DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY The above-entitled

160 Pages·2013·0.58 MB·English

by  Stefen Styrsky

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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OPEN FORUM ON COLLEGE VALUE AND
AFFORDABILITY

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FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 15, 2013

The above-entitled matter commenced
at 10:00 a.m. in the Bengtson Auditorium of the
University of Northern Iowa, located at 2601
Minnesota Street, Cedar Falls, IA, Martha
Kanter, Under Secretary of Education,
presiding.

PRESENT:

MARTHA KANTER, Under Secretary of Education
SENATOR TOM HARKIN, U.S. Senator for Iowa
JOSH HENDERSON, Confidential Assistant, Office
of the Under Secretary of Education
MARK MITSUI, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Community Colleges
WILLIAM RUUD, President, University of
Northern Iowa

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome and Opening Remarks, President Bill
Ruud, University of Northern Iowa 5

Martha Kanter, Under Secretary, U.S.
Department of Education 10

Tom Harkin, U.S. Senator for Iowa 19

Mark Mitsui, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Community Colleges 26

Testimony:

Roberta Johnson, Director of Student
Financial Aid, Iowa State Univ. 30

Victoria Hurst, Director of
Governmental Relations, Northern Iowa
Student Government 40

Tom Madsen, Student, University of
Northern Iowa 45

Diane Gallagher, Trustee of Highland
Community College 58

Hank Robinson, Director of Institutional
Effectiveness, University of Nebraska
Omaha 65

Tom Babel, Vice President, Regulatory
Affairs, DeVry Education Group 69

Bob Frederick, Director of Career
Services, Director of Community College
Relations, Univ. of Northern Iowa 79

Nathan Schultz, Student, University of
Northern Iowa 84

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Mike Licari, Associate Provost for
Academic Affairs, University of
Northern Iowa 89

Matt Falduto, Financial Aid Office,
Kirkwood Community College 90

Linda Allen, President, Hawkeye
Community College 95

Susan Brown, Student, Hawkeye Community
College 102

Heather Gaumer, Assistant Director for
Student Loans, Simpson College 107

Kathie Aswegan, Financial Aid
Coordinator, Allen College 113

Hannah Walsh, Student Member to the
Board of Regents, Univ. of Iowa 119

Blake Findley, Vice President of
Student Government, University of
Northern Iowa 122

Terri Vanmeenen-Misfeldt, Financial Aid
Office, Western Illinois Univ. 128

Joyce Morrow, Director of Student Aid,
University of Northern Iowa 129

Dwight Watson, Dean of College of
Education, Univ.of Northern Iowa 133

Gabrielle Williams, Student, Iowa State
University 137

Nathan Miller, Assistant Dean for Adult
Higher Education, Columbia College 142

Shonda Ireland, Communications
Specialist, Columbia College 148

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Nadene Davidson, Faculty, University of
Northern Iowa, Board Member, Iowa
Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education 151

Gerri Perreault, Faculty, University
of Northern Iowa, American Democracy
Project, Chair 156

Eric Boisen, Student, University of
Northern Iowa 158

Closing Comments, Martha Kanter, Under
Secretary, U.S. Department of Education 160

Adjourn

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1 P-R-O-C-E-E-D-I-N-G-S
2 10:00 A.M.
3 PRESIDENT RUUD: Good morning.
4 And welcome to the University of Northern Iowa,
5 the host of the third listening forum on
6 President Obama's college affordability and
7 completion proposals and to welcome U.S.
8 Department of Education Under Secretary Martha
9 Kanter, her team from the Department, and all of
10 you who have come to share your ideas and to
11 listen.
12 We applaud the goals of the
13 Department to empower students and parents in
14 the college selection process and to provide the
15 information needed to plan for enrollment in and
16 completion of their selected programs of study.
17 The citizens of the United States are blessed to
18 have an array of over 8,000 institutions from
19 which to choose. Many variables affect the
20 college selection decisions made by
21 individuals. Cost is a major factor to be sure,
22 but variables such as career interest,

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1 geographic location, family and work status, and
2 stage in life, also enter into those decisions.
3 Many 18-year-olds do not know what
4 they want to major in and many who think they do,
5 as I did, often change their minds. In fact, I
6 changed my mind four times. Part of the college
7 experience is exploration, discovery, social
8 development, learning more about civic and
9 community engagement opportunities, and
10 possibly completing an experience study
11 internationally. We do not want to lose these
12 important elements in the quantifications of
13 ratings.
14 The Department has acknowledged
15 that rating systems need to be developed which
16 are appropriate to institution type and
17 institution context. We know that one size does
18 not fit all and we appreciate the opportunity the
19 Department is offering to work together as data
20 is defined and rating systems are developed. We
21 want to avoid any unintended consequences which
22 devalue quality.

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1 The Federal Pell Grant Program is a
2 foundational asset for student enrollment in
3 postsecondary education and an essential
4 element for program completion. I would like to
5 highlight the Federal Work Study Program which
6 tends to receive less attention, but which
7 research shows contributes to college
8 completion. In addition to receiving
9 compensation for their work, students gain
10 professional experience and competencies which
11 prepare them for future careers. Federal
12 support for work experience on campus and in the
13 community mitigates the amount of money borrowed
14 with value-added experience for the individual.
15 At the University of Northern Iowa,
16 we consistently have several more students
17 qualified for and interested in work study than
18 we have funds to support. For example, just
19 this year, 5,000 students indicated they were
20 interested in having a work study award, but only
21 1,600 were considered to be qualified for the
22 award, based on their estimated family

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1 contribution. Yet with the federal work study
2 funds we had available to award, we could only
3 assist 465 students with a $2,000 award. Only
4 30 percent of the students who qualified for work
5 study award were actually awarded the
6 opportunity to work on campus approximately 10
7 hours per week to help pay for their education.
8 We need more financial support for
9 that great Federal Work Study Program.
10 Now at this time, it is my pleasure
11 and my honor to introduce the Honorable Martha
12 Kanter, Under Secretary of Education, United
13 States Department of Education. Dr. Kanter was
14 appointed to her position in April 2009 by
15 President Barack Obama. Her responsibilities
16 include post-secondary education, adult and
17 career technical education, federal student
18 aid, and six White House initiatives for Asian
19 Americans, educational excellence for
20 African-Americans, Historically Black Colleges
21 and Universities, Tribal Colleges and
22 Universities, and faith-based and neighborhood

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1 partnerships.
2 She has been responsible for the
3 successful implementation of the Federal Direct
4 Student Loan Program, as well as partnership
5 with the Department of Labor to increase
6 quality, graduation, and employment
7 opportunities for community college students.
8 Under Secretary Kanter served as chancellor of
9 the Foothill-De Anza Community College District
10 from 2003 to 2009, one of the largest community
11 college districts in the United States. She has
12 experience as an alternative high school teacher
13 in Massachusetts and New York, and established
14 the first program for students with learning
15 disabilities at San Jose City College in
16 California.
17 Dr. Kanter has been recognized many
18 times for her leadership and achievements. She
19 holds a doctorate from the University of San
20 Francisco, a master's degree from Harvard
21 University, and a bachelor's degree from
22 Brandeis University.

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1 Ladies and gentlemen, please join me
2 in welcoming U.S. Department of Education Under
3 Secretary and my good friend, Martha Kanter.
4 (Applause.)
5 UNDER SECRETARY KANTER: Thank you,
6 President Ruud and thank you, Senator Harkin,
7 for joining us this morning. Thank everyone in
8 the audience for coming to share your thoughts
9 about college value and affordability. We know
10 that college is among perhaps one of the best,
11 very best investments any student can make in
12 this country. It's the key to the middle class
13 and a highly educated work force we've all seen
14 time and time again from the research is going
15 to propel our nation forward in terms of our
16 economic strength, but also our civic strength.
17 And I always want to underscore our health as a
18 democracy depends on an educated citizenry.
19 But despite all the historic
20 investments and reforms, attending college has
21 skyrocketed. It's never been more expensive.
22 And that's why in August, President Obama

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