2016 Presidential Candidates Talk Higher Ed
BU IN DC
Jessica Stern of the Pardee School of Global Studies testified at the U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee’s hearing on combating ISIS on January 20.
Graham Wilson and Katharine Lusk of the Initiative on Cities unveiled the 2015 Menino Survey of Mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting on January 20.
Dean Natalie McKnight and Megan Sullivan of the College of General Studies, Elizabeth Loizeaux and Gillian Pierce of the Office of the Provost, and Bruce Schulman of the College of Arts & Sciences took part in the Association of American Colleges & Universities annual meeting between January 20 and 22.
2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TALK HIGHER ED
As the 2016 Presidential campaign begins to take shape, BU Federal Relations is taking a closer look at the candidates’ higher education proposals. This week, we share ideas from Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R).
- The hallmark of Senator Sanders‘ higher education proposals is to make tuition free at all public colleges, with the federal government and states each paying a portion. He would also lower student loan interest rates, allow borrowers to refinance education loans, and expand the Federal Work Study program.
- Governor Bush’s plan would create a new federal financing system that provides students with a $50,000 line of credit to pay for postsecondary training, which would be paid back over 25 years through the borrower’s annual income tax. He also proposes making it easier to discharge student loans in the event of bankruptcy, having universities share the risk for their students’ loan defaults, and incentivizing states to create public databases with information about student outcomes.
BUZZ BITS…
- The Obama Administration announced Tuesday it would propose a $2 billion expansion of the Pell Grant program in its annual budget request, expected to be released on February 9. The proposal would give additional Pell funding to students taking at least 15 credits per semester and would reinstate the ability for students to receive Pell grants for three semesters per academic year. Congress would need to approve the proposals before they could become law.
- On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice released the results of a campus climate survey of 23,000 undergraduate students at nine colleges. The survey found that one in five women reported they had experienced some type of sexual assault while in college.
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Department of Defense (DOD) has released its Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Minerva Research Initiative, the agency’s signature social science research program. Minerva aims to provide DOD with a better understanding of the factors influencing the geopolitical environment in which it operates, and the agency is seeking proposals on topics such as mobilization, societal resilience, power and deterrence, and analytical methods and metrics for security research. Applicants are urged to speak with the appropriate program staff prior to February 15, with white papers due on February 29 and full proposals due on June 17.