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College Board Education Policy Forums for Big 12 and SUNY Institutions
 Zakiya Smith, policy adviser in the Office of the Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education |
SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher |
The College Board sponsored two education policy forums recently. The first, for members of the Big 12 schools, was held in Boulder, Colo., following a Big 12 annual meeting. The second, cohosted by the State University of New York (SUNY) and the College Board, was held at SUNY’s University at Albany for educators from SUNY institutions and other higher education and K–12 schools and organizations. The events were held to reach out to higher education professionals in admission, enrollment, financial aid and student services about current policy developments related to the most pressing issues facing higher education. Education leaders and policy experts led discussions on how the latest policy trends impact colleges and universities, as well as our progress toward President Barack Obama’s bold goal for educational attainment.
The Boulder event took place Oct. 27–28, immediately following the annual meeting of representatives from universities of the Big 12 — a college athletic conference composed of 12 schools from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. The program, “What the New Era of Education Reform Means for Higher Education,” provided attendees with the latest news from Capitol Hill on policy related to admission, financial aid and college completion, with a focus on how these developments can advance their institutions’ goals. The College Board shared exclusive data for Big 12 institutions and facilitated a conversation on how these data could be used to advance enrollment and completion objectives.
After a welcome from Southwestern Regional Vice President Ann Wright, the group heard from Sandy Baum, College Board senior policy analyst and co-chair of the Rethinking Student Aid study group, who gave a talk titled “Rethinking Federal Financial Aid: Moving Closer to Meaningful Reform.” She presented the project’s findings and recommendations, discussed how they line up with President Obama’s goals for higher education, and provided an update on recent conversations with the administration. David Longanecker, president of WICHE and former Clinton administration undersecretary of education, discussed the implications of stimulus spending for institutions and President Obama’s proposed $2.5-billion College Access and Completion Innovation Fund. He spoke about the imperative of reaching more minority, low-income and first-generation college students, and finding new, creative ways of helping them graduate. Bruce Walker, vice provost for special projects at The University of Texas at Austin and head of the College Board’s Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century, offered an update on his group’s work, which included a video clip from the movie Apollo 13 that demonstrated how to deal with a crisis using only the tools you have on the table — equating that crisis in space with the current crisis in admission and financial aid. He said that overall, the higher education system has not come to terms with the changing demographics.
“We were pleased to have representatives from most Big 12 universities at this gathering,” said Wright. “All of the attendees stated their appreciation for such a high-level conference, saying also that they had no idea that the College Board had so many valuable programs.
On Nov. 10, the College Board teamed up with the State University of New York to host an education policy event on SUNY Albany’s campus. The program offered insights on SUNY leaders, the federal government and other higher education leaders and experts. Presenters included SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher; Zakiya Smith, policy adviser in the Office of the Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education; Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice president for enrollment management and director of scholarships and student aid at Syracuse University and chair of the College Board’s Board of Trustees; and Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of Scholarships and Student Aid at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Middle States Regional Vice President Bob Alig opened the meeting by highlighting the importance of connecting kids to college success through listening, sharing ideas and offering actionable solutions.
A dynamic and nationally recognized leader, Chancellor Zimpher is known as an effective agent of change in higher education. Zimpher stressed that, to ensure that every child can graduate, we must focus on plugging “leaks in the pipeline” — which are losing both students and teachers — and collaborating across all sectors and agencies. “We can’t continue to have this disconnect within the education system,” she said. “We must collaborate across the education pipeline, from K–12 through higher education, and close its gaps and silos.”
Smith said that the Obama administration is aware that we can’t fix the economy without training the people to do it. Reforming the financial aid system and focusing on college completion to restore the U.S. position as the number one country in the world in terms of college graduates are top priorities. They want to encourage people to think about college as a “public good,” which means that everyone has responsibility for college success.
Dennis Hefner, president of SUNY at Fredonia, made the point that while public universities offer a more affordable college option to students, federal financial aid programs such as the Pell Grant Program are invaluable in increasing college accessibility to a broader spectrum of students.
Panelist Wayne Locust, vice provost for enrollment management at SUNY’s University at Albany, said that a comprehensive approach focusing on early preparation, persistence and college completion will be needed to repair the education pipeline.
In his remarks, Art Coleman, managing partner and cofounder of EducationCounsel, LLC, stated that the important distinctions between “access” and “diversity” should inform the development of institutional policies.
The Big 12 and SUNY education policy events are part of the College Board’s ongoing efforts to bring together educators and policymakers to discuss issues and share ideas that will transform education in the United States.
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