The movement to reform higher education is finally entering prime time. Although major news outlets have previously aired interviews and television segments about various aspects of higher education, the coverage seems to be reaching an all-new level. Last month, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson announced a month-long series dedicated to answering the question “is college worth … Continue reading “Higher Ed Reform Hits Prime Time”
Once again, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has kicked the hornet’s nest, this time by changing the rules for deciding if a student will be relieved of his or her obligation to repay federal college loans. The way our higher education finance system works, the federal government makes it easy for students to borrow money for … Continue reading “The Furor Over Student Loan Forgiveness”
Student loan debt, now totaling roughly $1.3 trillion, is the second largest source of debt in the United States. This is especially concerning given that there are presently eight million people in default on their student loans. Under federal law, colleges, especially those with open enrollment such as two-year technical schools, face severe consequences if, for … Continue reading “Why Colleges Should Be Allowed to Limit Students’ Federal Loans”
When politicians and Education Department bureaucrats began designing policies to lessen college students’ federal loan burdens, they weren’t concerned much with the cost to the taxpayers. Their imperative was coming up with popular and ostentatious ways of helping indebted students; exactly how much doing so would drain the Treasury was of little consequence. At the … Continue reading “Student Loan Forgiveness: Uncle Sam’s Generosity Will Cost Much More than Previously Estimated”
American college students have taken to saying that they need “safe spaces” on campus. They really don’t, since all they’re after is “safety” from ideas they dislike. But if they were thinking ahead to life after graduation, many might wonder if they’ll need a safe space when the bills for their college loans start coming … Continue reading “Students Need Much Better Counseling Before Going Into Debt for College”
Many experts believe that the United States is facing a student loan crisis. Total student loan debt now exceeds $1.3 billion—more than total credit card debt for the country. And the average student loan debt at graduation has been growing steadily over the last two decades. But not all students are part of the crisis. … Continue reading “States Should Work to Ameliorate Bad Federal Student Loan Policies”
Hillary Clinton’s higher education policy ideas have been taking a lot of criticism. Here, for example, is an analysis by economics professor Gary Wolfram, published in May by the Pope Center. And here’s my take. Apparently, opposition to Clinton’s proposals is sufficiently worrisome to Democrats that on September 10, Robert Shireman (undersecretary in the Department of Education … Continue reading “No, the Clinton Plan Won’t “Fix College””
Indebtedness due to student loans is one of the most pressing issues in higher education today. I believe strongly that we must face this issue head on, and my institution, Adrian College, has developed a plan to do that.
Here’s a message from the University Office of Financial Aid and Duplicity
Discharging student debt in bankruptcy would be a good idea, if colleges had a stake.