Tag: higher education

As free as the right-wing bosses will allow

August 17, 2012 at 11:23 amCategory:Uncategorized

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Article IX, Section 9 of the North Carolina Constitution says the following:  

“The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.”

Unfortunately, as this op-ed in today’s Raleigh News & Observer helps make plain, the requirement is quickly ceasing to have any real meaning as right-wing money bags like Board of Governors member Fred “Right Change” Eshelman do their worst to privatize higher education. 

As the piece notes:

“Eshelman is essentially transferring a radical political ideology directly into the governing board of the university. That, of course, was what his appointment was intended to do.”

Let’s hope North Carolinians wake up to this effort to drag down our universities before there’s nothing left to save.

Hagan touts bill to restrain abuses by for-profit colleges

August 2, 2012 at 7:20 amCategory:Uncategorized

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This morning’s Greensboro News & Record includes an editorial by Senator Kay Hagan about a promising bill that she’s co-sponsoring to rein in some abuses in the for-profit college industry.

The bill (“the Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act”), which has been endorsed by the watchdogs at Consumers Union, would require all colleges and universities to pay for advertising, marketing and recruiting with non-taxpayer dollars. As Hagan’s piece explains, some private schools have been using abusive tactics (sometimes paid for with federal dollars) to recruit and ensnare young people.

It sounds like a promising start in an area that’s rife with abuse — a phenomenon that is, sadly, sure to get worse in North Carolina if conservatives plow ahead with their plans to divert millions in public dollars into private, for-profit schools.

Making sense (and cents) out of rising college costs

July 24, 2012 at 10:08 amCategory:Uncategorized

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Nationwide tuition debt now tops $1 trillion – surpassing credit card debt as the biggest source of unsecured debt for Americans.

That staggering figure has prompted the U.S. Education Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to team up to help students and their parents better understand the true cost of college.

On Monday, Secretary Arne Duncan unveiled a standardized ‘Shopping Sheet’  which breaks down the  total estimated annual costs (tuition, fees, housing, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses) as well as what options are available for repaying any loans a student takes out.

The Shopping Sheet comes as campuses in the UNC system will be raising tuition and fees an average of 8.8 percent for the 2012-13 school year.

“Students should know before they owe,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “But unfortunately, we have heard from so many student-loan borrowers who say that they simply did not understand what they signed up for. The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet gives students real numbers and a clear format that makes sense of a huge financial undertaking that too often is complex and confusing.”

The Education Department is hoping the easy to understand worksheet is adopted by colleges and universities nationwide as part of their financial aid award packages starting in the 2013-14 school year.

To download a pdf copy of  the Shopping Sheet, click here.

 

The war on public higher education

July 19, 2012 at 11:42 amCategory:Uncategorized

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North Carolina is far from the only state whose  public colleges and universities are struggling with huge cuts in public funding. As this Reuters article explains, it’s a national phenomenon and one that is, in the eyes of anyone other than conservative ideologues devoted to dismantling our societal commitment to higher education, transforming things for the worse. As the article puts it:

“For generations, most college-bound Americans paid reasonable fees to attend publicly financed state universities.

But the bedrock of that system is fracturing as cash-strapped states slash funding Read More…

Coble: The worst decision of the two year session…(video)

July 16, 2012 at 12:50 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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Still trying to make sense of the 2012 General Assembly?

The Executive Director of the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research joined us in studio last week to discuss the winners and losers following the contentious, short legislative session.

Ran Coble shares his thoughts on the depth of the cuts that were made in state spending, fact-checks the claims the budget will lead to new job creation, and weighs in on the fall elections.

Coble also explains why he believes the worst decision of the two-year session may have been  the General Assembly’s override of Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto of a bill that gives all North Carolina community colleges the ability to refuse to participate in a low-interest federal student loan program.

“And I just think that’s a travesty for the kids in community college trying to get money to pay for an education,” explains Coble.

To hear an excerpt of Coble’s radio interview with Chris Fitzsimon, click below. To download a podcast of the full interview or listen online, visit the Radio Interview section of the N.C. Policy Watch website:

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