Platforms to Policies- A Look at

Presidential Contributions to Higher Education

Stephanie Wells, MEFA&

Bernie Pekala, Boston College

Founding Fathers & Mothers Planting the Seeds of Aid

• 1643- First financial aid award was created at Harvard University.

• George Washington

• John and Abigail Adams

• Thomas Jefferson- “It is safer to have the whole people respectably enlightened than a few in a high state of science and the many in ignorance.”

• Abraham Lincoln

Presidential Trivia

• Where did John Adams go to college?Answer:

• John Adams graduated from Harvard College

• What two presidents died on July 4th?Answer:

• Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, creators of the Declaration of Independence, died on July 4, 1826. Adams dies just hours after Jefferson, on the 50th anniversary of the Revolution.

– Bonus- What were the last words Adams spoke before he died?Answer:

– “Thomas Jefferson survives.”

Fast Forward to Franklin D. Roosevelt!

• Education was essentially a non-issue in the Democratic platforms in 1932, 1936 and 1940. Thanks Great Depression and world war!

• Signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the GI Bill.

Go Franklin Go!

•American Legion support•In 2008, the GI Bill was

updated once again.

I

THE NEW

DEAL!

Big Bill, Big Benefits

• GI Bill helped millions of US veterans and helped spur the postwar economic boom that built many of America’s suburbs.

Dwight Eisenhower

• 1958 National Defense Education Act

John Kennedy

• 1960 platform proposed a program of loans and scholarship grants for higher education.

• Signed amendments to the 1958 National Defense Education Act.

Lyndon JohnsonGreat Society and War on Poverty-

Substantial pieces of legislation that had the following goals:– Help low-income people via education

and health programs– Stimulate the economy for new jobs– Remove race and sex barriers to

educational and employment opportunities

Don’t mess with

Texas

LBJ’s Great Society and War on Poverty

• 1964 Civil Rights Act• Voting Rights Act of 1965• Clean Air Act• Medicare and Medicaid• Higher Education Facilities

Act• Elementary and Secondary

Education Act• Operation Head Start• Higher Education Act of

1965

Richard Nixon

• 1968 Republican platform • Generally bogged down with the

Vietnam War and Watergate with no significant higher education legislation signed.

Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter!

• Created the Department of Education

• A campaign promise kept– Strong ties to NEA made

some nervous

• One of the few major accomplishments of the Carter administration

Ronald Reagan

• Made campaign promise to abolish ED

• Reductions in spending rejected by Congress

• Believed education responsibility laid with the states

Presidential Trivia

• Which President created the Direct Lending program? Answer:– President George H.W. Bush created the Direct

Lending pilot program to save an estimated $1 billion

• Who is the first President to hold an MBA?Answer:– President George W. Bush earned his MBA from

Harvard Business School

Bush-Clinton

• 1992 Democratic platform encouraged investment in education, including lifelong learning. – Domestic G.I. Bill

• Bill Clinton signed the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1993.

• In 1993, Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act– Built on the first National Service Act signed by President

H.W. Bush in 1990.

George W. Bush

• George W. Bush created tax incentives to help families save for college tax-free- ex. 529 college savings plans

• In 2003, George W. Bush signed the Strengthen AmeriCorps Program Act, which nearly doubled the number of AmeriCorps members.

• Signed the 2007 College Cost Reduction Act

George W. Bush (cont.)

• George W. Bush, in 2008, signed the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loan Act (ECASLA) in reaction to the capital market crisis.

• Also in 2008, (originally scheduled for 2003), George W. Bush signed the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA).

President Barack Obama

Platforms to Policies

Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit

Campaign Promise- Fully refundable tax credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university.

Where does it stand?• No legislation changes

yetPassed under Bush 43-• Modifies Hope Credit for

2009 & 2010• Maximum $2,500 tax

credit• Increases income range

eligibility to $80K for single filers and $160 K for joint filers

• Adds required course material expenses such as computer

Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid

Campaign Promise:• Simplify the financial aid

process by eliminating the FAFSA and its complicated calculations altogether.

• Streamline by enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used and eliminating the need for a separate application.

Where does it stand?• Continued reduction

and elimination of questions on FAFSA

• IRS Data Retrieval

College Readiness Programs

Campaign Issue:• A common reason that

high school students decide not to attend college is that they discover they are unprepared for it in 12th grade.

• Provide $25 million annually in matching funds to state efforts

Where does it stand?College Access Challenge

Grant Program- • Created by Bush 43,

additional funding under Obama

• $150,000,000 appropriated for 2010

• Average 2008 Award- $1,172,620

• Any state agency designated by the governor of the state may apply.

President Barack Obama

On March 25, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the much publicized Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.

Eliminate Costly Bank Subsidies

Campaign Promise:• Save taxpayer

money highlighting; Direct Loan vs. FFEL costs

Where does it stand?• 100% Direct

Lending as of July 1, 2010

• Technical Assistance

• State and non-profit servicing

• US loan servicing jobs

Expand Pell Grants for Low-Income Students

Campaign Promise:• Inflation

adjustment model• Mandatory Funding

What passed?• Mandatory funding

with appropriated base

• Scheduled Model

Community College Partnership Program

Campaign Promise- • Community colleges

serve 12 million people each year, almost half the undergraduate students in the U.S.

• Create a Community College Partnership Program to strengthen community colleges by providing grants.

What passed?American Graduation

Initiative • Investment of $12 billion

in Community Colleges over next 10 years will likely be unfunded.

• Community colleges have planned around this and embraced accountability to Federal Govt.

110th Congress

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10

20

30

40

50

60

US Senate

Democrats- 57 Seats

Independent- 2 Seats

Republicans- 40 Seats

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50

100

150

200

250

300

US House

Democrats- 255 Seats

Republicans- 144 Seats

What is next??• HEOA Shame Lists

– Tuition. Price, Increases

• Net Price Calculator• Perkins Loans Program Modification

– Modified Direct Loan Program

• FAFSA Simplification– Asset caps– IRS based/Asset Elimination

Stay Involved!!• Contact your elected officials to

weigh in on the issues.• Write letters to media outlets.• Stay involved in the political process.• Discuss the issues in a civil and

constructive way.• Vote!

Thank you!November 2, 2010- Remember to

Vote!