Posts published on September 28, 2011

Finance Cuts Threaten College Access Across USA

Access and Funding in Public Higher Education—the 2011 National Survey
By Stephen G. Katsinas, The University of Alabama, Mark M. D’Amico, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Janice N. Friedel, Iowa State University
With Pell Grants cut, tuition rising at more the double the rate of inflation, and with state funding for both college budgets and student aid cut or stagnating, students and their families are being squeezed. Also squeezed in the protracted recession are funds for workforce development and lifelong learning that build economic competitiveness. These trends likely mean first, that college access is shrinking overall, and second, postsecondary education is able to meet less and less of marketable skills workers and the economy demands. Thus, our nation’s economic competitiveness is imperiled.