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CMYK By Peter Orszag Bloomberg News As the U.S. population ages, and with the effects of the financial crisis promising to linger for some time, economic growth will be lower than we would like. This is why the federal government needs to do more to help Americans earn college degrees. For much of the 20th century, the United States benefited from rapidly rising educa-tional levels, as the economists Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz of Harvard University showed in their 2008 book, "The Race Between Education and Technology." Over the past 30 years, however, educational attainment has risen much more slowly. From 1960 to 1985, the share of adult Americans with at least a col-lege degree more than doubled, to 19 percent from less than 8 percent. From 1985 to 2010, though, the share rose by only about half, to 30 percent. This slowdown has exacerbated inequality and crimped growth. If the increase had continued at the same rate as before 1985, about half the adult popu-lation today would have at least a college degree. More graduates would mean lower in-equality, because the wage premium for a col-lege degree would be reduced by the addition-al supply. And it would mean higher national income, because better-educated workers are, on average, more productive. So it is important to ask what we can do to raise college graduation rates. It may be useful, in turn, to break that question down into the three stages of attaining a degree: high- school graduation, college enrollment and college completion. For now, I would like to focus on the first two stages. The first challenge, it seems, is already being met to some degree. In a surprisingly encour-aging, though little discussed, development, the high-school graduation rate has been in-creasing. After stagnating from 1970 to 2000, it has risen by about six percentage points over the past decade, reaching about 85 per-cent. The increases have been particularly substantial among blacks and Hispanics. In a new paper examining this trend, Harvard University economist Richard Murnane says many recent school reforms (such as provid-ing support and guidance to ninth-graders) look like promising explanations, though he says the evidence is too thin to allow definitive conclusions, or to suggest exactly what we can do to sustain or expand on the recent success. The second stage involves college enroll-ment. Among many considerations that in-fluence a person's decision to attend college, financial aid is a significant one. Aid to under-graduates totals about $200 billion a year in the U.S., and about two-thirds of students are eligible for some form of assistance. A variety of evidence suggests that every $1,000 of ad-ditional grant aid per student increases college enrollment by about three to four percentage points, according to a review of the literature by Susan Dynarski, a professor of public pol-icy at the University of Michigan, and David Deming, an assistant professor of education at Harvard. The reverse is also true; people who lack ac-cess to financial aid are less likely to invest in college. Michael Lovenheim and Emily Owens of Cornell University found this effect in their study of a 2001 amendment to the Higher Education Act that prevented people convicted of drug offenses from receiving federal fi-nancial aid for two years. College attendance among those affected by the rule plummeted. It is not just the amount of aid that mat-ters but also the complexity of the process. Students apply for federal aid through the Fafsa (free application for federal student aid), which is cumbersome to the point of being in-timidating to many potential applicants, who are often unaware of the aid for which they are potentially eligible. The 2011 Fafsa poses 116 questions, almost as many as a full 1040 tax return (and many more than the simplified 1040EZ form). The cost of this complexity was demon-strated in the results of an experiment by Eric Bettinger, an associate professor of education at Stanford University, and several colleagues. Working with H&R Block Inc. tax preparers, the researchers randomly assigned potential applicants to two different groups. One re-ceived assistance in filling out the Fafsa, as well as an estimate of their aid eligibility and information about college options; the other received information about aid eligibility but no help in filling out the forms. TODAY H 67 L 37 FRIDAY H 61 L 54 L 31 Visit us online at www.thepinelog.com Volume 94 Issue 6 Next Publication: Monday February 18, 2013 Thursday, February 14, 2013 PINE LOG The The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State University 36 SATURDAY H Page 6 An inside look at the conference’s top big man By Katelynn Wiggins Staff Writer If SFA fails to sign an agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD), some military vet-erans could lose tuition as-sistance. The agreement is the “DoD Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding between the DoD office under the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and Stephen F. Austin State University.” “SFA is currently in the process of completing the application and executing the agreement,” Damon Derrick, SFA general coun-cil, said. SFA has been re-viewing the Memorandum of Understanding since 2011 and must sign the agree-ment by March 1, or the institution will be unable to participate in the DoD Tuition Assistance program. The tuition assistance program allows payment of 100 percent of educa-tion costs for service mem-bers up to $250 per credit hour and $4,500 per year. Application and gradua-tion fees are not covered by the program. Each military branch has different specifi-cations and rules for tuition payment or reimbursement. “Many colleges and uni-versities throughout the country had concerns over (the memorandum’s) provi-sions,” Derrick said. Carolyn Hardy, assis-tant director of admis-sions, said the agreement is completely separate from the Montgomery GI Bill VA Benefits. Hardy is one of the two School Certifying Officials for these benefits. For more information about the agreement and for a list of universities that have already signed it, visit www.dodmou.com. Volunteer registration is now open for SFA’s largest ser-vice project, the fifth annual The BIG Event, which takes place Saturday, March 23. The BIG Event, sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs Programs – Leadership and Service, promotes unity be-tween campus and community as students come together for one day to express their gratitude through service for the support from the Nacogdoches community. Students work in teams to complete projects across Nacogdoches County as a way to say “thank you!” to the community for their support of SFA students. Students are encouraged to pre-register online through Axes, or can register in person at the BPSC Involvement Center. Students can find direct links to the registration pages by visiting www.sfasu.edu/thebigevent. “The BIG Event is a great way for students to interact with the community,” Jamie Bouldin, assistant director for leadership and service, said. “It is a unique way for stu-dents to participate in community service here at SFA, and we expect this year’s event to be our biggest yet.” Bouldin highly recommends pre-registration for stu-dents looking to get involved. “If students pre-register, they will definitely be given a project to do that day,” she said. “We will do our very best to accommodate students who walk up and want to par-ticipate, but we cannot absolutely guarantee that walk-ins will be given service projects to work on.” Students can sign up as individuals or in groups. Group size is limited to five people, but larger organizations can sign up multiple groups, which will be partnered together for bigger projects. Projects will vary from needing as few as five people to as many as 50 volunteers. All participants should wear clothes they can get dirty, and for safety reasons, closed-toe shoes. The BIG Event began at Texas A&M University 31 years ago as a way to say “thank you” to its surrounding commu-nity. Since then, colleges and universities across the nation have said “thank you” to their communities for the support and gratitude given to students each day. More than 75 universities conduct a The BIG Event each year. For more information on The BIG Event, visit www.sfasu. edu/thebigevent or contact Jamie Bouldin at 936.468.1088 or jfbouldin@sfasu.edu. pinelog@thepinelog.com Student registration for The BIG Event now open The SFA School of Theatre will present the stu-dent- directed production of “WASP” by comedian Steve Martin at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Downstage Theatre in the Griffith Fine Arts Building. The one-act play will be directed by Mesquite senior John Lisi. “‘WASP’ is an absurd comedy that presents Steve Martin’s view of the traditional culture of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants,” Lisi said. The student cast features Nacogdoches junior Bailey Wier, Amarillo sophomore Mary Collie, San Antonio junior Jordan Boyd, Spring Branch ju-nior Allison Day, Rota, Spain, sophomore Michael Spencer and Longview junior Valarie McLeckie. The production team includes Austin Holt, Weatherford junior, as stage manager; Antonio Dibernardo, Mesquite sophomore, as scenic design-er; Megan Thomas, Houston senior, as costume de-signer; Kaitlyn Turney, Jacksonville senior, as light-ing designer; Amanda Warren, Nacogdoches sopho-more, as sound designer; and Virginia Arteaga, Houston senior, as properties manager. A senior acting major, Lisi’s previous directing credits include “Sure Thing” by David Ives. He has appeared on stage in “Art,” “She Stoops to Conquer” and “Old Saybrook.” “WASP” is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets are $3. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407. SFA theatre presents Steve Martin’s ‘WASP’ Military veterans face losing tuition assistance More college grads equals faster economic growth College, page 2 SFA Public Affairs SFA’s Thomas J. Rusk Building
Object Description
Rating | |
Title | Pine Log, 2013-02-14 |
Subject |
Students Student Works Newspapers Stephen F. Austin State University |
Description | The Pine Log is the official newspaper of the students of Stephen F. Austin State University. For many years it was published twice weekly on Monday and Thursday. Beginning in Fall 2013, the paper is issued each Wednesday during the Fall and Spring semesters except during University holidays and final exams. |
Date | 2013-02-14 |
Creator | Pine Log Staff |
Repository | East Texas Research Center |
Repository Link | http://library.sfasu.edu/etrc |
Collection | The Pine Log Collection |
Location |
Nacogdoches County Texas |
Associated Dates | 2010-2019 |
Type | Publication |
Format | |
Rights | This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is available for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or to reproduce, please contact the East Texas Research Center at asketrc@sfasu.edu. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Transcript | CMYK By Peter Orszag Bloomberg News As the U.S. population ages, and with the effects of the financial crisis promising to linger for some time, economic growth will be lower than we would like. This is why the federal government needs to do more to help Americans earn college degrees. For much of the 20th century, the United States benefited from rapidly rising educa-tional levels, as the economists Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz of Harvard University showed in their 2008 book, "The Race Between Education and Technology." Over the past 30 years, however, educational attainment has risen much more slowly. From 1960 to 1985, the share of adult Americans with at least a col-lege degree more than doubled, to 19 percent from less than 8 percent. From 1985 to 2010, though, the share rose by only about half, to 30 percent. This slowdown has exacerbated inequality and crimped growth. If the increase had continued at the same rate as before 1985, about half the adult popu-lation today would have at least a college degree. More graduates would mean lower in-equality, because the wage premium for a col-lege degree would be reduced by the addition-al supply. And it would mean higher national income, because better-educated workers are, on average, more productive. So it is important to ask what we can do to raise college graduation rates. It may be useful, in turn, to break that question down into the three stages of attaining a degree: high- school graduation, college enrollment and college completion. For now, I would like to focus on the first two stages. The first challenge, it seems, is already being met to some degree. In a surprisingly encour-aging, though little discussed, development, the high-school graduation rate has been in-creasing. After stagnating from 1970 to 2000, it has risen by about six percentage points over the past decade, reaching about 85 per-cent. The increases have been particularly substantial among blacks and Hispanics. In a new paper examining this trend, Harvard University economist Richard Murnane says many recent school reforms (such as provid-ing support and guidance to ninth-graders) look like promising explanations, though he says the evidence is too thin to allow definitive conclusions, or to suggest exactly what we can do to sustain or expand on the recent success. The second stage involves college enroll-ment. Among many considerations that in-fluence a person's decision to attend college, financial aid is a significant one. Aid to under-graduates totals about $200 billion a year in the U.S., and about two-thirds of students are eligible for some form of assistance. A variety of evidence suggests that every $1,000 of ad-ditional grant aid per student increases college enrollment by about three to four percentage points, according to a review of the literature by Susan Dynarski, a professor of public pol-icy at the University of Michigan, and David Deming, an assistant professor of education at Harvard. The reverse is also true; people who lack ac-cess to financial aid are less likely to invest in college. Michael Lovenheim and Emily Owens of Cornell University found this effect in their study of a 2001 amendment to the Higher Education Act that prevented people convicted of drug offenses from receiving federal fi-nancial aid for two years. College attendance among those affected by the rule plummeted. It is not just the amount of aid that mat-ters but also the complexity of the process. Students apply for federal aid through the Fafsa (free application for federal student aid), which is cumbersome to the point of being in-timidating to many potential applicants, who are often unaware of the aid for which they are potentially eligible. The 2011 Fafsa poses 116 questions, almost as many as a full 1040 tax return (and many more than the simplified 1040EZ form). The cost of this complexity was demon-strated in the results of an experiment by Eric Bettinger, an associate professor of education at Stanford University, and several colleagues. Working with H&R Block Inc. tax preparers, the researchers randomly assigned potential applicants to two different groups. One re-ceived assistance in filling out the Fafsa, as well as an estimate of their aid eligibility and information about college options; the other received information about aid eligibility but no help in filling out the forms. TODAY H 67 L 37 FRIDAY H 61 L 54 L 31 Visit us online at www.thepinelog.com Volume 94 Issue 6 Next Publication: Monday February 18, 2013 Thursday, February 14, 2013 PINE LOG The The Independent Voice of Stephen F. Austin State University 36 SATURDAY H Page 6 An inside look at the conference’s top big man By Katelynn Wiggins Staff Writer If SFA fails to sign an agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD), some military vet-erans could lose tuition as-sistance. The agreement is the “DoD Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding between the DoD office under the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and Stephen F. Austin State University.” “SFA is currently in the process of completing the application and executing the agreement,” Damon Derrick, SFA general coun-cil, said. SFA has been re-viewing the Memorandum of Understanding since 2011 and must sign the agree-ment by March 1, or the institution will be unable to participate in the DoD Tuition Assistance program. The tuition assistance program allows payment of 100 percent of educa-tion costs for service mem-bers up to $250 per credit hour and $4,500 per year. Application and gradua-tion fees are not covered by the program. Each military branch has different specifi-cations and rules for tuition payment or reimbursement. “Many colleges and uni-versities throughout the country had concerns over (the memorandum’s) provi-sions,” Derrick said. Carolyn Hardy, assis-tant director of admis-sions, said the agreement is completely separate from the Montgomery GI Bill VA Benefits. Hardy is one of the two School Certifying Officials for these benefits. For more information about the agreement and for a list of universities that have already signed it, visit www.dodmou.com. Volunteer registration is now open for SFA’s largest ser-vice project, the fifth annual The BIG Event, which takes place Saturday, March 23. The BIG Event, sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs Programs – Leadership and Service, promotes unity be-tween campus and community as students come together for one day to express their gratitude through service for the support from the Nacogdoches community. Students work in teams to complete projects across Nacogdoches County as a way to say “thank you!” to the community for their support of SFA students. Students are encouraged to pre-register online through Axes, or can register in person at the BPSC Involvement Center. Students can find direct links to the registration pages by visiting www.sfasu.edu/thebigevent. “The BIG Event is a great way for students to interact with the community,” Jamie Bouldin, assistant director for leadership and service, said. “It is a unique way for stu-dents to participate in community service here at SFA, and we expect this year’s event to be our biggest yet.” Bouldin highly recommends pre-registration for stu-dents looking to get involved. “If students pre-register, they will definitely be given a project to do that day,” she said. “We will do our very best to accommodate students who walk up and want to par-ticipate, but we cannot absolutely guarantee that walk-ins will be given service projects to work on.” Students can sign up as individuals or in groups. Group size is limited to five people, but larger organizations can sign up multiple groups, which will be partnered together for bigger projects. Projects will vary from needing as few as five people to as many as 50 volunteers. All participants should wear clothes they can get dirty, and for safety reasons, closed-toe shoes. The BIG Event began at Texas A&M University 31 years ago as a way to say “thank you” to its surrounding commu-nity. Since then, colleges and universities across the nation have said “thank you” to their communities for the support and gratitude given to students each day. More than 75 universities conduct a The BIG Event each year. For more information on The BIG Event, visit www.sfasu. edu/thebigevent or contact Jamie Bouldin at 936.468.1088 or jfbouldin@sfasu.edu. pinelog@thepinelog.com Student registration for The BIG Event now open The SFA School of Theatre will present the stu-dent- directed production of “WASP” by comedian Steve Martin at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Downstage Theatre in the Griffith Fine Arts Building. The one-act play will be directed by Mesquite senior John Lisi. “‘WASP’ is an absurd comedy that presents Steve Martin’s view of the traditional culture of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants,” Lisi said. The student cast features Nacogdoches junior Bailey Wier, Amarillo sophomore Mary Collie, San Antonio junior Jordan Boyd, Spring Branch ju-nior Allison Day, Rota, Spain, sophomore Michael Spencer and Longview junior Valarie McLeckie. The production team includes Austin Holt, Weatherford junior, as stage manager; Antonio Dibernardo, Mesquite sophomore, as scenic design-er; Megan Thomas, Houston senior, as costume de-signer; Kaitlyn Turney, Jacksonville senior, as light-ing designer; Amanda Warren, Nacogdoches sopho-more, as sound designer; and Virginia Arteaga, Houston senior, as properties manager. A senior acting major, Lisi’s previous directing credits include “Sure Thing” by David Ives. He has appeared on stage in “Art,” “She Stoops to Conquer” and “Old Saybrook.” “WASP” is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets are $3. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407. SFA theatre presents Steve Martin’s ‘WASP’ Military veterans face losing tuition assistance More college grads equals faster economic growth College, page 2 SFA Public Affairs SFA’s Thomas J. Rusk Building |
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