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Getting Out the Student Vote

The National Campus Voter Registration Project aims to turn out college students in record numbers on Election Day. For more information, read the news release or go directly to the Your Vote Your Voice website.

Together We Can

Click here to view Together We Can, NAICU's policy "quick-take," which was sent to all 2008 presidential candidates, along with this accompanying letter.

Private Colleges Fight Sticker Shock

Replacing loans with grants, cutting tuition, guaranteeing no price increases, and more. Responding to consumer needs, private colleges are redoubling efforts to stay affordable and accessible. Download our compendium of innovative efforts (last updated June 12) to see examples of these initiatives. See our news release for NAICU's perspective on this accelerating national trend.

NAICU's University & College Accountability Network

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News items, features, and opinion pieces posted on this site from sources outside NAICU do not necessarily reflect the position of the association and its members. Rather, this content reflects the diversity of issues and opinions that are shaping American higher education.

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Facing Up to Debt

Inside Higher Ed - Opinion Piece

July 14, 2008

Somewhere along the line our unreserved enthusiasm for college debt has gotten out of hand. This is partly because we tend to talk about debt in ways that obscure its meaning. We've allowed the lofty promise of higher education and the cold-blooded realities of borrowing to become confused. Sometimes we speak as if debt isn't debt at all.

Government as the Big Lender

New York Times

July 14, 2008

The desperate worry over the health of huge financial institutions with country cousin names - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - reflects a reality that has reshaped major spheres of American life: the government has in recent months taken on an increasingly dominant role in assuring that Americans can buy a home or attend college.

Cheating on ACT, SAT college entrance exams has few consequences

Los Angeles Times

July 14, 2008

Each year, millions of stressed-out students take the two tests, hoping a good score will secure them a spot at the nation's top colleges. But most students know little of what occurs when a score is in dispute. And the policies of the two nonprofit test companies seem to satisfy no one. Some complain that scores are arbitrarily canceled without evidence, while others criticize the companies for giving a free pass to cheaters.

Good, bad news for students

Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Column

July 13, 2008

The credit crunch was supposed to put the big squeeze on college loans, and for some students, a real threat still exists. But for many, the federal money is flowing just fine, with more dollars available than a year ago and at better terms. That is a comforting development as many students scramble to get their finances in place for the start of school next month. But this is a good news-bad news story, and it makes college funding even more confusing than usual.

University endowments move beyond stocks, bonds

Kansas City Star

July 12, 2008

Rising college costs have focused greater attention on university endowments. One discovery is that many endowments have moved beyond traditional stocks and bonds in their investment portfolios. They've embraced alternatives such as real estate, private capital pools, hedge funds and commodities.

Division-III teams suffer in the age of $4-a-gallon

SI.com - Column

July 11, 2008

Other Division-III conferences may want to consider following the lead of the University Athletic Association, a widespread conglomerate of some of the nation's most academically prestigious institutions. Befitting a conference with so much brainpower surging through it, the UAA has devised a system to help defray costs for teams that have to fly to most away games. Men's and women's teams travel together, and each school has a travel partner.

Colleges Required to Secure Chemicals From Terrorists

Chronicle of Higher Education

July 11, 2008

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has asked several dozen colleges to report in detail on their measures to protect toxic chemicals on their campuses from being stolen or released by terrorists. The reports could lead the agency to ask for additional precautions but not necessarily for colleges to turn their laboratory buildings into fortresses. The department is enforcing a new security rule that requires colleges to reveal their current protection plans.

Going Beyond the GI Bill

Inside Higher Ed - Opinion Piece

July 11, 2008

Reinvigorating the GI Bill to ensure that it will cover the costs of a college education is only part of the solution to the question of how to best serve veterans on our campuses. The higher education community can and must act creatively, comprehensively and responsively to serve those military veterans who come to our campuses.

High Cost of Driving Ignites Online Classes Boom

New York Times

July 11, 2008

The vast majority of the nation’s 15 million college students — at least 79 percent — live off campus, and with gas prices above $4 a gallon, many are seeking to cut commuting costs by studying online. Colleges from Massachusetts and Florida to Texas to Oregon have reported significant online enrollment increases for summer sessions, with student numbers in some cases 50 percent or 100 percent higher than last year.

Bush Weighs Federal Aid to Student Loan Auction-Rate Issuers

Bloomberg News

July 10, 2008

A senior adviser to U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is working with Undersecretary for Education Sara Martinez Tucker on a plan to help issuers of student loan-backed securities refinance all their $85 billion in outstanding auction-rate debt. Student loan auction-rate securities have emerged as among the most toxic of the debt since Wall Street dealers abandoned the $330 billion market in February amid slumping demand and worries that bond insurers guaranteeing the debt would be downgraded.


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