Last year, Ohio University students, as well as students across the nation, expressed frustration over rising tuition and its effect on student debt. Now, the federal government is trying to explain what it’s doing about it.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan took part in a live chat on MSNBC’s TODAY Money website Friday to answer questions on how President Barack Obama’s administration and the Department of Education are trying to make it easier for students to attend college.
Duncan cited an increase in the maximum amount for Federal Pell Grants to $5,550, loan forgiveness for public service, and income-based loan repayment plans as some of the ways they are trying to help students.
However, he added that responsibility needs to be distributed between the federal government, states and individual universities.
“The federal government can’t do this alone,” Duncan said. “This is a shared responsibility. States need to continue to invest and universities need to do a better job of keeping down costs and building cultures that are not just about access, but are about completion too.”
His recommendation comes as Ohio continues to lower funding to public universities. Duncan said the president has proposed investing $1 billion in a version of his “Race to the Top” program for higher education.
As far as cost cutting at individual universities, Duncan had no specific recommendations, but suggested that integrating technology into classes could save money.
“Universities need to keep the focus on student success. They can do this with creative ways to lower costs and strengthen academic outcomes.”
For current OU students, the increased value of the Pell Grant is perhaps the most significant way the administration has helped students pay for college, said Valerie Miller, director of the office of financial aid and scholarships.
But at OU, many of the questions asked by prospective students and their families haven’t changed.
“Every family is wanting to make sure that they’ve investigated all avenues that they can in regards to options to make the experience more affordable,” Miller said. “I don’t know that I have seen a real difference in the types of questions or the level of concern this year than I have in years past.”
A main focus at OU and on the federal level is more transparency in financial aid.
“At Ohio University we’re happy that for several years now, in award letters for our freshmen, we’ve provided quite clearly the cost for the first year student less that student’s aid package… so they can get a more black and white picture of what their costs will be,” Miller said.
bv111010@ohiou.edu
