Community College News from Inside the Beltway

2011 ACCT Congress: Incoming ACCT Chair Emphasizes Student Success, K-12 Collaboration

2011-10-16T09:46:00.001-07:00

As the 2011 ACCT Congress drew to a close, incoming ACCT Chair Roberto Uranga stressed the importance of continuing to build on the commitment made to student success and working more closely with K-12 schools.

“Last year, we planted a seed,” said said Uranga, a trustee at Long Beach City College in California. “[This year’s] symposium and lively town hall meeting represented the sprouting root of that seed. I look forward to working with ACCT’s visionary board and talented staff to make that sprout grow and blossom as we keep moving forward with our goal of increased student success in 2012.”

The first Hispanic trustee to serve as ACCT Chair, Uranga cited the association's success in growing membership and expanding the state, province, and territory coordinators network over the past year. Uranga stressed the importance of community college boards working with K-12 school systems and their boards, saying his top priority as ACCT Chair will be to develop a toolkit to help foster and promote school board and college board collaboration.

“We need to do it together,” he said.

The final Congress keynote speaker, Philip “Uri” Treisman, urged trustees to seek ways to share information about what works on their campuses, particularly in the critical area of developmental education. “Good ideas from good people do not spread in our sector of higher education,” said Treisman, professor of mathematics and public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. “One of our roles in governance is creating structures... for making that happen.”

Uranga closed the 2011 Congress on a note of change. “The changes taking place will continue to challenge our boards,” Uranga said. “But I know we’ll be rewarded in the short- and long-run. ACCT has never been positioned so well to make a difference.”

(See previous 2011 ACCT Leadership Congress coverage here ).

2011 ACCT Congress: Education Department Official Details Progress, Partnerships

2011-10-14T11:00:00.001-07:00

U.S. Education Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges Frank Chong reassured 2011 ACCT Leadership Congress attendees that community colleges remain “a bipartisan issue” for lawmakers and highlighted the administration’s work in helping raise their profile.

“It’s rarely that the President speaks that he doesn’t mention community colleges,” said Chong, former president of Laney College in California. “That’s intentional. He gets the role they play in the economic vitality of our communities.”

Chong noted that the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges, held last fall, helped kickstart important collaborations such as the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, which announced its 10 finalist institutions in September; Skills for America’s Future, an industry collaboration aimed at addressing skills gaps in high-demand areas such as healthcare, IT, and advanced manufacturing; and a series of regional summits that brought together community college leaders, local employers, and philanthropic organizations.

"Oftentimes... a summit is a photo op,” Chong said. “I’m proud to say we followed up on the promises we put forward.”

Chong also stressed the importance of continuing to advocate for the $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program, which will provide $500 million annually in grants to colleges and consortia over four years.

“It’s one of the few new [sources] of funding for community colleges,” he said. “Don’t take it for granted.”

Chong reiterated the administration’s commitment to access in the form of continuing support for Pell Grants, and said the Education Department is planning to find new ways to help community colleges share best practices online. Reducing time to degree through more seamless transitions, prior learning assessment, and improved apprenticeship programs are among other priorities, he said.

“It’s a very challenging time in Washington, D.C.,” said Chong. “We’re going to have to pivot... and push the envelope on how important community colleges are.”

2011 ACCT Congress: Update on Federal Legislative Priorities

2011-10-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

An overview of community college federal legislative priorities held during the 2011 ACCT Leadership Congress had its share of good news for two key community college programs -- Pell Grants and the $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant program. However, public policy experts from ACCT and AACC warned trustees that it is no time to become complacent.

“The most important thing to come away with is that the Budget Control Act... is going to mean that Congress is going to have less money to send overall on our programs in the coming years,” said David Baime, AACC senior vice president for government relations and research. “It’s going to mean some belt-tightening for our institutions, regardless of what happens.”

With the Pell Grant maximum maintained at $5550 as part of a $17 billion agreement, Pell Grants were the only federal program to receive added funding as lawmakers deliberated this year. But as a bipartisan supercommittee prepares to identify at least $1.2 trillion in savings through 2021, Pell will be on the table with all other federal programs. “No matter what you’ve heard regarding Pell Grants being protected, basically the supercommittee can make cuts to anything,” said Jennifer Stiddard, ACCT senior public policy associate. “We need to be diligent.” Congress may also consider addressing the unprecedented growth in the program, which now provides $11.3 billion in aid to 3.5 million community college students, by changing the eligibility criteria in ways that impact community colleges, Baime warned.

The $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program has also survived budget cuts thus far, and 32 states and consortia received awards in September, said Jim Hermes, AACC director of government relations. Overall, community colleges and their partners submitted more than $3 billion in proposals for the $500 million earmarked for first-year funding, making it critical that community college advocates fight to maintain funding for the remaining three years of the program. “We’ve already fended off two semi-serious threats to finding for this program, and we anticipate there will be more,” Hermes said. “There’s incredible demand for these programs, and ... continued vigilance will be required for all of us.”

President Obama’s $447 billion American Jobs Act includes $5 billion for modernizing community college infrastructure -- double the amount proposed in the American Graduation Initiative. While the bill has stalled, Congressional leaders may consider individual pieces of the bill in the coming months, said ACCT Director of Public Policy Jee Hang Lee. “Hopefully, modernization will be part of the puzzle,” he said.

As Congress and the supercommittee look to broader deficit reduction measures, budget deliberations have been firewalled between defense and non-defense discretionary spending -- “which is very good for our institutions, because in the past we’ve seen education dollars raided in these situations,” said Stiddard. However, it is not clear what cuts the supercommittee may wind up proposing, and if any deficit-reduction plan it proposes fails to pass Congress later this year, automatic across-the-board-cuts of 7.8 percent on all non-defense federal programs will take place.

While all education spending represents only 3 percent of the overall federal budget, “those cuts represent a huge impact on us,” Stiddard said. “We in the education community really need to push that the impact of this is that we [may] not survive those cuts.”

2011 ACCT Congress: Symposium on Student Success Focuses on Advancing Board Goals

2011-10-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Held immediately before the 42nd Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, the Symposium on Student Success brought together more than 80 trustees, 14 college presidents, and representatives from 10 state associations and 22 national organizations to discuss how trustees can advance the completion agenda on their own campuses.

Sponsored by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the symposium’s attendees spent much of the two days developing model policy goals that governing boards can use to “consider how well they are helping guide their colleges towards an even stronger commitment to student success,” ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown said at the Congress opening session.

The policy goals, which will be further refined during a Thursday town hall meeting, focus on a range of issues, including effective partnerships, ways to foster an institutional focus on student success, and the importance of balancing student success with community colleges’ commitment to access and equity. “We are very proud of this work and our ability to engage in it,” Brown told symposium attendees. “You cannot underestimate the importance of putting the right people in a room for a set amount of time. That’s how you move the needle.”

Dr. Anne Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association, told symposium attendees that community colleges and the K-12 systems her boards represent must work together to address the challenges of a time when expectations are higher and the needs are greater than ever before. “We can get this right by working together," she said. "How we align ourselves to serve the neediest students is absolutely critical.”

Dr. Linda Baer, senior program officer with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, stressed that trustee leadership is critical in sustaining a momentum shift at their institutions. “We can’t invest in anything more important than the leadership of the trustees for the important work to be done—building and sustaining community colleges to optimize student success,” she said, urging attendees to focus on narrowing a looming skills gap that has already left jobs unfilled at a time of high unemployment.

Symposium speakers reiterated that proven practices have emerged from the growing body of research on student completion issues, including simplifying choices for students, providing clearer pathways, engaging students through programs such as orientations, advisories, and supplemental instruction, and tracking student progress from their first days on campus. But they also urged trustees to focus on ensuring that their colleges weave completion into their overall mission and strategic goals. “Sometimes I think we’ve studied things to death,” Baer said. “It’s time to take action.”

“The hardest work is not changing practice, but changing cultures,” added Dr. Kay McClenney, director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin. “The board plays an extremely important role in... shifting to an understanding that access without success in 21st century America is an empty promise... and [that] we’re not talking about itty-bitty changes around the edges.”

“If you owned your power with respect to the issue of student success, the conversation on the campuses you govern could be very different,” agreed Dr. John N. Gardner, president of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. “I hope you will own this power and focus on this issue in new ways.”

McClenney told trustees it was critical to “frame the way you think about what you need to think about. It’s not your role to decide what the curriculum and interventions are going to be,” she says. “But it surely is your role to ask questions about what the college is doing and monitor the data to see if these actions are closing achievement gaps.”

Completion by Design, the five-year initiative funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is now in the planning phase on 21 campuses in four states. Emphasizing programs that “start with scale” and reach broad swaths of students, Completion by Design has also led to a change in mindset among its four managing partners. “We had seen incremental process,” said Dr. Richard Carpenter, chancellor of Lone Star College, whose Completion by Design efforts will reach one-third of all community college students in Texas. “What intrigued us was the capability to be transformational.”

With its focus on developing model policy goals, the symposium confirmed the critical role trustees play in that transformation. “Effective governance has never been more important,” Carpenter said. “Boards really need to be bold.”

Understanding Continuing Resolutions: A Staple of Congressional Procedure

2011-10-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

This week, Congress once again faced the task of making a last-minute deal to avert a government shutdown. Over the past nine months, this had happened several times, and the American people have become more familiar with the term “continuing resolution.”

Congressional budget and appropriations are complex topics even when everything goes as designed, which is quite rare. We are frequently left with the likes of the omnibus, minibus, unanimous consent agreements, cloture, and, of course, the continuing resolution.

As the rules of the House and Senate are written, the fiscal year runs from October 1st – September 30th. Starting on Saturday, October 1st, we began fiscal year 2012. The House and Senate are supposed to each pass budget resolutions by April 15th to determine spending caps for the appropriators. Once those caps are set, it is up to the House and Senate to determine how the money is distributed within those caps. They must pass 12 appropriations bills before September 30th to fund the upcoming fiscal year. This process involves several steps: the House and Senate write their own bills; the relevant appropriations subcommittee and appropriations full committee mark up (a process where the legislation is debated and amended) and discharge each bill; bills are considered, debated, and passed on the House and Senate floors; a conference committee works out the differences between the House and Senate bills; the House and Senate vote on an identical compromise bill; and the President signs it into law.

Has Congress ever completed the process under this timeframe? Well, since the current budgetary deadline of April 15th was set in 1985, Congress has met the target four times: 1993, 1999, 2000, and 2003. On the appropriations front, since 1977, all bills have passed before September 30th three times: 1989, 1995, and 1997. Note that none of these years correspond. Is it inefficiency? Is the process to vet these bills too cumbersome? Or is this simply part of our democratic government structure? One thing for certain is that barring an overwhelming single-party control of Congress and the presidency, it’s highly unlikely that all target deadlines will ever be met in a single year.

Hence we are left with the omnibus, minibus, unanimous consent agreements, cloture, and continuing resolution. CR’s, as they are commonly referred to inside the beltway, can provide level fund, specific cuts, across-the-board cuts, certain increases, or even new authorizations. They can fund one day or a whole year. In general, they lack the specificity you’d find in an individual appropriations bill or even an omnibus that combines several appropriations bills into one. Usually they pass without much notice or controversy. In fact, Congress passed around 150 CRs between 1977 and 2010. Yes, there were times when the last-minute deal averted shutdown, or the government in fact did shut down. However, over the past nine months, the standoffs over the CR have risen as a symbol of the current political infighting in Washington.

For community colleges, many of the discretionary programs important to our institutions have faced targeted or across-the-board cuts under continuing resolutions. Spending reductions may be necessary, but for the most part, these cuts are not vetted or examined based on need. Passing individual appropriations bills allows for greater debate, scrutiny, and compromise. The good news is that we may be moving toward that direction. All indications are that Congress will at least attempt to pass an omnibus bill before winter. This allows ACCT the opportunity to better organize and advocate priorities to members of Congress.

While the process may be frustrating and at times confusing, ACCT public policy staff is available to answer any questions. We rely on your engagement and efforts as we continue to advocate in Washington, DC.

DREAM Act Reintroduced, Job Training Hearing, Negotiated Rulemaking

2011-05-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) re-introduced the DREAM Act with 32 other Senate co-sponsors. The DREAM Act would allow students to obtain permanent legal residence if they came to the U.S. as children (15 or under), have had continuous physical presence in the country for at least five years, graduated from high school or obtained a GED, and completed two years of college or military service in good standing. A video of Senator Durbin’s press conference and further information on the DREAM Act can be found at: http://1.usa.gov/iPUARJ.

Also, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing today chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) to examine the efficiency of federal job training programs. A March 2011 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified 44 out of 47 federal job training programs that overlap with another program, and it stated that only five have conducted an impact study since 2004 to examine outcomes. The subcommittee examined state and local efforts to consolidate and improve workforce training initiatives and questioned witnesses about the potential for consolidating programs within the context of reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

Negotiations over both the FY 2012 budget and an extension of the debt limit are ongoing. The Senate Budget Committee may mark up an FY 2012 budget resolution next week. Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) resolution is likely to include some of the recommendations of the President’s fiscal commission, which would cut the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years through a 50/50 combination of spending cuts and revenue increases by eliminating tax expenditures and letting the Bush-era tax cuts on income above $1 million expire.

White House-led talks with Congressional leaders continue to seek an agreement on a debt reduction package to move in conjunction with an increase the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling. Rather than negotiate a comprehensive agreement on taxes and entitlements, the emerging expectation is that any agreement will include some substantial spending cuts along with some form of budget controls to reduce future deficits. Battles over the larger tax reform and specific entitlement cuts may be tabled until a later date.

Finally, tomorrow the Department of Education begins another round of negotiated rulemaking to craft regulations under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Hearings will begin in Nashville, TN and also be held in Tacoma, WA; Chicago, IL; and Charleston, SC. To see a schedule of the hearings and information about public participation, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2011/hearings.html

Senate Fails to Advance FY 2011 Spending Measures; 2nd Comm. College Summit Convenes

2011-03-10T07:36:00.001-08:00

The Senate voted on two competing measures today to fund the federal government for the remainder of FY 2011 (through September 30), and both failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to advance the legislation. The House-passed continuing resolution (CR), H.R. 1, which would cut $66 billion from current spending levels, failed in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 56, with all Democrats and three Republicans opposed. The Senate Democratic alternative CR, which would cut $8.7 billion from current levels, failed by a vote of 42 to 58, with all Republicans and ten Democrats opposed. The Senate Democratic alternative would have maintained the $5,550 Pell Grant maximum for the upcoming academic year, but it also would have rescinded the $125 million in funding for the Career Pathways Innovation Fund (CPIF) and the $561 million in funding for the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG).

Senate leaders did not expect either measure to pass; they intend to use the votes to create pressure for a bipartisan compromise. It remains unclear at what funding level the House and Senate will come to an agreement. The current bill funding government operations ends on March 18th. It is unlikely that a compromise will be reached and passed by that time, so another short-term funding measure will need to be enacted to prevent a government shutdown.

In other news today, the U.S. Department of Education kicked off the second in a series of four regional community college summits. Held at Lone Star College System in Houston, TX, today’s summit focuses on “Successful Transfer Programs.” More information is available at: http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/03/community-college-regional-summit-in-houston/.

Also, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified before the House Education & Workforce Committee today on the Department of Education’s budget and policy proposals. Sec. Duncan discussed the reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and stressed the need to maintain investments in education, including federal student aid. Sec. Duncan also requested legislation to enact the Presidents FY 2012 proposals for the Pell Grant, including the elimination of “summer Pell” and the in-school interest subsidy for graduate student loans, which would save $20 billion in FY 2012. Sec. Duncan will testify on the Department of Education’s FY 2012 budget proposal again tomorrow before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

Finally, videos of the 2011 Community College National Legislative Summit are now available at http://www.acct.org/events/legislativesummit/nls-videos.php.

Ed. Dept. Community College Summit Today in Philadelphia

2011-02-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

ACCT public policy staff are in Philadelphia today to participate in the first U.S. Department of Education Community College Summit in Philadelphia.

We will report live from Philadelphia later today. In the meantime, here is more information from the Department of Education...

ED is holding a regional community college summit in Philadelphia on February 28.

Secretary Duncan and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will participate in the summit, which is the first of four regional meetings being held as follow-up events to the White House Summit on Community Colleges in October 2010.

The Philadelphia summit — “Challenges, Solutions, and Commitments” — will bring together 150 participants from 15 surrounding states, representing community colleges, business, industry, philanthropy, labor, state and local governments, as well as students. The summit focus is “Transitioning Adult Learners to Community Colleges and the Workforce.”

The morning session will be streamed live (from 9:00 am – 12:15 pm ET).

The remaining three regional meetings will be held around the country during the spring. The purpose of the meetings is to identify promising practices for increasing completion at community colleges.

Duncan has described community colleges as the linchpin for meeting the President’s national goal of once again leading the world in college completion by 2020.

While they’re in Philadelphia, Duncan and Solis will tour the 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund’s Learning Center, a joint labor-management partnership that provides job skills training in the health fields to over 2,000 adult students every year.

2011 National Legislative Summit: House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy Predicts Financial Challenges Will Lead to Consensus

2011-02-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

As the 2011 Community College National Legislative Summit drew to a close Wednesday, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), predicted that the divisiveness that has characterized Washington politics in recent years will be supplanted by the common need to address pressing financial challenges.

“The mindset on both sides of the aisle is knowing that the crunch is about to hit us,” McCarthy, the majority whip in the U.S. House of Representatives, told summit attendees during Wednesday's general session. Arguing that the federal budget deficit is no longer sustainable, he urged attendees to watch closely the deliberations over funding the current FY11 budget, as Congress works to avert a potential early March shutdown of the federal government. “The next two weeks is going to tell us whether we can work together and put politics aside to put the country first,” McCarthy said. “What happens... will determine how the debate on other things will go.”

Asserting that “structure dictates behavior,” McCarthy pointed to both changes within Congress and external factors as signals that the rancor of recent years may change. As majority whip, McCarthy said he regularly has lunch with his counterpart on the other side of the aisle to seek common ground. Other structural changes to meeting and voting schedules will also help improve debate, he said, pointing to the hundreds of amendments already attached to the continuing resolution for FY11. “We’re going through a detox right now,” said McCarthy, whose political career began in 2000 when he was elected a trustee of the Kern Community College District. “In the long term, it will be so much better for us when we can have a debate where the best ideas can rise up and win.”

Beyond Capitol Hill, the need to put Americans back to work will play an even bigger factor in driving progress, McCarthy predicted. “Commonality is going to happen around jobs,” he said. “If we don’t get America working again, we’re never going to get anywhere... and if we don’t find a solution, no one’s going to be reelected. So I believe we have the opportunity to do something.”

Acknowledging that the current deliberations by both Congress and the Obama Administration have centered on the 14-16 percent of the budget allocated to discretionary non-defense spending, McCarthy predicted that will change as the focus shifts to the 2012 presidential elections. “Everything needs to be on the table,” he said. “If we go and debate things this year, they may not pass, but they will go into play in the presidential campaign. That will be healthy.”

As the NLS drew to a close following three days of Hill visits by trustees and community college presidents, ACCT officials reminded attendees of the importance of making advocacy a year-round effort. “Our work does not end today,” said ACCT Chair Peter E. Sercer, Sr., a trustee at Midlands Technical College in South Carolina.

2011 National Legislative Summit: Second Lady Jill Biden, Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis Emphasize Administration Support for Community Colleges

2011-02-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

The Obama Administration was represented at the 2011 Community College National Legislative Summit Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Second Lady Jill Biden, both of whom acknowledged the financial challenges ahead while reiterating the President’s ongoing commitment to community colleges.

“President Obama is committed to community colleges because he knows, as we all do, that community colleges are critical to getting the economy back on track,” Biden told NLS attendees Tuesday evening. “They are the key to the President’s goal of having the most competitive workforce in the world.”

Earlier in the day, Solis told attendees that her experience as a community college trustee helped prepare her for the financial decisions the Administration now faces. “One thing I learned is that you have to be adaptable and flexible in hard times,” she said. “And now is no different from then in many respects. We are faced with some very tough decisions and economic challenges.”

With 14 million people out of work -- and more than half of those unemployed for six months or more -- community colleges must mirror the Administration’s focus on putting people back to work, Solis said. “You must be able to to provide training that is transferable to a job,” she said. “The criteria isn’t a certificate anymore, but to cultivate your relationships with businesses to [ensure] a smooth transition. Most of you in this room have those relationships. Now it’s about moving a little further and thinking about the opportunities in 15 or 20 years.” As the economy improves, Solis urged community college leaders to help meet the workforce needs of employers who are “coming back online,” as the automotive industry has already begun to do.

Solis also touted the $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant Program (CCCTG), which recently began soliciting applications for $500 million in grants in its first year. “This money will help you in terms of building capacity,” she said, urging community college leaders to collaborate with businesses, non-profits, and each other to maximize the reach of the program -- and to emphasize results in conversations with lawmakers. “The money is there for a short time -- and money doesn't last for a long time here in Washington," she said. "I can tell you we have to make the case that your programs work and can provide the best training for employers.”

Administration officials are also following up on ideas generated during the White House Summit on Community Colleges last October, according to Biden, who stressed that the Administration will continue to advocate for education needs as lawmakers turn their attention to financial issues. “We know we will face some tough choices in the future, but we are working hard to build consensus about what we must do to provide a world-class education, both for K-12 and higher education,” Biden said. “Every American should have the opportunity to take advantage of a community college education.”

Focus on Budget Proposals, Pell Grants as 2011 National Legislative Summit Kicks Off

2011-02-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Community College National Legislative Summit kicked off the same morning that President Barack Obama unveiled his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, an irony not lost on speakers, who cautioned a near-record turnout of community college leaders convening in Washington that the legislative focus has changed.

““It’s all about the budget,” former education policymaker and consultant Vic Klatt of the Penn Hill Group told NLS attendees during a Monday afternoon session. “Everybody is claiming to be reducing spending—the president, Congress, everyone.”

With lawmakers focusing exclusively on the 16 percent of the federal budget that excludes entitlements and military spending, making the case for community college programs playing critical roles in revitalizing local economies will be challenging, speakers cautioned. “My sense is that it’s going to be very difficult in this climate to have a thorough and logical discussion that starts with the needs of the people in your communities,” Meet the Press moderator David Gregory of NBC told attendees during a Monday general session. “It’s not just a debate about numbers and policy. It’s a debate about leadership in Washington.”

For now, the battle over the FY12 budget is taking a back seat to coming to an agreement over funding for the current fiscal year, with House Republicans proposing significant cuts to a range of programs as the potential of a government shutdown looms as soon as next month. “You couldn’t be here at a better time,” ACCT President & CEO J. Noah Brown told attendees. “What you do over the next few days will have a profound impact on securing scarce resources for your community.”

In outlining the 2011 Community College Federal Legislative Priorities (Word document), officials from ACCT and the American Association of Community Colleges cited potential reductions to the Pell Grant program and the possible use of funds intended for the $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant Program (CCCTG) to offset existing Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs as two of the most significant legislative issues facing community colleges.

With the number of Pell Grant recipients having grown by 64 percent at the same time as the maximum award grew to $5,550, overall funding for the program has doubled over the past four years, making it a highly visible target for reductions in the current climate. “Part of it has to do with the economy, part of it has to do with the fact that community colleges are becoming first responders,” ACCT Director of Public Policy Jee Hang Lee said of the increase.

The Pell program has “grown bigger than most state budgets,” added David Baime, AACC senior vice president for government relations and research. “As the economy has tanked and students have come to our doors in record numbers, the program has come under immense financial strain.”

The most recent budget proposal for the current fiscal year offered by House Republicans would reduce the Pell Grant maximum by 15 percent. President Obama’s budget proposal for FY12 would leave the maximum untouched, but place limitations on year-round grants. Further qualifications based on metrics involving college costs and completion are also possible, Robert L. Moran, director of federal relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, said during an afternoon session. “We have dueling proposals from a Democratic president and a Republican House majority to see which one can cut Pell Grants more,” Wall Street Journal bureau chief David Wessel told attendees. “If you need any other reminder of the stakes you face, I can’t think of one.”

Other legislative priorities include grants, institutional aid, workforce development programs, funding for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) provided through a National Science Foundation initiative, and making the American Opportunity Tax Credit, extended for two years as part of the extension of the Bush tax cuts, permanent. Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, TAA authorization, improvements to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, reconsideration of the DREAM Act and programs to help community colleges serve veteran students round out the priorities. Making the case for these existing programs is especially important this year because no earmarks are expected for at least the next two years, AACC legislative associate Laurie Quarles told attendees. “Without your help this year, we’re going to see some pretty draconian cuts,” she said. “These programs... are where the money is -- and where it will be disappearing from if you don’t make the case for community colleges.”

Speakers urged community college leaders to focus on results in their discussions with lawmakers. “You don’t need rhetoric, you need money, and you need to convince people you’re doing something that makes sense,” said Wessel, encouraging community college leaders to emphasize the returns on investment yielded by retraining and remedial and developmental education, while not losing sight of their mission to help lift the underserved out of poverty. “If you close that door, you don’t deserve to exist,” he said to applause from the audience.

Despite the many challenges, NLS speakers remained upbeat about the future. “Our number one priority is getting people back to work, and community colleges are positioned to help us do just that,” said Penny Pritzker, chair of Skills for America’s Future, which aims to foster partnerships between businesses and community colleges by sharing best practices, identifying sources of funding, and “playing matchmaker” for prospective partners. “Putting our resources into training and development is one of the best investments we can make as a country,” she said. “It could not be clearer that community colleges are in the right place at the right time. The country has never needed you more.”

“We are entering a period of big, big challenges,” ACCT’s Brown said. “But I would submit to you we have big, big opportunities. I am confident today that we’re up to the task of meeting these big opportunities. Without you and the nation’s community colleges, this nation will not be the nation is has been up until this point in history. It’s up to you.”

House Considers TAA Reauth, Cut to CCCTGP

2011-02-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, the House will consider a bill to reauthorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program under a fast-tracked procedure known as “suspension of the rules.” The TAA program extends assistance to workers who lose their jobs as a result of foreign trade, and it is the law that governs the Community College Career Training Grant Program (CCCTGP). Most TAA programs are set to expire this Saturday, February 12.

The bill would extend authorization for the ‘TAA for Communities’ program and Sector Partnership Grants until June 30, 2011. Included in the budgetary offsets (pay-for’s) in the bill is a $238 million cut to the CCCTGP in FY 2014. Instead of receiving $500 million in FY 2014, CCCTGP would be allotted only $262 million. Despite the fact that this cut in funding would come several years down the road, the CCCTGP is a critical investment in the long-term competitiveness and innovative capacity of community colleges. Under “suspension of the rules,” the bill will require a 2/3 vote for passage. It is unclear how the Senate will proceed with the bill as written.

Finally, the House is still expected to act next week on a funding measure that makes $12.33 billion in combined cuts to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (7.3% of current funding) through the end of FY 2011. Specific programmatic cuts are not yet known but should be announced this week.

The President’s budget request will be released on Monday, February 14.

Senate to Abandon Earmarks for 2 Years

2011-02-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) said Tuesday that he would not accept requests for earmarks during the next two years. This comes after President Obama said in his State of the Union address last week that he would veto any bills with earmarks. House Republican leaders have already agreed that they will not support earmarks during the 112th Congress. Inouye reiterated that he supports members directing funding back to their states as a constitutional prerogative of Congress, and he indicated that a review of Congressionally directed spending options may occur sometime in 2012.

The House is not in session this week, but the House Appropriations Committee is expected to begin considering a funding resolution next week after House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan (R-WI) sets new funding allocations. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has pledged to bring this funding measure to the floor on the week of February 14, since the current continuing resolution expires on March 4. According to media reports, House Republican leaders are tentatively planning to propose an aggregate cut of around $50 billion from current funding (FY 2010) levels, but they will allow conservatives to offer amendments on the floor to increase the cuts up to $100 billion. Expected programmatic cuts are not yet known.

The President will release his budget on Monday, February 14.

Congress Finalizes Committee Assignments

2011-01-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Senate Democratic and Republican leaders agreed to new committee assignments, completing the 112th Congress’ committee assignments for both the House & Senate. You can find a PDF of the committee assignments here.

Additionally, the Senate reached and adopted a bipartisan compromise last night on changes to the chamber’s rules to speed up the legislative process. Although some Senators had advocated for direct limits to the use of the filibuster, lawmakers instead agreed upon less-controversial reforms to secret holds, confirmations, and the reading of amendments. Under the compromise, secret holds on legislation and nominees will be eliminated, the number of executive branch nominations subject to confirmation will be reduced by about a third, and Senators will no longer be allowed to force chamber clerks to read aloud amendments if those amendments have been posted online for at least 72 hours. Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) entered into a “gentlemen’s agreement” to reduce the frequency of filibusters of motions to begin consideration of legislation, but this part of the compromise is not backed by any official rule change.

DOL Announces Grant Application for Community College and Career Training Grant Program

2011-01-20T13:38:00.001-08:00

Today, the solicitation for grant applications for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program (TAA CCTG) was announced by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Applications will be accepted from both individual community colleges and eligible institutions, as well as consortia of two or more eligible institutions across a community, region, state, or industry sector. The Department of Labor intends to fund grants ranging from $2.5 million to $5 million for individual applicants and from $2.5 million to $20 million for consortium applicants. The TAA CCTG Program is authorized for $500 million for each of four years, fiscal years 2011 through 2014, to support educational and career-training programs focused on dislocated and unemployed workers. Each state will be guaranteed a minimum of 0.5% of the total funding, or $2.5 million per state per year.

Funds are provided to expand and improve education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less, are suited for workers who are eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program, and prepare program participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations. The targeted population of this program is workers who have lost their jobs or are threatened with job loss as a result of foreign trade. The deadline for applications is April 21, 2011.

To see the official solicitation for grant applications, please visit http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/SGA-DFA-PY-10-03.pdf

Senate Introduces Omnibus Appropriations Bill

2010-12-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Daniel Inouye (D-HI) introduced the Omnibus Appropriations bill, which totals $1.1 billion. The Omnibus bill includes $5.7 billion for the Pell Grant shortfall, all appropriations bills for FY2011, and earmarks. Chair Inouye noted that he believes he has the 60 votes necessary to get cloture and pass the bill. If the Senate passes the Omnibus bill, the House is expected to move and pass the bill as well. Earlier this month, the House passed a year-long continuing resolution but was looking to the Senate to finalize action on the Omnibus bill. Congress needs to pass the Omnibus bill before December 18th, because that is when the current continuing resolution is set to expire.

The Omnibus bill can be viewed here.

The Senate is continuing to work on the tax-cut extenders bill, which incorporates the agreement between the Administration and Senate Republicans. The Senate voted 83-15 for cloture to move to consider the bill. When the Senate completes this action, the bill will be sent to the House for consideration. With a full legislative calendar, the Senate is expected to be in session next week. The Senate is also expected to vote on cloture on the House-passed DREAM Act this week.

House Passes Continuing Resolution, DREAM Act; Senate Expected to Consider Both Bills

2010-12-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

Last night, the House approved H.R. 3082, a year-long continuing resolution to fund the government until the end of the current federal fiscal year (September 30, 2011), by a vote of 212-206. Now that the House has passed the bill, it will be presented to the Senate for consideration. In past years, continuing resolutions typically have been less robust, but this continuing resolution will provide additional funds to crucial areas. Most importantly for community colleges, the bill provides an additional $5.7 billion to deal with the Pell Grant shortfall. Meanwhile, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) continues to work on an Omnibus Appropriations bill, and he will attempt to present the Omnibus bill as a substitute for the House continuing resolution. If the Senate gets the 60 votes necessary Omnibus bill cloture, the bill will be sent back for the House’s consideration. The Omnibus bill is preferable to a long-term continuing resolution, because it would include higher funding levels (and earmarks). ACCT is also hopeful that the program changes to the Community College and Career-Training Grant Program will be included in the Omnibus bill.

In other news, the House approved its version of the DREAM Act last night by a vote of 216-198. The bill will move to the Senate, but the bill approved by the House is different than the one that will be considered by the Senate. If the Senate passes its bill, the House will need to consider the Senate-passed version of the bill. The Senate is slated to vote on cloture on S. 3992, which is the latest version of the DREAM Act authored by Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL). S. 3992 has been amended to gather the additional support necessary to reach the 60 votes necessary for cloture. Unlike other versions of the DREAM Act, the bill does not repeal the federal ban on in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants and does not allow undocumented immigrants to receive Pell grants. However, the bill does provide a legal pathway for immigrants to pursue citizenship, provided that they meet set criteria. The text of S. 3992 can be found here.

Additionally, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) attempted to move “The Middle Class Tax Cut Act of 2010,” this past weekend, but the bill was not able to get cloture. Because of this outcome, the Administration and Senate Republican leaders later agreed on a tax extenders bill. The major provisions of the tax measure would include the income tax cuts that were passed during the previous Administration. For higher education, the bill includes a two-year extension of the American Opportunity Tax Credit. The Senate is working to finalize the whole package, but the measure may face a filibuster, which would delay consideration and final passage.

While most Congressional leaders were determined weeks ago, the House Republican Steering Committee met this week and recommended Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY) to be the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Rep. John Kline (R-MN) to be the Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. The House Republican conference supported the recommendations. Incoming House Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) released the upcoming House calendar for 2011. The schedule can be accessed here.

Don't miss your opportunity to meet with your members of Congress, Congressional Staff, and Meet the Press moderator David Gregory during the 2011 Community College National Legislative Summit this February 13-16 in Washington, D.C. Make sure to register before December 22 to secure the early registration discount. And be sure to register for the pre-Summit Advocacy Academy on February 13. This new academy is tailored to the needs of federal advocacy for community colleges. For more information and to register, click here.

House Passes Two-Week Stop Gap Funding Bill: DREAM Act Vote on the Horizon

2010-12-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

Today, the House of Representatives by a vote of 239-178 passed a two-week continuing resolution to fund the government until December 18. The Senate will now consider the legislation. For the past month, Congressional leaders and the Administration have been working to resolve the FY11 appropriations bills. The current continuing resolution will have expired this Friday, December 3. The discussions are now centered on a short-term or long-term continuing resolution or an Omnibus Appropriations bill. Appropriations leaders are supporting an effort to finalize an Omnibus Appropriations bill because the funding totals will be higher and the bill will include Congressional earmarks. Either way, leaders are crafting a bill that will be funded at a substantially lower level than that of the President's budget request. Furthermore, the $5.7 billion Pell Grant shortfall continues to be an issue that will likely need to be addressed next year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has announced that there may be a vote to consider the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill this week. While the bill has majority support, it still appears that the bill lacks the 60 votes necessary to proceed. ACCT is a member of the Act on the DREAM Coalition and supports the passage of the bill. In a move that complicates all Senate action, all Senate Republicans sent a letter to Majority Leader Reid stating that they would not vote for cloture on any bill until the Senate resolves the federal funding bills and the Bush-era income tax cuts are extended.

Also today, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which was tasked to address our nation's fiscal challenges, released its report, the Moment of Truth. The Commission was charged with identifying policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run. Of note, the report stated that increased funding should be focused on “high-priority investments America will need to remain competitive, such as increasing college graduation rates.”

The report can be viewed here.

Lame Duck Congress Returns for Leadership Elections

2010-11-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

The lame duck Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week to elect leaders for the upcoming 112th Congress. The House Republican Caucus elected Rep. Boehner (R-OH) as Speaker-designate, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) as selected Majority Leader, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Majority Whip. The House Democratic Caucus elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as Minority Leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) as Minority Whip, and Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) as Assistant Minority Leader (a new position). The new leadership will take office in January.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, the leadership positions will remain the same. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) will remain as Majority Leader and will be joined by Majority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL). Republicans elected Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as Minority Leader and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) as Minority Whip.

With Congress returning, Congressional leaders have been working to resolve the FY11 appropriations bills. The current continuing resolution expires on December 3rd, but there does not seem to be a final conclusion to the funding process. There have been discussions about a short-term or long-term continuing resolution, each of which has pros and cons. Either way, leaders are working on crafting a bill that will be funded at a substantially lower level than that of the President's budget request. Furthermore, the Pell Grant shortfall continues to be an issue that will likely need to be addressed next year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced earlier this week that he will bring the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill. While the bill has majority support, it still appears that the bill lacks the 60 votes necessary to proceed.

Don't miss your opportunity to meet with your members of Congress and their staff during the 2011 Community College National Legislative Summit this February 13-16 in Washington, D.C. And be sure to register for the pre-Summit Advocacy Academy on February 13. This new academy is tailored to the needs of federal advocacy for community colleges. For more information and to register, go to www.acct.org/events/legislativesummit/.

Lame Duck Congress Returns Next Week

2010-11-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

Congress is expected to return to session next week to proceed with a series of bills, including all of the appropriations bills and the extension of tax cuts. The federal government is under a continuing resolution that will fund the government until December 3rd. It is unclear whether Congress will address the appropriations bills before the end of the 111th Congress or carry on a continuing resolution into 2011. While both parties strongly desire to address the bills this year, there will need to be a quick solution in order to finalize the bills. One solution would be to reach an agreement on reducing some of the funding within the bills to meet bipartisan approval. The collective thinking on the $5.7 billion Pell Grant shortfall is that Congress will not address it this year. Next year, Congress will likely be unable to address the Pell Grant shortfall unless they put the funding into an emergency spending bill, which it has done in past.

Outlook for the 112th Congress:

Congress will return this month to determine the Congressional leadership for the upcoming year. The week after Thanksgiving, the Democratic and Republican caucuses will determine the committee chairs, with the committee rosters following shortly thereafter.

Outlook for the 112th Senate:

The Senate in 2011 will have 53 Democrats (including 2 Independents who caucus with Democrats) and 47 Republicans (including one uncalled race, but the two front runners are Republicans). Senate leadership is not expected to change, with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) retaining their posts. Additionally, the committee chairman will largely be unaffected, as Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) will remain as Chair of the Appropriations Committee, and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will remain as Chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Outlook for the 112th House of Representatives:

On the House side, the election brought about significant change, as the Republican party gained control of the House for the 112th Congress. The current election results are 239 Republicans and 188 Democrats, with 8 uncalled elections. Current Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) is expected to become the Speaker of the House, and current Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) is expected to be the Majority Leader. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), a former trustee from Kern Community College District, announced that he will seek the Majority Whip position. Current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has announced that she will run for Minority Leader. The current Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) are running against each other for the Minority Whip position.

On the committee front, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) and Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY) have announced their candidacy for the position of Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Rep. John Kline (R-MN) has forwarded his name to be Chair of the Education and Labor Committee.

2010 ACCT Congress: Incoming ACCT Chair Outlines Key Partnerships, Priorities

2010-10-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

As the 2010 ACCT Congress in Toronto drew to a close, incoming ACCT Chair Peter E. Sercer Sr. stressed the importance of “game-changing” partnerships and initiatives that bring community colleges, philanthropies, and industry together to “reinvent the economic and social compact that will lift our nation to greater heights.”

Touching on the ACCT Board of Directors’ Access for Success initiative, the new Chair stressed the importance of initiatives that will help “shift us from enrollment driven policies to a policy of access with student success,” said Sercer, a trustee at Midlands Technical College in South Carolina. “We have worked to create partnerships and programs with this vision in mind and are well on our way to strengthening accountability and student success through governance.”

Sercer detailed five key ACCT initiatives currently underway in partnership with a range of corporate and philanthropic partners -- the Voluntary Framework of Accountability, the Governance Institute on Student Success, the association’s new partnership with Single Stop USA, an organization that provides community-based financial and legal services and counseling, 10,000 Small Businesses, a Goldman Sachs initiative that helps foster entrepreneurial skills, and the first-ever Summit on Completion, held immediately preceding the Congress.

“All five of these major initiatives are game changers that will help equip trustees with the tools and strategies they need to transform their schools and communities,” Sercer said, adding that he will seek additional strategic partnerships during his tenure as ACCT chair. Establishing accountability policies for the ACCT Board of Directors, strengthening the State Coordinators Network, and improving communications and accessibility are among Sercer’s other goals during the upcoming year.

“Together we will help redefine community colleges as the colleges of first choice and continue to emphasize... that community colleges are among our most important education institutions,” Sercer said.

Previous 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress Coverage:

2010 ACCT Congress: Education Department Officials Detail Community College and Career Training Program, Completion Agenda

2010-10-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education stressed Friday at the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress that the $2 billion in community college workforce training grants signed into law earlier this year can--and should--be used to help advance the completion agenda.

“What does [the Community College and Career Training Program] have to do with completion? Everything,” Amy Laitinen, policy advisor to the assistant secretary in the Education Department’s office of vocational and adult education, told Congress attendees. “Most trade-impacted students look a lot like your students.... When you create programs with those [students] in mind, we hope that many of them will impact many more students.... We want to think more broadly.”

“Looking at the federal agenda, it’s all about completion, and it’s had a real viral effect down to your campuses,” said U.S. Education Deputy Assistant for Community Colleges Frank Chong. “We know we have to make systemic change.”

While the federal government provides less than 10 percent of total community college funding through its broad array of grant programs, CCCTP has the potential to “leverage transformations in colleges,” said Laitinen. Despite the program’s auspices under the Trade Adjustment Act, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor with support from the Education Department, the grants should be seen as an opportunity to create programs that support workforce and student success agendas, officials said.

The grant program will focus largely on supporting programs that either meet new local workforce needs or offer new approaches to delivering or teaching skills; both technical and academic skills can be emphasized. At the same time, “the connection between employers and colleges is extremely important,” Chong added. “It’s an employment education program, but careers are the main focus.” For that reason, grant applicants should look at ways to collaborate with workforce boards and other local organizations to ensure that programs “meet the education and training needs of the population for jobs in the community,” Laitinen said.

Accountability will be key, speakers cautioned. “What we’re really looking to do is to drive federal dollars to programs that are driven to work,” Laitinen said. “Where we don’t have evidence, we’re looking to build an evidence base.”

With the solicitation of grant applications expected in the coming months, not all the details of the program have been finalized. But many aspects of the program mirror the Community Based Job Training Initiative, said Judith Cawhorn, executive director of grant development at Mott Community College in Michigan. “That’s a good thing, because we know how to talk about career pathways, work with industry, and identify needs,” she said. At the same time, there will likely be significant differences, in part because the program does not include funds for training. “The emphasis is on building new programs and filling some new needs,” she said.

While all the specifics of the program won’t be known until the grant application information is released, “your colleges should be in the thick of conversations” with industry and potential partners, Cawhorn said. Trustees can play a strong role by leveraging their industry and community connections, she added.

Chong and Laitinen referred attendees to a Trustee Quarterly Q&A on CCCTP with Department of Education Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter and Department of Labor Assistant Secretary Jane Oates, as well as a factsheet on the program, both of which are available here.

Department officials also discussed the broader policy direction of the Education Department. On the department’s ongoing examination of accountability issues, “we are hopeful that your work with the Voluntary Framework of Accountability will inform our efforts,” Laitinen said. The department also plans to continue the work that began at the White House Summit on Community Colleges with a virtual summit and listening tours next year, according to Chong, who identified articulation, better serving veterans, and examining competencies and prior knowledge through new assessments versus “seat time” as key challenges for community colleges to pursue. Chong also acknowledged the financial challenges community colleges face, and credited ACCT and AACC’s leadership for providing valuable insights and support.

“During these difficult times, it’s all about partnering,” Chong said. “[ACCT and AACC] have been great partners to have.”

2010 ACCT Congress: Maintaining Momentum on the Completion Agenda

2010-10-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Community college leaders continued discussing shifting the focus of their institutions to produce more graduates and certificate holders at the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress Thursday. With the imminent election of as many as 30 new governors nationwide, continued work on the Voluntary Framework of Accountability, and the need to prepare college leaders to support student success, “we have a lot of work to do in the next 12 months,” ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown told a standing room-only group of community college leaders at a town hall meeting.

In candid discussions throughout the day, community college leaders explored some of the challenges and strategies needed to maintain momentum on the completion agenda. One key, speakers said, will be ensuring that boards of trustees and college presidents are on the same page.

“Trustees have been listening to the President of the United States saying we need to educate and complete... We really need to support [college presidents] if they have the courage to do the right thing,” said Thomas W. Malone, a trustee at Seattle Community Colleges. “There’s a realization that if we support each other, we can do the necessary difficult things.”

“These courageous conversations are going on in board rooms across the country,” added Karen Stout. As president of Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania, Stout has replaced her reports on enrollment to her board of trustees with a student success report, and she credits her board with patience as faculty members brought a redesign of a developmental math curriculum up to scale. “Yes, it was too slow, but will move the institution ahead in the long run,” Stout said.

Increasing leaders’ capacity to focus on student success is one goal of the the Governance Institute for Student Success, a joint effort of ACCT and the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. After participating in a pilot of GISS that brought together community college trustees and leaders from across Ohio, “we’re starting to see conversations where you have access and success almost at the same level,” said Lawrence Porter, a trustee at Sinclair Community College. “We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there.”

With new governors in statehouses facing severe budget crises, the collection and use of data will become critical, said Travis Reindl, program director at the National Governors Association. Repeating a theme emphasized by many participants during the Pre-Congress Summit on Completion, Reindl stressed that “we’ve come to the realization that policymaking by anecdote hasn’t worked, doesn’t work, and won’t work. Until we have some really solid metrics behind us, we cannot get about the business of increasing the number of degree and certificate holders the economy needs.”

In the absence of relevant data, all too often higher education policy is still “focused on the full-time on-campus student,” not the first generation, low-income and minority students that are increasingly defining the “21st century student,” said Mark Milliron, deputy director for post-secondary improvement for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To that end, U.S. Education Deputy Assistant for Community Colleges Frank Chong told town hall attendees that his department is “taking a serious look for the first time in a long time” at revamping the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) reporting procedures. The Voluntary Framework for Accountability, under development by ACCT, AACC, and The College Board, has been included in discussions on accountability metrics at both the Education Department and the National Governors Association.

“We are not going to flip the funding model in our favor unless we demonstrate accountability,” Brown said. “The best change element for flipping those levers are the boards.”

Chong also stressed that the Education Department is looking to the local level for solutions that can be shared. “Programs... in workforce development, in working with low-skill adults and getting students through the pipeline are happening at your campuses,” he said. “The challenge is how do we duplicate and replicate these programs to help other community colleges that might not have the type of resources that you have.”

Town hall attendees shared examples of successful programs at their colleges, including math tutoring labs, counseling programs, working with K-12 students and systems, and combined basic education and workforce skills training. The challenge remains building those programs to scale -- and, often, making strategic decisions exacerbated by tight budgets. Pointing to the I-BEST program developed by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, Milliron notes that pairing workforce and basic skill instructors is more expensive -- yet increases student completion rates significantly. “You’re gong to have to have strategic sets of conversations,” he said.

Lest anyone doubt that trustees play the key role in shaping those conversations, I-BEST was the brainchild of a fellow trustee, Malone said. Pointing to the Democracy’s Challenge Call to Action signed by ACCT and other community college organizations, American Association for Community Colleges President and CEO George Boggs urged community college leaders to sign similar pledges on their own campuses. “It’s going to take all of us, but especially trustees and CEOs, to commit to this,” he said. And by way of example, Mauri Moore of Edmonds Community College in Washington told town hall attendees that she has pledged to graduate an additional 350 students from her institution each year over the next decade--her college’s share of the 5 million additional degree and certificate holders called for by President Barack Obama. When broken down to the individual college level, that goal “doesn’t sound too scary,” she said.

2010 ACCT Congress: Update on Federal Legislative Priorities

2010-10-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

The $2 billion Community College and Career Training Program, proposed regulations that could impact community college career certification programs, and the federal appropriations process were among the key public policy priorities outlined during a Thursday session at the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress.

Among the programs discussed were:

The Community College and Career Training Program. Enacted as part of the landmark Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the CCCTP allocates $500 million annually for four years to help community colleges develop workforce programs. While the program is under the aegis of the Trade Adjustment Act, the grants are expected to focus on the development of new programs, according to Jim Hermes, director of government relations for the American Association of Community Colleges. “The Department of Labor has emphasized over and over that this program is going to be about ‘building the box’,” he said.

The Department of Labor is expected to issue a solicitation for grant applications shortly, with applications due early next year and awards potentially announced in the spring. According to Hermes, the DOL considers $2.5 million to be the minimum grant size for individual institutions, with consortia eligible for higher awards. Department officials have also emphasized the importance of grant applications focusing on reform and innovation. “This is not going to be for mere program expansion,” Hermes said.

Gainful Employment Regulations The Department of Education has proposed two rule-making documents that would provide new regulations overseeing what job training and certification programs will remain eligible for students to receive federal financial aid. Targeted at the for-profit college sector, which collectively amassed $2.7 billion in profits in 2009, the proposed regulations could also impact the 170,000 students who receive certification at community colleges each year, said David Baime, AACC senior vice president for government relations and research. While the for-profit sector is engaged in a furious lobbying effort to thwart the proposed regulations, ACCT and AACC believe the new rules, which would set standards related to student debt/earning ratios and loan repayment rates, would not pose problems for most community college programs, whose students rarely borrow money. The two associations do remain concerned, however, about the additional regulatory and reporting burdens at a time when community colleges have limited resources to devote to them, Baime said.

American Opportunity Tax Credit. Included in the 2009 stimulus legislation, the AOTC replaced the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit, offering community college students a higher maximum credit, as well as the ability to apply the credit to course materials for the first time. The AOTC expires at the end of the year, and extending it for another 10 years would cost $58 billion, Baime said. Despite support from the Administration, “in a Congress increasingly concerned about deficit spending, that’s a high hurdle,” he added, especially since it is likely to become embroiled in the debate over extending the Bush tax cuts, which are also expiring. Should the AOTC not be extended, the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit would still be available, according to Baime.

Appropriations. With the uncertainty of midterm elections, none of the appropriation bills for FY11 were approved before the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year, said Jee Hang Lee, ACCT director of public policy. Of key concern is the Pell Grant program, which has increased from serving 5 million to nearly 9 million students. While $13.5 billion was provided to address Pell Grant shortfalls in the healthcare reconciliation bill earlier this year, the program still has a $5.7 billion shortfall, and could see a reduction in the maximum award if that shortfall isn’t addressed, according to Lee. The Career Pathways Program has also been eliminated, in part because it was supposed to be replaced by components of the American Graduation Initiative. On the state level, the $10 billion education jobs bill passed earlier this year did not include funds for public higher education, but did include a provision requiring states to provide level funding for public colleges and universities. “We’re hopeful that the maintenance of effort [provision] will help states maintain a level of funding,” Lee said.

DREAM Act. A push for a Senate vote on the legislation fell short ahead of the midterm elections. The current legislative priority remains attempting to get it considered separately from any comprehensive immigration reform bill, though the timing remains unclear, according to Lee.

The focus on the legislative agenda will continue at the 2011 National Legislative Summit, held Feb. 13-16 in Washington, D.C.

2010 ACCT Congress: Progress on Voluntary Framework of Accountability Detailed

2010-10-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

ACCT Leadership Congress attendees were updated on the status of the Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA), which will release a draft of its proposed initial measures next month, and heard community college leaders explain the value of “defining ourselves to the public.”

Once complete, the VFA will allow community colleges to “speak with one voice about the comprehensiveness of what we do and the unique nature of our students,” said Karen A. Stout, president of Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania.

To be released in a draft technical manual in November, the proposed stage one VFA measures are broken into three major components:

Student progress and outcomes measures. The proposed measures examine student progress at entry and through their time at a college. “One thing we know is that community college students follow a pipeline towards final outcomes,” said Kent A. Phillippe, associate vice president of research and student success at the American Association of Community Colleges, which is working with ACCT and The College Board to develop the VFA. “That’s why it’s important to get measures along the way, not just at the end.”

Measures of college readiness include students attempting their first English or math developmental education course; successfully completing developmental courses; and then attempting and successfully completing their first college-level course in the same subject area.

Measures of student progress and persistence include successfully reaching credit milestone thresholds at the end of two years; continued enrollment or lateral transfer to another two-year institution; and a course success rate.

Measures of outcomes and success include a complete degree or certificate; transfer to a four-year institution; or continued enrollment with academic progress.

Workforce, Economic, and Community Development Measures. These include enrollment data and retention rates for workforce measures; awards in Career and Technical Education programs; pass rates on licensure examinations; measures of program graduates employed with livable wages or enrolled in further education; wage growth of graduates; enrollments and credentials from non-credit workforce development courses; and transition from non-credit to credit programs. Additional measures to be added later include metrics involving adult basic education, GED and ESL programs. While not all colleges currently have the ability to collect some of this data, it’s important to say “this is what we should be doing to measure those outcomes,” Phillippe said.

Student Learning Outcomes. Eight potential outcomes proposed by a VFA working group include content/career specific skills and knowledge; global understanding and citizenship; analytical reasoning and critical thinking; information literacy; teamwork and collaborative skills; communication; quantitative literacy; and innovative and creative thinking. During the first stage, the working group will ask colleges to evaluate these outcomes and determine if they align with learning outcomes assessed by their institutions. “We can’t do a lot of work at this point without knowing better what colleges are doing,” Phillippe said.

As much work will go into how to display metrics represented by these measures, according to Phillippe. For example, measures of student outcomes would likely be displayed on a stacked bar, reflecting the cumulative impact of students receiving a degree, transferring to a four-year institution, and continuing to work towards a degree. The metrics will also likely be broken into sub-cohorts, including students who have demonstrated by their course load or other evidence that they intend to pursue a degree. “We need to be accountable for all students, but it’s important to get a sense of student intent,” Phillippe said.

Following the release of the draft measures for feedback, work will continue on developing wireframes to display the data. RFPs have also been issued for colleges willing to serve as pilot sites to test the measures, and working groups are ensuring that the completed framework reflects the needs and capacity of large and small colleges, as well as those in states that currently collect data and those that do not. The VFA working groups have also briefed the U.S. Department of Education and the National Governors Association, which are in the process of developing accountability systems of their own, said Phillippe.

Trustees will be able to use data collected by the VFA to “benchmark against national standards,” said Jeanne-Marie Boylan, board chair of Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts. They will also be able to use the data to benchmark and set policies supporting student completion, according to Carolane Williams, president of Baltimore County Community College in Maryland, which already uses student data to evaluate student intervention programs, including an “early alert” system that has helped retain struggling students. The framework will also allow community colleges to compare “apples to apples” by looking at similar institutions across the country to identify programs that are working, Williams added.

“We have a broad mission, and our mission is to serve people where they are,” she said. “The VFA identifies that, while other measures would lock us into a narrower mission and leave out people on the other end.”

For more information on the VFA, click here.

2010 ACCT Congress: Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Esther Brimmer Stresses Community Colleges’ Role in Economic and National Security

2010-10-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Esther Brimmer kicked off the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress by stressing the critical role community colleges play in meeting the nation’s economic and national security challenges and encouraging their leaders to "think globally and act locally" by creating partnerships to support students in the U.S. and abroad.

“Education helps address the global problems we face every day by strengthening human rights and democracy, creating economic opportunity, and combating violent extremism,” said Brimmer, who leads the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs. “We cannot achieve our objectives abroad without strengthening education at home."

As President Barack Obama did during the White House Summit on Community Colleges, Brimmer framed the Administration’s goal of increasing the number of community college graduates by 5 million over the next decade in economic terms. Pointing to the $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant program and increases in Pell Grants, Brimmer noted that the Administration “stands with you as you seek new ways to strengthen the impact of community colleges in the United States and internationally.”

Interest in community colleges is spreading globally, said Brimmer, whose department is working to promote the model through a number of initiatives. “Countries are turning to community colleges because they see them as institutions that can serve their local communities,” she said, adding that they can play a key role in UNESCO’s Education for All campaign, which seeks to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015. Those needs are growing, she said, due to the rise of urbanism and an emerging middle class in many developing countries, creating “a demand for more [workforce] skills than at any period in history."

Throughout the world, enrollment in colleges and universities increased by nearly 60 percent over the past eight years -- and by 94 percent in developing countries. U.S. community colleges can help meet that burgeoning demand in a variety of ways, including by serving growing numbers of foreign students studying in the U.S., Brimmer said. Noting that 14 percent of foreign students currently attend community colleges, Brimmer said that the schools are "in an excellent position to take advantage of the cultural and linguistic diversity on their campuses.” Community colleges can also “think globally and act locally,” Brimmer said, by supporting programs like the Model United Nations, developing partnerships with institutions around the world, and offering affordable study abroad programs for their own students.

“I am confident that American community colleges will continue to create new relationships that bring us together around our shared values of affordable, accessible, and high quality education.. and lift the rising tide of education beyond our shores to be shared globally,” Brimmer said.

Completion Summit Moves From Discussion to Action

2010-10-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Following a morning discussion that framed the national perspective on the completion agenda, ACCT's Summit on Completion came to a close with a host of recommendations in areas ranging from finance and metrics to partnerships and curriculum, as well as a call for community college leaders to continue their efforts to increase the number of Americans who receive a college degree or credential.

For much of the day, summit attendees broke into smaller groups to develop recommendations in five priority areas. Their findings included:

Finance and funding. To better serve students, institutions and boards need to consider four key areas: the distribution of student aid, the flexibility colleges have in disbursing aid, examining whether aid policies can provide students with incentives to continue pursuing degrees, and encouraging both college staff and community organizations to increase awareness of financial aid and help students apply for it.

When it comes to institutional funding, summit participants suggested that it may be time to discuss prioritizing the roles community colleges play in the context of existing financial resources. Boards should also explore new revenue sources, including fundraising and entrepreneurial initiatives, and how those new sources of funding can be increased by focusing on key areas. "As we prioritize transparently and explicitly, we build the case for that next dollar that comes from external [sources]... and unleash a virtuous cycle," said Travis Rendl, program director for the National Governors Association.

Student success. Linking access with completion will require a variety of approaches, including stronger alignment between K-12 curriculum and college requirements through such structures as K-14/16 councils and programs including middle colleges and dual enrollment that can "stop the leaks in the pipeline," said Michael Hansen, president of the Michigan Community College Association. Other key priorities include strengthening "front-door" student services, such as financial aid and counseling.

Curriculum and pedagogy. The focus group stressed the need to develop methodologies focused on helping underserved students and veterans be more successful in the community college setting. Other priorities include better assessment and instructional models that build faculty capacity to teach, such as the Universal Design for Learning, said Jean Torgeson, board chair of North Iowa Area Community College, as well as the need to develop "stackable" credentials and certifications that allow students to make progress towards a degree. Torgeson also stressed the value of rigorous standards, finding ways to better explain expectations and procedures to students, and providing supports to help working parents and other students complete their education.

Partnerships and the K-16 pipeline. With the administration's focus on developing workplace skills throughout a student's like, a key need is helping K-12 students see connections between careers and the skills they need to attain them. The group cited the examples of community colleges whose counselors visit students to discuss job skills as early as in the 6th grade and the Department of Labor's careeronestop.org site, which helps identify key workplace skills for target careers. Trustees must also be persistent in requesting better and more transparent data on student outcomes and work with policymakers and their peers in K-12 systems to address alignment and curriculum issues. "It's cradle to career, and we all have a stake," said Greg Schuckman, board chair at Northern Virginia Community College.

Data and metrics. The group stressed the importance of developing a common approach to metrics, including using the Voluntary Framework for Accountability as a way of ensuring congruence as other organizations develop or refine their own measures. Avoiding "chasing certain metrics" at the expense of others and providing support for community colleges and policymakers to develop and disaggregate longitudinal student data were other priorities. "If we're going to be successful in the budget office, the state capital or the nation's capital... we have to understand what the data is saying to us," said Dr. Dan Phelan, president of Jackson Community College.

During a question-and-answer session that concluded the summit, Kay McClenney, director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin's Community College Leadership Program, stressed that 90 percent of community college students are convinced "they have the commitment it takes to succeed."

"When community college students show up in the parking lot, they are jazzed," McClenney said, adding that 84 percent of the more than 2 million community college students surveyed by the Community College Leadership Program also believed they are prepared to succeed academically, though that is at times because they have limited knowledge of what will be expected of them. "They don't bring college knowledge with them -- we just assume that they do," McClenney said.

Students also suffer from low expectations once they arrive at school--by the end of the third week of class, 40 percent of new community college students have skipped class, and 30 percent have turned in an assignment late, or not at all, according to the survey. "No one rises to low expectations," McClenney said. "Our responsibility is to decide what the educational experience is going to be like at every one of our institutions."

To do that will require changing long-held notions. Describing how higher education was formerly considered a collective good following the passage of the GI Bill and the National Education Defense Act, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown urged attendees to "go back to the future, and... make this a shared value across the nation."

"Let's make a promise," Brown said. "We will go out, do what's necessary, and make a difference."

Pre-Congress Summit Focuses on Completion

2010-10-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

With the attention of the White House, governors, policymakers, and philanthropic foundations all focused on increasing the number of Americans who hold a college degree or credential, "suddenly it seems that higher education is really where the action is," Samuel Cargile, vice president of The Lumina Foundation, observed during ACCT's Summit on Completion. "With that, it's also an opportune time to ask some critical questions."

Community college leaders attending the one-day summit in Toronto -- immediately preceding and setting the tone for the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress -- did just that, focusing a critical eye on the ways in which community colleges are working to shift their model from access to success. “It’s vitally important that trustees are involved in this conversation,” said ACCT Chair Thomas Bennett, trustee at Parkland College in Illinois.

The one-day summit followed the White House Summit on Community Colleges earlier in the month and the creation of the Skills for America's Future, a White House-led effort to build partnerships between industry and community colleges. Those moves mirror initiatives launched by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation, both of which have set ambitious goals for increasing the number of college graduates.

"The goals may be a little different, the language may be a little different, but everybody is getting on board and knowing we've got to do a better job," says Linda Baer, senior program officer of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown discussed how the completion agenda has become embedded in a variety of initiatives that ACCT has become involved in, including the Voluntary Framework for Accountability, Democracy's Colleges Call to Action, and the Governance Institute for Student Success.

"We are very serious about creating the toolkit you need to advance this agenda," Brown said.

Baer described how the Gates Foundation's Completion by Design initiative focuses on "a pathway model" that creates connections for students from enrollment through completion. Under such a system, "[students] don't just come through the doors and wander around," she said.

Noting that one in six blue-collar workers lost his or her job during the current recession, Dr. Ronald Williams, vice president of The College Board, stressed the importance of improving completion rates in stark terms. "The middle holds America together," he said, warning that the declining middle class poses a threat to democracy. "The work you do is in closing the gap that I see expanding and accelerating."

From the business perspective, it's critical that community colleges prepare students for today's global -- and increasingly uncertain -- economy, stressed Philip Berry, president of Philip Berry Associates and vice-chair of the City University of New York. "We have to come up with methodologies that help students where they are, not where we want them to be," he said.

Data is the key to addressing completion issues, stressed Kay McClenney, director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin's Community College Leadership Program. "Community colleges have lived long and pretty comfortably with the anecdote—students whose lives have changed. But...[anecdotes] do not tell the story of the typical student experience... what we have got to get ready to do is understand honestly what happens to students when they move through our system—or don't."

While students have many reasons for failing to receive a degree from community colleges, the reality is that poor students, older students and minorities face much higher odds of completing college, McClenney said. "Until the choice not to persist or graduate is equitably distributed across students by race, age, or income level, this is an argument we can no longer countenance," she said.

To tackle persistent completion issues, colleges will need not only systems and processes to track students, but to disaggregate that data to get the "full picture" of how all students are performing. "Once you have data, you have to be willing to use it," she added.

Based on visits to 1,200 colleges in more than 30 states, Dr. Byron McClenney, project director for Achieving the Dream and a senior lecturer and fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, pointed to a number of key practices that support the completion agenda, including:

Leaders that are engaged and pay continuous attention to progress on student success issues.
A shared an enacted vision around a student success agenda
Planning and budgeting that are aligned with the agenda
A culture of evidence
Broad consensus among students, faculty, staff and the community
Having the student success agenda impact policy, practices, and procedures. "Once you get serious, it starts to permeate how you make decisions," he said.
Integration of other initiatives, including accreditation
Focused professional development aligned with student completion objectives.

"None of these things come easily," McClenney said, pointing to ending late registration, embedding basic skills in career programs, study groups, and student success courses as potentially promising approaches that can come out of such practices.

As part of its Complete to Compete initiative, The National Governors Association is developing its own metrics to help state leaders track the performance of their higher education institutions. "You can't have a substantive policy conversation until and unless you have a clear picture of how something's performing," said Travis Reindl, program director, who echoed others' insistence that disaggregating data is critical. "To have goals that are lasting and powerful, you have to know if you're moving towards them."

NGA's proposed metrics are divided between measurements of student progress -- including remediation, entry, success in first year math and English courses, and credit accumulation -- and outcomes, including numbers of degrees, graduation rates, and measurements of the time and credits required to attain a degree.

While acknowledging that community colleges are facing unprecedented financial pressure as enrollments rise and funding falls, speakers agreed that these challenges would not impede the focus on completion. "There's no evidence that connects resources to results," McClenney said, "It's not how much money we have, but how we spend the money we have."

As proof, McClenney pointed to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 100,000 Lives Campaign, which sought to reduce the number of preventable deaths in U.S. hospitals. By examining data and asking tough questions, the healthcare community was able to meet its own ambitious goal.

"They did it," McClenney said. "All of you can figure out your share of this goal... the 15 or 16 million college graduates our nation needs for our communities to thrive."

Department of Labor Releases FAQ on the Community College Program

2010-10-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

The Department of Labor recently released a fact sheet and a FAQ on the Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program outlining key issues for colleges interested in applying for funds. The CCCTG program is funded at $2 billion over four years ($500 million each year) and will support efforts that provide education and training services. The grant solicitation is expected to be released this fall. Click here to read the fact sheet and FAQ.

Additionally, the new fall 2010 issue of ACCT’s Trustee Quarterly magazine features an informative Q&A with Department of Education Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter and Department of Labor Assistant Secretary Jane Oates, who offered insights regarding the CCCTG program. Click here for the Q&A.

White House Summit on Communty Colleges Ends With a Consensus on Challenges

2010-10-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

By the end of Tuesday’s White House Summit on Community Colleges, two messages had crystallized. First, so-called “non-traditional students” -- older learners juggling jobs and families -- should now simply be considered “21st century students.” “They are the new normal,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan told attendees. Second, a key strategy for the government and grantmakers alike will be finding ways to help community colleges share best practices as they retool to meet President Barack Obama’s call for 5 million more graduates from their institutions by 2020.

“What we have to do is take to scale what’s working,” Duncan told attendees during the summit’s closing session.

Along with the high-profile initiatives from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and the federal government announced earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis reminded attendees that the application process is beginning for the $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant Program, signed into law earlier this year as part of the health care reconciliation bill.

“It’s about capacity building... about developing programs and curricula that last longer than the funding does,” Solis said of the program.

During the final session, summit attendees shared key challenges and potential solutions explored in six breakout groups, including:

Industry partnerships. Strong solutions include those with a sense of reciprocity between colleges and their industry partners, as well as financial and other support from local governments; those with flexible delivery options, including on-site, online, and non-traditional course hours; and those with a clear and accessible pathway for individuals. Challenges include remediation; funding for capacity building in skills training; differences in state funding models that make it difficult to replicate successful partnerships; and the need to award credit based on training workers have already received, including apprenticeships.

Military and veterans programs. Attendees acknowledged the role community colleges play in the education of veterans and the value of on-campus supports, such as veterans groups. Challenges include the need to ensure a transition and support system for veterans leaving active duty, and ways to share successful practices put into place at community colleges, including veteran-to-veteran support, priority placement, military spouse career advancement programs, and ways to maximize GI Bill benefits.

Completion. Among the challenges in this critical area are the need to communicate the value of a credential or diploma to students; professional development to help community college instructors support students; developmental education programs; integrating technology; and identifying solutions that work among disparate community college campuses.

Financial aid. Challenges include the need to simplify the financial aid process, especially for students who may be the first in their family to attend college; rethinking disincentives for working students receiving Pell Grants; considering ways to consolidate different forms of financial aid; and supporting financial aid officers who have been strained by budget cuts and the increasing numbers of students who need their help.

Baccalaureate pathways. Challenges include the need for support and counseling for students considering transferring to a four-year institution; inconsistency in credit hours and course numbering systems; and creating articulation programs for career and technical education programs.

21st century community colleges. Key challenges include leveraging technology to provide new course offerings, track alumni and the transfer of credits, and support faculty; the need to examine the role both full-time and adjunct professors play as they take on new support roles; and ways to leverage private sector partnerships to emphasize the importance of learning within contexts that are meaningful to "21st century students."

The U.S. Education Department will host another “virtual community college summit” in 2011. But Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden concluded the present-day White House summit by urging attendees to take the same critical look at key priorities with key partners in their own communities. “Go back to your businesses and your schools, and start this conversation again,” she said. To that end, the White House prepared a special toolkit for community college leaders, which includes information for colleges interested in holding their own local community college summit on their campuses. It can be downloaded here.

“This is our moment in history to make a difference, and let’s grab that opportunity,” Biden said.

MORE INFORMATION

Obama Kicks off White House Summit on Community Colleges, Introduces Building Skills for America's Future, Completion by Design Programs

2010-10-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Saying that community colleges “provide the gateway for millions to a better life,” President Barack Obama kicked off Tuesday’s White House Summit on Community Colleges by painting support for community colleges in economic terms, as other speakers described two new high-profile initiatives intended to help community colleges with completion and workforce development.

“We are in a global competition to lead in the growth industries of the 21st century. That depends on a highly skilled workforce,” Obama told an assembled group of leaders from community colleges, foundations, and a broad array of government agencies during an opening session at the White House.

Pointing to the American Graduation Initiative, which calls on community colleges to provide an additional 5 million students with certificates or degrees in the next decade, Obama said that additional federal support and financial aid for students “will help ensure that we lead the global economy, but only if we maintain the support.”

Obama announced the new Building Skills for America’s Future initiative, an effort to bolster community college industry partnerships and workforce development initiatives in partnership with the Aspen Institute.

“The private sector is eager and willing to help,” said Penny Pritzker, chairman/CEO of Pritzker Realty Group and a member of Obama’s economic advisory board. Already Accenture, Gap Inc., McDonald’s, PG&E and United Technologies have pledged to support the program, which will ensure that every state has at least one “high impact” partnership between a community college and industry. “We hope to spark a movement nationwide to spark the nation’s workforce,” Pritzker told attendees.

Melinda Gates introduced Completion by Design, a $35 million grant program announced Monday by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to “redesign every aspect of the college experience,” with an eye to sharing innovative practices, such as streamlining enrollment, speeding up remediation programs or simplifying the transfer process.

“The next step for community colleges is to put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” Gates said, stressing the potential of technology to create new hybrid learning opportunities. “We’re committed to community colleges as they do the hard work of changing so they can... disseminate the best ideas of what’s actually working.”

“Let’s get busy,” Obama said at the conclusion of his remarks. Breakout sessions currently underway are focusing on six areas: industry partnerships, college completion, pathways to baccalaureate degrees, financial aid, military and veterans programs, and the community college of the future.

The summit’s closing session will be broadcast live at 3pm at www.WhiteHouse.gov/live. The summit is being led by Dr. Jill Biden, who told attendees the newfound attention would forever change the community college movement.

"For years, I have said that community colleges are one of America's best-kept secrets," Biden said. "With the President shining a light on us, that secret is out."

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution, Adjourns till November

2010-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last night, the Senate and House passed the continuing resolution which will fund the federal government till December 3rd. The new federal fiscal year is slated to begin on October 1st, but the continuing resolution will fund most programs at FY2010 levels. Although, the total funding provided in the resolution is $9 billion less than the total appropriated level in FY2010. After passing the continuing resolution, Congress adjourned until after the fall elections. Congress is scheduled to return for a lame-duck session starting on November 15th. Congress will need to move the appropriations bills to fund the federal government for the duration of the federal fiscal year.

Congress Readies Continuing Resolution; More White House Summit Details

2010-09-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

This week, the Senate and House leaders are working to finalize a continuing resolution quickly in order to adjourn Congress until early December. The continuing resolution would fund the federal government at the FY2010 levels for most programs, but the overall funding level would be $9 billion than was allocated in FY2010. Currently, there is some discussion by Senate Republicans to delay the continuing resolution until sometime in February 2011, but congressional leaders are working to resolve the continuing resolution as soon as possible. It is unclear which date will be chosen. Congress was supposed to wrap up during the week of October 4, but there is major effort to end the session as soon as possible. As for the tax-extenders bill, it appears that with the shortened congressional schedule, Congress is putting off debate on the bill until after the election.

The White House recently released a media advisory for the White House Summit on Community Colleges, to be held on October 5, 2010. The event will begin at 12:15 p.m. and will likely end around 4 p.m. Eastern time. The opening plenary session and closing session of the Summit will be streamed LIVE on www.WhiteHouse.gov/live. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, a former trustee at Rio Hondo Community College in California, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former student at Canton Junior College in Illinois (now Spoon River Community College), recently wrote about community colleges from their personal perspectives on the summit’s official website. ACCT encourages you to visit the summit website for more information. Please forward this information to your fellow trustees, presidents, and college communities to encourage participation in Tuesday's historic White House Summit on Community Colleges.

President Signs Ed Jobs Funding Bill into Law

2010-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the House returned from its August recess to pass the Senate's Education Jobs bill by a 247-161 vote. President Obama also signed the bill yesterday.

The bill provides $10 billion in funds to keep educators working in schools around the country who would otherwise have been laid off. The funding for education jobs is allocated solely for K-12, but states must provide assurances on funding for K-12 and higher education. The bill also includes $16.1 billion for federal Medicaid assistance.

To view the Department’s news release on the legislation, visit: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/congress-passes-bill-provide-10-billion-support-160000-education-jobs-nationwide. To view a state-by-state table projecting how the $10 billion will be allocated and how many education jobs will be funded, visit: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/edjobsfund-allocations.pdf.

Senate Passes Ed Jobs Bill

2010-08-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today, the Senate passed H.R. 1586, with the Murray-Harkin (Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA)) amendment, by a 61-38 vote. The amendment revised the FAA bill, and the Murray-Harkin amendment now replaces the bill. The amendment provides $10 billion for education jobs and $16.1 billion for federal Medicaid payments. The amendment differs from the other versions, because the funding included is fully offset with rescissions. The funding for education jobs is allocated solely for K-12, but states provide assurances on funding for K-12 and higher education. With Senate passage, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that the House will be called into session next week, and the House will vote on H.R. 1586 on Tuesday. A state funding allocation table can be viewed here:http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/10edjobsfund.pdf

Earlier this week, AACC and ACCT sent a letter to the Department of Education in response to the Department’s Notice for Public Rulemaking Making (NPRM). The rulemaking process covers a number of areas (including efforts to limit fraud and abuse in for-profit institutions), and it is being utilized to ensure integrity of federal funds within the financial aid system. Additionally, ACCT joined ACE and other higher education organizations in a broad community letter on the NPRM. The letters can be viewed here: http://www.acct.org/advocacy/letters/.

Senate Invokes Cloture on ED Jobs, Clearing Way to Passage

2010-08-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today, the Senate invoked cloture on the Murray-Harkin (Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA)) amendment to H.R. 1586, by a 61-38 vote. The amendment was inserted into the bill after H.R. 1586, the FAA reauthorization bill, failed to pass. The amendment provides $10 billion for education jobs and $16.1 billion for federal Medicaid payments. This amendment is different than the other versions, because the funding included is fully offset with rescissions. The amendment still needs to be passed, but the cloture marked a pivotal moment. The funding for education jobs is allocated solely for K-12, but states provide assurances on funding for K-12 and higher education. If the Senate passes the bill, the House will need to pass it as well. With the House of Representatives out for the summer recess period, PeSpeaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) just announced that the House will be called into session next week to pass the bill once the Senate completes action.

Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed S. 3686, its version of the on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education FY2011 appropriations bill, by a party-line vote of 18-12. The bill provides over $170 billion in discretionary funding, and $66.4 billion is allocated for the Department of Education. The bill provides funds for a $5,550 Pell Grant maximum, but it does not contain funds to address the $5.7 billion Pell Grant shortfall. This year, the Senate will provide over $2.7 billion more than the FY2010 allocation, but this amount is still almost $1 billion less than the Administration’s request. The Committee did not fund the Career Pathways Program, noting the new Community College and Career Training Grant program. Senate leadership remarked that Congress is very unlikely to consider a final appropriations bill until after the fall elections.

The Committee released a summary of the appropriations bill, which can viewed at: http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news.cfm?method=news.view&id=5ac52a3a-5218-48fa-aa01-9264ca755118.

House Passes Slimmed-Down Supplemental Appropriations Bill

2010-07-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Senate’s version of the supplemental appropriations bill, HR 4899, by a vote of 308-114. The Senate bill is set at almost $60 billion, and it provides funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, disaster relief, and the Veteran’s Administration. The final bill does not include the $23 billion that was included in a previous House version (which did not pass in the Senate) for domestic activities, including $10 billion for education jobs and $4.95 billion for the Pell Grant shortfall. It is unclear whether Congressional leadership will attempt to include funding for education jobs or the Pell Grant shortfall in another bill, such as a small business bill. The supplemental appropriations bill is now headed to President Obama, who is expected to sign it.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations marked up its bill for FY2011 and passed the bill by a voice vote yesterday. The bill provides over $170 billion in discretionary funding, and $66.4 billion is allocated for the Department of Education. The bill provides funds for a $5,550 Pell Grant maximum, but it does not contain funds to address the $5.7 billion Pell Grant shortfall. This year, the Senate will provide over $2.7 billion more than the FY2010 allocation, but this amount is still almost $1 billion less than the Administration’s request. Further, it appears that the bill does not fund the Career Pathways Program. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to hold a full committee markup tomorrow, but it is very unlikely that the Senate and Congress will consider a final appropriations bill until after the fall elections.

The Subcommittee released a summary of the appropriations bill, which can viewed at: http://appropriations.senate.gov/news.cfm?method=news.view&id=b9a9897d-6d3f-4ad9-9872-ac20495afce5.

Senate Fails to Pass House's Version of Supplemental Bill

2010-07-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last night, the Senate attempted to pass the House amendment to the Senate supplemental appropriations bill, HR 4899, but the cloture vote failed by a vote of 46-51. The tally fell short of the 60 votes necessary to end debate on the bill. The Senate version of the bill will now go back to the House of Representatives, which will likely adopt it. The Senate bill is set at almost $60 billion, and it does not include the $23 billion the House added for domestic activities, including $10 billion for education jobs and $4.95 billion for the Pell Grant shortfall.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee markup on Labor-HHS-ED Appropriations will be held on Tuesday, July 27.

GRANT NOTICE

Higher Education for Development (HED), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Department of Education, is issuing a request for applications for the Broader Middle East and North Africa - U.S. Community College Entrepreneurship Proposal Development Grants Program. Applications are due by October 18, 2010. Please visit the HED website for more information.

House Subcommittee Moves Education Funding Bill

2010-07-16T13:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education passed its $176.4 billion FY2011 appropriations bill by a party-line vote. The bill’s total education funding level is $1.4 billion less than the Administration’s request. The bill increases funding for the Pell Grant program by $5.7 billion, but it is unclear whether the purpose of the increase is to make up for the shortfall, increase the maximum amount for individual Pell Grants, or accommodate the increasing number of students. A number of proposed amendments were defeated, including an anti-Dream Act amendment. The bill now heads to the full committee, but it is unclear whether the committee will consider the bill or head directly to the House floor. In all likelihood, Congress will not finish these bills until after the fall elections.

A table summarizing the allocation of funds can be viewed on the House Appropriations Committee website at: http://appropriations.house.gov/images/stories/pdf/lhhse/FY2011_LHHS_Summary_Tabel-07.15.2010.pdf. The full program funding levels will only be introduced if the bill is considered by the full committee or the House.

The Senate leadership continues to discuss next steps for the supplemental appropriations bill. It appears that leadership will attempt to hold a cloture vote on the bill, which will likely fail. With the resulting action, the House will likely need to adopt the Senate’s supplemental bill. The House passed the Senate’s bill but added $10 billion for education jobs and $4.9 billion to cover the Pell Grant shortfall. Although the new funding is offset, it appears that there is sufficient opposition to the inclusion of these funds to block passage of the bill.

House Passes Supplemental Appropriations Bill

2010-07-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last night, the House of Representative passed an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill, H.R. 4899, by a vote of 239-182, and one voting present. The amendment, which was offered by House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI), includes $10 billion for education jobs and $4.95 billion for the Pell Grant shortfall. With the passage of this new amendment, the bill will have to be sent back to the Senate for reconsideration. In total, the House added an additional $23 billion for domestics activities over the Senate passed bill. The Senate and House have adjourned for the July 4th recess. The Senate is not expected to take up the bill until later this month.

During House consideration, the White House threatened to veto the bill because $800 million in education-related rescissions were included to offset additional funding within the bill. The White House veto threat and additional Senate action raises concerns about whether the House provisions will be passed by the Senate. There is an expectation that the education rescissions will be removed during Senate consideration. The House also passed a budget resolution, but this resolution only applies to the House.

In other news, President Barack Obama called on Congress yesterday to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. In his speech, President Obama renewed his support for the DREAM Act. ACCT, with the Act on the DREAM Coalition, is encouraging to Congress to start the process and pass DREAM this session of Congress.

Congress Works to Wrap Up Tax Extenders and Appropriations Bill

2010-06-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

This week, Congress has been working to wrap up activity on the tax extenders bill and the supplemental appropriations bill. Senate leaders have revised the extenders bill by scaling down the cost of the bill again, but it still appears that the bill lacks the necessary votes to break the filibuster. The Senate bill includes important changes to the Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program, which was funded within the reconciliation bill.

Recently, House Republican leaders announced that they would oppose any additional dollars beyond funds for war and disasters, even if the funding is offset by other funds. This adds an additional hurdle as Congressional leaders work to finalize a bill that has been pending for a number of weeks. Meanwhile, funding for education jobs is now down to $10 billion from $23 billion. The funding appears to be offset, but the offset will not come from ARRA unspent funds. The status of the Pell Grant shortfall funds is unclear, but the overall sense is that these funds may be in jeopardy due to the desire to limit funding to war and disasters.

The Congressional district work period/recess for July 4th is rapidly approaching, and there is a strong desire to finalize action on these two bills before the recess. It is unclear what actions will be made to advance these two important bills.

Today, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing entitled “Emerging Risk? An Overview of the Federal Investment in For-Profit Education.” The committee will hold additional hearings to examine the for-profit sector due to the disproportionate share of federal financial aid and the rise in student loan default rates.

Click here to read the committee's report on the for-profit sector.

Click here to view the hearing.

ACCT Joins DREAM Act Coalition

2010-06-17T05:54:00.001-07:00

Today, ACCT joined forces with 24 other organizations to create the Act on the DREAM Coalition to urge Congress and the Obama Administration to finally pass the DREAM Act. With the short time period before the congressional elections, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that Congress will consider comprehensive immigration reform that the DREAM Act has been a part of for a number of years. The Act on the Dream Coalition is asking Congress to consider and pass the DREAM Act as a separate piece of legislation this year. The Senate version, S. 729, has 38 co-sponsors; the House version, H.R. 1751, has 120 co-sponsors. ACCT encourages members and other supporters of the DREAM Act to visit the Coalition’s website at: http://actonthedream.org/.

Senate leaders were unsuccessful in proceeding to consider H.R. 4213, its version of the “tax extenders” bill. The Senate voted 45-62 on the bill, which would have required 60 votes to move to consider the bill. The large price tag of the bill, nearly $140 billion (of which $60 billion is offset), continues to be the major factor in halting action on the bill, even though most of the extensions have strong support. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) is expected to introduce a stripped-down version of H.R. 4213. The Senate bill includes important changes to the Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program, which was funded within the reconciliation bill. ACCT will monitor developments closely to ensure that the provisions remain in the final bill. The Senate bill summary can be viewed at: http://finance.senate.gov/legislation/download/?id=c43e1c4b-c9e2-498d-bb68-ebe84ecf9003.

House Passes Extenders Bill

2010-05-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Today the House passed H.R. 4213, its version of the “tax extenders” bill, by 215-204 vote. The total cost of the bill, $115 billion, has been scaled down from the previous version. The bill extends unemployment benefits and other tax provisions, and it contains important changes to the Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program, which was funded within the reconciliation bill. The Senate has adjourned and will not take up the extenders bill until after June 7th when Congress is back in session.

The bill summary can be viewed at: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=11199.

Last night, the Senate completed action on its supplemental appropriations bill by passing the bill by a 67-28 vote. The Senate now waits for the House to complete action so it can conference a bill. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider its bill the week after the Memorial Day recess period. Earlier this week, House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) announced that he was going to include $23 billion for education jobs and $5.7 billion for the Pell Grant shortfall. Unfortunately, the education jobs funds do not apply to public higher education. The House leadership is working to gather support for the larger House version of the supplemental bill.

Senate Moves Closer to Passing Supplemental Bill; House Postpones Markup

2010-05-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today, the Senate voted for cloture on the supplemental appropriations bill by a vote of 69-29. This paves the way for the Senate to vote on final passage. While the Senate is finishing action, the House Appropriations Committee will not mark up its bill this week. The Committee is postponing action until after the Memorial Day recess period. Earlier this week, House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) announced that he was going to include $23 billion for education jobs and $5.7 billion for the Pell Grant shortfall. Unfortunately, the education jobs funds do not include public higher education. The House leadership is working to gather support for the larger House version of the supplemental bill.

Congressional leaders are continuing to work on a revised “tax extenders” bill, which covers a number of tax provisions that have strong bi-partisan support and have expired or are about to expire. The latest version of the bill would cost $143 billion, of which $59 billion is offset. Moderate Democrats are pushing to reduce the cost of the overall bill or find additional offsets. House leaders have indicated that they will try to have a final vote on the “tax extenders” bill prior to the Memorial Day recess period.

For community colleges, the extenders bill contains important changes to the Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program funded by the reconciliation bill. The CCCTG program is funded at $500 million for fiscal years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

According to the summary, the provisions included in the bill would expand the program by authorizing the grants to benefit individuals who are eligible for unemployment insurance, who are likely to be eligible for unemployment insurance (according to specific criteria), or who have exhausted their unemployment insurance. Additionally, the provisions would: (1) clarify that only public and non-profit educational institutions are eligible for grants; (2) authorize the Department of Labor to spend up to five percent of program funds to administer, evaluate, and establish reporting systems for the program; and (3) give the Department of Labor more flexibility by allowing it to obligate grant funds in the year that they are appropriated as well as the subsequent fiscal year. The changes outlined for the community college grant program do not have a cost and rather only affect how the program will function. A summary of the bill can viewed at: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/America_Jobs_Summary.pdf

House Announces Supplemental Appropriations Bill Outline

2010-05-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced that he was not going to offer his bill, S. 3206, the Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010, as an amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations bill because S. 3206 did not have the support of 60 senators. Chairman Harkin noted that the majority of the senators supported the bill, but without additional support the amendment would have failed. The Senate is expected to conclude its version of the bill this week.

Meanwhile, House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) announced today that he was going to include $23 billion for education jobs within the House Supplemental Appropriations bill. Unfortunately, the House bill would only apply to K-12 education and exclude public higher education. However, Chairman Obey also announced that the House bill will contain $5.7 billion to cover the Pell Grant shortfall. While this does not account for the entire Pell Grant shortfall, it does cover most of the shortfall, which will provide flexibility for appropriators during the appropriations process. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider its bill later this week.

In other news, Congressional leaders are continuing to gather support for the “tax extenders” bill, which covers a number of tax provisions that have strong bi-partisan support, and which have expired or are about to expire. The overall cost of the bill, $192 billion, is causing some members to question whether this bill is necessary given the current economic climate. House leaders would like a final vote on the “tax extenders” bill prior to the Memorial Day recess period.

For community colleges, the extenders bill contains important changes to the Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program funded by the reconciliation bill. The CCCTG program is funded at $500 million for fiscal years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. According to the summary, the provisions included in the bill would expand the program by authorizing the grants to benefit individuals who are eligible for unemployment insurance, who are likely to be eligible for unemployment insurance (according to specific criteria), or who have exhausted their unemployment insurance. Additionally, the provisions would: (1) clarify that only public and non-profit educational institutions are eligible for grants; (2) authorize the Department of Labor to spend up to five percent of program funds to administer, evaluate, and establish reporting systems for the program; and (3) give the Department of Labor more flexibility by allowing it to obligate grant funds in the year that they are appropriated as well as the subsequent fiscal year. The changes outlined for the community college grant program do not have a cost and rather only affects how the program will function.

The summary of the bill can viewed at: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/America_Jobs_Summary.pdf

Tax Extenders Bill Introduced; Contains Changes to Community College Grant Program

2010-05-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

House and Senate leaders have introduced an extenders bill that contains a number of tax-specific and other provisions, including the extension of unemployment benefits that have expired or are expected to expire. The House is expected to consider the bill tomorrow, while the Senate will take action sometime next week. The Senate will need to finish the financial services bill prior to moving to consider the extenders bill.

For community colleges, the extenders bill introduces important changes to the Community College and Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program funded by the reconciliation bill. The CCCTG program is funded at $500 million for fiscal years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. According to the summary, the provisions included in the bill would expand the program by authorizing the grants to benefit individuals who are eligible for unemployment insurance, who are likely to be eligible for unemployment insurance (according to specific criteria), or who have exhausted their unemployment insurance. Additionally, the provisions would: (1) clarify that only public and non-profit educational institutions are eligible for grants; (2) authorize the Department of Labor to spend up to five percent of program funds to administer, evaluate, and establish reporting systems for the program; and (3) give the Department of Labor more flexibility by allowing it to obligate grant funds in the year that they are appropriated as well as the subsequent fiscal year.

The bill would also extend the deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses until the end of 2010 and extend the Build America Bonds program through 2012. The summary of the bill can viewed at: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/America_Jobs_Summary.pdf

Congress continues to work on passing a Supplemental Appropriations bill within the next couple of weeks. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) is working to get support for his bill, S. 3206 (the Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010), which will be offered on the floor as an amendment to the bill. The amendment will likely need 60 votes to pass. Meanwhile, House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) stated that the committee would consider its version of the bill sometime next week. At present, it is unclear whether the base funding included in the bill will contain the $23 billion for the education jobs bill. It is very important for the education jobs bill to be included in either bill before heading to the conference committee.

Keep Our Educators Working Act Builds Momentum

2010-05-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

S. 3206, the “Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010” bill introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), now has 26 cosponsors. The bill continues to gather co-sponsors, and it appears that the bill will be coming to the Senate floor soon. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who supports the bill, has indicated that the bill will be brought up for consideration and may come up before the Senate recesses for the Memorial Day work period. To view the bill, visit: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.3206:

In other Congressional news, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) has announced that he will not be running for re-election this fall. Chairman Obey has been a longtime champion of education programs, most specifically the Pell Grant program. In recent years, Chairman Obey has been strong proponent of increasing the Pell Grant maximum and succeeded in increasing the maximum from $4,050 in 2006-7 to $5,550 for 2010-11. If the House remains in Democratic control, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) will have seniority on the committee and is expected to succeed Chairman Obey.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing yesterday and approved the nomination of Eduardo M. Ochoa to be the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education at the Department of Education. Currently, Ochoa is Provost and Vice President at Sonoma State University in California. The full Senate still needs to consider the nomination.

The Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) has started a newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter, please email peirce.hammond@ed.gov.

Senate Committee Passes Budget Resolution

2010-04-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Senate Budget Committee approved the FY11 budget resolution by a 12-10 vote. The budget resolution provides an aggregate level for discretionary spending that is $4 billion below the President’s budget for FY11. The administration proposed to shift $17.7 billion for Pell in FY11 from discretionary to mandatory, but the budget resolution adjusted it back to discretionary spending. The budget also assumes that the $5.5 billion Pell shortfall will be paid off, but it does not provide funds to do so. Therefore, in order to shore up the shortfall, other programs will need to be cut by $5.5 billion. (The budget resolution serves as a guideline for appropriators but is not binding.) Pell Grant funding continues to be the thorniest issue and there is some concern about the how the funding situation will be addressed.

Prior to approval of the budget resolution, the committee passed an amendment by a 16-6 vote. The amendment requires 60 senators to vote in favor of spending more than 20 percent of savings from the reconciliation on new programs. It appears that the budget resolution will come to the floor in a few weeks after the Senate deals with the financial reform bill. The President does not sign the resolution.

In other news, Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010, the bill introduced by Senator Harkin (S. 3206), now has 20 cosponsors, the newest being Sens. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Ted Kaufman (D-DE). Sen. Harkin is continuing to gather co-sponsors and plans to attach the bill as part of a supplemental appropriations legislation.

Chairman Harkin Introduces Education Jobs Bill

2010-04-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today, Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced “Keep Our Educators Working Act,” which would provide $23 billion to states to support k-12 and post-secondary education positions. The program would be distributed similarly to the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund that was established in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Also, Chairman Harkin held a hearing to discuss the administration’s education budget and the Education Jobs bill with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testifying. Another panel of witnesses, including Mark Herzog, Chancellor of the Connecticut Community Colleges, testified before the subcommittee. All of the witnesses voiced their strong support for the education jobs bill. With the downturn in the economy and impending budget cliffs, these funds would stave off huge budget deficits and layoffs. ACCT sent a letter of support of Chairman Harkin’s bill.

The bill’s funding level mirrors the House-passed “Jobs for Main Street Act,” which was passed in December of last year. Last month, House Education and Labor Chairman George Miller (D-CA) introduced H.R. 4812, which includes funding for states and an additional $75 billion over two years for local government to retain workers, including school employees.

The hearing can be found at: http://appropriations.senate.gov/webcasts.cfm?method=webcasts.view&id=089d3b21-5bc6-4f18-89bf-b3fccb2b981b

ACCT’s letter of support can be found at: http://www.acct.org/advocacy/letters/

President Signs H.R. 4872; Announces Community College Summit Led By Dr. Biden

2010-03-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today at Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Alexandria campus, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. H.R. 4872 represents a significant infusion of funds for higher education, including annual Pell Grant program funding increases and new competitive career-training grants, which will be available to community colleges. ACCT has created a summary of the education-related provisions within H.R. 4872. The summary can be found at: http://www.acct.org/HR4872%20Summary.pdf

ACCT issued a statement in response to the signing of H.R. 4872, which is available at: http://www.acct.org/2010_ACCT_Statement_HR_4872_03-29-2010.pdf.

Dr. Jill Biden, U.S. Second Lady and professor at NOVA introduced the President. President Obama noted during his remarks that “we need to invest…in our students. We need to invest in our community colleges. We need to invest in the future of this country. We need to meet the goal I set last year and graduate more of our students than any other nation by the year 2020.”

President Obama also said, “And because community colleges like NOVA are so essential to a competitive workforce, I’ve asked your outstanding professor, Dr. Jill Biden…to host a summit on community colleges at the White House this fall. And we’re going to bring everybody together, from educators to students, experts to business leaders. We are going to bring everybody together to share innovative ideas about how we can help students earn degrees and credentials, and to forge private sector partnerships so we can better prepare America’s workforce and America’s workers to succeed in the 21st century.” ACCT will continue to provide updates on the summit as the planning for the event progresses.

Additionally, with the signing of the bill, the White House released a fact sheet on the Community College and Career Training Grant program. According to the fact sheet, community colleges could apply for funds to do the following:

Work with businesses: Colleges could build partnerships with businesses and the workforce investment system to create career pathways through which workers will earn new credentials and promotions through step-by-step, worksite education programs that build essential skills. Colleges will work closely with employers to design training that is relevant to the local labor market and likely to lead to employment and careers.
Create education partnerships: Colleges could work with other educational institutions to expand course offerings and promote the transfer of credit among colleges.
Teach basic skills: Colleges could improve remedial and adult education programs, accelerating students’ progress and integrating developmental classes into academic and vocational classes.
Meet students’ needs: Colleges could offer their students more than just a course catalog through comprehensive, personalized services to help them plan their careers, stay in school, and graduate.
Develop online courses: Colleges could create open online course materials such as interactive tutors.

The fact sheet can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/100326-community-college-fact-sheet.pdf

President Obama’s and Dr. Biden’s remarks can be found online at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-and-dr-jill-biden-signing-health-care-and-education-reconciliatio

Full video of the event can be viewed at: http://www.c-span.org/flvPop.aspx?src=project/health/health033010_obama.flv&s=57.077&e=2252.05&live=N&pop=Y&srv=fms.c-span.org&remote=N

Congress Passes Reconciliation Bill; Heads to President's Desk for Signature

2010-03-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Congress passed H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Bill of 2010, which contains health-care legislation fixes and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA). Earlier in the day, the Senate passed the bill by a 56-43 vote, after removing two provisions within the bill that were found to be in violation to the reconciliation rules. Of the two violations, the most important one was a “hold harmless” provision related to the Pell Grant program. The “hold harmless” provision was supposed to ensure that students would not see a drop in the Pell maximum if funding for Pell declined. This provision would not kick in until FY2013, when the maximum is expected to increase within the bill. Additionally, the maximum would only decrease if Appropriators significantly lowered the discretionary Pell Grant maximum base, which is $4,860. Congressional leaders are working to reinsert the “hold harmless” language in to another bill.

After Senate passage, the House quickly passed the revised reconciliation bill by a vote of 220-207. With House passage, President Obama is expected to sign the bill very soon. As of today, Congress will be out of session through the next two weeks as part of the spring district work recess, which starts on Monday.

H.R. 4872 eliminates the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and moves all federal student loans into the Direct Loan program. Colleges participating in the federal student loans program will need to move to the Direct Loan program by July 1, 2010. Through the conversion to the Direct Loan program, the bill creates $61 billion in savings, which will be utilized for a number of programs and deficit reduction. Most notably, the bill provides $13.5 billion to pay for the Pell Grant shortfall and $22.6 billion to support a Pell Grant maximum increase in an amount equal to the consumer price index since the newest projected shortfall is $19.5 billion. The infusion of funds will ensure that a large amount of the shortfall is taken care of, but Congress will still need to find the remaining amount in the appropriations process. Additionally, $2.55 billion would be allocated to fund Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and tribal colleges.

From the community college perspective, the bill contains $2 billion for community colleges, the Community College and Career Training Grant Program ($500 million for each of four years, fiscal years 2011-2014), which was authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program will support educational and career-training programs focused on dislocated workers and unemployed workers. The program will likely be a competitive program (meaning that colleges must submit an application in order to receive funding), but each state will be guaranteed .5% of the total funding, which totals $2.5 million per state. The program will be run by the Department of Labor and is located within the finance section of the bill.

In other news, Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter and Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration Jane Oates testified yesterday before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. During the hearing, Kanter and Oates called for Congress to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act.

More information including the testimony on the hearing can be found here: http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_lhhse.shtml

Senate Poised to Pass Reconciliation Bill, Needs to go Back to House for Consideration

2010-03-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, during the Senate debate on H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Bill of 2010, which contains health-care legislation fixes and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), two provisions within the bill were found to be in violation to the reconciliation rules. Of the two violations, the most important one was a “hold harmless” provision related to the Pell Grant program. The “hold harmless” provision was supposed to ensure that students would not see a drop in the Pell maximum if funding for Pell declined. The two violations are being removed the bill. The Senate also defeated a number of amendments that would have changed the underlying bill. The Senate will continue considering amendments, with a goal of final passage of the bill sometime today. Since the Senate bill is now different than the House bill, when the Senate passes the bill, it will be sent back to the House for its consideration.

This past weekend, the House passed the reconciliation bill by a vote of 220-211. The House is working to schedule a vote on H.R. 4872 once the Senate completes the bill. Congressional leaders are working to finalize and pass the legislation prior to Congress adjourning for the spring district work recess, which starts on Monday. House leaders expect to pass the revised bill, which will then be sent to President Obama for his signature. President Obama supports the reconciliation bill.

H.R. 4872 eliminates the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and moves all federal student loans into the Direct Loan program. Colleges participating in the federal student loans program will need to move to the Direct Loan program by July 1, 2010. Through the conversion to the Direct Loan program, the bill creates $61 billion in savings, which will be utilized for a number of programs and deficit reduction. Most notably, the bill provides $13.5 billion to pay for the Pell Grant shortfall and $22.6 billion to support a Pell Grant maximum increase in an amount equal to the consumer price since the newest projected shortfall is $19.5 billion. The infusion of funds will ensure that a large amount of the shortfall is taken care of, but Congress will still need to find the remaining amount in the appropriations process. Additionally, $2.55 billion would be allocated to fund Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and tribal colleges.

From the community college perspective, the bill contains $2 billion for community colleges, the Community College and Career Training Grant Program ($500 million for each of four years, fiscal years 2011-2014), which was authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program will support educational and career-training programs focused on dislocated workers and unemployed workers. The program will likely be a competitive program (meaning that colleges must submit an application in order to receive funding), but each state will be guaranteed .5% of the total funding, which totals $2.5 million per state. The program will be run by the Department of Labor and is located within the finance section of the bill.

ACCT sent a letter in support of the education-related provisions within H.R. 4872. The letter can be read at: http://www.acct.org/Miller4872LetterSupport.pdf

A fact sheet from the House Committee on Education and Labor can be read at: http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/20100318StudentAidandFiscalResponsibilityAct.pdf

House Passes Reconciliation Bill

2010-03-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed health-care legislation, paving the way for the House to pass H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Bill of 2010, which contains health-care legislation fixes and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA). The House passed the reconciliation bill by a vote of 220-211. H.R. 4872 eliminates the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and moves all federal student loans into the Direct Loan program. Colleges participating in federal student loans will need to move to the Direct Loan program by July 1, 2010.

Through the conversion to the Direct Loan program, the bill creates $61 billion in savings, which will be utilized for a number of programs and deficit reduction. Most notably, the bill provides $13.5 billion to pay for the Pell Grant shortfall and $22.6 billion to support a Pell Grant maximum increase in an amount equal to the consumer price index, totaling $5,550 in 2010 and up to $5,975 by 2017. (The CPI increase will start in 2013 and end in 2017.) The Pell Grant funding is critical, especially since the newest projected shortfall is $19.5 billion. The infusion of funds will ensure that a large amount of the shortfall is taken care of, but Congress will still need to find the remaining amount in the appropriations process. Additionally, $2.55 billion would be allocated to fund Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and tribal colleges.

From the community college perspective, the bill contains $2 billion for community colleges, the Community College and Career Training Grant Program ($500 million for each of four years, fiscal years 2011-2014), which was authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program will support educational and career-training programs focused on dislocated workers and unemployed workers. The program will likely be a competitive program, but each state will be guaranteed .5% of the total funding, which totals $2.5 million per state. The program will be run by the Department of Labor and is located within the finance section of the bill.

ACCT sent a letter in support of the education related provisions within H.R. 4872, the letter can be read at: http://www.acct.org/Miller4872LetterSupport.pdf

A fact sheet from the House Committee on Education and Labor can be read at: http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/20100318StudentAidandFiscalResponsibilityAct.pdf

H.R. 4872 now heads to the Senate for consideration. The Senate is expected to take a considerable amount time to debate amendments and points of order to the overall bill. It still expected that the Senate will pass the bill. If there are no changes, the bill will be sent to the President for his signature. If there are changes, the House will need to reconsider and pass the modified bill.

Reconciliation Bill Update

2010-03-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today, Congress and the Administration continue to work on gathering support for a reconciliation bill that will contain the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) and health-care reform legislation. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is expected to release its finding on the pending legislation soon, which will provide the funding and budget outlines within the bill. This aspect is critical to gathering additional support for the bill. House leaders have indicated that they would like a vote on a final bill by the end of the weekend.

On the SAFRA front, there have been indications that the funding for the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) may not be included within the reconciliation bill. AGI funding is in jeopardy because Congress is using a new CBO score of SAFRA, resulting in $67 billion in savings ($20 billion less than the House passed SAFRA). The SAFRA savings is generated through the conversion of the Federal Family Education Loan Program into the Direct Loan Program. The score, coupled with the rise in Pell Grant-eligible students, has reduced the amount of funding available for AGI. Additionally, some Senators object to creating new bills in the reconciliation process. The SAFRA funding will be primarily focused on funding a Pell Grant maximum increase and deficit reduction.

On the Jobs bill front, the Senate passed its first installment of the Jobs Bill, a $17.6 billion jobs bill, by a vote of 68-29. The bill includes a payroll tax break for new hires, a small-business expensing provision, surface-transportation funding, and bond financing for infrastructure projects. The House passed the bill earlier; the bill will now be forwarded to President Obama for his signature. President Obama is expected to sign the bill. Congress is continuing efforts to move other pieces of Jobs legislation.

GRANT NEWS

The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration announced the Community-Based Job Training Grant competition for this year. The closing date for the competition will be April 29th. Funded at $125 million, the awards will be distributed to “support workforce training for high-growth/high-demand industries through the national system of community, technical, and Tribal colleges.”

For more information: http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/SGA-DFA-PY-09-07.pdf

Tell Congress to Fund the American Graduation Initiative

2010-03-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED

According to a number of sources, Congress will include SAFRA with health-care legislation in a reconciliation bill. Inside Higher Ed this morning stated that "the odds of that happening are better than not," although "it is far from certain."

ACCT urges you to contact your Members of Congress NOW and encourage them to fund the American Graduation Initiative.

Congressional leaders and the Administration continue to deliberate on a final bill, but there are major concerns that the funding the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) will be stripped in a final bill. AGI is the three-tiered program focused on providing around $10 billion for community college modernization and community college programs. AGI is vital to ensuring that community colleges are able to deal with increasing enrollments and meet the goals of increasing higher education attainment.

You still have time to tell your federal legislators how important the American Graduation Initiative is to your community, your students, and your college. But you must act NOW and CALL TODAY.

Contact information for U.S. Senators can be found at: http://www.acct.org/senators_phone_list.pdf

Contact information for members of the U.S. House of Representatives can be found at: http://www.acct.org/House%20Phone%20List%201-5.pdf

Members of Congress can also be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

You can also write to your Senators and Representatives via the ACCT Policy Center at http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=acct.

For more information, contact Jee Hang Lee at jhlee@acct.org or (202) 775-4450.

Growing Concern About SAFRA Inclusion in Reconciliation; New Jobs Bill Introduced

2010-03-11T11:02:00.001-08:00

Today, Congressional leaders and the Administration continue discussions and negotiations on health-care reform legislation. As the discussion progresses, there are growing concerns about the inclusion of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) in health-care reconciliation legislation. With a small group of Democratic Senators opposing the current form of SAFRA, the outlook for passing a health-care bill that includes SAFRA is becoming increasingly difficult. ACCT continues to advocate for SAFRA and is monitoring the situation. Community college trustees, presidents and other leaders who are currently attending the 2010 National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C. continue to urge their members of Congress to include SAFRA in the reconciliation.

In other news, the Senate today passed H.R. 4213, The American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010. This bill largely extends several exporting or expired programs including several of interest to education, such as the deduction. The bill passed 62-13. The bill now returns to the House, which passed its original version on last December. The Senate still has to consider the House amendments to H.R. 2847. This is the "smaller" $15-17 billion jobs bill, which includes additional subsidies for school construction bonds.

Also, Education and Labor committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) today introduced a new jobs bill, The Local Jobs for America Act. This bill includes the $23 billion for education aid that was part of the December House-passed Jobs for Mainstreet Act, and an additional $75 billion over two years to local governments to help retain workers - including school employees. More information is available at: http://georgemiller.house.gov/news/2010/03/congress_and_mayors_announce_n.html

Tell Your Senators to Support the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA)

2010-03-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

With the White House calling on Congress to pass health-care reform legislation by March 18th, the timing for the Senate's consideration of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), is fast approaching. This is significant because Congress had also considered using the reconciliation process to pass SAFRA; however, the reconciliation process can only be used once per year. SAFRA has been on hold while health-care reform legislation worked its way through Congress.

We need each trustee, president, and community college leader to voice support for the bill immediately. As part of the National Legislative Summit next week, hundreds of community college leaders will descend upon Washington and urge their Members of Congress to support SAFRA. But we need your immediate assistance to ensure that Senators know how important this legislation is for community colleges.

Community colleges are now part of the national discussion and now is our time to seize the moment and ACT on behalf of our students and institutions. SAFRA contains the largest federal investment aimed at community colleges. Please act NOW to ensure continued support of your intuition.

Under SAFRA, the Federal Family Education Loan Program would be eliminated and all new federal student loans would be Direct Loans. Most importantly, SAFRA contains the American Graduation Initiative (AGI), which provides almost $10 billion for community colleges. We need you to urge your Senators to keep AGI funding at $12 billion, the level requested by President Obama. If the Senate decides to accommodate the March 18th timeframe, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will need to introduce and pass their version of SAFRA soon.

ACCT has prepared a draft letter for your use. The letter can be sent directly to your representatives through ACCT's Policy Center online at: http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=acct. Additionally, you should also make phone calls to your Senators in support of H.R. 3221. Senators may be reached utilizing the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121.

ACCT's House-passed H.R. 3221 summary of community college-related items within the bill can be found at: http://www.acct.org/HR3221-Summary.pdf.

For more information, contact Jee Hang Lee at jhlee@acct.org or (202) 775-4450.

House Passes Senate Jobs Bill with a Slight Change

2010-03-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Today, the House of Representatives passed the first part of the Senate Jobs bill by a 217-201 vote. Prior to passing the bill, the House Democrats changed the effective date of a provision to provide about $2 billion to cover the cost of the bill. Since the House changed the bill, the Senate will have to consider and pass the bill again. If the Senate passes the bill, it will be sent to President Obama for his signature. Meanwhile, the Senate continues to work on passing the second part of the Senate Jobs bill. The Senate is considering amendments to the bill with the goal of final passage sometime next week.

In other news, the White House has called on Congress to pass health-care reform legislation by March 18th. At this time, it appears that Congress will utilize the budget-reconciliation process to pass portions of health-care reform. This is significant because Congress had also considered using the reconciliation process to pass H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA); however, the reconciliation process can only be used once per year. SAFRA has been on hold while health-care reform legislation worked its way through Congress. SAFRA would eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan Program and all new federal student loans would be Direct Loans. Most importantly, SAFRA contains the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) which provides almost $10 billion for community colleges. There is an expectation that the Senate’s version of SAFRA will likely contain less funds for AGI because the increased funds necessary to cover the rise in the number of Pell Grant recipients. If the Senate decides to move to accommodate the March 18th timeframe, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will need to introduce and pass their version of SAFRA soon.

The first part of the Senate’s Jobs bill includes:

1) Payroll Tax Exemption: offers an exemption from social security payroll taxes for every worker hired in 2010 that has been unemployed for at least 60 days. There would also be an additional $1,000 income-tax credit for every new employee retained for 52 weeks, to be taken on the employer’s 2011 income tax return. ($13 billion)
2) Section 179 Expensing: helps small businesses grow by allowing them to write off more of their expenditures.
3) Highway Trust Fund Extension: extends existing highway programs, which provides states and localities with the certainty they need to make decisions on projects.
4) Expansion of Build America Bonds: allows state and local governments to borrow at lower costs to finance more infrastructure projects and put people to work. ($2 billion)

The second part of the Senate’s Jobs bill provides unemployment insurance and COBRA health benefits from February 28, 2010 – December 31, 2010. The total package costs $150 billion. Additionally, the bill extends a number of tax credits that have expired, including the qualified tuition deduction, research and development credit, increased funding for state Medicaid programs, and a number of credits aimed at small businesses. This bill does not include funding for an “Education Jobs Fund.”

To view the press release, go to: http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2010press/prb030110b.pdf

Senate Jobs Bill Part 2 Introduced; President Obama Visits Savannah Technical College

2010-03-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced the second phase of the Senate’s Job Agenda. The introduced bill, known as the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act, would be a substitute amendment to H.R. 4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009. The bill provides unemployment insurance and COBRA health benefits from February 28, 2010 – December 31, 2010. The total package costs $150 billion.

Additionally, the bill extends a number of tax credits that have expired, including the qualified tuition deduction, research and development credit, increased funding for state Medicaid programs, and a number of credits aimed at small businesses. This bill does not include funding for an “Education Jobs Fund.”

To view the press release, go to: http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2010press/prb030110b.pdf

At present, it is unclear how the Senate will proceed with this bill. The Senate is currently working to consider extending unemployment insurance for one month, but the Senate cannot finalize action because of a procedural objection. Meanwhile, the House Democratic leaders are working to gather support to pass the first part of the Senate Jobs bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is trying to gather support for the Senate Jobs bill. The House leadership expects to consider the Senate Jobs bill sometime this week.

In other news, President Barack Obama visited Savannah Technical College in Georgia today as part his “Main Street Tour.” The President spoke to students of the Savannah YouthBuild program, which puts at-risk youth through a combined GED/construction program, as part of his continuing effort to vocalize his support for community and technical college-based workforce training programs. During the visit, he announced a newly proposed program designed to provide incentives for homeowners to retrofit their homes in a more energy-efficient manner. The Home Star program, which was first outlined in the president's State of the Union address, would provide rebates to homeowners of up to $3,000 for making energy efficient improvements to their houses. Customers would be eligible for direct rebates at the point of sale, according to the White House.

"This is a commonsense approach that will help jump start job creation while making our economy stronger," the President said. "It's what's right to plan for our future." The President has also visited Lehigh Carbon Community College in Pennsylvania and Lorain County Community College in Ohio as part of the tour.

Additionally, the White House is hosting a discussion on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) with White House Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

For more information, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/02/reforming-student-loans-paving-road-opportunity

Secretary Duncan Testifies on Education Budget Request

2010-02-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

February 25, 2010 — Today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified before the House Budget Committee to outline the Department’s budget for FY 2011. The budget outlines $10.6 billion for the American Graduation Initiative. Secretary Duncan’s testimony can be found here: http://budget.house.gov/hearings/2010/02.25.2010_Duncan_Testimony.pdf

The Department of Education’s budget information can be found here: http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget11/summary/edlite-section1.html

Yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on “A Stronger Workforce Investment System for a Stronger Economy.” Most notably, Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) stated that Congress would pass the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) this year. Dr. Robert Templin, Jr., President of Northern Virginia Community College testified on behalf of community colleges and outlined the priorities of AACC and ACCT on WIA reauthorization.

The WIA priorities and background information can be found here: http://www.acct.org/advocacy/priorities/

To view the hearing, click here:
http://help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=99586896-5056-9502-5d82-cabe2d595170

On the Jobs legislation front, House Congressional leaders are now working to bring the Senate Jobs legislation to the House floor for consideration.

In other news, the White House earlier this week announced President Barack Obama’s intention to nominate Dr. Eduardo M. Ochoa as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education. Dr. Ochoa is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Sonoma State University. He is responsible for the University’s academic programs, strategic planning, and overall diversity initiative.

Senate Invokes Cloture on Jobs Legislation

2010-02-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

On Monday, the Senate invoked cloture (end debate or limit time for bill consideration) by a 62-30 vote on the Senate Jobs legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). The Senate Jobs legislation would provide $15 billion in tax cuts, with the bulk of the funding intended to help employers hire new employees. The Senate is now expected to consider and pass its bill sometime this week. The legislation includes:

Payroll Tax Exemption: offers an exemption from social security payroll taxes for every worker hired in 2010 who has been unemployed for at least 60 days. There would also be an additional $1,000 income tax credit for every new employee retained for 52 weeks to be taken on the employer’s 2011 income tax return. ($13 billion)
Section 179 Expensing: helps small businesses grow by allowing them to write off more of their expenditures.
Highway Trust Fund Extension: extends existing highway programs, which provides states and localities with the certainty they need to make decisions on projects.
Expansion of Build America Bonds: allows state and local governments to borrow at lower costs to finance more infrastructure projects and put people to work. ($2 billion)

The Senate bill differs greatly from the House Jobs bill (see below) and it is unclear how they will proceed to conference a final bill. Majority Leader Reid did announce that he would introduce bills to cover a wide range of provisions that were included in the House bill.

Last year, the House of Representatives passed the “Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010” by a 217-212 vote. The act provides $154 billion for a number of programs. Most importantly, $23 billion will be available to states as part of an “Education Jobs Fund” over the next two years. 95% of the funds will be allocated by states to school districts and public institutions of higher education to retain or create jobs that provide educational services and to modernize, renovate, and repair public education facilities.

The bill provides $750 million in competitive grants to train workers for jobs in high-growth fields. The bill also provides $300 million for the Federal Work Study Program.

The summary of the bill can be found here: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/Jobs_for_Main_Street_Act_of_2010_Summary.pdf.

The bill can be found here: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/2010_Jobs_For_Main_Street_Bill_Text.pdf.

Senate Jobs Bill Update

2010-02-12T13:23:00.000-08:00

Last week, the Senate Democratic leadership introduced a Jobs Bill Agenda (which can be read at http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=322107&) that covers a number of areas, including funds for states to shore up funding for education.

The Senate leadership indicated that the Senate will move individual bills that cover a number of areas as opposed to a single jobs bill such as the one passed by the House. Yesterday, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced the first part of a series of bills. The introduced bill would provide $15 billion in tax cuts, with the bulk of the funding intended to help employers hire new employees. With the Congressional recess approaching next week, it is unclear when the Senate will move this bill and other bills that cover parts of the Jobs Bill Agenda. The bill can be viewed at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?r111:./temp/~r111kLYGMn

Last year, the House of Representatives passed the “Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010” by a 217-212 vote. The act provides $154 billion for a number of programs. Most importantly, $23 billion will be available to states as part of an “Education Jobs Fund” over the next two years. 95% of the funds will be allocated by states to school districts and public institutions of higher education to retain or create jobs that provide educational services and to modernize, renovate, and repair public education facilities.

The bill provides $750 million in competitive grants to train workers for jobs in high-growth fields. The bill also provides $300 million for the Federal Work Study Program.

The summary of the bill can be found here: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/Jobs_for_Main_Street_Act_of_2010_Summary.pdf.

The bill can be found here: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/2010_Jobs_For_Main_Street_Bill_Text.pdf.

Obama Administration Releases FY2011 Budget

2010-02-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

Today, President Barack Obama formally released his FY2011 Budget Request. The budget request is a formal submission to Congress. The President’s budget provides $49.7 billion (7.5% increase over the FY2010 budget request) for the Department of Education, but this figure does not include the Pell Grant program. The Administration is seeking to move the Pell Grant into the mandatory side of the federal budget. If this switch was to occur, the Pell Grant program would not be subject to the annual discretionary appropriations process. The total budget request for Pell is $34.9 billion and would provide for a $5,710 Pell Grant maximum. It is estimated that there is a $18 billion Pell Grant shortfall.

The Department of Education FY2011 budget request also includes “$10.6 billion over 10 years for the President's American Graduation Initiative, to strengthen and support community colleges, focus on college completion, and graduate 5 million more students by 2020.” The House passed version of H.R. 3221, “Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act,” provides $9.5 billion for AGI. The AGI funding amount is expected to increase in the Senate bill, which still has not been released.

Below are some other key other funding areas:

Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education State Grants: $1.26 billion, an increase of $103 million (the increase comes from the consolidation of Tech-Prep)
Tech-Prep State Grants: $0, a decrease of $103 million
Strengthening Institutions: $88.2 million, an increase of $4.2 million
Hispanic Serving Institutions: $123.3 million, an increase of $6 million
Predominantly Black Institutions: $11.3 million, an increase of $500 thousand
College Pathways and Accelerated Learning: $100 million (a new program, focused on early college initiatives and Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate)
Work-study: $980.5 million, level funding
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants: $958.8 million, level funding

Click here for more information from the Department of Education.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor also released its budget request, which includes $14 billion for its programs. Unfortunately, the Career Pathways program is slated to be consolidated because the Department believes that many of the programs would be eligible for funding under the American Graduation Initiative. The Department would provide $85 million for a program focused on Green Jobs and $261 million for two new innovation funds for job training. Additionally, language was inserted in the request for the Workforce Investment Act to allow local workforce boards to award contracts to institutions of higher education or other eligible training providers.

Click here for more information from the Department of Labor.

Education Proposals to be Part of the State of Union Address

2010-01-27T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today, President Barack Obama will be giving his first State of Union address to the Joint Session of Congress. According to the White House, President Obama is expected to push for additional education dollars for higher education and K-12. The Administration is requesting that the Department of Education’s funding level grow by 6%. The President will likely press Congress to pass the FY2010 Education Reconciliation and the American Graduation Initiative. The Administration’s formal budget request will be released on Monday, February 1.

As for the jobs bill, Senate Democratic leaders are coalescing around a proposal that would provide over $80 billion for infrastructure, energy, and state aid. The House passed its $154 billion jobs bill in December. The Senate Democratic leaders may unveil their bill as early as tomorrow.

In other news, the Center for American Progress held an event on “Community Colleges and Competitiveness: Generating Economic Opportunity Through Innovation in Postsecondary Education” this morning in Washington, D.C. The event was keynoted by Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, a professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Assistant Secretary of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education Brenda Dann Messier also keynoted the event.

The event had a number of other speakers including Gail Mellow, President of LaGuardia Community College and Keith Bird, Chancellor Emeritus of Kentucky Community and Technical College System. More information can be found at: http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2010/01/commcoll.html. The video for the event should be available online shortly.

Department of Commerce Funding Opportunities Announced

2010-01-15T14:38:00.001-08:00

Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced the availability of $4.8 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants and loans to expand broadband opportunities. There are significant funding opportunities for community colleges within these grants. Below is the pertinent information for community colleges that was included in the department’s press release.

NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)

NTIA’s NOFA allocates approximately $2.6 billion in this funding round of which approximately $2.35 billion will be made available for infrastructure projects. In this round, NTIA is adopting a “comprehensive communities” approach as its top priority in awarding infrastructure grants, focusing on middle mile broadband projects that connect key community anchor institutions – such as libraries, hospitals, community colleges, universities, and public safety institutions. Comprehensive Community Infrastructure projects maximize the benefits of BTOP by leveraging resources, promoting sustainable community growth, and ultimately laying the foundation for reasonably priced broadband service to consumers and businesses.

In addition, NTIA plans to award at least $150 million of the funding for Public Computer Center projects, which will expand access to broadband service and enhance broadband capacity at public libraries, community colleges, and other institutions that service the general public. NTIA also plans to award at least $100 million for Sustainable Broadband Adoption projects, which include projects to provide broadband education, training, and equipment, particularly to vulnerable population groups where broadband technology has traditionally been underutilized.

For more information, visit: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/frnotices/2010/FR_BTOPNOFA_100115.pdf

Or visit the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program website: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/

AGI Waits for Health Care to be Completed; NLS Speakers Announced

2010-01-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2010—Prior to the winter holidays, the Senate finally passed its version of health-care reform. The Administration, House, and Senate are now working together to reach a compromise bill. The White House is pushing to get the bill completed prior to the State of the Union address later in January, but it appears that the timing of the bill will run into February. The House will be back in session on January 12 and the Senate will return on January 19.

Under the above scenario for health care, there is an expectation that the Senate will take up the education budget reconciliation and the American Graduation Initiative in February. In other major news, the Senate’s action on the jobs bill legislation is still pending. It is unclear whether the Senate bill will be similar to the House bill.

ACCT continues to work on gathering co-sponsors for H.R. 4196, the Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act, sponsored by Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX). Currently, the bill has 335 co-sponsors. Rep. Larson is still working to attach the bill as part of a larger legislative vehicle. Adding more co-sponsors will facilitate the process.

In other advocacy news, ACCT is excited to start off the new year by announcing the names of three distinguished leaders in media, politics, economics, and business who will be making keynote addresses at the 2010 National Legislative Summit (NLS):

• David Gregory, Moderator, NBC’s Meet the Press
• William D. Green, CEO and Chairman, Accenture
• David Leonhardt, Economics Columnist, The New York Times

The 2010 NLS comes after an unprecedented year of legislative support for community colleges at the federal level. Your participation in this annual event is essential to showing your lawmakers the importance of community colleges to the nation's education as well as the workforce and economy.

You still have time to register for the 2010 NLS.

Click here to register no w, or click here for more information.

House Passes Jobs Bill

2009-12-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the “Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010” by a 217-212 vote. The act provides $154 billion for a number of programs. Most importantly, $23 billion will be available to states as part of an Education Jobs Fund over the next two years. 95% of the funds will be allocated by states to school districts and public institutions of higher education to retain or create jobs that provide educational services and to modernize, renovate, and repair public education facilities.

The bill provides $750 million in competitive grants to train workers for jobs in high-growth fields. The bill also provides $300 million for the College Work Study program. The summary of the bill can be found here.

The bill can be found here.

The Senate will not take up the Jobs bill legislation before their holiday recess. Additionally, it is unclear whether the Senate bill will be similar to the House’s bill.

ACCT continues to work on gathering co-sponsors for H.R. 4196, the Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act, sponsored by Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX). Currently, the bill has 31 co-sponsors. Rep. Larson is still working to attach the bill as part of a larger legislative vehicle. Adding more co-sponsors will facilitate the process.

Meanwhile, Congress has passed its Omnibus Appropriations bill, which includes the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill. President Obama’s signed the bill into law yesterday. A summary can be viewed here.

President Obama's Speech on Job Creation; Congress Finalizes Funding Bill

2009-12-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, President Barack Obama gave a speech at the Brookings Institute outlining his goals for a prospective job creation bill. The speech outlined three key areas: 1) Helping small businesses expand investment, hire workers and access credit; 2) Investing in America’s roads, bridges and infrastructure; and 3) Creating jobs through energy efficiency and clean-energy investments.

The White House fact sheet on these goals can be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-proposals-accelerate-job-growth-and-lay-foundation-robust.

President Obama’s speech can be viewed here: http://www.brookings.edu/events/2009/1208_jobs_obama.aspx.

Congress is beginning to work on a jobs package, but it is unclear whether Congress will be able to move a bill prior to adjourning for the holidays. House Democratic leaders have indicated that they have a strong desire to introduce a bill prior to adjournment. ACCT is working to gather co-sponsors for H.R. 4196, the Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act, sponsored by Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX). The bill currently has 12 additional co-sponsors.

In other news, House and Senate Appropriations leaders announced that they had agreed to a nearly $450 billion omnibus appropriations bill that will include 5 appropriations bills, including $163.6 billion for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill. The bill provides for a $5,550 Pell Grant maximum. Additionally, other funding levels include: 1) $125 million for the Career Pathways Innovation Fund (formerly Community-Based Job Training Grant program); 2) $603 million for minority-serving institutions; and 3) $40 million for a green jobs program. A summary can be viewed at: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/FY10_LHHS_Conference_Summary.pdf.

The passage of the omnibus appropriations bill will result in one remaining appropriations bill, for defense appropriations. Congress is working to pass these bills soon because the current continuing resolution, which is funding the federal government, expires on December 18th. Congress may use the defense appropriations bill as the vehicle to move any jobs bill.

Reps. Larson and Hinojosa Introduce H.R. 4196, Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act

2009-12-07T06:26:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) introduced H.R. 4196, the Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act. The bill provides a one-time allocation of $700 million to states which in turn will provide grants to community colleges. H.R. 4196 provides critical funds to community colleges as they work to meet the wave of students entering community colleges. The bill’s sponsors are concerned about the perfect storm (higher enrollment and less funding) occurring on community college campuses. Therefore, bill provides critical funds to colleges to deal with staffing and faculty shortages to meet the rising enrollments. Colleges will be able to use funds to cover costs related to maintaining, or hiring additional faculty and staff, counselors or others. Additionally, the bill provides $50 million for a federal competitive grant program targeted to career and technical colleges.

Reps. Larson and Hinojosa are currently working to gather co-sponsors to their bill. The goal is to have the bill attached as part of any jobs package that Congress may move in the coming months. ACCT urges its members to reach out their Congressional members in support of H.R. 4196. The bill can be viewed at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4196:.

Senate Education Reconciliation Bill Still on Hold

2009-11-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

This weekend, the Senate is expected to conduct a key procedural vote, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed for cloture to begin consideration of the Senate health care reform bill. If the Senate is able to get the 60 necessary votes, it will begin consideration of the Senate health care legislation. Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Reid noted yesterday that the Senate will not use the reconciliation process for health care. It is unclear what other procedural alternatives would remain for health care if the Senate does not get cloture on the bill.

Congress is still on track to utilize the reconciliation process for education, but the Senate is still waiting for action to be determined on health care before it considers the education reconciliation bill. The Senate’s education reconciliation bill is expected to contain the American Graduation Initiative (AGI). ACCT is hopeful that the Senate will provide greater funding for the American Graduation Initiative than the House bill provided.

Meanwhile, Rep. John Kline (R-MN), Ranking Member of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced legislation to extend the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA). ECASLA was passed in 2008 and helped stabilize the student loan market by allowing the Department of Education to purchase Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL). The Administration and the Education Committee Chairmen have signaled that they will not seek to extend ECASLA because the proposed conversion of the FFEL to the Direct Loan program will make the extension unnecessary.

Congress Passes Another Continuing Resolution

2009-10-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Congress passed H.R. 2996, the FY2010 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which also included a continuing resolution to keep the federal government programs running through December 18. The previous continuing resolution would have expired at the end of the month. The House vote was 247-178 and the Senate vote was 72-28. The President is expected to sign the bill soon.

Congress still needs to pass the seven remaining appropriations bills. Congress will likely move a large omnibus appropriations bill that will contain the remaining bills.

Ed Department Names Frank Chong as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges

2009-10-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

The US Department of Education is confirming that they have appointed Dr. Frank Chong to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges in the Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Dr. Chong is the President of Laney College within the Peralta Community College District, since July 2006.

Prior to coming to Laney, Dr. Chong served as president and chief executive officer of Mission Community College, located in Santa Clara, and formerly served as the Dean of Student Affairs at City College of San Francisco. From 1987-1991, Chong was special assistant to the Speaker of the California State Assembly, Willie L. Brown, Jr. The Deputy Assistant Secretary position does not require Senate confirmation.

Senate HELP Committee Waits on Health Care

2009-10-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

October 19, 2009—ACCT continues to wait for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to release its version of the education reconciliation bill. HELP Committee staff have indicated that the bill will be released when the Senate health care debate clears up. If the Senate leaders are unable to gather 60 votes in support of a comprehensive health care bill, the Senate will use the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill. The education reconciliation bill is expected to contain the American Graduation Initiative (AGI). ACCT is hopeful that the Senate will provide greater funding for AGI than the House bill provided.

Earlier this month, the Senate confirmed Brenda Dann-Messier to be Assistant Secretary for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) at the Department of Education. Dann-Messier served as president of Dorcas Place, an Adult and Family Learning Center in Providence, R.I. Prior to her work at Dorcas Place, Dann-Messier worked at the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University. Dann-Messier joins Glenn Cummings, Deputy Assistant Secretary of OVAE. The Department of Education has not yet appointed a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges within OVAE.

2009 ACCT Leadership Conference: Budig Urges Community College Leaders to Take Advantage of ‘Vote of Confidence’

2009-10-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

Professor and Senior Presidential Adviser of The College Board Gene A. Budig urged 2009 ACCT Leadership Conference attendees Saturday to take advantage of the “vote of confidence” community college leaders have received from the Obama Administration.

Budig pointed to remarks made by Education Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter as “reason to have faith that good things are forthcoming.” Calling Education Secretary Arne Duncan “a community college convert,” Budig stressed that “the President shares our belief in the fundamental importance of community colleges and the central role they must play in any true and lasting economic recovery,” he said. “What a vote of confidence you have received.’

Pointing to the ambitious goals of the $12 billion American Graduation Initiative, he urged community college leaders to “be positive and of the mind that yes, we can do it,” he said. He urged community college leaders to address “inadequate accountability systems and the inadequate tracking of student outcomes.”

“Losing half our students before graduation is simply unacceptable,” Budig said. “We can do better. President Obama knows it, and everyone in this room knows it.”

At the same time, Budig added that success “depends on equitable funding and institutional commitment... Governments must step up with their checkbooks.”

Budig told Congress attendees that throughout his wide-ranging academic and professional career, including a stint as president of the American League, he has always been aided by the “simple but profound values” he learned as a student at McCook Community College in Nebraska, and reminded trustees that the one diploma hanging on the wall in his office at the College Board is his A.A. degree from McCook.

The College Board funded a report by the National Commission on Community Colleges that helped elevate community colleges during the most recent presidential race. It is also is launching a pilot plan for an initiative between two- and four-year colleges to help address the “crushing need” for general practice physicians, Budig said.

“Community colleges are committed, creative, determined and strategically located to be successful,” Budig said. “They are, ladies and gentlemen, the future... Please remember the clock is ticking, and the chance to soar is unprecedented... Let us build on our strengths and address our deficiencies. I stand with you and your noble cause.”

2009 ACCT Leadership Congress: Incoming ACCT Chair Stresses Accountability, Global Education, Engaging Membership

2009-10-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Incoming ACCT Chair Thomas M. Bennett told attendees of the ACCT 2009 Leadership Congress Saturday that “the time has come for community college leaders to define for ourselves what accountability means in the context of the community college.”

Calling the growing calls for accountability “a critical issue,” Bennett said that community college leaders “need to identify the benchmarks that reflect our multiple missions, our purposes, and student goals, and that demonstrate our successes, our effectiveness, and our impact in our local communities, our states, and our nation.”

A trustee at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., Bennett identified helping students “achieve success in a global economy” and engaging ACCT’s membership through such systems as the association’s state, province and territory coordinator network as the other key challenges for the upcoming year.

“Community colleges had had a great year. We’ve received more attention and focus from the administration, the Congress, and the media than ever before -- and for all the right reasons,” said Bennett. “But there’s more to do.”

2009 ACCT Leadership Congress: Education Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter Stresses Cooperation, Completion

2009-10-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Pledging to work with ACCT and other groups to “help frame policy that makes sense,” U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter told ACCT 2009 Leadership Congress attendees Friday that the Administration’s $12 billion American Graduation Initiative will require finding ways to “get millions more students to come to college and get through college successfully. That is what we have to do.”

Kanter, who served as chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District from 2003 to 2009, said that she and Education Secretary Arne Duncan share a common vision of a “well-articulated, seamless system of lifelong learning,” encompassing early childhood education through high school and college, as well as adult education and vocational and technical programs.

Yet a full two-thirds of the graduates or certificate holders needed to meet the AGI's 60 percent goal by 2020 will have to be drawn from “the 75 million Americans who have little or no college,” Kanter said. “That’s an enormous challenge” -- especially since only one in four underserved students who start college graduate in under six years, she said.

Funding for the AGI is included in H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, which the House of Representatives passed in September. The Senate version of the bill is expected to be made public soon.

Kanter stressed that “about half” of the grant funding included in the bill will go to access and completion proposals, “so we have many more students successfully go through our institutions.” She added that such initiatives “will have to be evidence-based. We need the accountability behind us to show that federal and state investments are paying off.”

Kanter also outlined increases in Pell Grants and other financial aid, as well as the transition to the federal direct student lending program, expected to be completed by next year. Part of the estimated $87 billion in savings from the transition will be invested back into a wide range of education initiatives, Kanter said.

During a Q&A session with other Department of Education officials later in the day, Kanter told attendees that under the current versions of the AGI legislation, the Department of Education would have the responsibility for defining accountability measures. Kanter said she envisions a “report card-like” system, and called for higher education leaders “to think about what the government needs to know about lifelong learning and how to explain it.” She also pledged to publish criteria for AGI grants for comment to help ensure they will be “fair, objective, and take into account the variations around the country -- rural, urban, and where the underserved communities are.”

Kanter reminded Congress attendees that the Obama Administration’s historic investment in higher education is driven by a simple vision. “[The President’s] goal of widely shared prosperity is something that every trustee, every community college president, and everyone in this audience believes in,” she said. “You’re in charge of supporting and increasing our democracy. This is our work. This is what we’re doing when our students cross the stage.”

2009 ACCT Leadership Congress: Foundations Identify Developmental Education, Focus on Outcomes as Key Challenges

2009-10-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Members of two of the largest foundations involved in higher education and a regional provider entering the higher education realm for the first time shared their perceptions of the joint challenges community colleges and their philanthropic funders face during a Thursday town hall meeting at the 2009 ACCT Leadership Congress. Common themes quickly emerged, including the need to restructure developmental education and reshift thinking to a stronger focus on outcomes.

Earlier in the day, Jamie P. Merisotis, president and CEO of the Lumina Foundation for Education, outlined the group’s goal to have 60 percent of Americans hold high-quality college degrees or credentials by 2025. During the town hall, Dewane Matthews, Lumina’s vice president for policy and strategy, outlined some of the emerging issues the foundation is studying as it evaluates ways to meet that goal, chief among them the question of developmental education. “We’re not going to get to these higher attainment levels with an approach that writes off a large proportion of individuals because they are considered inadequate for some vague definition of college readiness,” Matthews said. “We have to reframe the entire issue and destigmatize developmental education... and create a system that takes people from wherever they are and takes them where they need to go. It’s not remediation -- it’s a completely different orientation.”

Matthews added that the Lumina foundation has also realized the “centrality of learning” involved in meeting attainment goals. “Attainment is tied to real skills... [that higher education] needs to better connect to curriculum,” he said. “Fortunately, campuses are willing to become part of that conversation.”

Diane Troyer, senior program officer of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, described how developmental education surfaced as the “number-one logjam” the foundation has encountered since launching its new post-secondary mission about a year ago. With the foundation’s goal “focused on the disparity between the completion rates of low-income students versus those who do not come out of a background of poverty,” Troyer urged college leaders to consider ways to “realign our institutions around completion.”

“Can we as [community] colleges shift our thinking from an enrollment system to a completion-driven system?” she asked. “Is access access if it doesn’t achieve success?”

As the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund studies way to enter the higher education realm in the San Francisco Bay area, officials are conducting research and networking with both other private and public funders, said Elizabeth Gutierrez, program director for education opportunities. “The federal stimulus has been the most recent wave that has brought us together as funders and grantees,” she said. The Fund’s key issues mirror those of Gutierrez’s national counterparts: scalability, leveraging its work, and outcomes.

While foundation representatives acknowledged that measuring outcomes remains a thorny issue for community colleges, “community colleges need to take the leadership on defining the measures,” Troyer said, pointing to such projects as the Voluntary Framework of Accountability. Matthews suggested that college leaders consider reframing their entire thinking around outcomes: “Our data, our structures, our funding, our policy discussions are all based around institutions,” he said. “What we’re really talking about is a fundamental shift away from an institutional frame to a student frame, with all their incredible backgrounds and diversity of needs and infinite variety of outcomes.”

2009 ACCT Leadership Congress: As Conversation Shifts to Accountability, New Frameworks Emerge

2009-10-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

The $12 billion earmarked for community colleges by the Obama administration through its American Graduation Initiative represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity -- but only if institutions are willing to demonstrate progress towards specific goals, speakers at the 2009 ACCT Leadership Congress said Thursday.

“A new paradigm is emerging for community colleges,” ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown told Congress attendees. While “access has been the promise since the inception of the community college movement... now increasing emphasis is being placed on student success and achievement.” In short, community colleges are being called on to “balance access with success,” Brown said.

Keynote speaker Jamie P. Merisotis, President and CEO of the Lumina Foundation for Education, stressed that the AGI, which seeks to increase the number of Americans who earn degrees or certificates by 5 million over the next decade, represents both “a prize and a challenge, a reward and a down payment.”

The AGI closely mirrors the Lumina Foundation’s own goal of having 60 percent of Americans hold high-quality college degrees or credentials by 2025, and both initiatives reflect one simple fact, according to Merisotis: “There’s simply no way for the nation to return to a global position of leadership in attainment unless community colleges lead the way,” he said. “Because of your expertise in creating workforce development programs... and the decades you have spent perfecting cost-effective ways of providing higher education... you can show the way to reshaping higher education that benefits us all.”

Merisotis urged trustees to invest part of the billions in new funding from AGI and other initiatives in involving local stakeholders ranging from K-12 systems to businesses, bolstering developmental programs, and creating new structures “geared towards student success.” He also urged community college leaders to focus on developing measures that “clearly define high-quality outcomes and track student performance.”

One such program is the Voluntary Framework of Accountability. Developed by ACCT and the American Association of Community Colleges, the VFA has been awarded $1 million in grants from the Lumina Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it was announced on Oct. 7. The grants will fund pilot projects at eight community colleges, with 20 additional institutions expected to join the project by 2011.

The VSA has the potential to address two common issues in developing a common framework allowing community colleges to collect data and benchmark their metrics against other institutions, Brown said. “We don’t have a common language, and we don’t have a vocabulary rich enough to express what we do in those communities across the country [with] our different missions and constituencies.”

Pointing to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s earlier comments about the importance of workforce education, Brown added that the greatest area of deficiency is on non-credit students. “We can’t describe accurately to policymakers the phenomenal things that go on [with vocational training and education] and how life-changing this is for many people.”

Ronald Williams, vice president of the College Board in Washington, D.C., stressed a key goal of developing such metrics. “Knowing more so you can change the institution is... precisely the point of getting the data.”

Accountability will become an increasingly large issue at the local, state, and federal levels, Congress speakers said. Acknowledging the growing federal role in accreditation issues, keynote speaker Judith S. Eaton, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in Washington, D.C., urged trustees to balance such external approaches by developing a complementary “approach to accountability that is community-led and reflective of our core academic values... of mission, independence, and academic freedom.”

2009 ACCT Leadership Congress: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Emphasizes Value of Workforce Education

2009-10-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

One of Santa Monica College’s most famous alumni kicked off the 2009 ACCT Leadership Congress with a reminder that the work of community colleges has become even more important during the current economic crisis.

“I call community colleges institutions of hope,” said Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger , who left Sacramento in the midst of contentious legislative negotiations to open the Congress Thursday morning. “You provide hope to the laid-off father who needs to provide for his family... the young woman turned away from the university... the budding entrepreneur who wants to go out and create a business... or to immigrants like myself who want to learn the language and be successful. That’s what community colleges represent -- hope.”

At the same time, Schwarzenegger cautioned that given the current economic climate, “you’ll be asked to do more with less, just like the private sector... But I have absolute faith in community colleges, and faith in all of you.” He urged trustees to share innovative ideas and continue to emphasize their critical role in workforce education.

Schwarzenegger began taking classes in English, business, and mathematics at Santa Monica College shortly after arriving in the U.S. in 1968.

LAW E-Alert: Congress Passes Continuing Resolution

2009-10-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

With the federal fiscal year coming to the end on September 30, Congress moved to pass a Continuing Resolution, which will keep the government running until Congress passes the remaining FY2010 appropriations bills. President Barack Obama signed the bill, which also includes the Legislative Branch appropriations bill, into law. The Continuing Resolution funds the federal programs at FY2009 levels.

ACCT continues to wait for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to release its version of the education reconciliation bill. HELP Committee staff have indicated that the bill should be available within the next two weeks. Most importantly for community colleges, the bill is expected to contain the American Graduation Initiative. Senate leaders are waiting for the health care legislative process to unfold before deciding when to carry out the education-reconciliation process.

In other news, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan penned an editorial, “Moving College into the 21st Century,” which the noted the importance of the American Graduation Initiative. The editorial can be viewed at: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27762.html.

Jill Biden Blogs about Visit to HVCC with President Obama

2009-09-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

As part of her ongoing community college public advocacy activities, Dr. Jill Biden has written articles for the official White House blog as well as the Washington Post's education blog detailing her visit to Hudson Valley Community College in New York with President Obama.

On the White House blog, Biden writes that "I wanted to share some photos and thoughts about my day yesterday; I was able to spend time on two areas I care very deeply about: community colleges and military families."

For the Washington Post's blog, she writes, "People often ask me why I choose to teach at a community college. Well—the answer is simple: It’s my students.

"Every day in my classroom," she continues, "I am inspired by their commitment, their struggles, and their belief in education as the best hope for a brighter future for themselves and their families. Every day in my classroom I also see the power of education to break down barriers and to open students’ eyes to the possibilities around them."

Biden notes on the White House blog that she is back in her Northern Virginia Community College classroom today teaching English.

Read Biden's articles at: