This article presents an interview with two people who had responsibility for leading the development of the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA)--a joint project of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), supported by the Lumina…

Drawing data from both governmental and nongovernmental sources, this pamphlet makes the case that many people are now excluded from postsecondary education because of increasing tuition and other student charges at state and community colleges. Eight facts concerning tuition and college-going rates are documented: (1) the percentage of high…

In response to legislative mandate, this report assesses the impact of student charges on access to public postsecondary education and provides policy recommendations. Part I of the report summarizes the state's goals for postsecondary education, reviews past policies for achieving these goals, and outlines future options in a time of financial…

Recurrent education may be defined as formal education provided outside of the traditional academic context for the purposes of: (1) continuing education in professional and vocational fields; (2) part-time instruction toward an academic or vocational degree; and (3) personal or social development. In California, while state policy encourages…

This paper contains three articles which present the opinions of the authors on public college tuition and state finance. The problem addressed is the large increase in tuition charged by public sector, four-year colleges coupled with the effects of fiscal constraints facing the states. After an introduction by Richard J. Novak, the papers are:…

The authors argue that a recently proposed Minnesota policy for implementing full-cost tuition in selected practitioner master's degree programs in state institutions is counterproductive. The proposed policy is examined as a case study of probable supply and demand effects on student enrollments and institutional vitality. (Author/MSE)

This paper outlines a proposal for restructuring student aid for higher education based on the book "Keeping College Affordable: Government and Educational Opportunity" by Michael S. McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro. The paper argues that transferring costs to federal government programs will ensure that equal opportunity and human…

Three main aspects of the college cost debate are summarized: (1) the incomes of students and families as they relate to tuition increases (the ability to pay); (2) the cost to higher education institutions of providing an education; and (3) the implications of the increasing reliance on loans in student financial aid, particularly the…

Inadequate financial support for higher education is not due to a poor economy or lack of tax dollars, but to the low priority given to higher education by state legislatures. The issue at state and institutional levels is not low or high tuition but finding a planning model that integrates tuition income, tax support, and student aid. (MSE)

This study used exploratory modeling, a methodology that combines traditional quantitative forecasting techniques with the insights from scenario-planning, to analyze the conditions under which California can preserve access to its system of public higher education. The study identified two trends currently dominating the issue of future…

Three background papers to a study on the impact of student charges on access to public postsecondary education in California are presented. The California Postsecondary Education Commission conducted the investigation at the request of the California Legislature. The first background paper examines the evolution since 1960 of policies regarding…

Equity within U.S. higher education is examined in three parts: Practices, Principles, and Policies. Public/private problems, attendance variables, and public subsidies to higher education are included in the Practices section. Part 2, Principles, discusses the place of philosophy, meanings of equity, remedying discrimination, and equality of…

Fiscal support for higher education and policy concerns at the state level during difficult financial times are discussed, with specific reference to the western states. States vary widely in several ways: the strength of their economies, the actions of legislatures and voters to reduce the revenues or the expenditure base of state and local…

Rising college costs and the financial burdens facing students are discussed, as a part of hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. While funding for financial aid programs has declined or remained even, tuition for private and public colleges has increased between 28 and 30 percent. The ability of low- and middle-income…

Considerations for establishing a system for indexing tuition and fees to the cost of education and implications for state policy are examined. It is suggested that the attraction of the indexing approach to tuition arises from a number of causes including the upward pressure on tuition created by changing demographic and fiscal conditions.…