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Grant Opportunity for Work in Africa NAICU Washington Update October 7, 2008 Through $1 million from USAID, the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative will be making 20 grants available to U.S. colleges that have relationships with colleges or universities in Africa.

Congress Extends College Anti-trust Protections NAICU Washington Update October 7, 2008 The new bill is essentially an extension of the law passed seven years ago, clarifying that it is not an anti-trust violation for schools that are need-blind in the admissions process to meet collaboratively to discuss ways to assess need.

Cohort Default Rate Rises Slightly NAICU Washington Update October 7, 2008 The overall cohort default rate (CDR) - the government measure of the rate at which college students default on their federal student loans - has crept up about half a point.  The overall private college sector rate for FY 2006 is 2.5 percent, again the lowest for any sector.

FTC's Red Flags Rule Applies to Colleges NAICU Washington Update October 7, 2008 Late last year, the Federal Trade Commission issued a regulation known as the "Red Flags Rule" to reduce identity theft. While the FTC generally does not have jurisdiction over not-for-profit entities, parts of the rule seem to apply to a variety of college and university activities.

President Signs CR with Money for Pell Shortfall NAICU Washington Update October 7, 2008 The FY 2009 Continuing Resolution includes $2.5 billion to help pay down the Pell Grant shortfall.  The resolution keeps all government agencies open and running until March 6, 2009.

Legislation on Secretary's Emergency Student Loan Authority Awaiting Signature NAICU Washington Update October 7, 2008 Congress acted with record speed to extend the Secretary of Education's authority to purchase federal student loans for an extra year. The bill, however, is still sitting on the president's desk.

"Bailout" Bill: Surprise Help for Colleges and Parents NAICU Washington Update October 7, 2008 Important college tax provisions that expired at the end of 2007 were finally extended last week, when the provisions caught a ride as "sweeteners" on the multi-billion dollar rescue bill for at-risk financial services institutions.  The bill also gives authority to the Treasury Secretary to secure both private and federal student loans in the case of an emergency.

Opposing view: Look beyond test scores USA Today October 7, 2008 Test-optional admissions clearly works well. More than 775 accredited, bachelor degree granting institutions already do not use SAT or ACT scores to make decisions about all or many applicants. They have found that de-emphasizing test results yields better qualified and more diverse student bodies.

Our view on college testing: Too soon to drop SAT USA Today October 7, 2008 The idea of making the SAT and ACT optional is appealing because the tests are notoriously poor predictors of success, not to mention burdensome and unfair.  But until secondary schools make grading more credible and courses tougher, dumping the tests is impractical.

College Costs: Coping with the Meltdown BusinessWeek October 7, 2008 Even before the market swooned, families with college-bound children started to buckle down. According to preliminary results of a survey of more than 2,000 parents, a majority of families with college-bound teens redirected their child's college search in the past six months to more economical options, including four-year public colleges.  In addition, parents say they are cutting discretionary spending to save more for their child's college education.

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