College Affordability Hearings

From marketwatch.com

PA State Board of Education to Host Hearings on College Affordability
Last update: 11:35 a.m. EDT Oct. 16, 2008

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct 16, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- 5 Hearings Offer Opportunity for Students, Parents, Others
With Pennsylvania college students graduating with an average of almost $23,000 in student loan debt, the affordability of post-secondary education will be the focus of a series of hearings announced today by the State Board of Education.

The issue of college affordability continues to be a serious and growing concern of the State Board's Council of Higher Education. It was the first issue addressed in the Master Plan for Higher Education approved by the Board of Education in 2005.
As the costs of attending college continue to escalate - combined with relatively flat federal, state and institutional financial aid and increasingly restricted public and private loan markets - the Council of Higher Education hopes to gain the public's insight into how these factors are impacting the ability of those wishing to attend college.

The board is looking for testimony from college students, recent graduates, parents, higher education officials and others on how financial factors are impacting the accessibility to a postsecondary education and how students might be able to attend college without taking on worrisome debt burdens that must be repaid after graduation.

Among the issues the hearings will explore:

-- Do students feel overly burdened by the amount of money they must borrow
to cover educational costs?
-- Do concerns about student loan debt impact the choice of college major
or career choice?
-- How widespread is the practice of students and their families borrowing
funds from private sources such as home equity loans, credit cards,
etc., to pay for college?

The hearings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

-- Oct. 23 - Luzerne County Community College Conference Center, Room 131,
1333 South Prospect St., Nanticoke.
-- Oct. 24 - Community College of Philadelphia Center for Business &
Industry, C2.5 - Lecture Room, 1700 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia.
-- Oct. 28 - Harrisburg Area Community College, Cooper Student Union, Room
204, One HAAC Dr., Harrisburg.
-- Oct. 29 - Community College of Allegheny County, Dining Room, Boyce
Campus, 595 Beatty Road, Monroeville.
-- Nov. 3 - Clarion University, Gemmell Student Center, Room 250, 840 Wood
St., Clarion.

Each hearing will begin at 10 a.m. and will continue until all testimony is received.
Individuals wishing to testify must register at least 24 hours in advance and will be assigned a 10-minute time slot. Those registered to present testimony must provide 25 copies of their written comments at the time testimony is presented, and they are requested to arrive approximately 30 minutes prior to their scheduled time slot to avoid delays in the hearing.

Persons interested in presenting testimony must contact the State Board of Education office at (7l7) 787-3787 (TTY 717-783-8445) or e-mail babaker@state.pa.us, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Individuals unable to attend the hearing are encouraged to submit written comments directly to the State Board of Education on or before 4 p.m., Nov. 5. Copies of testimony will be provided to each member of the State Board of Education. Comments should be sent to:

Council of Higher Education
State Board of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333.

CONTACT:
Jim Buckheit
(717) 787-3787
SOURCE Pennsylvania State Board of Education