GREGG: HIGHER EDUCATION BILL REAUTHORIZATION PRESERVES IMPORTANT NATIONAL PRIORITIES AND PROTECTIONS

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 30, 2008              

Contact: Andrea Wuebker/Laena Fallon

GREGG: HIGHER EDUCATION BILL REAUTHORIZATION PRESERVES IMPORTANT NATIONAL PRIORITIES AND PROTECTIONS

Important bill includes Gregg-authored provisions that protect intellectual diversity and free speech on college campuses; evaluates effectiveness of loan-pilot program previously offered by Gregg

*Editor’s Note: The Higher Education Act reauthorization is scheduled to be voted on in the Senate Thursday, July 31*

Washington—Senior member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) announced that the House-Senate Conference Committee reached agreement last night on Gregg-provisions to be included in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

These Gregg provisions will help protect students’ right of free speech and strengthen the diversity of ideas on college campuses across the country, as well as establish a three-year competitive grant process to enable institutions to start or strengthen post-secondary programs in traditional American history and the history and achievements of Western civilizations.  The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill on Thursday, and upon passage, it will head to the President’s desk for his signature.

Sen. Gregg stated, “Colleges and universities across the country play a key role in preparing our students to be the nation’s next leaders.  As such, it is the duty of these institutions to promote and facilitate the free and open exchange of ideas among students, and not prohibit students from speaking out with ideas that are politically or culturally different.  During a time where it seems natural to take political sides, my provision protects free speech in an environment where it is most important that this freedom be preserved—the college classroom.

            “Just as it is important to preserve free speech and cultural diversity, it is also just as important to understand where these basic founding principles of American culture comes from, which is why I have also included language in this bill that helps colleges and universities start or strengthen programs that teach American and Western Civilization histories.”

            Sen. Gregg previously introduced a pilot program in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the PLUS Auction Pilot, to help both the Federal government and students save money on student loans.  Rather than set the interest rate subsidy lenders receive from the Federal government to insure, or back, the Federal parent PLUS loans, the Auction Pilot requires lenders to bid on how much the Federal government must pay to secure student loans, and by doing so, drives down the price that the federal government must pay them to lend. Under the auction, only two lenders can make guaranteed student loans within the competition.  The House-Senate Reauthorization includes an important evaluation provision of this pilot to evaluate the effectiveness of the competitive loan pilot and requires the Secretaries of Education and Treasury to conduct a joint evaluation to examine the extent of the savings, the numbers of lenders participating in the pilot, and the effectiveness of the program.

Along with more accountable funding measures for student loans, the Higher Education reauthorization bill included transparency measures that would help families better assess the costs of the universities.  The College Cost List requires that the Secretary of Education annually publish a cost-watch list, beginning in 2011, that ranks the 5 percent most costly and 10 percent least expensive schools in the country, as determined by tuition and fees, as well as net price.  The institutions that rank in the top 5 percent in both the tuition and fees and the net price most expensive institutions are required to submit a report to the Secretary describing where the institution has experienced the greatest increases and steps the institution will take toward the goal of reducing those costs.

Additionally, Gregg praised other measures of this bill that promote and fund international education opportunities by promoting partnerships with institutions in other countries, particularly for less commonly taught foreign languages and study-abroad programs, and ensures that applications for grants by students studying abroad reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views on international affairs.  The bill also provides measures to ensure that students are placed into programs where learning the foreign language will help serve national interests.  

            “While we need to foster diversity of American culture and political views on university campuses, it is also important to recognize there are huge economic, political, cultural and social benefits to engage in international exchange as well. This bill recognizes the importance of promoting diversity of education on all levels—preserving the ideals upon which this country was founded, as well as providing new means to bolster national and international security.”   

About the included Gregg-provisions:

Ø  Protection of Student Speech and Association Rights

·         Sense of the Senate language that states:

o   Diversity of institutions and educational missions is a key strength of the American higher education system, and that each institution should be able to design its own academic program in accordance with its mission;

o   Institutions of higher education should facilitate the free and open exchange of ideas;

o   Students should not be intimidated, harassed, discriminated against or discouraged from speaking out.

Ø  American History for Freedom

·         Three-year, competitive grant program to help institutions establish or strengthen post-secondary programs in traditional American history, history of free institutions, or history and achievements of Western civilization;

·         Help institutions, in conjunction with local education agencies (LEAs) develop teacher preparation initiatives;

·         Assist faculty in designing and implementing courses, lecture series and symposia;

·         Support faculty in the development of relevant course materials;

·         Support graduate and postgraduate fellowships and courses.