The Association of Former Students
Howdy, Advocates!
Thanks for your continued interest in and support of The Texas A&M Advocacy Network.  Our third news update includes an opinion piece on the future of higher education in America and a "post-mortem" analysis of South Carolina's insidious decline in state support for its colleges and universities.  In addition, you will also find an article about recent testimony in Austin regarding Texas’ higher education funding mechanisms, as well as analysis on the impact of the OMNIBUS federal spending bill. 
While some articles may include opinion pieces, we hope that you will find all of the material informative, reasoned, and useful.  We provide these articles as context only and not as an endorsement of any particular opinion.
Later in the month, several University and Association leaders will have an opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. and advocate for Texas A&M.  Please visit tx.ag/AggiesOnTheHill or follow twitter.com/TAMUAdvocacy to learn more and keep up with all the events.
Thanks and gig ’em,
Dave Fujimoto ’17
Director of Strategic Engagement

Future of Higher Education

Opinion: "The Third Education Revolution"

"When the giant Indian technology-services firm Infosys announced last November that it would open a design and innovation hub in Providence, the company’s president said one of the key reasons he chose Rhode Island was its strong network of higher-education institutions: Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Community College of Rhode Island." Continue reading in The Atlantic. 

"An Era of Neglect" in South Carolina

"It happened so slowly that no one really noticed at first. That’s the way erosion works. It is a gradual decay. But somewhere along the line, over the past three decades or so, the deterioration of support for public higher education became hard to miss. Appropriations tanked. Tuition soared. College leaders embraced gloomy rhetoric about broken partnerships with the very people who had built these institutions from the ground up. Now we have come to a precipice. College students and their families, who just a decade ago paid for about one-third of the cost of their education, are on track to pay for most of it." Continue reading in The Chronicle of Higher Education

Higher Education - State

"Lawmakers Want To Rein in Texas Universities"

"There might be no more dangerous place for a university official than in a Texas Capitol committee room. On several occasions [in 2017], a chancellor, university president or regent has sat down at a hearing and been chewed out by lawmakers who were frustrated about rising tuition rates, expensive land purchases or new programs being pursued against the wishes of elected officials." Read more in the Texas Tribune.

"What's going on with Texas Higher Ed Finance?"

"During hearings at the state Capitol, Texas lawmakers have grilled college and university leaders on several potential changes to how the state funds their institutions.

A joint committee on higher education funding – comprised of state senators and representatives, Democrats and Republicans – has now held two hearings on potential changes to the appropriations process. They’ll put together a report by April, said committee co-chair Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills." Continue reading in the Houston Chronicle. 

Higher Education - Federal

"Few Surprises in White House Budget"

"The White House budget ... makes clear that the Trump administration is in many respects on the same page with House Republicans as they seek to dramatically reshape the student aid system in renewing the Higher Education Act." Continue reading in Inside Higher Ed

"Congress's Budget for Higher Ed, by the Numbers"

"Congressional negotiators [in late March] reached an agreement on a bill to fund the government through the rest of the 2018 fiscal year.

In general, the OMNIBUS bill increases spending for most programs important to higher education, in many cases significantly so." Continue reading in Inside Higher Ed.


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