Excerpt from: Higher Education Perspectives
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| January 19, 2009 | | "Try to make some sense of it all
But I can see it makes no sense at all
Is it cruel to go to sleep on the floor
Yeah I don't think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am
Stuck in the middle with you."
(As recorded by Stealers Wheel - click here to listen)
As I’ve been following the news of financial bailouts in multiple other sectors in recent weeks without being quite sure that I’m seeing the value, this song keeps running through my head...
Fortunately, now it seems that the latest impending economic stimulus bill will finally have some relief and investment for higher education. Given how crucial higher education will be for training our new century workforce and developing green technologies that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create high wage green sector jobs, this support couldn’t be better timed.
The new bill will provide more support for students from all economic tiers to attend school. An increase in Pell grants, work-study and Stafford loan limits will be a boon for students wondering how they will pay for their studies. Additionally, the bill looks to make some forward-looking investments in school modernization and technological upgrades. I expect that schools and employers will see the return on these investments very quickly.
This action is a much needed step to address serious issues in access and affordability that are rapidly coming to the forefront. In a recent NASFAA release, college admissions officers cited four key factors in reduced matriculation rates that are directly related to the economic downturn:
- Changes in the financial situations of parents and/or students,
- More students attending community colleges,
- Decline in home values (thus an erosion of home equity) and
- Availability of student loans.
Many schools have developed innovative ways to be able to provide support to their students, like curtailing capital projects to provide additional aid money and launching specialized fundraising programs to fund scholarships.
Just as it is important that schools use creativity in providing financial aid, it is also important to find dynamic and cost-effective ways to deliver that message. To learn more about how you can thrive in the economic downturn by implementing sustainable tactics, join us on Tuesday, January 27 at 2pm EST for our free webinar, “It IS Easy Being Green: Timely, Engaging Student Communications.”
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