[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 210 (Wednesday, October 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64930-64931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-25739]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Open Forum on College Value and Affordability and College Ratings
System
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In August 2013, President Barack Obama outlined the
Administration's plans and proposals for combating rising college costs
and making college affordable for American families. As part of an
effort to gather public input about these proposals, and in particular
the development of a college ratings system, the Department has
scheduled four open forums around the country. At each open forum, a
senior Administration official will be present to introduce the themes
and key questions about the college value and affordability agenda and
to receive feedback about the development of a college ratings system.
Forum participants are welcome to share their views on measuring value
and affordability, and in particular on the metrics and weighting of
the ratings system.
DATES: The open forums will be held:
Wednesday, November 6, 2013, at The California State
University-Dominguez Hills, Los Angeles, CA;
Wednesday, November 13, 2013, at George Mason University,
Arlington, VA;
Friday, November 15, 2013, at the University of Northern
Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA; and
Thursday, November 21, 2013, at Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge, LA.
All forums are open to the public.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments regarding the Administration's
proposals by electronic mail or by U.S. Mail, commercial delivery, or
hand delivery. Submit electronic mail to [email protected]. If you
mail or deliver your comments, address them to Josh Henderson, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 7E313,
Washington, DC 20202-0001.
Privacy Note: The Department's policy is to make all comments
received from members of the public available. Therefore, commenters
should be careful to include in their comments only information that
they wish to make publicly available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information, including information
about the process for collecting public input, contact: Josh Henderson,
Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453-7239 or
by email: [email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
If you have difficulty understanding English you may request
language assistance services for Department information that is
available to the public. These language assistance services are
available free of charge. If you need more information about
interpretation or translation services, please call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-
800-872-5327) (TTY: 1-800-437-0833), or email us at:
[email protected]. Or write to: U.S. Department of
Education, Information Resource Center, LBJ Education Building, 400
Maryland Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20202-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
A higher education is one of the most important investments
individuals can make in their futures. At the same time, higher
education has never been more expensive. College tuition keeps rising.
[[Page 64931]]
The average tuition at a public four-year college has increased by more
than 250 percent over the past three decades, while incomes for
families in the middle three quintiles (that is, incomes ranging from
$27,219 to $115,896) grew by only 7, 14, and 24 percent respectively,
according to data from the College Board and the U.S. Census. Declining
state funding has forced students to shoulder a higher proportion of
college costs, and tuition has almost doubled as a share of public
college revenues over the past 25 years, growing from 25 percent to 47
percent, according to data from the State Higher Education Executive
Officers Association. While a college education remains a worthwhile
investment overall, the average borrower now graduates with more than
$26,000 in debt. Only 58 percent of first-time, full-time students who
began college in 2004 earned a four-year degree within six years. Loan
default rates are rising, and too many young adults are burdened with
debt as they seek to start a family, buy a home, launch a business, or
save for retirement.
In August 2013, President Obama outlined his agenda for combating
rising college costs and making college affordable for American
families. His plan will measure college performance through a new
ratings system so students and families have the information to select
schools that provide the best value. After this ratings system is well
established, Congress can tie Federal student aid to college
performance so that students maximize their Federal aid at institutions
providing the best value. The plan will also promote innovation and
competition by taking down barriers that stand in their way and shining
a light on the most cutting-edge college practices and new technologies
for providing high value at low costs. And to help student borrowers
struggling with their existing debt, the President is committed to
ensuring that all borrowers who need it can have access to the Pay As
You Earn plan that caps loan payments at 10 percent of income.
Additional information on the proposals is available in the ``FACT
SHEET on the President's Plan to Make College More Affordable: A Better
Bargain for the Middle Class,'' which is posted online at
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/22/fact-sheet-president-s-plan-make-college-more-affordable-better-bargain-.
Open Forum Arrangements
Please check for updated information on the forum locations,
logistics, and other outreach activities, at www.ed.gov. Individuals
desiring to present comments or feedback at an open forum must register
by sending an email at least three days prior to the open forum to
[email protected] with the subject ``Open Forum Registration.'' It
is likely that each participant will be limited to five minutes for
comments. The Department will notify registrants of the location and
time slot reserved for them. An individual may make only one
presentation at the open forums. If we receive more registrations than
we are able to accommodate, the Department reserves the right to reject
the registration of an entity or individual that is affiliated with an
entity or individual that is already scheduled to present comments and
to select among registrants to ensure that a broad range of entities
and individuals is allowed to present. We will accept walk-in
registrations for any remaining time slots on a first-come, first-
served basis at the Department's on-site registration table.
Transcripts from the open forums will be made available on the
www.ed.gov Web site for public viewing. Speakers may also submit
written comments. Please see the ADDRESSES section for instructions.
Other Feedback
In addition to the open forums, the Department will seek input in a
variety of venues and formats. During the months of October, November,
and December 2013, the Department will host town halls and roundtables,
and it will participate in events organized by other organizations. We
also encourage the public to submit comments. Please see the ADDRESSES
section for instructions.
Accessible Format
Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact
disc) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document
The official version of this document is the document published in
the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of
the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available
via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you
can view this document, as well as all other documents of the
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader,
which is available free at the site. You may also access documents of
the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article
search feature at: www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the
advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to
documents published by the Department.
Dated: October 25, 2013.
Martha Kanter,
Under Secretary of Education.
[FR Doc. 2013-25739 Filed 10-29-13; 8:45 am]
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