Today, American higher education is facing new challenges. Parents, students, and taxpayers are bemoaning rising costs. Hopeful college attendees, particularly low-income students, are unsure about accessibility. Even the quality of postsecondary education is in question by graduates, policy analysts, and business leaders. Although Americans still dream of reaching the university halls and stepping foot on the collegiate greens, unless such issues are addressed, how long will that sentiment remain?

In 2006, then-Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings convened the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, which concluded in its report A Test of Leadership:

"It is time to be frank. Among the vast and varied institutions that make up U.S. higher education, we have found much to applaud, but also much that requires urgent reform. ... It is an enterprise that has yet to address the fundamental issues of how academic programs and institutions must be transformed to serve the changing educational needs of a knowledge economy. It has yet to successfully confront the impact of globalization, rapidly evolving technologies, an increasingly diverse and aging population, and an evolving marketplace characterized by new needs and new paradigms."

The scrutiny American higher education is now confronting is not only more intense than in previous eras, it is also much more public. A simple survey of recent media stories underscores the public outcry for reform. "A Fortune in Tuition: Why does college cost so darn much?" reads one editorial headline.

"For Most People, College Is a Waste of Time," reads another.  Yet another news headline captures the growing frustration of recent college graduates: "Some Debt-Laden Graduates Wonder Why They Bothered With College." In fact, ABC News' 20/20 began the new year with a devastating special, "Is College Worth the Price of Admission?" Such is the climate in which state legislators serving on higher education committees must now operate. With shrinking budgets and growing demand for immediate solutions, lawmakers need to know what questions to ask and where to
turn for fast, reliable information to make informed higher education policy decisions.

In any given state, lawmakers have a wealth of resources available - if they know where to find them.

For example, general information such as enrollment figures, tuition, and fees is provided by boards of regents and state postsecondary or higher education commissions. These statewide commissions usually represent both public and private institutions; however, in some states there may be separate commissions as well for two-year community colleges and proprietary or for-profit institutions, sometimes referred to as career or technical schools. Moreover, auditing agencies and legislative budget advising agencies typically publish numerous higher education reports each year and have expert staff available to answer questions on a wide range of postsecondary policy issues.

Filed Under : Solutions, Higher Education