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Federal Higher Education Funding in FY 2012
Posted by Austin Rouse on December 21, 2011
Article written by Ed Elmendorf, Sr. Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Analysis, Robert Moran, Director of Federal Relations and Policy Analysis and Makese Motley, Asst. Director of Federal Relations and Policy Analysis of the Division of Government Relations and Policy Analysis at AASCU
December 16 Federal Policy Update
Overall, the Department of Education will receive $71.3 billion, which is $153 million below last year’s level. The Pell Grant Program is funded at $22.8 billion–a level sufficient for maintaining the maximum award at $5,550–but the measure makes additional modifications to the program as noted below. In addition, the bill level-funds the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG, $736 million) and Federal Work-Study (FWS, $978.5 million) programs. Funding for the TRIO programs received a $15 million increase to $841.5 million while the GEAR-UP program was level-funded at $302.8 million. The Teacher Quality Partnership Program was level-funded, which is projected to continue existing awards.
Pell Grant eligibility
The funding bill included provisions that would alter eligibility criteria for receiving Pell Grant funds in order to reduce the cost of the program. While all of the changes will be felt by AASCU institutions, the biggest change is that students will be limited to 12 semesters (full-time equivalency) for receiving a Pell Grant. This provision will take effect on July 1, 2012; thus students who have already received a Pell Grant for 12 semesters will no longer be eligible. Estimates vary regarding how many students will lose eligibility under this provision, but one estimate is over 100,000 students. In addition to the 12-semester restriction, minimum grant eligibility is now restricted solely to those who meet the 10% estimated family contribution threshold. This provision eliminates a group of currently eligible recipients in the 5% to 10% range. For entering students effective July 1, 2012, the bill restricts eligibility to those who graduate from high school, a home-school based program, or pass the GED. The measure also reduces the income level where a student is automatically eligible for a maximum award from $30,000 to $23,000. This is the so-called auto-zero criteria. Finally, the funding measure includes a modification of a Senate proposal that eliminates the federal subsidization of interest payments on federal student loans for the current 6-month grace period between degree completion and first required payment. It also would apply to students dropping below half-time enrollment status. This provision will only be in effect for loans made on or after July 1, 2012 and before July 1, 2014.
While altering the Pell Grant Program is undesirable, especially due to its success, AASCU has realized that some change was inevitable. It remains to be seen exactly what effect these provisions will have on the program and on student access and completion. Institutions with open enrollment and large numbers of transfer students will be disproportionately affected by these changes. One somber victory is that the final agreement finds just enough savings to maintain the maximum Pell award, rather than pursuing the House proposal that sought three times more in savings.
U.S. Research Universities Are Doing Fine, Moody’s Says
Posted by Austin Rouse on December 21, 2011
Article by The Chronicle of Higher Education
Research universities in the United States have been bracing themselves for cuts in federal support, warning of a serious threat to science and higher education. But Moody’s Investors Service says they should not be too worried. The credit-rating agency issued a report today that says research universities have sufficient strength to maintain high credit ratings even as federal support declines.
Congress Would Raise NIH Spending and Maintain Maximum Pell Grant, but at a Cost
Posted by Austin Rouse on December 16, 2011
Article written by Kelly Field of The Chronicle of Higher Education
Congressional leaders reached agreement late Thursday on a spending bill for the remainder of the current fiscal year that would increase funds for the National Institutes of Health by 1 percent, or $300-million, and maintain the maximum Pell Grant at $5,550, but only by tightening eligibility for the grants.
The bill, HR 3671, introduced by Republicans in the House of Representatives, would also allow the NIH to go ahead with plans to create a new center to help pharmaceutical companies make drugs from universities' research discoveries, despite protests from scientists, lawmakers, and some officials at the agency.
Apart from the Pell Grant, most student-aid programs—including Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Federal Work-Study—would receive flat financing, as would the Gear Up college-preparation program. The TRIO college-prep programs would get a $15-million increase.
Several major science agencies, including the National Science Foundation, were financed in a spending bill that cleared Congress in November. Among the remaining agencies, the Department of Energy's Office of Science would get $4.9-billion, a 1-percent increase; the Environmental Protection Agency's science and technology division would get $795-million, $18-million less than last year; and the Department of Homeland Security's science and technology directorate would receive $688-million, a $140-million cut.
Read the Full Article Here
Deficit Supercommittee's Failure Triggers Steep Cuts for Education and Research
Posted by Austin Rouse on November 22, 2011
Article written by Kelly Field of The Chronicle of Higher Education
Washington-The Congressional supercommittee charged with cutting $1.2-trillion from the federal budget conceded defeat Monday, after its members reached an impasse over taxes and entitlement spending.
The panel's failure to produce a deficit-reduction plan triggers across-the-board cuts of roughly $1-trillion in discretionary spending over nine years, starting in the 2013 fiscal year. Unless Congress finds a way around the process, the Education Department's budget will be slashed by $3.54-billion in 2013, according to the Committee for Education Funding, an advocacy group.
While the Pell Grant program is exempt from cuts in the first year, the other student-aid programs will lose $134-million, reducing aid to at least 1.3 million students. Career, technical, and adult education will lose $136-million, affecting 1.4 million students, says the committee.
Research programs will suffer as well.
The automatic cuts—a process known as sequestration—come on top of significant reductions in education spending that have already been made this year. In April, lawmakers passed a spending bill for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year that made steep cuts in career and technical education and college preparatory programs, and ended a policy that allowed students to receive two Pell Grants in a year.
Then, in July, lawmakers voted to end the in-school interest subsidy on federal loans to graduate students and eliminate the interest-rate reduction for on-time loan repayment for all borrowers. While most of the savings will be used to shore up the Pell Grant program, some $4.6-billion was diverted to deficit reduction.
Read the Full Article Here
Veterans Day roll call honors fallen soldiers
Posted by Austin Rouse on November 8, 2011
UNCG will mark this Veterans Day — 11-11-11, the tenth anniversary of post-9/11 combat — with a remembrance ceremony and roll call of the 6,300-plus men and women who have lost their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The ceremony begins at 6 a.m. on the Elliott University Center West Lawn. Roll call begins at 6:05 a.m. and runs through 2 p.m.
UNCG’s roll call is part of the Remembrance Day National Roll Call Event, a synchronized reading of all the names of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom casualties with participating schools from all 50 states. As of Sept. 15, 6,254 U.S. service members had died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the numbers have continued to mount. A moment of silence will be observed across the country at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST) to honor them.
“Sometimes we continue on with life, and the sacrifice made by these men and women gets put in the shadows,” says Joshua Green, a former military policeman who now works in the Dean of Students’ Office. “This is an opportunity for us to remember the sacrifice made by so many loved ones for us to have our freedom.”
Read the Full Schedule and Press Release
Senator Hagan Introduces the Violence Against Women Health Initiative with help from Dr. Jackie White
Posted by Austin Rouse on October 31, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (NC) will today introduce the Violence Against Women Health Initiative to raise awareness of domestic violence for health care providers allowing them to better assess and treat survivors of domestic violence.
“October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, but this is a problem that demands attention 365 days a year,” said Hagan. “The rates of violence and abuse in our country are astounding and unacceptable, and domestic violence has a significant impact on our country’s health, costing our system over $8.3 billion annually. This bill will streamline efforts to prevent and respond to domestic partner violence. I urge my colleagues to join me and support this bill so that we may work together – Democrats and Republicans – towards a safer and healthier future for our women and families.”
Since its passage in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has transformed our criminal justice system and social service system, helping to prevent and respond to domestic violence. The last reauthorization of VAWA, set to expire this year, included a new title authorizing three programs that support the health system’s efforts to help victims, preventing further abuse and improving the health status of women.
Hagan’s bill would consolidate the existing three health programs into one program, while increasing evaluation and accountability. Specifically, this bill would:
1. Foster public health responses to intimate partner violence and sexual violence
2. Provide training and education of health professionals to respond to violence and abuse
3. Support research on effective public health approaches to end violence against women
Hagan worked with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) on including the research portion of her bill.
“As a researcher and advocate, I know firsthand that this bill will contribute to closer examination of the causes and consequences of violence and will lead to increased public awareness and better training for health care providers,” said Dr. Jacquelyn White, a professor of psychology at UNCG and co-chair of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence (NPEIV). “It has been an honor to work with Senator Hagan and her staff on this bill that I believe will foster much needed collaboration between researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and the community to strengthen the public health response to intimate partner violence and sexual assault.”
Read the Full Press Release
Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and David Price (D-NC) Write Letter to Deficit Committee Prioritizing Research and Education
Posted by Austin Rouse on October 27, 2011
Attached is the final dear colleague letter, organized by Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and David Price (D-NC), to the deficit reduction "Super Committee" on prioritizing research and education investments.
Other members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation signing the letter include Rep. Mel Watt and Rep. Brad Miller.
Administration Seeks Changes to Student Loan Programs to Address Loan Burden
Posted by Austin Rouse on October 27, 2011
by Council on Governmental Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, October 26, 2011
President Obama officially unveiled the Administration’s plans to assist student loan borrowers better manage their student loan debt in this current environment. The Administration proposal includes two parts:
Loan Consolidation
According to documents released yesterday, approximately 6 million student loan borrowers have loans through both the direct loan (DL) and the old Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) programs. The plan would allow those borrowers with loans from both programs to consolidate into the DL program, starting in January, 2012.
As students consolidate into the DL program, the federal government would no longer be responsible for continuing the special allowance payments for the FFEL program, thus producing savings. According to Administration documents, borrowers who consolidate could see a reduction of up to 0.5 percent in their interest rates: a reduction of 0.25 percent in the interest rate on their consolidated FFEL loans and a 0.25 percent reduction in the interest rate on the entire consolidated FFEL/DL loan.
Senior Administration officials have stated that this “one-time” consolidation initiative would be available from January through June of 2012.
“Pay as You Earn”
As part of the health care reform legislation in 2010, the income-based repayment (IBR) program was changed so that, starting in 2014, student loan repayments would be capped at 10 percent of a borrower’s discretionary income for a number of students and the balance that was not paid off in 20 years would be forgiven.
The President’s plan would expedite those changes to start in 2012 for select borrowers. The Administration estimates that about 1.6 million borrowers could benefit from this change.
The Administration has announced that it plans to implement these changes through executive authority, which has already been questioned by some members of Congress.
Congressman Brad Miller Visits UNCG's Newest Living-Learning Community
Posted by Austin Rouse on September 30, 2011
On September 26, Congressman Brad Miller took a tour of Jefferson Suites and visited an ENT/ECO 100 class taught by Dr. Jeff Sarbaum, Professor of Economics. The visit highlighted UNCG's newest living-learning community, Sustainable Entrepreneurship, which is on the 6th floor of Jefferson Suites.
Chancellor Linda Brady, along with Dr. Mac Banks, Dr. Dianne Welsh, Dr. Lisa Tolbert, Bryan Toney, Laura Pipe, and Bryan Botts accompanied the Congressman for his tour and visit of Jefferson Suites.
Chancellor Brady Signs Letter Urging Congress to Reach “A Big Agreement–Not Incremental Steps”
Posted by Austin Rouse on September 22, 2011
by Council on Governmental Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, September 21, 2011
Chancellor Brady joined with more than 130 other university presidents and chancellors representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia sent a letter today to the members of the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction urging them to reach “a big agreement–not incremental steps” while working to close the nation’s budget deficit.
The university leaders also called on the committee to “reach a balanced agreement that reduces budget deficits, reins in the nation’s debt, and creates economic and job growth.” The budget agreement should focus on entitlement and tax reform, rather than further cuts to domestic discretionary spending, the university leaders said. Reductions to date have been from domestic discretionary expenditures.
Domestic discretionary spending “is not the primary cause of our rising debt. Imprudent additional reductions in domestic discretionary expenditures and other federal programs that train the next generation risk undermining our nation’s human capital, infrastructure, technological, and scientific needs,” according to the university leaders.
The letter was organized by the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, whose presidents also signed the letter.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Releases 2011 Budget and Economic Outlook
Posted by Austin Rouse on August 31, 2011
by Council on Governmental Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, August 24, 2011
The Congressional Budget Office released today their 2011 Budget and Economic Outlook Update. The report finds that at 8.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the $1.3 trillion budget deficit for 2011 will be the third-largest shortfall in the past 65 years (exceeded only by the deficits of the preceding two years).
With modest economic growth anticipated for the next few years, CBO expects employment to expand slowly. The unemployment rate is projected to fall from 9.1 percent in the second quarter of 2011 to 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of the year and to 8.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012—and then to remain above 8 percent until 2014. Although inflation increased in the first half of 2011, spurred largely by a sharp rise in oil prices, CBO projects that it will diminish in the second half of the year and then stay below 2.0 percent over the next several years.
CBO's baseline projections incorporate the assumption that current law remains in place so they can serve as a benchmark for policymakers to use in considering possible changes to law. But those baseline projections understate the budgetary challenges facing the federal government in the coming years because changes in policy that are scheduled to take effect under current law will produce a federal tax system and spending for some federal programs and activities that differ noticeably from what people have been accustomed to.
For a summary and the full report see: http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12316
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Releases Report Titled "Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act: Background, Recent Changes, and Current Legislative Issues"
Posted by Austin Rouse on August 31, 2011
On August 4, the Congressional Research Service released a report titled, "Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act: Background, Recent Changes, and Current Legislative Issues." You can download the report and summary by visiting the following site.
Department of Health and Human Services Release Final Rule on NIH Funded Researchers & Financial Conflict of Interest of Extramural Investigators
Posted by Austin Rouse on August 25, 2011
by Council on Governmental Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, August 24, 2011
On August 23, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the final rule on management of financial conflicts of interest of extramural research investigators, which includes NIH funded researchers. According to the NIH, the revised regulations institute a more rigorous approach and include changes to address investigator disclosure, institutional management of financial conflicts of interest, and federal oversight. In particular, the regulations:
- Require investigators to disclose to their institutions all of their significant financial interests related to their institutional responsibilities as opposed to only those that they see as related to Public Health Service (PHS)-supported research.
- Lower the monetary threshold for disclosure of significant financial interests, generally from $10,000 to $5,000.
- Require institutions to report to the PHS awarding component more comprehensively on identified financial conflicts of interest and how they are being managed.
- Require institutions to make certain information concerning identified financial conflicts of interest held by senior/key personnel accessible to the public.
- Require investigators to be trained on the regulations and their institution’s financial conflict of interest policy at designated times.
Institutions and investigators will have one year to comply with the changes. For details please see the final rule for the exact language. The NIH Financial Conflict of Interest website also offers further information including a side-by-side comparison of the 1995 (current regulations) and new 2011 regulations.
Debt-Limit Agreement Update
Posted by Austin Rouse on August 25, 2011
On July 31, Congressional Leaders and President Obama reached agreement on a bill that will avoid government default on its obligated payments and reduce the deficit by at least $2.1 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. The House passed the bill by a vote of 269 to 161 and the Senate passed it by vote of 74 to 26.
The text of the legislation is available here and an analysis of the bill prepared by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is available here.
The Debt Ceiling
Through a multi-step process, the debt limit will be increased by $2.1 to $2.4 trillion over the next year.
Discretionary Spending Caps
The bill puts in place annual discretionary spending caps that were included at the request of the House. But those caps, from $1.043 trillion in fiscal 2012 to $1.234 trillion in fiscal 2021, are now split between 'security' and 'non-security' spending, enforceable by across-the-board cuts. The bill defines the 'security category' as 'discretionary appropriations associated with agency budgets for the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the intelligence community management account, and all budget accounts in international affairs. Overall, the caps lead to approximately $917 billion in cuts over 10 years.
Impact on Research
The debt agreement created a special committee of six Republicans and six Democrats to come up with the $1.5 trillion in budget savings by December 23. If those savings are not enacted, sweeping automatic budget cuts totaling $1.2 billion would be triggered, starting in 2013. Defense spending would be reduced by 9.1 percent while non-defense programs (NIH, NSF, ED, etc.) would be targeted for a 7.9 percent cut. A 7.9 percent cut for NIH would be the largest in the agency’s history, amounting to about a $2.5 billion reduction in 2013. By comparison, the agency was cut $317 million this year. For the NIH and other agencies whose budgets must be approved each year by Congress, those cuts would come on top of reductions lawmakers also agreed to as part of the debt-limit deal.
Student Financial Aid
The legislation includes $10 billion for the Pell Grant Program in FY2012 and $7 billion in FY2013. While not completely eliminating the funding gap for next year, the additional resources significantly improve the situation for the Pell program.
The increases would be paid for by changes to the student loan program. Starting in July 2012, graduate and professional students, with few exceptions, would no longer be eligible to participate in the subsidized loan program. Incentives for borrowers in the direct loan program to make on-time payments, in the form of reduced origination fees, would also be eliminated. In total, the student loan programs changes provide a savings of $21.6 billion, of which $17 billion would go to the Pell and $4.6 billion would go to deficit reduction. The undergraduate in-school interest subsidy may be targeted for elimination during the next round of discretionary budget cuts.
Pell’s Future
The debt agreement lists Pell Grants as an essential program for low-income individuals that would be protected in the event of an automatic across-the-board cut to meet deficit reduction targets. However, even with the additional funding, Pell Grants will need an additional $1.3 billion in this fall’s appropriations process to maintain the $5,550 maximum grant. Funding for the other student aid programs – SEOG, Federal Work-Study, Perkins, TRIO, GEAR UP, graduate programs -- and funding for agencies such as NSF, NIH and the Department of Education also need to be approved this fall. These decisions will be made under the new spending cap set in the debt bill. The cap is $24 billion more than the House-passed budget, but $7 billion below last year’s total spending level.
The Supercommittee
Republican and Democratic leaders in each chamber appointed three members each to a 12-person joint select committee that will be charged with coming up with $1.2 trillion or more in deficit reduction. The “Supercommittee” would report by Nov. 23, and votes on the committee’s plan are expected in each chamber by December 23. If the committee fails to report a bill by Nov. 23 -- or either house fails to act within a month after that, new cuts based on the difference between $1.2 trillion and whatever is enacted would go into effect. The reductions would be divided equally between security and non-security programs
Supercommittee Membership
The Members of the Supercommittee were announced this week.
- Senate Democrats Patty Murray (WA), John Kerry (MA) and Max Baucus (MT)
- Senate Republicans Rob Portman (OH), Pat Toomey (PA) and Jon Kyl (AZ)
- House Republicans Jeb Hensarling (TX), Dave Camp (MI) and Fred Upton (MI)
- House Democrats James Clyburn (SC), Xavier Becerra (CA) and Chris Van Hollen (MD).
Senator Murray (WA) and Rep. Hensarling (TX) will serve as the co-chairs of the committee.
Links
Debt Deal May Offer Only Temporary Reprieve for Student-Aid Programs, Chronicle of Higher Education
College Grants Spared From Spending Cuts, Wall Street Journal
Advocates Cheer Pell Grant Funding, Worry About Second Round of Cuts, Congressional Quarterly
Alzheimer’s Research Among Science Efforts at Stake in Debt Deal
Sources
APLU (Association of Public and Land-grant Universities)
Bloomberg.com
Politico.com
NSF Publishes Reports on State of Academic Research
Posted by Austin Rouse on July 18, 2011
by Inside Higher Ed, July 15, 2011 Daily News Update
The National Science Foundation has published new reports on how federal research dollars flowed to colleges and universities in 2009 and the status of graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in research fields in 2008. The first report contains a wide array of data on the institutions that received the most federal research funds over all and by discipline, for instance; the latter includes statistics on the future work force in academic science by field, gender, institution type and other indicators.
NSF Budget Would Remain Flat Under House Bill, Despite Earlier Promises
Posted by Austin Rouse on July 18, 2011
by The Chronicle of Higher Education
The House Appropriations Committee has approved a budget bill for the 2012 fiscal year that would provide $6.9-billion for the National Science Foundation. That amount would mean two straight years of no increases for the NSF, despite two earlier votes by Congress to double the NSF budget within seven years, as suggested in a landmark 2005 National Academies report.
Hagan: Washington is 'drowning in red ink'
Posted by Austin Rouse on June 21, 2011
Written by Owen Covington of the Triad Business Journal
In Greensboro Monday as part of her "Fighting for our Future" listening tour, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan focused on the need to cut federal spending while preserving support for education, research and development and infrastructure.
"I think it's no secret that Washington is drowning in red ink," Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, said during the panel discussion about the federal budget. "I think the time has come for tough decisions."
Hagan called together a panel at Guilford Technical Community College that included Andrew Brod, an economist and professor at UNC-Greensboro ; Sam Funchess, president and CEO of the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship; Kim Berry, director of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging; Shirley Frye, a community leader and GTCC trustee; Mac Sims, president of the East Market Street Development Corp.; and Chris Laney, president of Zenergy Technologies.
During the 30-minute discussion, Hagan heard about the need to raise the eligibility age for Social Security benefits, the importance of education to job creation, the lack of capital available to businesses today and the need to focus on cost savings as part of health care reform efforts.
Regarding the access to capital, Hagan pointed to a $30 billion small-business loan pool established recently, but Sims said there are still challenges to small businesses looking for an infusion of cash.
"Banks are not lending money," Sims said. "They're not lending money to those who need it."
Brod argued that the current focus on reducing the national debt is actually detrimental when the country should be concentrating on persistently high unemployment as the chief economic challenge.
Deficit spending is needed in a time like this to help reduce unemployment and put people to work, he said.
"When we need to be doing deficit spending, we hate (the debt)," Brod said.
This was the second stop on Hagan's listening tour, which she started earlier this month in Raleigh. The tour is expected to include four or five stops.
Link to Article
Faculty member Lisa McDonald takes part in jobs roundtable
Posted by Austin Rouse on June 17, 2011
Written by UNCG University News
When members of President Barack Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness came to North Carolina on June 13 looking for ways to spur job creation, Lisa McDonald, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was there. She participated in a 90-minute roundtable discussion at North Carolina Central University and shared a report on job vacancies in allied health professions with event moderator Melody Barnes, director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council.
Allied health employment in the state increased 67 percent between 1999 and 2009, compared to a 3 percent increase in total employment, according to the report prepared by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program and the Council for Allied Health in North Carolina. Allied health includes all health professionals except physicians, nurses, chiropractors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists and podiatrists.
Vice chair of the Council for Allied Health in North Carolina, McDonald received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in speech-language pathology from UNCG and worked in Guilford County Schools for 10 years before returning to the university as a faculty member. She supervises graduate students in their first year of clinical practicum in speech-language pathology and is an active member of the North Carolina Speech, Hearing and Language Association. She served on the association’s board of directors 2006-09 and was president 2007-08.
The roundtable at NCCU was one of five similar gatherings in the region held in conjunction with Obama’s visit to Durham later in the day, which included a speech at Cree, the LED lighting manufacturer.
Education Trust: UNCG among only five US universities that do well by low-income students
Posted by Austin Rouse on June 7, 2011
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is one of only five U.S. colleges serving low-income students well, says the Education Trust, a research and advocacy group. The Education Trust released its report on how most colleges fail low-income students Wednesday. The report, “Priced Out: How the Wrong Financial Aid Policies Hurt Low-Income Students,” looked at cost as well as graduation rates. Of 1,186 colleges examined in the study, only five stood out for their service to low-income students, all non-flagship public universities. UNCG made the list alongside two campuses of California State University and two campuses of the City University of New York.
“UNCG has long been a first-choice university for a wide array of students, including first generationals, and those with financial challenges,” said UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady. “We are proud to offer affordable tuition rates, support programs to help first-generation college students thrive through our Student Success Center, and financial aid programs such as UNCG Guarantee, which promises an undergraduate education with as little debt as possible to academically strong students with financial need. It is very encouraging to see Educational Trust's acknowledgment of UNCG's dedication to making a college education a reality for all students.”
The report set three main criteria for analysis. Four-year colleges had to cost less than $4,600 per year after all grants for students with household incomes below $30,000. To make the list, colleges also had to show a six-year graduation rate of more than 50 percent with at least 30 percent of enrollments receiving federal Pell Grants.
UNCG made the final cut with a net price of $1,470 per year for students with household incomes below $30,000. UNCG's six-year graduation rate in 2009 was 51.6 percent, the report said, and 31 percent of students received Pell Grants.
The report also noted that UNCG and the other two university systems who fared well in the study “are deeply, publicly committed to closing the access and success gaps between low-income and high-income students, and between whites and underrepresented minorities.”
“We are indeed a Community of Learners, where individuals are valued and where a fabulous undergraduate education is one of our highest priorities,” said Steve Roberson, UNCG's dean of undergraduate studies. “To borrow a word from Terry Sanford, UNCG is 'outrageously' committed to the democratization of access--and success--for ALL students at this world-class university.”
Read the full Education Trust report online
Senator Kay Hagan Applauds UNCG, One of Five U.S. Colleges Recognized for Affordable Education
News 14 Clip on UNC Greensboro on Earning National Distinction
Visit the new UNCG News site
Senator Richard Burr and Senator Kay Hagan Appointed to New Committees
Posted by Austin Rouse on May 17, 2011
Recently, North Carolina's two U.S. Senators, Richard Burr and Kay Hagan have been appointed to two new committees.
Senator Richard Burr was appointed to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. The Senate Finance Committee concerns itself with matters relating to: taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection districts, and ports of entry and delivery; reciprocal trade agreements; tariff and import quotas, and related matters thereto; the transportation of dutiable goods; deposit of public moneys; general revenue sharing; health programs under the Social Security Act, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and other health and human services programs financed by a specific tax or trust fund; and national social security.
Senator Kay Hagan was appointed to the the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. The Senate Banking Committee is one of twenty Senate committees tasked with conducting Senate business related to specialized areas of legislative interest. Although the Senate has a longstanding history of writing and passing legislation focusing on our nation’s banks, the Senate Banking Committee was not formally established until 1913, with Senator Robert Owen of Oklahoma, sponsor of the landmark Federal Reserve Act, as its first Chairman; since then, the Committee has undergone various transformations and reorganizations. Now known as the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to underscore the diversity of issues under its purview, the Committee plays an integral role in managing legislation that affects the lives of many Americans. These areas of jurisdiction include, but are not limited to: banking, insurance, financial markets, securities, housing, urban development and mass transit, international trade and finance, and economic policy.
For the full press release from each office, you can visit:
Burr Selected to Join Senate Finance Committee
Hagan Named to Senate Banking Committee
Budget Straits Mean Grant-Success Rate Will Hit All-Time Low, NIH Warns
Posted by Austin Rouse on May 17, 2011
By Paul Basken from The Chronicle of Higher Education
Budget cuts forced by Congress will probably mean that university medical researchers seeking federal funds will have their lowest success rate in history, National Institutes of Health officials told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Only about one in six grant applications to the NIH are expected to be approved, the agency's director, Francis S. Collins, told a Senate appropriations subcommittee. The NIH awarded about 9,300 research grants last year, with an application success rate of about 20 percent, Dr. Collins said.
Full Article
UNCG SERVE Center wins $1.9 million grant
Posted by Austin Rouse on April 19, 2011
From the News & Record
A UNCG research center has won a $1.9 million federal grant to continue research on early college high schools.
UNCG announced the grant won by SERVE Center, which will get money from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences.
Julie Edmunds is the principal researcher for this project, which is following students from early college and traditional high school programs
Full Article
More information on the SERVE Center
Congress Passes Long-Term CR for FY 2011 to Avoid Government Shutdown
Posted by Austin Rouse on April 12, 2011
The Council on Governmental Affairs of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities provided the following summary of the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution impact on higher education.
Student Financial Aid and Higher Education
Pell Grant:
- The maximum Pell Grant award is maintained at $5,550 for the current year and $23.0 billion is appropriated for the program.
- Additional mandatory funds for the Pell Grant program are included for this current and future years
- The “Year-Round” Pell Program would be eliminated effective July 1.
The CR would eliminate the Leveraging Educational Assistance Program (LEAP) and would fund the Javits Graduate Fellowship Program at $8.1 million. Other sources have reported that Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG), TRIO, and GEAR UP would see reductions of $20 million, $25 million, and $20 million, respectively.
A different source is reporting that Title VI and Fulbright-Hays (International Education and Foreign Language Studies) programs will be cut by $50 million. The same source is reporting that the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) is funded at the current level of $26.9 million.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH is provided $30.7 billion in FY2011, which is a $260-million (or 0.8 percent) reduction from FY2010. The cuts come from a $210-million pro rata reduction of all Institutes/Centers and Office of the Director and an additional $50-million decrease from the intramural buildings and facilities account. There are no policy references to the Cures Acceleration Network nor to the statutory mandates governing grant numbers or grant size that were included in H.R. 1.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
The CR cuts NSF overall by $52 million, or 0.8 percent, from FY2010 levels. Specifically, as compared to FY2010, the Research and Related Activities Account is cut by $42 million for a total funding level of $5.575 billion, and Education and Human Resources account is cut by $10 million to $862 million.
Department of Energy (DOE)
The DOE Office of Science receives $4.884 billion, which is $20 million below FY2010. This includes the elimination of $76 million in earmarks. The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which did not receive an appropriation in FY2010 (but did so through ARRA), receives $180 million. The Fossil Energy R&D program is cut by $226 million compared to FY2010. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs receive $1.835 billion, which is $408 million below FY2010, and includes a rescission of $292 million in earmarks.
Department of Defense (DoD)
According to the House Appropriations Committee release, the CR provides $75 billion for research and development, and $31.4 billion for Defense health programs. This legislation eliminates all Defense earmark account funding, a cut of $4.2 billion from last year’s level.
National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Overall, the agency would be funded at $752 million, which is $55 million above H.R. 1 but $167 million below the FY 2011 requested level. Specifically, the CR cuts the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) by $25 million compared to FY2010 levels, funding the program at $44 million, while funding the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program at $128.7 million, which is slightly above FY2010 levels. The Construction of Research Facilities money appropriated to NIST is prohibited from being applied to the Competitive Construction program.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
NEH is reduced by $13 million from last year’s levels, which represents a $6-million cut from the President’s FY2011 request.
UNCG Professor Speaks at "Media in the Movement: Shattering the Silence of Sexual Violence" at National Press Club
Posted by Austin Rouse on April 6, 2011
Dr. Jacquelyn White, a Professor of Psychology at UNCG and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Arts and Sciences was a featured speaker at "Media in the Movement: Shattering the Silence of Sexual Violence." The event was held on March 31, 2011 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. At the event, she spoke on uniting to create a national movement for ending sexual violence.
Her research at UNCG focuses on gender issues, aggression, and intimate partner violence. Dr. White has conducted research in the area of aggression and violence for over 30 years, publishing numerous articles and chapters. She is the co-director of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence. In December of 2010 she was one of four academic researchers invited to participate in a White House roundtable of teen dating violence and sexual assault, hosted by Lynn Rosenthal, the White House advisor on violence against women.
UNCG Signs Letter Protecting NIH Grants
Posted by Austin Rouse on April 5, 2011
UNCG recently signed a letter that was sent to Sen. Inouye and Sen. Cochran, as well as Rep. Rogers and Rep. Dicks in opposition to the language in H.R. 1. Over 110 organizations have signed the letter to Senate and House Appropriations leadership in opposition to the language in H.R. 1, which restricts the number and size of awards made by NIH. While the budget cuts proposed in H.R. 1 are very worrisome, the mandate language is also very troubling in that it greatly limits the flexibility NIH has to use its resources most effectively. The problematic grant language from H.R. 1 is below:
“In addition, the Director of the National Institutes of Health shall ensure at least a total of 9,000 new competing research grants are awarded in fiscal year 2011 from all Institutes, Centers, and Office of the Director accounts within the ‘‘Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health’’.
In addition, the Director of the National Institutes of Health shall ensure that the average of the total cost of Competing Research Project Grants for all of the Institutes, Centers, and Office of the Director accounts within ‘‘Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health’’ during fiscal year 2011 shall not exceed $400,000.”
The full letter addressed to Senator Inouye, Senator Cochran, Representative Rogers and Representative Dicks is below.
Full Letter and List of Organization and Universities who signed
Congressional Research Service Issues Report on NIH
Posted by Austin Rouse on April 5, 2011
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently released a report on the history, organization, and functions of and the issues faced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The report (link below) can serve as a primer on the agency.
The National Institutes of Health NIH Organization Funding and Congressional Issues
National Board of Education Sciences Cites Study by UNCG's SERVE Center
Posted by Austin Rouse on April 4, 2011
A recent letter addressed to top congressional officials recognized SERVE’s early literacy work in the Mississippi Delta region. The letter was drafted by the National Board of Education Sciences, the board of directors for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). IES funds the Regional Educational Laboratory Program’s 10 regional labs, one of which is housed at SERVE. In the letter, SERVE’s literacy work was noted for finding that an easy-to-replicate language development program produced a sizable gain in children’s vocabulary and was cited as the kind of exemplary research that might improve early learning outcomes for millions of America’s children.
Read the Letter to Senator Tom Harkin and Senator Michael Enzi
Download the report on this story, The Effectiveness of a Program to Accelerate Vocabulary Development in Kindergarten
As Budgets Tighten, Big Science Gets a New Opportunity to Make Its Case
Posted by Austin Rouse on April 1, 2011
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Paul Basken
Research universities face a long list of seemingly intractable problems.
Faculty too often work in subject-specific silos. Taxpayer-supported basic science doesn't get converted by industry into useful products and jobs. The vagaries of federal financing play havoc with laboratory projects and staffing. And now, making it even worse for some universities, Congress is cutting off budgetary "earmarks" reserved for many big-picture projects.
One possible solution—known as interdisciplinary science, or "team science"—is ripe for a surge in growth. An early sign: a new group of campus-based grant experts, known as the National Organization of Research Development Professionals, has ballooned from 32 to 232 members in the past two years, with what its leadership sees as a focus on promoting interdisciplinary science.
Universities are putting an emphasis on shared projects, says the group's president, Holly Falk-Krzesinski, part of the research-support staff at Northwestern University. The universities see it as "the strategic positioning of research development," she says.
Full Story
FY 2011 Budget & President Obama's Budget for 2012 Fiscal Year
Posted by Mike Tarrant on March 18, 2011
The House voted 271-158 on Tuesday, March 15 in favor of a three-week stopgap spending measure, or continuing resolution (CR), that would keep the federal government funded through April 8. The measure, which was passed March 17 in the Senate on an 87-to-13 vote, contains $6 billion in cuts by reducing or terminating $3.5 billion of funding within 25 federal programs. The additional cuts are from "earmark terminations" that cut an additional $2.6 billion. Funding levels for student aid programs and the largest scientific research agencies are not altered by this CR.
Previously, Congress had passed a two-week continuing resolution to fund government operations from March 4 through March 18. The legislation included a $4 billion cut in government spending, but does not significantly impact most higher education programs. The one major exception to this is the LEAP program, which was eliminated under the House and Senate passed bill.
Congress must now get serious about how to fund the remaining six months of FY11, which has been operating roughly at FY10 levels since the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2010. The Republican controlled House and the Democratic controlled Senate must find some middle ground if they want to avoid new talks about a federal government shutdown. The Senate rejected last Wednesday alternative Republican and Democratic approaches to the long-term FY11 spending bill. The House-passed HR 1, which would cut $57.5 billion from current FY11 funding, failed on a vote of 44-56; the Senate Democratic leadership plan, which would cut $4.7 billion from current funding, failed on a vote of 42-58. While both parties have agreed to make cuts to reduce federal spending, the House and Senate are still approximately $51 billion apart in the amount of cuts that they are proposing for FY11. However, leaders yesterday voiced growing confidence that they can reach a deal before the new CR expires April 8.
President Obama's FY 2012 Proposed Budget
President Obama released his FY12 budget request on February 14. This action marks the beginning of the FY 2012 federal budget process. Over the next several months, Congress will receive testimony from agency officials about the budget proposals and will accept some, reject some, and modify most of the recommendations via the 12 annual appropriations bills.
In announcing his $3.7 trillion budget, the President calls for a five-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending. The Administration estimates that the freeze will reduce the deficit by over $400 billion over the next decade. The White House has proposed maintaining the maximum Pell Grant award. The Administration pays for this with more than $100 billion in savings, including eliminating year-round Pell and graduate student in-school loan subsidy. Also, the President recommends significant increases for several key scientific research agencies, including a $740 million increase at the NIH, and proposes $48.8 billion in discretionary spending for the Department of Education, an increase of 4.5 percent over the current spending levels of FY 2011, which has been funded through continuing resolutions.
Here are a few additional highlights:
Financial Aid
The Department of Education expects demand for Pell grants to reach 9.6 million students next year, up from 6 million in 2008. The President's budget protects recent increases in the maximum grant to $5,550 while ensuring that all eligible students continue to be served, but eliminates the year-round Pell and the graduate student in-school loan subsidy.
The budget provides level funding for a number of important student aid programs including GEAR UP, Federal Work-Study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. Additionally, the budget requests a 7.9% increase in funding for TRIO.
Research
The National Institutes of Health would receive a $1 billion increase in 2012, to $31.8 billion in the President's budget proposal. The National Science Foundation would receive a 13 percent increase, to $7.8 billion. The National Endowments for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts would both lose money under President Obama's budget proposal. They would each receive $146 million, down from $167.5 million for each in the current 2010 fiscal year.
One of the best resources available to compare the President's FY 2012 Budget and the Republican's FY 11 Continuing Resolution Bill is a presentation by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This presentation provides graphs and analysis for Research and Development funding for the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, NIST, National Institutes of Health, Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense.
What is the President's Budget?
The "President's Budget" sets forth the Administration's recommendations for the Federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Only Congress has the power of the purse, therefore the "President's Budget" is merely a suggestion for spending. It is also a public declaration of what the President will both push for during the process and ultimately sign or veto.
Senate and House Budget Committee Meetings Begin for FY12 Budget
Senate and House Budget Committees have begun a series of hearings about President Obama's proposed FY 2012 budget. A complete schedule of hearings can be found here for the House Budget Committee and here for the Senate Budget Committee.
Patent Reform
On Tuesday, March 8, the Senate adopted S. 23, the patent reform legislation, by a vote of 95 to 5. The House must now take up the issue. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Lamar Smith (R-TX), expressed his support of the Senate bill after passage last night.
U.S. House Republicans Set Deep Targets for Budget Cuts, Alarming Universities
Posted by Mike Tarrant on February 4, 2011
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Paul Basken
Washington
Republicans leading the U.S. House of Representatives proposed on Thursday a 9-percent single-year cut in nondefense discretionary federal spending, making clear the huge challenge confronting President Obama and his pledge to largely spare scientific research from the overall need for deep budget reductions.
The House Appropriations Committee set the target in issuing a budget outline by which Congress hopes to use to finish work on spending bills for the 2011 fiscal year, which began last October.
The plan, which includes breakdowns by broad budget category, calls for a 16-percent cut from 2010 levels in spending for the budgetary division that includes the National Science Foundation and NASA, a 10-percent reduction for the Energy Department, and a 4-percent cut in the unit that includes the National Institutes of Health and the Education Department.
The proposed spending levels fall well below the amounts recommended last year by Mr. Obama, who has promised to protect research spending both this year and in the budget for the 2012 fiscal year, which he is due to propose later this month.
House Republicans, who gained a majority in the chamber in last November's elections, stopped short Thursday of specifying exact amounts for agencies such as the NIH and NSF. But university leaders immediately began viewing the outline with alarm, especially given that the 2011 fiscal year is already more than one-third complete. That means the full-year percentage cutbacks would be even larger when applied to the unspent portion of each agency's annual budget.
"These allocations pose a serious threat to science and higher education," said Barry Toiv, spokesman for the Association of American Universities, the main lobbying group for research institutions. "We're going to be working to convince the House to sustain funding in these areas, but if they don't, we'll be encouraging the Senate to take a different approach."
Earlier Thursday, Mr. Obama visited Pennsylvania State University at University Park, where he made clear his belief that scientific research should remain a priority even as the federal government tries to scale back its spending.
"Government has a responsibility to live within its means," Mr. Obama told a gathering of about 3,000 people on the campus. "But we also have a responsibility to invest in those areas that are going to have the biggest impact. And in this century, those areas are education and infrastructure and innovation."
Congresswoman Foxx to Lead Higher Education Subcommittee
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 5, 2011
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, representing much of the northwestern portion of the state and a portion of Winston-Salem in NC's fifth congressional district, announced yesterday her appointment as chairwoman of the House subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness for the 112th Congress. The subcommittee oversees federal policy on U.S. colleges and universities and is part of the House Education and Workforce Committee, which will be chaired by Rep. Ron Kline (R-MN).
Serving her third term in the House, Congresswoman Foxx is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill with an A.B. in English and M.A.C.T in Sociology. She later earned a doctoral degree in Higher Education/Curriculum from UNC Greensboro.
Congresswoman Foxx previously served as Assistant Dean of the General College at Appalachian State University as well as President of Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine, NC.
UNCG Establishing Task Force to Focus on Aiding Military Veterans
Posted by Mike Tarrant on October 20, 2010
UNCG is establishing a Military, Veterans and Families Task Force to make recommendations designed to facilitate the enrollment and the success of UNCG students who are active duty members of the military, military veterans and military dependents.
The task force was announced today by UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady, who was involved earlier in her career as a civilian analyst at both the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State. Task Force members will include UNCG students, faculty, and staff as well as members of the local community. Members will be selected based on their roles as existing and potential providers and recipients of military and veteran services.
“The establishment of a military, veterans and families advisory task force is consistent with the University’s mission to be a learner-centered, accessible and inclusive community,” Brady said. “As the voice for the hundreds of veterans, members of the military and their families who are members of the UNCG community, the task force will help ensure UNCG is a place that those who have served their country and those currently serving are proud to call home.”
The task force will gather information about the services available for veterans, active military personnel and their families at UNCG. It will review current academic and support services in place for veterans, military personnel and their families and make recommendations for ways to improve and expand such services. The task force will also work to reduce barriers within the University to provide more effective services and a more military-friendly environment.
“Through this effort, UNCG has an opportunity to increase access and support for academic success to this diverse, talented and academically prepared group of students who can offer a global perspective to the traditional academic setting,” Brady said. “The taskforce will also be responsible for recommending whether or not a permanent Military, Veterans, and Families Advisory Committee should be established at UNCG.”
This fall, UNCG reported 384 students who used veterans benefits, placing it fourth in benefits usage in the UNC System, behind East Carolina, UNC Chapel Hill, and Fayetteville State. While UNCG currently collects data on students using veterans benefits, the task force will help strengthen UNCG’s ability to identify all veterans/military personnel at the University, including those who may be faculty or staff.
Other data pointing to the need for a task force to examine the situation of veterans on the UNCG campus show that:
• North Carolina has the third-largest active duty military population in the country and an increase is expected as more servicemembers are relocated to bases in the state. It also has the highest percentage of the total active duty military, National Guard, and Reserve personnel of any state.
• According to UNC SERVES (Systemwide Evaluation and Recommendation for Veteran Education and Services), North Carolina has 116,073 active duty personnel as of October 2010. When National Guard and Reserve populations are added, the total swells to 138,615.
• Two representatives from UNCG are serving on the UNC SERVES working group. UNC SERVES is a system-wide initiative designed to improve access, retention and graduation rates for military affiliated students on UNC campuses.
• Most of the active duty military, Reserve and National Guard have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom and approximately 36,000 veterans currently live in Guilford County.
• Due to the recent influx of veterans returning from these two wars seeking higher education, many colleges and universities throughout the country are working to ensure positive campus environments for veterans. Nationally, 270,666 students used the new veterans benefits in 2009-10.
Programs are already in place at UNCG to assist veterans, active duty military and their families. Three of them are:
• The VETS program is hosted by the Dean of Students Office, seeks to assist veterans with their transition to UNCG by providing resources to help support veterans’ success.
• The Veteran’s Ally program links a veteran with a faculty or staff member to be a source of support and networking for those with questions about campus and community resources.
• The Military and Veterans Expo, hosted on September 7, 2010, was the first of its kind on a UNC system campus. It featured collaboration between UNCG and the office of U.S. Senator Kay Hagan; a panel on education, jobs, and workforce development; and a resource fair for veterans, active duty military and their families that featured representatives from over 40 different government agencies and nonprofits. There are plans to make it an annual event.
“At UNCG we have a long history of supporting our veterans, members of the military, and their families,” Brady said. “In 1945, faculty at UNCG, then known as ‘Woman’s College,’ established a veterans education committee to meet the needs of women war veterans returning from service.
“Today, our commitment to supporting veterans, service members, and their families is as strong as ever before. We are currently working with faculty, staff, and students, including those who are in the military or are veterans, to examine issues that affect veterans and other military personnel as students or employees of our University. We aim to ensure UNCG is a place where veterans, members of the military, and their families feel welcomed and have the opportunity to thrive.”
Story on News 14 Carolina
(Link to Original Press Release)
Van Broekhuizen Named to Education Commission
Posted by Mike Tarrant on October 20, 2010
Dr. Ludwig "Ludy" van Broekhuizen, executive director of SERVE Center at UNCG, has been appointed to the Governor's Education Transformation Commission, an oversight and advisory group for the state's use of an almost $400 million federal grant for education reform.
"This appointment is further evidence of the immensely important work being done by Dr. van Broekhuizen and the SERVE Center in building new knowledge, promoting best practices, and transforming knowledge into action through quality professional development for educational professionals," said UNCG Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David H. Perrin.
The grant is part of the federal "Race to the Top" program designed to spur improvement in K-12 education. It will help implement the state's "Ready, Set, Go!" initiative to recruit and retain quality teachers and administrators, turn around low-performing schools, and provide the latest technology for assessing students' needs.
"North Carolina's children today are one step closer to being guaranteed the best public education possible – something every child deserves," Gov. Bev Perdue said when the grant was announced. "This grant will give us the resources to more aggressively implement our plan to ensure that all of our children graduate ready for a career, college or technical training."
The commission includes two other representatives from the UNC system: Dr. Alisa Chapman, associate vice president for academic planning and university-school programs at UNC General Administration, and Dr. Glenn Kleiman, executive director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at N.C. State University. The first of the commission's monthly meetings will be Nov. 5.
SERVE Center is an education research and development center. It houses the Regional Educational Laboratory for the Southeast; the National Center for Homeless Education; and numerous other technical assistance, research and evaluation projects.
By Dan Nonte (Link to Original Press Release)
RF Micro Devices, JSNN Announce Collaboration
Posted by Mike Tarrant on October 7, 2010
RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq GS: RFMD), a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance radio frequency components and compound semiconductor technologies, and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) of UNCG and N.C. A&T have signed a Joint Research and Development, Facilities and Equipment Use Agreement.
This agreement enables joint research and development activities as well as facilities and equipment use at the state-of-the-art research and education facility currently under construction for the JSNN at Gateway University Research Park in Greensboro.
Under the agreement, JSNN and RFMD intend to collaborate on the development of innovative nanoelectronics technologies related to RF amplification, filter, and switch functions. JSNN's cleanroom will be available to RFMD for research and development, and RFMD will collaborate with university research students while locating RFMD personnel at the facility. JSNN and RFMD intend for the collaboration between industry and academia to drive research excellence and generate leading-edge technologies that ultimately support economic growth.
"The development of strong relationships with industry leaders like RFMD is critical for the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering to be a leader in nano-related education and research, and to help with local economic development," said James G. Ryan, founding dean of JSNN. "JSNN has already benefited from RFMD's technology leadership and vision, and we look forward to working with RFMD on research activities in the JSNN cleanroom."
John Merrill, executive director of Gateway University Research Park, Inc., said, "This agreement exemplifies Gateway's efforts to be a catalyst for university research, innovation, and economic development. Gateway is pleased to be a part of this groundbreaking collaboration that will promote continued nanoelectronics innovation in the Piedmont Triad."
Bob Bruggeworth, president and CEO of RFMD, said, "We are pleased to collaborate with the JSNN and to support their mission of leadership in nanoelectronics research and education. Nanoelectronics hold great promise in the area of communications technologies, especially in the design and manufacture of amplifiers, switches and filters. Future applications utilizing these innovative technologies could range from MEMS devices with breakthrough performance to programmable filters enabling next-generation multimode phones. These approaches have the ability to significantly reduce size, cost and energy consumption, all of which drive material benefits to our customers and transform the end-user experience."
Link to original UNCG Press Release
Countdown to New Fiscal Year
Posted by Mike Tarrant on September 28, 2010
Congress enters its last week of legislative business before the elections with one must-do item on its agenda: enact a stopgap funding resolution to keep the government operating.
Lawmakers have a Thursday deadline to complete action on the continuing resolution, in order to keep the government running starting on Friday, Oct. 1, the first day of fiscal 2011. A CR to fund government operations is not unusual, as Congress rarely finishes work on all its appropriations bills before the start of a fiscal year. A report by the Congressional Research Service shows that since 1980, Congress has managed to enact more than four of its spending bills on time in only three years — 1988, 1994 and 1996 — with all other appropriations being funded by a stopgap measure. In recent years far fewer than four bills have been enacted on time, with Congress failing to enact a single spending bill by the start of the fiscal year in three of the last nine years. With none of the 12 individual spending bills yet enacted this year, the stopgap measure will again be needed to fund the entire government until sometime after the November elections.
Orginally published on CQ.com
U.S. Study of Research Universities Gets Under Way
Posted by Mike Tarrant on September 24, 2010
Wednesday marked the official launch of a new federal panel
designed to recommend how to ensure that American research universities remain vital and effective. The Committee on Research Universities, sponsored by the National Academies and funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, includes corporate CEOs, university leaders, and others, and is charged with answering this question: "What are the top ten actions that Congress, the federal government, state governments, research universities, and others could take to assure the ability of the American research university to maintain the excellence in research and doctoral education needed to help the United States compete, prosper, and achieve national goals for health, energy, the environment, and security in the global community of the 21st century?” A report is due next May.
Published on Inside Higher Ed
Snowden to Testify Before Senate Banking Committee Sept. 15
Posted by Mike Tarrant on September 15, 2010
Dr. Ken Snowden, an associate professor of economics and director of graduate studies in the Bryan School of Business and Economics at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Wednesday, Sept. 15.
He will address the committee during a panel discussion on "Covered Bonds: Potential Uses and Regulatory Issues."
An economic historian, Snowden has studied the historical development of the mortgage market in the U.S. for more than 20 years. His research has become particularly relevant in light of the mortgage crisis that contributed to the nation's economic recession.
In recent years, lenders have utilized a securitization process where mortgage loans were sold and repackaged, Snowden said. With covered bonds, "instead of selling the mortgage, the intermediary holds on to it and uses it as collateral for bonds they issue," he said.
"The key advantage that people talk about with covered bonds is that issuers keep 'skin in the game.' What that means is they're retained some of the risk. That's their skin. Hopefully, that'll make them more careful in what mortgages they make."
The covered bond model has been widely used in European markets, where it has performed better than securitization, he said. "What Congress is trying to do right now is see if there needs to be legislation or regulatory action to encourage the development of the covered bond market."
If legislators encourage movement in that direction, it'll be a return to a model used decades ago. "We actually had covered bonds systems before 1940 in the United States," Snowden said. He's one of only a few scholars who have studied those markets extensively "so I can provide some historical perspective on how well they worked and the regulations that were implemented at the time.
"I'm the only historian on the panel. Everyone else is either a regulator or folks in current financial markets. My job is to provide a little historical context."
Snowden spent the weekend preparing a paper for the Senate Banking Committee that he'll submit prior to his testimony. On the day of the event, he'll give five to seven minutes of verbal testimony and be available to answer questions from committee members.
After the testimony, he'll hop a plane back to Greensboro to teach class. For an academic who has dedicated countless hours to his research, it's a sacrifice he's happy to make.
"I was happy to be asked and I'm happy to contribute," Snowden said. "That's why we do this work, hoping it can matter in some way."
PDF of Testimony HERE
View Video HERE
By Lanita Withers Goins
Photography by Chris English
Help and Support for Veterans
Posted by Mike Tarrant on September 10, 2010
UNCG opened its arms to veterans and military personnel Tuesday afternoon, with the Veterans and Military Expo in EUC.
"It's certainly wonderful that UNCG is holding this on this great campus," said Sen. Kay Hagan, who serves on the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee.
She noted the skills that veterans possess. "We now need to transition those to civilian life." She stressed jobs. And she stressed the need for education and training. "I can think of no more capable workforce than our returning veterans," she said.
Chancellor Linda P. Brady welcomed, as well, those attending the expo. She noted UNCG's long history of support to veterans, going back to World War II and [future nursing dean] Pattie Lewis' service in nursing and the 1945 faculty Veterans' Education Committee assisting the women returning to campus.
She thanked the military personnel for their service, and she thanked the many organizations and individuals offering advice and services at the expo resource fair later in the afternoon. "Without your participation, this expo would not have been possible."
She made special note of Marty Noe, who also welcomed those attending. Noe is a sophomore at UNCG, after a career of more than 20 years in the Navy.>>Read More
By Mike Harris
Photography by Chris English
JSNN Welcomes First Students
Posted by Mike Tarrant on September 10, 2010
Congressman Brad Miller has a keen interest in the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, says Mike Tarrant, special assistant to the chancellor. The school opened last month, welcoming its first students.
Miller serves on the House of Representatives' Science and Technology Committee, where he is chair of that committee's subcommittee on investigations and oversight.
"He has a special interest in nanoscience," Tarrant says, noting that Miller is currently co-sponsoring legislation that will provide more education and research in the area of nanotechnology.
The JSNN has welcomed its first group of students – and just before classes began, Miller met with N.C. A&T Chancellor Harold Martin, UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady, Dr. James Ryan, the JSNN founding dean, and John Merrill, executive director of Gateway University Research Park, at the joint school. Other NC A&T and UNCG officials as well as John Hardin, executive director of the NC Board of Science and Technology, participated.
Miller spoke with students and faculty, toured the current classroom and labs and saw the construction site at the Gateway University Research Park's south campus. The school's $65 million building is under construction, with completion scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2011. Construction so far is on time and on budget, Ryan said. For now, classes are being held next door in the conference room of Gateway's USDA research building.
"The enrollment of the first cohort of students into the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering marks the fruition of a vision that was cast years ago," said UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady. "The cutting-edge disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering combine the strengths of the two universities, and the training these students will receive at the Joint School will be in demand and spur economic development for years to come." >>Read More
By Mike Harris
Photography by Chris English
Positioning UNCG for the 'New Normal'
Posted by Mike Tarrant on August 19, 2010
Our university faces an even tougher budget situation for 2011-13, while we remain committed to academic quality and student success. It's all part of the "new normal," a term used more than once by Chancellor Linda P. Brady in her State of the Campus Address Wednesday morning in Aycock Auditorium.
"We must embark upon a course that will position us for an even more competitive future," she said.
This course will require efforts in three areas:
First, UNCG will take steps to enhance its undergraduate student profile. During the past decade, the quality of entering undergraduate classes has declined, Brady said. Nine UNC system campuses had higher SAT scores in 2009. We must take steps now in order to reverse the trend, she said. The Deans Council considered the impact of several proposals to raise the minimum SATs required for admission to UNCG in fall 2011, she explained. Following extensive review, the decision was made to raise significantly the minimum SATs required for admission.
Second, UNCG will implement an ambitious program of learning communities in conjunction with the development of a new neighborhood and renovation of existing residence halls. Research shows that students who live on campus are more likely to return and graduate at higher rates than students who reside off campus. This initiative includes a strategic direction for housing that is designed to nearly double the number of UNCG students living in university-managed housing over the next decade; the new LEED 400-bed suite-style residence hall on Spring Garden Street that will be ready for students in fall 2011; the renovation and expansion of the seven historic Quad residence halls; an expanded campus that will include additional student housing, a new indoor recreation center, and a central campus police station along the Lee Street Corridor; developing models of learning communities and designing learning community spaces for the new residence hall on Spring Garden Street and a renovated and expanded Quad.
Third, UNCG will embark on a conversation regarding an academic realignment that will build on our historic strengths in areas related to health and human development and that will position our academic programs and the Graduate School for greater visibility, enhanced fund-raising opportunities and future success. UNCG's Strategic Plan 2009-14 provides an opportunity to explore health and human development, broadly defined, as a major area of focus, she said. With respect to the Graduate School, she said, UNCG's Strategic Plan 2009-14 also commits UNCG to grow graduate enrollment significantly during the next several years. The university has opportunities to leverage its resources to expand sponsored research and other sources of funding, and to reinforce our commitment to serve the needs of this community, the state and the nation, she said. While faculty, staff and students in the Schools of Human Environmental Sciences and Health and Human Performance have a special interest in this discussion, so do faculty, staff and students in Nursing and other disciplines and programs, she noted. "These conversations must, and will, engage any and all groups on the campus who want to contribute to building a more visible and successful academic unit focused on health and human development."
The chancellor cited a great number of milestones and successes for our university. Examples included:
UNCG Guarantee, a need-based financial aid and student success program which welcomes its first class of scholars this fall.
UNCG in 3, an accelerated degree program that allows well-prepared undergraduates to compete their degrees in three years.
UNCG's commitment to student success reinforced through the integration of academic affairs and student affairs under the leadership of Provost David H. Perrin.
Significant progress in improving and ensuring intentionality and coherence in the General Education curriculum.
The approval or launch of several new programs. Last week, the UNC Board of Governors approved UNCG's request to plan a joint doctoral program in social work with NC A&T University.
Approximately $48 million in total funds were awarded for research, an increase of 34% over the previous year.
The launch of UNCG's new School of Music, Theatre and Dance. It includes nearly 1,200 majors and more than 100 faculty and staff.
A recent report by The Education Trust praised UNCG's success in graduating African-American students at a comparable rate to white students. In contrast, there is a disparity in graduation rates on the national level.
UNCG has launched a national search for the position of chief diversity officer and associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion. The university has already received 60 applications or nominations for the position, she noted.
All Spartan athletic teams met or exceeded their Academic Progress Report (APR) goals, while a space assessment is identifying immediate and long-term needs for Athletics.
UNCG has appointed a full-time sustainability coordinator.
An Integrated Marketing and Strategic Communications Taskforce has focused on how to enhance the image of UNCG through a variety of communications.
The successes of last year and the coming year were tempered by a look at the state's budget projections. Universities in the state and across the country are looking closely at how to best position themselves for the future.
Our university needs to begin planning now for the "new normal," she stressed. "As we plan for how to deal with an even tougher situation in 2011-13 than we have faced in 2009-11, we must consider how to position UNCG for the 'new normal' that will emerge in 2012, 2013 and beyond. We must take steps now to ensure we remain a strong, vibrant university, committed to serving our students and the community in which we live. Academic quality and student success are, and will remain, the keys to positioning UNCG for the future."
The Chancellor's 2010 State of the Campus (fall convocation) address, as well as the PowerPoint presentation displayed during the address, can be viewed at http://www.uncg.edu/cha/speeches/.
By Mike Harris
Photography by Chris English
President Obama signs $26 billion jobs bill to aid state payrolls
Posted by Mike Tarrant on August 11, 2010
President Obama approved a final spurt of spending Tuesday to shore up the sluggish recovery, signing into law a $26 billion plan to save the jobs of thousands of teachers and other government workers. The measure brings total direct federal spending on the economy to nearly $1.2 trillion since the nation descended into recession in late 2007.
With economic growth faltering and unemployment stuck at 9.5 percent, some economists are urging additional action. But senior Democrats and administration officials said the package of state aid is likely to be the last major effort at economic stimulus -- at least until after November congressional elections, for which the soaring national debt has become a major issue.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), determined to demonstrate a commitment to fighting job losses, summoned lawmakers back from their August vacation for an unusual one-day session to vote on the package. Democrats argued that it would preserve the jobs of more than 300,000 workers by helping state governors plug their own budget holes.
"We can't stand by and do nothing while pink slips are given to the men and women who educate our children and keep our communities safe," Obama said at a Rose Garden news conference, flanked by Education Secretary Arne Duncan and two public school teachers.
Republicans derided the measure as a handout to teachers' unions, a key Democratic constituency, and argued that it would be no more successful at promoting a robust economy than the massive stimulus package Obama signed shortly after taking office in January 2009.
"This is a bailout. This is another bailout. . . . Let's not do this!" Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) yelled during House debate. "We're facing almost a $1.5 trillion budget deficit. America, please, please wake up. And remember in November."
In the Washington area, where budget troubles have forced school boards to freeze salaries, trim programs or cut staff, the bill would provide about $70 million for the District, $450 million for Maryland and $540 million for Virginia, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Maryland's schools superintendent, Nancy S. Grasmick, said the "money will be helpful" in reducing class sizes and rehiring reading teachers and other specialists.
In a midday vote, the House approved the bill 247 to 161, with all but two Republicans voting no. The measure would provide governors with an additional six months of federal assistance: $10 billion for education and about $16 billion for Medicaid, which will allow them to avoid shifting cash away from other priorities.
The sum is about half what Obama requested. Democratic leaders were forced to scale back the package by rank-and-file Democrats concerned about how more spending would play with angry voters. They also had to cover the cost of the measure so that it would not increase future deficits. The bill includes nearly $10 billion in new taxes on U.S. multinational corporations that do business abroad, and it rescinds after 2014 an increase in food stamp payments enacted in last year's $862 billion stimulus package.
That measure was by far the largest attempt by the federal government to stimulate economic activity. It was not the only such measure enacted to combat the recent recession, however. A $170 billion package, composed mainly of tax cuts, was enacted in 2008 under President George W. Bush, and other measures have been approved under Obama, including multiple extensions of long-term unemployment benefits and the "Cash for Clunkers" auto program.
All told, according to a recent paper by economists Alan S. Blinder of Princeton University and Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics, Congress has authorized more than $1 trillion in fiscal stimulus. Rescue efforts for the financial system, including the Troubled Assets Relief Program and actions by the Federal Reserve, are not included. The authors -- supporters of the stimulus -- estimate that the ultimate cost to taxpayers for all federal actions in response to the recession will be around $1.6 trillion.
Despite those expenditures, the economy continues to struggle. The prospect of layoffs or tax increases by state officials who are almost uniformly required to balance their budgets remains a major worry. The package approved Tuesday represents less than a quarter of the $116 billion shortfall that states face over the next two years, according to the National Governors Association. "This isn't plugging the hole. This is helping to transition," said David Quam, NGA director of federal relations.
Schools have been particularly hard hit. With the start of school just a few weeks away, class sizes have been on the rise across the country, school bus routes have been cut and a plethora of programs, including summer school, arts, physical education, and health and counseling services, have been slashed. Some school systems even trimmed the length of the school year to make ends meet. As of this month, it remained unclear exactly how many workers had been let go.
By voice vote, the House also approved a $600 million bill to shore up surveillance and security along the troubled U.S.-Mexico border. Senate leaders said they could return to Washington to push that measure to final passage as soon as next week.
Originally published on Washingtonpost.com
Education 'the economic issue of our time,' Obama says in UT speech
Posted by Mike Tarrant on August 11, 2010
President Barack Obama said in a speech at the University of Texas this afternoon that education “is the economic issue of our time.”
Addressing a friendly and appreciative audience in Gregory Gym, the president sought to underscore the link between long-term economic prosperity and a better-educated population.
“It’s an economic issue when the unemployment rate for folks who’ve never gone to college is almost double what it is for those who have gone to college,” he said. “Education is an economic issue when nearly eight in 10 new jobs will require workforce training or a higher education by the end of this decade. Education is an economic issue when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow.”
Obama said his administration is pursuing a three-pronged higher education strategy: making college more affordable, ensuring that college students - especially those at community colleges, the fastest-growing sector - are prepared for a career and boosting graduation rates.
“Over a third of America’s college students, and over half our minority students, don’t earn a degree, even after six years,” the president said. “So, we don’t just need to open the doors of college to more Americans; we need to make sure they stick with it through graduation.”
Obama spoke to an audience of 3,500 students, faculty members, staff members and invited guests. Approximately 70 percent of the tickets to the event were distributed by the university to students and employees. The rest were parceled out by the White House to elected officials and state and local leaders.
Obama leavened his remarks about the nation’s education challenges with some down-home touches, recalling his visits to Austin during the campaign, back when “my hair was not gray.”
“I rubbed the locker room’s longhorns for good luck,” he said, describing a tour of Royal-Memorial Stadium with football coach Mack Brown. “And I’m just saying it might have had something to do with how the election came out.”
The centerpiece goal of Obama’s higher education policy is to produce 8 million more college graduates among 25- to 34-year-olds by 2020 than would be produced as a result of current rates plus population growth.
“In a single generation, we’ve fallen from first to 12th in college graduation rates for young adults. That’s unacceptable, but not irreversible,” the president said.
Obama cited as one of his biggest successes in higher education policy the elimination of commercial banks and other financial institutions as middlemen in the federal student loan program. That will save about $60 billion in the next decade, with much of it plowed into Pell grants for low-income students.
Obama mentioned U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, as the architect of a tax credit for middle-class families of $2,500 a year for two years of college. The president wants to make that permanent so it would be worth $10,000 over four years of college.
Originally posted on Statesman.com.
Budget Deficits
Posted by Mike Tarrant on July 28, 2010
North Carolina's projected budget deficit for next year is one of the largest in the country, according to a new report by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The organization, which provides research and expertise for state legislatures, surveyed 35 states to get a picture of their fiscal health heading into the 2011-12 budget year. Thirty of the states are projecting deficits that total $72 billion. North Carolina's deficit is already expected to be $3.2 billion next year. Lawmakers struggled to cut about $1.3 billion from the budget they passed last month. The majority of the 2011-12 shortfall comes from the end of federal economic stimulus spending and $1.4 billion in temporary taxes, including a penny increase to the state's sale tax rate, that are scheduled to expire next June. Only California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York and Texas are projecting larger 2011-12 budget holes than North Carolina.
Originally published on WRAL.com
Budget Breakdown
Highlights of adjustments in the $18.96 billion final budget plan for the 2010-11 fiscal year given tentative approval Tuesday by the House and Senate. The monetary figures are adjustments to what the Legislature already has budgeted for the year:
John Rottet (News & Observer)
Public Education
$19 billion Budget Given Tentative Approvals
Posted by Mike Tarrant on July 2, 2010
RALEIGH — Two House lawmakers from Greensboro provided some of the most vociferous objections to the $19 billion budget the House and Senate tentatively approved Tuesday.
In the end, neither Rep. John Blust, a Republican, nor Rep. Earl Jones, a Democrat, could hold back passage. The House voted 66-49 in favor; the Senate, 31-16. Both chambers must, and almost certainly will, vote a second time today to make the budget deal official.
Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, said in a statement she would sign the budget once it is passed, calling it “a clear win for the people of North Carolina.”
Among the budget’s highlights, it:
- Gives businesses that make less than $1 million a year a credit to offset the annual unemployment taxes they pay.
- Avoids cutting teaching positions, in part by shifting around proceeds from the state lottery.
- Saves $50.7 million by remaking a program that provides in-home services to disabled adults and rewriting the rules to allow fewer people in the program.
The budget spends about $500,000 less than Democratic budget writers anticipated last year, although it still drew ire from Republicans for being both spendthrift and not properly accounting for federal stimulus funds. Lawmakers in both parties acknowledge that next year the state could face a $3 billion shortfall.
Democrats control both the House and Senate, and the budget passed both chambers along mainly partisan lines. In the Senate, Sen. Stan Bingham, a Denton Republican who represents parts of Guilford County, was one of two Republicans to cross party lines and back the budget.
In the House, one Republican, Roger West of Marble, voted for the budget and two Democrats, including Jones, voted against.
“This budget is not good enough. We can do better,” Jones said, winding up the first of three pitches he made to reject the budget and insert language legalizing and taxing video poker into the bill. The games, he said, could produce $50 million a month in revenue for the state and offset cuts made to human services such as in-home personal care services.
“There really is ... really no appetite to have us move in the direction you would have us go,” Rep. Paul Luebke, a Durham Democrat, told Jones.
Jones, who lost his primary this spring after campaigning heavily on the video poker issue, pushed back, calling the budget “unacceptable” and urging colleagues to vote against the measure.
While Jones blasted colleagues for not raising enough revenue, Blust argued that the budget spent too much and reflected few Republican ideas.
“You just don’t want to hear some of our proposals,” Blust said, directing his frustration at Democratic leaders and calling the budget “rigged.”
Democrats shot back that Republicans had not fully participated in the budget process and were imposing unrealistic expectations on the state.
Saying that we should both cut taxes and find a couple billion dollars in cuts is like telling us that you can drink chocolate milk every day and you might lose weight — it ain’t going to happen,” Raleigh Democrat Rep. Deborah Ross said in response to Blust’s comments.
Most of the debate on the House floor was focused on how the state had accounted for $518 million in supplemental Medicaid money that Congress has vacillated on providing. The budget lays out eight specific cuts to make if only part or none of the additional federal funding materializes.
“You can’t spend wishes and you can’t appropriate hope. We don’t have the money,” Lincolnton Republican Rep. Johnathan Rhyne Jr. said.
Democrats said it only made sense to give the governor flexibility in dealing with money that may or may not come from Congress.
“The budget does the best that it can do to address the multiplicity of needs we have in our state,” said Rep. Alma Adams, a Greensboro Democrat and one of the lead budget writers in the House.
This article was originally published on News-Record.com
(File Photo News & Record)
University Budget Crunch Cuts Beyond Campus
Posted June 11, 2010
Local university leaders aren't the only ones worried about an almost six percent budget cut proposal for next year. Local chancellors say the cut will force them to offer fewer classes, roll back degree programs and graduate fewer highly skilled workers.
That's bad news for Reyad Sawafta's nanoscience business. His Quartek Corporation depends on people with advanced degrees. "We have to have physicists, chemists, biologists, engineers," said Sawafta. "It's very important for us to be able to tap into the local talent pool."
Quartek partners with UNCG and NC A&T through the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. Both schools plan to enroll their first class this fall.
A&T Chancellor Harold Martin says budget cuts could mean longer waits to hire faculty for the program.
"That will have a negative impact on us because this will deprive us from accessing this talent pool of researchers that we are expected to get out of the Nano school in the next few years," said Sawafta.
UNCG Chancelor Linda Brady says education cuts will "damage the ability of Greensboro and the Triad to recruit companies from other parts of the country.
Sawafta agrees. He says other companies "will probably look somewhere else because other states like Virginia, South Carolina, Massachusetts, California are giving really aggressive incentives for startup technical companies to start there."
Right now A&T plans to cut 45 positions, including 32 faculty members.
UNCG expects to lose 81 positions, including 50 faculty members.
This article was originally published on Digtriad.com.
Chancellor: Budget Cuts Could Mean Lower Enrollment At UNCG
Posted June 11, 2010
Larger classes, higher tuition and admitting fewer students. That's what UNC Greensboro's chancellor says could happen, if the state cuts more money from the UNC System's budget.
A house subcommittee approved a plan Thursday cutting an extra $139 million system-wide. That's on top of the $100 million in cuts lawmakers previously approved.
Chancellor Linda Brady says more budget cuts could cost 60 to 75 faculty members their jobs. She's concerned that will affect the quality of education.
Brady says the university could start restricting enrollment in fall 2011 because of the budget cuts.
This article was originally published on Digtriad. com
Rep. Brad Miller Visits Campus, Talks Tech Transfer
Posted April 15, 2010
U.S. Rep. Brad Miller met with faculty and administrators Thursday, April 8, in Sullivan Science Building to discuss innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development. Miller represents North Carolina’s 13th district in the U.S. Congress and is a member of the Committee on Science and Technology and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.
“As a public institution, we take economic development very seriously,” Dr. Terri Shelton, interim vice chancellor for research and economic development, said during last week’s round table discussion. “UNCG has made investments in research, engaged scholarship and innovation to expand our role as an economic driver for the region.”
The participants provided Miller and his staff with suggestions about how the federal government could better support the university’s economic development efforts. Ideas included increased federal investment in research & development (R&D), expedited review of grant proposals by federal agencies, new programs to encourage students to pursue careers in research and small-business loans to help researchers turn their ideas into successful businesses. After the discussion, Dr. Patricia Reggio, head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, gave Miller a tour of the science building.
In addition to Shelton and Reggio, attendees included Dr. Rick Bunch, director of the Center for Geographic Information Science; Lisa Goble, director of the Office of Technology Transfer; Jerry McGuire, associate vice chancellor for economic development; Dr. James Ryan, dean of the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering; Mike Tarrant, special assistant to the chancellor; Dr. Dianne Welsh, director of the North Carolina Center for Entrepreneurship; and Dr. David Wyrick, associate professor of public health.
Chancellor Brady and Provost Perrin were at a Board of Governors meeting, where the topic of pharmacy schools was to be discussed.
This article was originally published in UNCG's Campus Weekly.
UNCG Awarded $6,948,132 for 5-year Teacher Quality Partnership Grant
Posted by Mike Tarrant on March 31, 2010
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the award of $99.8 million for 12 new five-year Teacher Quality Partnership grants that aim to raise student achievement by improving instruction in our nation's schools. The grants, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will be used to reform traditional university teacher preparation programs as well as create teacher residency programs for professionals from other fields entering the teaching profession.
UNCG was awarded $6,948,132 for Project ENRICH led by project director Dr. Betty Epanchin. Click here to read the press release.
Congress in Recess
Posted by Mike Tarrant on March 30, 2010
Congress on Friday left town after passing historic health care legislation, and will return after a two-week recess to a formidable “to do” list of legislation which includes issues such as: Job Creation Legislation, the Annual Budget Resolution, and the FY2010 War Supplemental.
Obama's Budget Released
Posted by Mike Tarrant on February 3, 2010
Click on the FY11 Appropriations tab for detailed charts highlighting Obama's FY11 Budget for Higher Education and Science.
As President Obama and his aides unveiled the administration's fiscal 2011 budget with lots of talk about reining in discretionary spending, they largely exempted programs important to higher education from the budget restraint they urged. For the complete Inside Higher Ed story click here.
President Obama proposed spending increases for both the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation in his FY11 budget.
In all, the president proposed $66-billion for nondefense research and development projects for the 2011 fiscal year, and a 4-percent increase in basic research funds. That included an increase of $1-billion for the National Institutes of Health, which would receive a total of $32.2-billion. That 3.2-percent increase would be the largest for the NIH in eight years, other than the infusion of money the agency received in last year's stimulus legislation.
The president's budget also includes an 8-percent increase for the National Science Foundation. The $7.4-billion budget the president would provide the foundation is in line with Mr. Obama's goal to double research money for the NSF, the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology by 2017.
One place where research programs would see cuts is at the Defense Department. The president's budget proposes a 7.7-percent cut for basic research at the department and an 11.2-percent cut for applied research.
The National Endowments for the Humanities and for the Arts would both lose money under Mr. Obama's budget proposal. They would each receive $161.3-million, down from $167.5-million for each in the current, 2010 fiscal year.
For the complete Chronicle of Higher Education story click here.
Obama Is Expected to Propose Domestic Discretionary Spending Freeze
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 26, 2010
The White House on Monday let key congressional staff know that it will propose freezing much of domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years as part of the fiscal 2011 budget.
The White House estimates this will save $250 billion over 10 years when measured against current spending projections, according to senior congressional aides familiar with the decision. President Obama will probably announce his plan this week, possibly before the State of the Union address he is scheduled to deliver Wednesday. The White House will release its fiscal 2011 budget proposal Feb. 1.
The freeze would exempt the Pentagon, foreign aid, Veterans Administration and homeland security budgets, as well as the entitlement programs that make up the biggest and fastest-growing part of the federal budget: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, The New York Times said. Obama’s plan may be bad news for many other agencies and departments. “There are going to be a great number of programs that get terminated or are cut dramatically,” an aide said.
Source: CQ
The Health-Care Debate in Congress: What's at Stake for Higher Education
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 26, 2010
The Chronicle of Higher Education has an interesting piece on the impact potential health-care legistlation could have on higher education.
How Student-Loan Legislation Could Still Change
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 26, 2010
According to a recent episode of The Chronicle of Higher Education's "In a Washington Minute:"
The longer it takes for lawmakers to figure out how to pass student-loan legislation, the more likely it is that the Senate's version of the bill will differ from the version passed by the House of Representatives. That could mean less money for colleges and their students, says Paul Basken.
Commerce Sec. Announces Plans for Forum on R&D Commercialization at Universities
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 21, 2010
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced today his plans to host a forum with university leaders and key stakeholders on the roles of universities in innovation, economic development, job creation, and commercialization of federally funded research next month in Washington, D.C
The forum, to be held February 24, will open a dialogue among administration officials, university leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders on the effectiveness of existing government and university policies, programs and practices that impact job creation and commercialization.
Click here to see the full press release.
Dems lose 60-seat majority
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 21, 2010
Scott Brown (R) defeated state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) in a special election Tuesday night in Massachusetts to earn a seat in the U.S. Senate. In losing their 60-seat majority, the fate of the Democrats health overhaul bill and other legislative priorities for 2010 are unclear.
House & Senate Back in Session but all Eyes on Massachusetts
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 19, 2010
Democrats and Republicans are keeping a close eye on Massachusetts as the views of its new senator may decide the fate of the health overhaul (HR 3692, HR 3590). Voters head to the polls today to decide the contentious Senate special election. The latest polls have shown state Sen. Scott Brown (R) surging to a dead heat or single-digit lead over state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) after starting the contest as a significant underdog. Senate Democrats need a Coakley victory to hold onto their 60-seat majority. Polls close at 8 pm. EST.
The Senate this week returns and will work again on the debt limit. Work also may continue among Democratic leaders on the health overhaul.
Source: CQ, Roll Call
House is back, Senate still in Recess
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 11, 2010
The House will be in session only Tuesday and Wednesday for votes, as House Democrats later in the week retreat to their annual issues conference where they will be discussing this year’s agenda. The Senate doesn’t return to town until next week.
Source: CQ
Streamlining of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAFSA
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 8, 2010
Earlier this week the White House announced a new streamlined Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that includes a much more user-friendly online format and a large reduction in the number of questions asked and information to be provided for FAFSA completion. Further, it provides for future ease in the importing of IRS information, available later this month. The Department of Education announcement appears below:
The 2010-11 FAFSA-on-the-Web has been redesigned to be shorter, simpler, and more user-friendly. Questions are now asked only if relevant to the applicant; low-income students, for example, are no longer asked for asset information, and only returning students are asked about prior drug convictions because the question does not apply to first-year students. Also, immediately after submitting the FAFSA, applicants will now receive a confirmation email message which indicates Pell Grant eligibility and links to information about the schools they are applying to, such as graduation and transfer rates and a detailed breakdown of costs and expected expenses associated with the schools.
Later this month, those applying for aid in the spring semester using the 2009-10 FAFSA will be able to retrieve and import their tax data from the Internal Revenue Services (IRS). And, in summer 2010, those applying for aid in the 2010-11 a year will also be able to access the IRS web site to retrieve income information to complete the FAFSA.
Sources: APLU, U.S. Department of Education
$250 million initiative for science, math teachers planned
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 6, 2010
President Obama will announce a $250 million public-private effort today to improve science and mathematics instruction, aiming to help the nation compete in key fields with global economic rivals. The initiative seeks to prepare more than 10,000 new math and science schoolteachers over five years and provide on-the-job training for an additional 100,000 science, technology, engineering and math.
Source: Washington Post
Congress in Recess
Posted by Mike Tarrant on January 5, 2010
No votes will be held in either chamber until later in the month: Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the case of the House, and Wednesday, Jan. 20, for the Senate (the day after the Senate reconvenes). In the meantime, leadership from both the House and Senate have already begun negotiations on how to merge the House and Senate versions of the health care legislation into something that will pass both chambers. It is becoming increasingly likely that leaders will decide to bypass a formal conference and instead work out an informal agreement between top Democrats in the hopes of meeting their goal of getting a bill to President Obama by late January or early February.
When lawmakers do convene towards the end of the month, issues on the agenda will include the debt limit, estate tax and jobs legislation.
Source: CQ
Jobs for Mainstreet Act of 2010
Posted by Mike Tarrant on December 16, 2009
The House will soon consider job-creating legislation that Congress and the Obama administration hope to enact early next year. The Senate will not consider its jobs proposals until January at the earliest. The Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010 redirects $75 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) savings from Wall Street to Main Street in an effort to further stabilize jobs and provide additional emergency funding to help families who are suffering.
The bill would provide $23 billion to the states for an “Education Jobs Fund” for Governors to allocate between elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions. The funds are directed to: 1) the protection of existing jobs, and 2) the creation of new jobs within educational institutions, and toward 3) the creation of jobs for the modernization, renovation, and repair of education facilities. An additional $300 million is directed toward College Work Study.
There also are other indirect benefits that could flow to higher education employees that have hurt by the economy. Click here to read the full text of the bill and click here to view the Appropriations Committee bill summary with the education sections highlighted in blue.
Source: APLU
Funding Levels for Programs Important to Higher Education, Fiscal 2010
Posted by Mike Tarrant on December 15, 2009
Check out an informative chart published by InsideHigherEd.com showing how various programs fared in the massive spending bill passed by the Senate Sunday that will finance the Department of Education, the NIH, and most other key science, labor and education programs in the 2010 fiscal year.
$1.1 Trillion Spending Bill Sent to Pres. Obama
Posted by Mike Tarrant on December 14, 2009
On Sunday the U.S. Senate voted to pass the 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill (H.R. 3288) by a vote of 57 to 35. The bill, passed by the House 221-202, was not amended by the Senate which means it will now go to President Obama for his signature.
Check out the Appropriations page for details on the student aid and science highlights of the 2010 Omnibus bill.
Leaders plan to package most of the remaining business with the year’s last appropriations bill — Defense — which is expected to begin moving early in the week. While the House plans to adjourn for the year by the end of this week, the Senate will likely remain in session longer dealing with its health care overhaul bill — and may well be conducting business the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
$446.8B 'minibus' Spending Bill Unveiled
Posted by Mike Tarrant on December 9, 2009
House and Senate appropriators on Tuesday approved a conference report that combines six of the 12 fiscal 2010 spending measures. The 'minibus' combines the Commerce-Justice-Science (HR 2847), Financial Services (HR 3170), Labor-HHS-Education (HR 3293), Military Construction-VA (HR 3082), State-Foreign Operations (HR 3081) and Transportation-HUD (HR 3288) spending bills.
Lawmakers had hoped to pass the six bills separately, but appropriators chose to package them together to expedite their passage. The House hopes to vote on the bill before the end of the week, according to a spokesman for House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.). The Senate could vote on it soon after House passage.
If the omnibus succeeds, the only fiscal 2010 spending bill remaining for Congress to clear will be the Defense bill (HR 3326). It will serve as a vehicle for other legislation congressional leaders want to get done before the end of the year.
Sources: thehill.com, CQ.com
Health Care Remains Focus in Senate
Posted by Mike Tarrant on December 7, 2009
The Senate this week continues to work on the health overhaul, while the House will focus on tax and financial legislation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Ne., has stated that he would like to soon begin the process of filing cloture on one or more parts of the health care bill to get it done by Christmas time. Reid has said he expects the Senate to work weekends throughout December. Check back for updates as debate on the health care bill progresses.
Lastest Happenings On the Hill
Posted by Mike Tarrant on December 3, 2009
This week is the opening week of debate on the Senate’s health care overhaul. The Senate is expected to continue debate on the health care bill up until the end of the year. Check back for updates on the health care bill and other legislative action.
For more information contact:
Mike Tarrant,
Special Assistant to the Chancellor
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
1708 Moore Humanities and Research Administration Building
1111 Spring Garden Street
Greensboro, NC 27412
336.501.2673 Phone
336.334.4624 Fax
mike_tarrant@uncg.edu
