Letters to the Editor
Newsday

To the Editor:

After reading your recent series on college costs ("Paying for Progress," March 21; "The Financial Burden," March 22), the families of college-bound Long Islanders will be surprised by just how affordable independent (private, not-for-profit) colleges and universities are, and by the return these institutions offer on a family’s out-of-pocket cost.

First, higher education is well worth the collective investment that we as a nation, state, parents, and individuals make. Two in every five jobs created in the coming decade will require a college degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Further, individuals who earn a bachelor's degree will boost their lifetime earnings by nearly a $1 million over someone with a high school diploma, commanding nearly twice the annual income.

The return on investment to individuals and society is why independent colleges and universities are committed to making higher education accessible and affordable for all students, especially for those with modest incomes. In the past 10 years, college-funded grant and scholarship aid has grown by 197 percent, more than double the 86 percent increase in tuition.

Today eight in every ten dependent, full-time undergraduates enrolled in independent higher education received some form of financial assistance, with an average award of nearly $14,000. In New York State, independent colleges and universities provide $5.34 in college-funded financial aid for every $1 of state student assistance, for a total of $1.7 billion annually. The result: the average net tuition – “sticker” price minus grants and scholarships -- at independent colleges across the nation has actually declined by $100 over the past decade, once adjusted for inflation.

To reap the personal and public rewards of a college-educated work force, higher education funding must be a policy priority in Albany and in Washington. Since 1980, New York State institutionally provided grant aid has grown nearly four times the rate of federal and state grants. State legislators are currently considering the fate of a plan to cut the Tuition Assistance Program by a third. Congress is divided over whether to increase funding for the maximum Pell Grant award, or for programs that encourage states and institutions to provide more student aid, student loans, and federal work-study. Now is the time for families from Long Island and elsewhere to contact their elected representatives in support of student financial aid.

Visit www.cicu.org for information about bringing TAP back, and call the Student Aid Alliance hotline at 1-800-574-4AID to contact Congress in support of student aid programs. We must work together to make college a realistic and attainable goal for every New Yorker and all Americans.

Sincerely,
Abraham M. Lackman
President
Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities

David L. Warren
President
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities