TCU first site of Department of Education regional meeting on new Higher Education Opportunity Act

Fort Worth, TX

9/10/2008

The Department of Education (ED) selected Texas Christian University as the site of the first public meeting to discuss the recently enacted Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315). The meeting, which was free and open to the public, was held Friday, September 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in TCU’s Brown-Lupton University Union ballroom.

"We are honored to be hosting the first meeting on this important and complex legislation,” said TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. "Federal student aid is vitally important to all colleges and universities and we are no exception."

By law, before the new law takes effect, the ED must conduct a series of public meetings to discuss the issues and concerns of students, families and institutions. At TCU, three EDofficials will listen to individuals’ questions or comments on issues related to the implementation of the legislation. Those wishing to address the panel must sign up to speak on the day of the event. Sign-ups begin at 8 a.m. just outside the Union ballroom. Speakers will be called upon to address the panel in numerical order.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 extends and enhances the Higher Education Act, the federal law that provides student grants and loans to students and families. Approval of this more than 1,150-page bill took five years and contains many new reporting and regulatory requirements that colleges must adhere to regarding tuition and textbook costs, accreditation, and student financial aid.

A large number of educators representing all types of colleges and universities are expected to participate in the meeting. Chancellor Boschini will encourage the education agency to ensure that benefits are delivered to students and families with a minimum of regulatory burden.

Other site locations for the ED meetings are Pepperdine University, the University of Rhode Island and ED’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Apart from ED officials, Dr. David Warren and Sarah Flanagan, president and vice president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and Dr. Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education (ACE), will attend the briefings. The three are the top higher education experts on this new legislation and have extensively analyzed the legislation in an effort to help colleges and universities better comprehend the complexities of the new bill.

For more information, contact TCU’s Office of Communications at 817-257-7810 or visit www.tcu.edu/washington.

Editor’s note: Media will be given the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Dr. Hartle, Ms. Flanagan, and Dr. Warren from noon to 1 p.m. in the Union for detailed background information on the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.