Related Sessions Examine Rising College Costs and Challenges to Access; and Institutional Strategies for Rethinking the Higher Education Model
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 27-A week after President Barack Obama warned colleges and universities in his State of the Union address that they were "on notice" to keep tuition increases in check or risk losing federal money, senior White House education adviser Zakiya Smith and three private college presidents will address higher education affordability on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at a panel session titled "College Affordability: Issues and Solutions."
The session, part of the NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting (Jan. 29 - Feb. 1), will run 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.
As part of the panel discussion, Smith will elaborate on President Obama's proposal, released today, to tie colleges' eligibility for campus-based student aid programs to institutional success in enhancing affordability and value for students. She is expected to take questions from audience members.
NAICU's annual meeting will draw up to 400 private college and university leaders. Media registration information is available online at www.naicu.edu/AnnMtgMediaReg.
Joining Smith on the affordability panel will be Hardin-Simmons University President Lanny Hall; Huntington University President Blair Dowden; and William Peace University President Debra Townsley.
All three institutions have announced new affordability initiatives for 2012-13. Hardin-Simmons is freezing tuition at the 2011-12 rate, and giving incoming students the opportunity to lock it in for as long as they are enrolled. Huntington is increasing tuition by the lowest rate in recent memory, and has begun to offer a loan repayment assistance program to students. William Peace is cutting tuition by 7.7 percent.
Related NAICU Annual Meeting Sessions:
• Monday, Jan. 30 - 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.: Economists Robert Archibald and David Feldman, coauthors of Why Does College Cost So Much?, will address tuition trends, federal and institutional financial aid policies, and the growing threat to access.
• Wednesday, Feb. 1. - 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m.: In a session titled "Staying Ahead of the Curve: Rethinking the Higher Education Model," the presidents of Heritage University, Saint Leo University, and Sewanee: The University of the South will examine creative, unconventional strategies being undertaken by their colleges as the "new normal" forces higher education to re-evaluate tuition and student aid strategies, revenue sources, educational and administrative efficiency measures, and academic programs and delivery options.
The full NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting schedule is available at www.naicu.edu/AnnMtgSchedule.
Media registration information is available online at www.naicu.edu/AnnMtgMediaReg.
The NAICU annual meeting Twitter hashtag is #naicu12.
Media Contact:
Tony Pals
tony@naicu.edu
direct office: (202) 739-0474
cell: (202) 288-9333