Signing into law of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act
September 27, 2007
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) celebrates the signing of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act into law by President Bush and applauds the bipartisan effort that created the most significant higher education legislation in two decades.
Dramatic increases in Pell Grant funding are a welcome relief to our nation’s neediest college students. We are also pleased with other provisions in the bill that will benefit students and their families, including reductions in interest rates for student borrowers, restoration of Upward Bound funding and expanded college access programs, provisions to help college graduates manage student debt through additional repayment and forgiveness options, expanded infrastructure assistance for minority serving institutions, and the funding of incentives for students pursuing public service careers.
This law also addresses the growing shortage of public school teachers in critical need fields and in high-need schools through “TEACH Scholarships.” AASCU members prepare more than half of the nation’s teachers, and we believe these scholarships hold great promise to regenerate enthusiasm for teaching careers and to reinvigorate institutions with strong commitments to teacher education and campus engagement with public schools.
AASCU believes the American promise should be real for all Americans, and that belief shapes our members’ commitment to Delivering America’s Promise through access, affordability and educational opportunity. This legislation means that for a significantly larger number of America’s students, that promise will become reality.
Constantine W. Curris
President