Higher Education Policy in Georgia and Nationally. Thomas L. Harnisch Director of State Relations and Policy Analysis, AASCU

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1 Higher Education Policy in Georgia and Nationally Thomas L. Harnisch Director of State Relations and Policy Analysis, AASCU

2 About AASCU 420 presidents/chancellors of public universities & systems Emphasis: undergraduate education, college access, student success, institutional leadership Federal lobbying and federal/state/institutional policy leadership Only D.C. higher ed association with state policy focus in addition to federal focus Leadership/professional programming for CEOs, CAOs, Government Relations, Communications, International Affairs

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4 AASCU Public Policy Agenda Annual summary of state and federal policy priorities Focus on student access, affordability and success Endorsed by several other higher education groups

5 Thank you. Veto of HB Guns on campus If the intent of HB 859 is to increase safety of students on college campuses, it is highly questionable that such would be the result. ---Gov. Nathan Deal

6 Approved Tasers But

7 Georgia: Unequal Access to Higher Education? Demographic shifts and attainment One of the highest increases in Hispanic HS graduates- 121% from to , faster than all but 5 other states (WICHE) Degree attainment rates in GA: 38% overall, Hispanic 18%, African-American 31%, White 42%, Asian 61%, Native American 37% (Lumina Foundation) By 2020, 65% of jobs will require a postsecondary education (Georgetown Center on Education & Workforce)

8 Georgia: A Changing State Percentage of each population that were millennials (18-33) in 2014 (Pew Research Center) Hispanic: 47.7% White: 25.2% Black: 33.8% Asian: 28.8%

9 Strengths and Weaknesses in GA from The Attainment Agenda Lower educational attainment Stark attainment gaps by race Merit vs. need-based aid Affordability challenges Solid research capacity

10 Affordability in GA In 2015 dollars (College Board data) In-State Two Year Public College: $2, In-State Two Year Public College: $3, In-State Four Year Public College: $4, In-State Four Year Public College: $8,447

11 Finney, Perna and Callan (2012): In their current form, Georgia s higher education policies are likely to perpetuate rather than ameliorate disparities by ethnicity and income making it difficult to raise the educational attainment of the state population as a whole

12 State Policy: The Top 10 Issues 1) Keeping College Affordable Through State Investment in Public Higher Education 2) Improving Institutional Outcomes and Degree Production 3) Combating Campus Sexual Assault 4) Meeting State Economic Needs Through Higher Education 5) Aligning Secondary-Postsecondary Education Standards

13 State Policy: The Top 10 Issues 6) College Access for Undocumented and DACA Students 7) Guns on Campus 8) College Access and Success for Veterans 9) Free Community College 10) Student Loan Refinancing and Debt Assistance

14 State Policy: Honorable Mention Dual Enrollment Consumer Protection Involving For-Profit Colleges Privacy and Data Protection

15 Governor s State of the State Addresses 41 addresses given this year 28 Higher Education Topics Major Themes: Economic and Workforce Development College and Career Readiness Community Colleges State Higher Education Funding

16 State Political Context Rise of the Trifecta change in LA 7 Democratic and 23 Republican trifecta Source: Ballotpedia, 2016

17 State Budget Pressures: Source: National Association of State Budget Officers, 2012

18 State Budget Pressures:

19 1) Keeping College Affordable Through State Investment in Public Higher Education Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers, 2016

20 Public FTE Enrollment (Thousands) $9,708 $9,003 $7,560 $7,681 $8,339 $8,942 $9,222 $10,229 $10,391 $11,127 $11,634 $10,337 $9,303 $8,963 $8,960 $9,440 $9,411 $9,304 $8,325 $7,652 $7,254 $6,628 $6,696 $7,144 $7,390 $13,904 $2,695 $2,748 $2,695 $2,622 $2,839 $2,825 $1,570 $1,562 $1,509 $2,179 $2,627 $2,468 $3,604 $2,869 $1,972 $2,006 $2,173 $2,311 $4,268 $4,123 Dollars per FTE $4,307 $3,098 $3,171 $3,471 $2,438 $2, GEORGIA PUBLIC FTE ENROLLMENT AND EDUCATIONAL APPROPRIATIONS PER FTE, FY $18, $16, $14, $12, $10, $8, $6, $4, $2,000 0 $0 NET TUITION REVENUE PER FTE EDUCATIONAL APPROPRIATIONS PER FTE PUBLIC FTE ENROLLMENT NOTES: and Data adjusted for inflation using the Higher Education Cost Adjustment (HECA). Full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment equates student credit hours to full-time, academic year students, but excludes medical students. Educational appropriations are a measure of state and local support available for public higher education operating expenses including ARRA funds, and exclude appropriations for independent institutions, financial aid for students attending independent institutions, research, hospitals, and medical education. Net tuition revenue is calculated by taking the gross amount of tuition and fees, less state and institutional financial aid, tuition waivers or discounts,

21 1) Keeping College Affordable Through State Investment in Public Higher Education Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers, 2016

22 1) Keeping College Affordable Through State Investment in Public Higher Education Source: Postsecondary Education Opportunity, Grapevine, BWE

23 1) Keeping College Affordable Through State Investment in Public Higher Education Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2016

24 Tuition Increases Published tuition rates at public four-year colleges in 2015 dollars (Room and Board) : $2,387 ($7,833) : $6,708 ($14,797) : $9,410 ($19,548) Source: College Board, 2015 Meanwhile, stagnant wages for middle-class families

25 Stagnant Wages Source: Pew Research, Bureau of Labor Statistics

26 Student Debt Source: Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, November 2015, New York Fed

27 State Efforts to Contain Prices In 2016, tuition freezes or locks proposed in CA, DE, GA, ID, IL, KY, ME, MA, MN, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, SD, WI The funding outlook depends considerably on state-specific factors, such as politics and economics Georgia Board of Regents approved a tuition freeze for the academic year

28 2) Improving Institutional Outcomes and Degree Production 32 states now have some form of performance-based funding, according to NCSL Performance-based or outcomes-based funding discussed in AL, AR, KY, MO, MT, OH

29 3) Combating Campus Sexual Assault In 2016, policy proposals on this issue have come up in a number of states: CT, DE, GA, IN, MD, NE, PA, RI, SD, TX, VA, WI In March, the Georgia Board of Regents approved a statewide plan to prevent sexual violence which includes rules permitting attorneys in campus disciplinary processes

30 4) Meeting State Economic Needs Through Higher Education Increases to scholarship programs to promote degree production proposed in: ID, KY, MO, TN Higher education remains central to gubernatorial plans for economic and workplace development

31 5) Aligning Secondary-Postsecondary Educational Standards In 2016, 19 states introduced legislation to repeal their current statewide academic standards or assessment systems and 28 states have introduced legislation to modify their current statewide assessment or accountability systems Georgia is one of 12 states to pass the latter

32 6) College Access for Undocumented and DACA Students This year, Georgia Supreme Court rejected an appeal by DACA students requesting in-state tuition; the 10 plaintiffs have since filed against BOR members individually, per the court s recommendation Georgia s in-state tuition policy requires lawful presence a (largely semantic) argument has been made that DACA provides a lawful status at the federal level 18 states have provisions for in-state tuition for undocumented students

33 7) Guns on Campus In 2016, at least 15 state legislatures considered legislation regarding access to weapons on campus Georgia nearly became the 9 th state to prevent colleges from banning weapons on campus, but the governor vetoed this bill at the last moment Georgia did pass Campus Carry Lite allowing students 18 and older to carry Tasers

34 8) College Access and Success for Veterans The federal Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act extends in-state tuition to recent veterans and went into effect on January 1, 2016 A few states also passed legislation to award more postsecondary credit or provide additional financial and educational support services for military and veterans: FL, MD, AZ, MO

35 9) Free Community College Free community college or free tuition for two years has been proposed in many states, including: AL, CA, GA, KY, MD, WA Kentucky was the only state to pass legislation Proposals to shift enrollments to two-year institutions have also been discussed: OK, NC

36 10) Student Loan Refinancing and Debt Assistance Proposals for student-loan refinancing, tax credits, or loan counseling and financial literacy resources have been discussed in: CT, IA, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, PA, VA, WI, WV Maine expanded their existing Equal Opportunity Tax Credit Program Nebraska and Wisconsin passed legislation to improve financial literacy