Skip to content
News and updates

Category: Higher Education

ED Accepting Applications for Fulbright-Hays

Posted on

The 2015 grant competition for the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Grant Program (DDRA) has begun! DDRA provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months.

Who may apply:

  • Institutions of Higher Education
  • Graduate students in doctoral programs in the fields of foreign languages and area studies must apply through the institutions in which they are enrolled.

A student is eligible to receive a fellowship if s/he:

  • Is a citizen or national of the United States or is a permanent resident of the United States;
  • Is a graduate student in good standing at an institution of higher education in the United States who, when the fellowship begins, is admitted to candidacy in a doctoral program in modern foreign languages and area studies at that institution;
  • Is planning a teaching career in the United States upon graduation; and
  • Possesses adequate skills in the language(s) necessary to carry out the dissertation project.

For more information and to apply please go to the Office of Postsecondary Education’s website: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsddrap/applicant.html

 

Senate Considers Reducing Red Tape for Colleges

Posted on

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on smarter federal regulations for colleges and universities. In November of 2013, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Richard Burr (R-NC) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) appointed the Task Force on Federal Regulation of Higher Education. Sixteen college presidents and CEOs were charged with reviewing Education Department regulations and reporting requirements for the country’s 6,000 institutions.

The report, which was sponsored by the American Council on Education, was released last week. It acknowledges the importance of federal regulation in ensuring institutional accountability. Overall, the report states that “reporting requirements that have an excessive reach, or that are unnecessarily costly and difficult to implement — or worse still, that hinder student access to college and drive costs up — are counterproductive.” Areas of concern include institutional accreditation, uniform definitions of Clery crimes and verification of student eligibility for financial aid, among other issues.

With reauthorization of the Higher Education Act on the horizon, the task force’s report asks policymakers to follow a series of “guiding principles” to govern the ED’s development, implementation and enforcement of regulations. Among the recommendations: Rules should be relevant, clear and purposeful, and their costs and burdens should be accurately estimated. Penalties for violations should be appropriate. And the department should “take all necessary steps to facilitate compliance” on the part of institutions.

The issue has turned into a hot button one and multiple organizations have come out opposing the report.

 

House to Mark Up ESEA

Posted on

Today, the House Education and Workforce committee announced they will markup HR 5, the Student Success Act on Wednesday, February 11 at 10:00 am. Chairman Kline and Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) introduced the Student Success Act this month.

The Senate has announced that they are taking a bipartisan approach to crafting the ESEA and will not simply be taking up HELP Chairman Alexander’s (R-TN) mark by the end of the month, as was previously announced.

Pell Grant Levels Announced

Posted on

The Department of Education announced the maximum Pell grant levels for 2015-2016 today. The agency said the maximum award amount will be $5,775, which is an increase of $45 over the 2014-2015 award maximum.

The amount is affected by the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), which was incorporated as part of Public Law 111-152. SAFRA provides for an automatic annual increase, based on changes in the Consumer Price Index—through award year 2017-2018—to the appropriated Federal Pell Grant maximum award. This change has resulted in a 2015-2016 maximum award of $5,775. The corresponding maximum Pell Grant eligible expected family contribution (EFC) for 2015-2016 will be 5198.

Read the announcement here.

Senate HELP Committee Approves Education Research Act

Posted on

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee today approved S227, the Strengthening Educational through Research Act, which would reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act (ERSA). A nearly identical measure was passed by the full House and the Senate HELP Committee last year but, unfortunately, was not considered by the full Senate for approval to be sent to the President for signature into law.

ERSA authorizes funding for the research activities of the Department of Education, including the Institute for Education Sciences. The measure helps improve the quality of education research in the US and make research more relevant and usable for teachers, principals, school districts and states. The bill would authorize ERSA programs through 2021.

For more information, a copy of the legislation is here.