiscal condition of the states, tuition policy and prices, enrollment capacity, and college readiness, all of which can affect college completion, another one of the hottest issues in higher education” (NASSGAP, p.2).

This report goes on to provide critical data relevant to state-funded expenditures for student financial aid for all fifty of the states (plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico), as well as, it comparably demonstrates the states efforts to support students/citizens in their efforts to pursue a postsecondary education. 

In addition to the efforts to display state expenditures for student grants and aid, the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs sounds bold voice within the pages of the report and states: 

For many, the goal of completing college and receiving a degree seems almost unattainable, and little or no additional help may be on the way. One of the things the Morrill Act did was to "change the game" and increase the opportunity for regular citizens to get the skills and training they needed to succeed. These days, the chance that a potential "game-changer" like the American Graduation Act, America 2000, or even eliminating the Department of Education will fundamentally alter the education landscape remains distant (NASSGAP, 2010).

Doug Lederman’s review of the NASSGAP survey provided the highlights of the findings.  He shared, “State spending on financial assistance to students increased by 3.8 percent in 2009-10, even as many governments struggled with recession-driven cuts in many programs.”  Unfortunately, Lederman’s review also revealed that nearly half of the states slashed need-based financial spending, despite the growth in postsecondary education and the financial struggles that many families faced. 

Through this report and its other efforts, the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs continues to prove itself as an opinion leader when comes to higher education finance.

Lederman, D. 2010. Mixed News on State Student Aid.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/07/11/states_increased_spending_on_student_financial_aid_in_2009_10#ixzz1c1oFTtJa

National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs. 2010. 41^st Annual

Survey Report on State-Sponsored Student Financial Aid. 

National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs. 

http://www.nassgap.org/index.aspx