Economic Mobility via Taxpayer Funds
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CounterCurrent:
Biden’s Plans for Higher Ed
Economic Mobility via Taxpayer Funds
CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, bringing you the biggest issues in academia and our responses to them.
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Category: Presidency; Reading Time: ~2 minutes
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** Featured Proposal - The Biden Plan for Education Beyond High School ([link removed][UNIQID])
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Decision 2020 is just under a month away, and “election fever” is in full effect—well, as much as it can be during a pandemic. The first debate was heated and the next will likely follow suit. Both candidates and their running mates continue to throw rhetorical jabs at each other on a near-daily basis. Even professional sports leagues, while ostensibly non-partisan, have inundated viewers with pleas to “VOTE” and “Make your voice heard.” It’s clear that, for many, the long-term future of our country, and even our democracy as a whole, is at stake.
Higher education, while not typically a hot-button issue that will command much debate time, is nonetheless on the November ballot. Each candidate has his own agenda, Trump’s being more or less a continuation of his first-term reforms and Biden’s, naturally, pointing in a very different direction. The National Association of Scholars does not endorse either candidate, nor have we ever. And yet it is part of our responsibility to comment on the president’s actions as they are germane to our work, as well as on how candidates are likely to shape higher education if elected into office.
This week, we will look at Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s policy proposals in particular, saving President Trump’s for a later date.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s higher education plan is called “The Biden Plan for Education Beyond High School ([link removed][UNIQID]) .” The name alone implies that Biden is focused on different kinds of postsecondary education, not only four-year college. His proposals center on facilitating socioeconomic mobility by directing federal funds toward educational flexibility and student loan relief. Think a continuation of former President Obama’s “college is the surest ticket to the middle class ([link removed][UNIQID]) ” rhetoric, except perhaps somewhat further to the left in practice.
Biden’s first group of proposals falls under the heading “Invest in Community Colleges and Training to Improve Student Success and Grow a Stronger, More Prosperous, More Inclusive Middle Class.” These include dedicating $50 billion to community colleges and job training programs and pledging that every “hard-working individual” will be able to attend community college without incurring debt. What exactly this means is unclear, but it will likely take the form of some kind of federal subsidies.
The second heading, “Strengthen College as a Reliable Pathway to the Middle Class,” promises to make college tuition free for all families with an income below $125,000, double the value of Pell grants for low-income and middle-class students, and crack down on private lenders and for-profit colleges that frequently exploit desperate students, among other proposals. The third, “Support Colleges and Universities that Play Unique and Vital Roles in their Communities,” is focused on directing federal funds toward minority-serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges And Universities (TCUs), and Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs).
Biden’s plans for higher education started off ([link removed][UNIQID]) moderate compared to those of his former campaign rival Bernie Sanders. However, in recent months Biden has drifted leftward in an apparent effort to unify his college-educated base, even going as far as to release joint recommendations ([link removed][UNIQID]) with Senator Sanders. As in any administration, higher ed. plans are often in the clouds, but their bureaucratic appointees on the ground at the Department of Education and elsewhere will make the real changes. Will these proposals have the intended effect, or will they instead alienate those in the center-left? Election day will hold the answer, and the NAS will be watching.
Until next week.
John David
Communications Associate
National Association of Scholars
Read Biden's Full Proposal ([link removed][UNIQID])
For more on the presidency and higher ed:
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October 05, 2020
** Rethinking University Dependence on Foreign Students ([link removed][UNIQID])
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National Association of Scholars
Last month, the president took two key actions affecting higher ed: a memorandum tackling Critical Race Theory and Executive Order 13950.
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September 11, 2020
** NAS Commends the Education Department's Protection of the First Amendment on Campus ([link removed][UNIQID])
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National Association of Scholars
ED's new rule, Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities, helps protect First Amendment rights at American colleges and universities.
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August 14, 2020
** The New Title IX Rules Make It To The Finish Line ([link removed][UNIQID])
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National Association of Scholars
The new Title IX regulations have gone into effect after surviving numerous legal hurdles.
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November 13, 2019
** Presidential Candidates on Higher Education ([link removed][UNIQID])
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Rachelle Peterson
What do the top contenders for president have to say about higher education? Rachelle breaks down the top five Democratic candidates across ten policy issues. She also includes a section on President Trump's higher education agenda.
** About the NAS
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The National Association of Scholars, founded in 1987, emboldens reasoned scholarship and propels civil debate. We’re the leading organization of scholars and citizens committed to higher education as the catalyst of American freedom.
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