August 17, 2008

McCain Lays Out His Higher-Education Plan

Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has released an outline of his higher-education policy.

His plan sets out six broad goals:

• Preparing for “the 21st century in higher education” by removing regulatory barriers that he says prevent institutions from moving forward with new ideas and by encouraging the government to support innovative approaches to education. “We must rise to the challenge and modernize our universities so that they retain their status as producers of the most skilled work force in the world,” Senator McCain’s plan reads.

• Providing parents better information about colleges by making the data that institutions report to the federal government available in a “clear and concise manner” so that students can make more-informed choices about where to go to college.

• Simplifying the higher-education tax benefits, to make it easier for more families to claim them.

• Simplifying the process for applying for and administering federal financial aid by consolidating government programs.

• Eliminating government spending that lawmakers earmark, through noncompetitive processes, for particular research projects.

• Fixing problems in student lending by expanding the government’s “lender of last resort” system, in which the federal government makes sure students can find loans if a loan emergency were declared, and by demanding “the highest standard of integrity” for private lenders that participate in the federal system.
  

Comments

1. While his “policy” highlights an impressive array of classical business buzzwords—especially “innovative” and “leveraging”—there is positively no substance, save for a commitment to fixing the student loan situation. Oh, and apparently cutting earmarks in Washington will make room for more dollars to higher ed. The same dollars that will retire the deficit in just a few years. And we all know higher ed gets first dibs on federal resources.

   — DLS    Aug 18, 07:18 AM    #

2. I think his policy more focused on the law abiding citizens who pay taxes to earn at least a piece of their federal aid. At least he is not discussing dolling out FA through the DREAM Act and is concerned with those who abide by Federal laws. I would much rather have someone fight for those who are eligible for FA based on their commitment to their country instead of wasting time on those who won’t even try to become citizens of the US.

   — RM    Aug 18, 07:42 AM    #

3. What? I know that it is broad; however, it says nothing. I truly wish that lawmakers will learn to differentiate between federal loans and private loans. I do not believe that students have a probably getting those loans, it’s the loans that require sufficient credit. This so-called plan is so out-of-touch with current students and higher education.

   — BLM    Aug 18, 07:51 AM    #

4. I just hope that McCain being vague and broad and saying absolutely nothing takes no one by surprise. It’s consistent with his entire campaign. And we all know what “consolidation of programs” is code for – eliminating them…the same pointless attempt by every Republican president since Reagan to do away with campus-based Federal aid programs. “Simplifying” financial aid by “simply” offering less of it.

   — DS    Aug 18, 08:19 AM    #

5. I think a lot of the problem comes back to uniformed/apathetic students. I am an FAO and see it every day—students aren’t taking advantage of Federal Aid and are borrowing private loans. A lof of private lenders have tightened their requirements, but some have just increased the interest the student will have to pay. Students seem much more apt to apply for a loan over the phone in five minutes instead of going through the FAFSA, being VC’d, and all of the other requirements that ensure Federal aid is being properly disbursed. It doesn’t help that the Federal lenders are struggling to keep their heads above the water, but DTC lending companies are slamming the students with ads all the time in mail, email, TV, podcasts, and even phone calls (trust me, I get them since I am a student as well). Students don’t understand the differences—pros and cons of the Stafford, DTC, and private certifiable (and I’m not looking for expertise—just being informed). I am all for Capitalism and free market, but the students want what is easiest and they are paying the price for it (Prime +).

   If we had someone in office who would mention and hopefully act on making FA easier then maybe the students wouldn’t dig themselves into a never ending hole of high interest debt.

   The only thing I can think of that may be “out of touch” is responsible students and the lack thereof.

   — RM    Aug 18, 08:22 AM    #

6. I went to McCain’s actual text, which says, “Prepare for the 21st Century in Higher Education.” What is “the 21st Century in Education”? Does it mean that higher education is now 2,000 years old? Shoot, that don’t make no sense! Shouldn’t we be preparing higher education for the 21st century?

   — Robert Killoren    Aug 18, 08:47 AM    #

7. Or maybe preparing for the 21st century through higher education.

   — Robert Killoren    Aug 18, 08:51 AM    #

8. I think he just means that the 21st Century with Higher Ed will be drastically different from the past…and it is getting there very quickly.

   — RM    Aug 18, 09:28 AM    #

9. I too found nothing of substance in McCain’s ‘proposals’ – talk about “out of touch”. From what I’m seeing, none of our elected officials have a clue about 21st century students, financial aid, or high education. I think the whole approach to funding higher education is a debacle. My biggest issue is the millions, probably billions, of federal education dollars that are given to foreigners, both those on visas and illegal aliens. As a citizen, life-long wage earner and tax payer, I will be up front and state that I don’t want my tax money being given to non-citizens (which includes Permanent Residents). Everyone talks about America ‘falling behind educationally’, yet because we give all of this education money to non-citizens and the government makes tax paying citizens jump through hoops to meet the convoluted qualification rules and standards to get any kind of financial assistance, many students who are American citizens get little or nothing in aid while foreign, non-citizens get full funding – all in the name of globalization and access for the down-trodden. The way I see it, the only ‘down trodden’ in America today are the working, tax paying, citizens who have been disenfranchised by the government officials – who also are being elected by non-citizens as we have no election rules in place to prevent non-citizens from voting in our elections. A drivers license or library card do not prove citizenship!

   — CM    Aug 18, 09:35 AM    #

10. Honestly—go check out the DREAM Act that Obama is pushing for. You don’t want your tax dollars going to non-citizens then he is not the candidate for you! California and Colorado have been going through a tough battle with him over this issue.

    The DREAM Act provides FEDERAL aid to those who cannot prove they are citizens. It is bad enough to give in-state tuition while students who come in from out of state pay taxes, but are charged more than those who shouldn’t be in the country at all.

    — RM    Aug 18, 09:40 AM    #

11. “by removing regulatory barriers that…prevent institutions from moving forward with new ideas and by encouraging the government to support innovative approaches to education.”

    Sounds like continuing to remove regulation so that we can find innovative ways to continue the rise in tuition.

    — CY    Aug 18, 09:49 AM    #

12. McCain’s policy says nothing, right, but compare McCain’s higher ed policy to Obama’s, which consists of two bullet points:

    -Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit
    -Simplify the application process for financial aid

    Eliminating earmarks may not free up much money for higher ed, but it should free up more than the Obama “plan.”

    http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/

    — Tracy G.    Aug 18, 09:54 AM    #

13. RM, I don’t think poster #9 intended to say he supported Obama! I guess I can understand why people obsessed with the illegal (or legal) immigrant issue have to post so frequently on this and other online forums: they’re frustrated that neither of the major candidates is even remotely satisfactory to them.

    But of out of all the ways our tax dollars are used (or misused, or wasted), I cannot understand why so many people are so upset about doing things to help poor, struggling people get an education (or health care, or … food). Even if they’re foreigners, even if they’re doing something illegal, it’s still a nice way to spend tax dollars. I can think of way worse.

    — swish    Aug 18, 10:00 AM    #

14. I’m glad to see that my initial reaction/response is in line with the comments here. This is like smoke in a room and McCain waving his arms to disperse it… the smoke hasn’t gone away nor the fire that is producing it, but look at how much effort he’s making… geez!

    — LET    Aug 18, 10:00 AM    #

15. Post 13:

    I don’t pay taxes to Uncle Sam to be nice. I pay them because I am a law abiding citizens with a legal paycheck and appreciate the benefits it provides. Do you think it would be nice to provide money out of your pocket to the person who takes your job and shouldn’t be in the country to begin with—and then transfers the funds to another country so the USD depreciates?

    There are plenty of “nice” ways to use tax dollars—support the military, help struggling business owners, help lenders in the market, etc.

    As far as higher ed is concerned—I just wish people would be more informed on the dangers of the DTC market and if Fed Aid increases then it will hopefully reduce the reliance on private loans.

    My personal opinion on the two men is neither here nor there—but I am greatly concerned with how and to whom the funds are disbursed and regulated.

    — RM    Aug 18, 10:20 AM    #

16. Tracy, I beg to differ. If you research farther than the first page, you’ll find more substance:
    College Affordability (for RM) http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/CollegeAffordabilityFactSheet.pdf
    pgs 20-23:
    http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf
    and here as well
    http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/FactSheetScience.pdf
    I’d find it hard not to vote for the candidate who includes a focus on arts education:
    http://www.barackobama.com/issues/additional/Obama_FactSheet_Arts.pdf

    At least Obama’s indicates some actual thought beyond “modernizing” higher ed to produce a “skilled workforce.”
    If anyone wants to talk “experience” I prefer an education plan by someone who actually went to college and did pretty well for himself, over one by a guy who graduated fifth from the bottom of his Naval class.

    — Bonnie    Aug 18, 10:24 AM    #

17. I think it’s great that we’re all following the financial aid thread, but I hope everyone’s also noting the second bullet point for its ominous, if ignorant, perspective. If you go to Sen. McCain’s actual website, you’ll note he says the federal government currently “does nothing” along these lines. Baloney!

    The ongoing buzz that is catching the ears of policymakers is that colleges supposedly do little to inform the public of information about themselves in the first place. As a Admissions professional who fills out those endless surveys, I know it’s quite the contrary — we provide more information than really ever gets used, and some of which fairly irrelevant. But let’s take the all-too-rare moment to cherish the US Department of Education, who I fear even most in the readership of the CHE don’t even realize do some great things for the public with the info we give them each year.

    If you’ve never viewed College Navigator (or fafsa4caster) you should! Go to <http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/12/12212007.html> for more info. Heck, how can a GOP candidate miss something Money Magazine even reports?

    Kudos to the less-noticed parts of our Dept of Ed for keeping at this, and for actually DOING a great job to try and provide families with good information on choosing and understanding colleges. Especially since all the commercial sites add the chance to pay for better presence, and can’t resist ranking us all (!), we’re fortunate that at least one fairly objective site persists. Now if only we all knew about it, we could get families to go there!

    I shudder that a McCain presidency wouldn’t even seem to know what their own Dept of Education is up to…

    — Jim    Aug 18, 10:55 AM    #

18. Re #13: What an absurd statement! It is not the role of the federal government to spend the tax $$$ I pay in a “nice” fashion. Your post typifies those who are going to spend us into bankruptcy in their lunatic quest to make the world a ‘nice’ place.

    — Take Back the U!    Aug 18, 11:18 AM    #

19. Jim—I agree with you completely on the DOE. They have been doing wonderful things for Chapter benefits, Pell, and informational updates with the FFEL and Direct programs. I must also admit that Congress has made some very wonderful decisions/changes as far as Higher Ed is concerned.

    I am not looking forward to have to “pick my poison” per se with the coming elections. I just hope that whoever gets in helps with the lending problems and other issues involving Higher Ed.

    — RM    Aug 18, 11:31 AM    #

20. Bonnie,

    Thank you for the additional information. I like the focus on arts education, too. I have to wonder, though, what trade off will be made to increase art education at the secondary level. And of course this has nothing to do with higher ed, which is the topic of discussion.

    As for the College Affordability Fact Sheet: I don’t see how any of the proposals will reduce costs. More federal money will lead to even higher tuition, which already outpaces inflation.

    As for the Blueprint for Change: What new information about higher ed was I supposed to see there? All I saw was the same two bullets that are on his Issues page.

    — Tracy G.    Aug 18, 11:42 AM    #

21. Both candidates’ proposals relative to higher ed prompt one word in response: “Meh.”

    — Al    Aug 18, 11:53 AM    #

22. The Blueprint was to just give more info, and to show Education holds 5th place (yeah, could be 2nd or 3rd, but we can’t have it all) in this candidate’s published plans. And you’re right, Tracy, there’s usually a trade-off. Check out the record here for an indication of past efforts (like co-sponsorship of the 2005 Kennedy amendment to SConRes18 in 2005).
    http://www.ontheissues.org/social/Barack_obama_Education.htm
    Of course, like Al, I’d likely say ‘meh’ to a simple read-through of the previous links. But for me, it’s also a comprehensive evaluation. When I hear a man break from the usual economic/foreign policy stumping to tell kids to read more books, and when I hear thoughts like these:

    “I try to avoid an either/or approach to solving the problems of this country. There are questions of individual responsibility and questions of societal responsibility to be dealt with. The best example is an education. I’m going to insist that we’ve got decent funding, enough teachers, and computers in the classroom, but unless you turn off the television set and get over a certain anti-intellectualism that I think pervades some low-income communities, our children are not going to achieve.”
    MeetThePress Jul 25, 2004

    I get the impression this guy knows 1. more than he can say and 2. (related) the complexity of the situation.

    No candidate is perfect on this issue. If so, I’d be promised a tenure-track position tomorrow, all kids would be educated for free, become brilliant scholars, and we’d all get richer because of it. But that’s not how it works, now is it. Still, I prefer this candidate over the one profiled in this blog:
    http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/thelemonkid/gG5kqM

    — Bonnie    Aug 18, 12:45 PM    #

23. Wow, do we have hatred in this world or what. While I agree that both candidates lack appeal, I am all for decreasing the regulation barriers for students to get higher education, making colleges fight for grants like they make other business fight for their business (one of the reasons we have a lender crunch), not giving money to non-citizens (gave money to the 9/11 pilots), giving tax benefits to families that try to make a better life for their children. As far as the candidates are their educational background, both had help getting into college, one decided to smoke dope, the other graduated 5th from the bottom. Having said that, I have friends from both the Naval Academy and from Harvard, to a man and woman, they said getting through the Academy is way harder.

    As far as the arts go, maybe you should educate yourselves first, McCain is a huge supporter of the arts, as a matter of fact he made up plays to present to his fellow POWs to help them survive, and Obama supports the arts because he needs money from the Hollywood crowd.

    You all have a blessed day.

    — #13 and #17 you make me laugh    Aug 18, 12:45 PM    #

24. I’m glad I could brighten your day with a laugh, 24. And when you say, “Obama supports the arts because he needs money from the Hollywood crowd,” you make manifest my reasons to support arts education.

    — Bonnie    Aug 18, 12:52 PM    #

25. I don’t think i would call britney spears, paris hilton, lindsay lohan, mel gibson art. Show me a shakesspear, a mozart, pablo in that crowd, or an artist that makes the world a better place, i don’t thank we look for hollywood to do that, it is more mindless entertainment, #24 has a point hollywood is not art….

    — #25    Aug 18, 01:02 PM    #

26. At least he doesn’t plan to send in troops – that seems to be his solution for nearly everything else.

    — TDD    Aug 18, 01:46 PM    #

27. Yes, as we fall further and further behind China in science/math/technology, that’s what we need to be pushing – art education!

    BTW – judging from resumes of the two men, I would say that the Naval Academy did a much better job of educating John McCain than Harvard did of educating Barack Hussein Obama.

    — TRB    Aug 18, 01:58 PM    #

28. Bonnie,

    McCain’s record shows that he tries do avoid the either/or approach. All we have from Obama is his word that he will. Since when did we start taking any politician at his or her word?

    — Tracy G.    Aug 18, 03:48 PM    #

29. #26—that was my point. Maybe we need to increase funding for teachers of sarcasm also…

    “Since when did we start taking any politician at his or her word?”
    —Who are “we?” I’m not sure how to answer, because I’m not sure who I’d be speaking for.
    For myself: I’ve got a BS in taurascatics, so I rarely take anyone “at their word.” But if you want to purely compare ONLY words here, these are my results:
    McCain = full of it
    Obama = less so.
    eg. translation: “removing regulatory barriers” = making it easier for corporations and the DOD to use university research programs for product development, testing, and marketing. See the Chronicle entry on Irvine’s new mind-reading tech contract. (Which relates to 28’s point about “falling behind” in math/sci/tech—and I don’t have the time, so figure it out.)

    — Bonnie    Aug 18, 04:49 PM    #

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