Search DU CTLAT Blog

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Decision 2012: What’s Next for Education?

http://diverseeducation.com/article/49298/

November 7, 2012

With a victory over Republican Mitt Romney, President Obama will begin to gear up for a second term that may see both continuity and change in his education policies.

In a legislative landscape similar to his first term, Obama again will face a divided Congress as well as fiscal challenges. But the president will need a bipartisan agreement to deal with some of the most pressing issues, including the so-called “fiscal cliff” that could bring painful education program cuts and tax increases as early as January.

This “fiscal cliff” is a combination of fiscal issues converging at once: the expiration of George W. Bush-era tax cuts plus payroll tax reductions and education deductions enacted under Obama, the need for another increase in the federal debt ceiling and looming across-the-board budget cuts that trigger if Congress and the president fail to agree on a larger debt-reduction plan.

The across-the-board cuts, known as a sequester, would affect both domestic and defense spending. Most analysts say federal education programs would lose about 8 percent of funding with the prospect of additional cuts in future years.

“A budget sequester in January would have a terrible short- and long-term impact on the nation’s investments in scientific research and education,” said Hunter Rawlings, president of the Association of American Universities.

A report recently published by Senate Democrats said the sequester could cut $2.7 billion from Head Start, special education and Title I programs at the local level. In higher education, a projected $66 million reduction in federal TRIO programs could eliminate services for 61,000 low-income students, while a $24 million cut for GEAR UP would affect 57,000 low-income youth. Pell grants are exempt from these automatic cuts in 2013.

In his Oct. 22 debate with Romney, Obama said the sequester “will not happen,” although both parties face a tight deadline to reach agreement and avoid the January 2013 cuts.

Along with the tax breaks, another program set to expire is the American Opportunity Tax Credit through which low- and middle-income families can deduct up to $2,500 of college tuition expenses annually.

Since the sequester also would cut defense spending – a result anathema to lawmakers in both parties — some observers are optimistic that both sides may reach at least a short-term agreement before the reductions take effect.

On education policy issues, Obama should see some continuity in his education policy team. In interviews this fall, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said he hopes to continue in the job for the president’s second term.

Duncan and the White House both have outlined some second term ideas including a federal effort to hold down tuition increases. Both Obama and Duncan have cited a goal to cut the rate of college tuition increases in half within 10 years, though the administration still will need to provide details on how to accomplish that goal.

Duncan recently told the National Journal, “We need to crack the nut on higher education … middle-class families think college is not for them.”

Other policy issues on the horizon include:

Pell grant shortfall: By eliminating student loan subsidies given to banks, Obama has funded increases in the maximum grant for needy students. But due to heavy use of the program in the recession, Pell has a shortfall approaching $8 billion by 2014. Leading Republicans also have indicated a need to shore up the program for the long term.

Interest rates: While Obama and Congress sparred in 2012 over the interest rate on student loans, that issue is far from over and it will re-surface in 2013. By enacting only a short-term fix in 2012, student loan interest rates are again scheduled to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent next summer without additional action.

Job training: During the campaign, both Obama and Romney called for enhancements in federal job training programs. Obama has called for new initiatives to train 2 million workers for jobs through partnerships between community colleges and the private sector.

Higher Education Act reauthorization: Congress is likely to begin hearings on renewal of the HEA in 2013, an opportunity for both the White House and congressional Republicans to float new ideas to improve access, completion and affordability. Some observers think Congress may turn to HEA before it considers the future of No Child Left Behind, the K-12 law whose renewal has been snarled in delays on Capitol Hill.

STEM and Teachers: The president has called for creating a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Master Teacher Corps that will recruit and prepare 100,000 new math and science. “We can out-compete China and Germany by out-educating them,” an Obama campaign plan states.

Share/Bookmark

CHEA 2013 Annual Conference and CIQG Annual Meeting


 


Council for Higher
Education Accreditation

One Dupont Circle NW
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20036
(tel) 202-955-6126
(fax) 202-955-6129
chea@chea.org
 

COUNCIL FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION

January 28-31, 2013

CHEA 2013 Annual Conference
Accreditation, Higher Education and the
Innovation Environment: Moving Beyond the Present
and
CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG)
Annual Meeting

Washington Marriott Hotel - Washington, DC


Register before November 15, 2012 to receive a discounted conference registration rate for the CHEA 2013 Annual Conference, the inaugural CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG) 2013 Annual Meeting or both.  
Click on the Preliminary Programs for the CHEA 2013 Annual Conference and the CIQG 2013 Annual Meeting for more information Then. click here to register and take advantage of the early registration rate. We look forward to seeing you in Washington, DC!
Institutions and organizations that join the CIQG by December 31, 2012 will receive a special new member rate for CIQG Annual Meeting and CHEA Annual Conference registrations.
 
 
 
A national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations.

Share/Bookmark

LSUHSC Recruitment and Information Session


 


The LSUHSC Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor

for Academic & Multicultural Affairs Invites

 

Dillard University Students

(faculty, staff, & alums are also welcome)

to a

Recruitment and Information Session

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 5:00pm

Professional Schools & Sciences Building, Room 136

Come learn about research opportunities, graduate school, medical school and a host of our health science programs:

·         School of Allied Health

·         School of Dentistry

·         School of Graduate Studies

·         School of Medicine

·         School of Nursing

·         School of Public Health

Refreshments will be served!

Great door prizes will be distributed!

It’s not too late to apply for Fall 2012 Semester

 

 

 

 


 

Share/Bookmark

Call for Abstracts - New Orleans Sixth Health Disparities Conference


 

 

 
 
Call for Abstracts

Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education is soliciting abstracts for podium and poster presentation. More specifically, we seek scientific and/or informative abstracts that reflect the focus of the conference. The 2013 conference will focus on replicable multidisciplinary collaborative models and approaches from the clinical, research, and community arenas that integrate all levels of providers to improve health outcomes, eliminate health disparities, and demonstrate best practices. Selected abstracts will be presented during poster sessions or podium presentations during concurrent breakout sessions. Please review the Abstract Submittal Guidelines before submitting your abstract.
Visit http://xula.the1joshuagroup.com for more information about the Xavier University of Louisiana CMHDRE's Sixth Health Disparities Conference.

Abstract Themes

Abstracts are categorized in broad thematic areas. Please note that reviewers have the authority to reassign categories as necessary. Therefore, it is important that you review the following categories before submitting your abstract to ensure optimal results.
1.     Disease Process and Disparities
2.     Health Maintenance / Prevention
3.     Health Services / Policy
4.     Social Determinants of Health
5.     Other

Important Dates

For More Information

 

Share/Bookmark

Dillard University FOUNDERS’ DAY CONVOCATION - Sunday, November 11, 2012 3:30pm Alfred K. Lawless Memorial Chapel


 
M E M O R A N D U M

 

TO:                 Faculty and Staff

 
FROM:           Phyllis W. Dawkins, Ph.D.

                        Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

 
RE:                  FOUNDERS’ DAY CONVOCATION

 
DATE:                        October 31, 2012

 

The 2012 Founders’ Day Convocation will be held Sunday, November 11, 2012, at 3:30 p.m., in the Alfred K. Lawless Memorial Chapel.  The speaker for this occasion will be Dr. Cheryl Taylor, Interim Dean of Southern University and A&M College School of Nursing and Allied Health.

Your participation in the Founders’ Day Ceremony is a primary obligation of full-time faculty and is, thereby, listed on the academic calendar.  Should a personal emergency arise that would interfere with attendance at this ceremony, faculty should contact the respective Dean and the Provost, immediately. 

LINE-UP

The faculty must assemble in academic regalia by 3:00 p.m., in front of Rosenwald Hall.  The Faculty Marshals will arrange the order of the procession and will lead faculty and staff members to their reserved seats.  The procession will begin promptly at 3:15 p.m.  Faculty and staff members in academic regalia will not be permitted to enter the Chapel once the program has begun.   

In the recessional, the platform party will proceed followed by the faculty, staff, and then the seniors.  Males should remove their caps prior to the invocation and place them on their heads after the benediction and just before marching out.



ATTIRE 

Academic regalia and dark colors are required for all participants in the academic procession. For rental of academic regalia you must place your order with campus bookstore.

Your participation is central to the continued success and reverence of this ceremony.  I hope to see each of you there.


Founders’ Day Processional Organizational Structure
November 11, 2012


Processional Groups
and March in Order
Location
1.      Board of Trustees (BT)
Rosenwald 114
 
2.      Senior Cabinet
Rosenwald 114
 
3.      Faculty
Rosenwald 1st Floor Lobby
 
4.      Seniors
Stern 1st Floor
 
5.      Juniors
DUICEF 1st Floor
 
6.      Sophomores
DUICEF 2nd Floor
 
7.      Freshmen
Dent Gym
 
8.      Special Guests
Church
 
9.      Special Needs
Church
 
10.  Family and Friends
Church
 

Share/Bookmark