DC Shuttle …
Public comments and report find flaws in “gainful employment” proposal. The period for public comment closes today, and many comments collected regarding the administration’s gainful employment proposal claim the rule is flawed and will end up hurting students. Now, a report by Charles River Associates says the economic effects of the proposed rule are harmful. The report claims that, if the rule goes into effect, up to 44 percent of students at for-profit colleges could lose access to federal financial aid. The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) commissioned the study. The argument may be the preview of a legal challenge to the rule, should it go into effect. Read more in the Chronicle of Higher Education or Inside Higher Ed.
Groups call for end of Sallie Mae contract. The AFL-CIO, United States Student Association, American Federation of Teachers and other groups are pushing an online petition urging U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to cut ties with Navient Corp, formerly Sallie Mae, The Huffington Post reports.
Senate Appropriations Committee sets education spending limit. The Senate Appropriations Committee released top-line discretionary spending levels for each of its subcommittee allocations for FY 2015 spending bills, called 302(b) allocations. Labor, HHS and Education were given a $156.8 billion spending limit.
Senate HELP hearing on veterans in higher education. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on service members and veterans in higher education. Senators and witnesses contended that institutions haven’t appropriately dealt with how to credit veterans for their military experience.
Former GOP govs call for adoption of Common Core. Five Republican former governors said that states should continue with the adoption of the controversial Common Core State Standards to ensure the country’s long-term economic competitiveness. At a Bipartisan Policy Center event, James Douglas of Vermont, John Engler of Michigan, Linda Lingle of Hawaii, John McKernan Jr. of Maine and Sonny Perdue of Georgia, said the proposal had bipartisan support when it was formed and was necessary to address the number of failing students.
We publish the DC Shuttle each week featuring higher ed news from Washington collected by the New England Council, of which NEBHE is a member. This edition is drawn from the Higher Education Update in the Council’s Weekly Washington Report of May 27, 2014.
Founded in 1925, the New England Council is a nonpartisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations throughout New England formed to promote economic growth and a high quality of life in the New England region. The Council’s mission is to identify and support federal public policies and articulate the voice of its membership regionally and nationally on important issues facing New England. For more information, please visit: www.newenglandcouncil.com.
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