Liberal speakers dominate college commencements, conservative group says

Liberal speakers dominate college commencements, conservative group says | Fox News Search<p>Sign in to comment!</p>LoginFox News HomeWatch LiveTrendingVideoWatch LiveShow ClipsNews ClipsFN Radio LivePoliticsPolitics HomeElectionsExecutiveSenateHouse of RepresentativesDefenseJudiciaryScandalsCongress To-Do ListU.S.U.S. HomeCrimeTerrorismEconomyImmigrationDisastersMilitaryEducationEnvironmentPersonal FreedomsRegionsOpinionOpinion HomeTodd StarnesJudith MillerJuan WilliamsKT McFarlandDr. Keith AblowKarl RoveRic GrenellEntertainment[FOX411] HOMECelebrity NewsMoviesTVMusicStyle[FOX411] VideoTechTech HomeGadgetsGoogleSocialMilitary TechSmartphonesVideo GamesSlideshowsScienceScience HomeArchaeologyAir & SpacePlanet EarthWild NatureNatural ScienceDinosaursSlideshowsHealthHealth HomeMen's HealthWomen's HealthChildren's HealthAlternative MedicineDiabetesHeart HealthAllergiesNutrition & FitnessTravelTravel HomeSlideshowsIn 5 GuidesLifestyleLifestyle HomeAutoFood & DrinkReal EstateRecipesWine with MeWorldWorld HomeU.N.ConflictsTerrorismDisastersGlobal EconomyEnvironmentReligionScandalsRegionsSportsSports HomeFootballBasketballHockeyBaseballCollege SportsTennisNascarGolfMore SportsStatsOn AirOn Air HomeA Healthy You & Carol AltAmerica's News HQAmerica's NewsroomCavutoFox FilesFox & Friends FirstFox & FriendsFox & Friends WeekendFox News SundayGeraldo Rivera ReportsGretaHannityHappening NowJustice with Judge JeanineL&L: The Real West#mediabuzzOutnumberedRed EyeShepard Smith ReportingSpecial ReportSpecialsSunday Morning Futures with Maria BartiromoThe Cost of FreedomThe FiveThe Journal Editorial ReportThe Kelly FileThe O'Reilly FactorThe Real Story w/ Gretchen CarlsonWar StoriesMore from Fox NewsFox NewsFox BusinessFox News LatinoFox News GoFox News RadioFox NationFox News InsiderFox NewsFox BusinessFox News LatinoFox News GoFox News RadioFox NationFox News InsiderMenuHomeFoxNews.comSearch EducationLiberal speakers dominate college commencements, conservative group says By Perry Chiaramonte</p>Published May 12, 2015FoxNews.com Facebook0 Twitter0 livefyre Email Print <img alt="commencement.jpg" itemprop="image" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/876/493/commencement.jpg?ve=1&tl=1">May 8, 2015: Graduates listen as U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a commencement address to the graduating class at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, South Dakota. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)</p><p>As cap-and-gown season gets underway at American colleges and universities, graduates and their loved ones will be getting an earful from left-wing commencement speakers, according to a report.</p> <p>Liberal speakers will outnumber conservatives by at least 6-to-1 at the nation's top 100 schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, according to conservative watchdog group Young America’s Foundation. Among the top 10 of the list--which includes schools such as Princeton, the University of Chicago and Duke--none is hosting conservative speakers.</p> <p>“Our 2015 survey shows the conservative blackout on college campuses has only gotten worse,” Ron Robinson, president of Young America's Foundation, said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “While conservatives won the national elections by a wide margin, campuses have doubled down on liberal speakers--with zero elected conservative officials scheduled to speak at our nation's top schools.”</p> <p>Robinson said the data shows schools and the general public are going in different directions.</p> <p>“Our 2015 survey shows the conservative blackout on college campuses has only gotten worse.”</p> <p>- Ron Robinson, president of Young America's Foundation</p> <p>“The country is more conservative and campuses have a larger selection of conservative leaders to invite, yet higher education continues to offer only a one-sided education,” he added. “This trend will be detrimental to the development of our country’s future leaders. Students are not getting the full picture about government policy or learning about the Constitution, American exceptionalism, or free market economics.”</p> <p>Every year, YAF takes the list of the top 100 hundred universities, determines which speakers are scheduled at each school and then attempts to determine each one's political orientation using the following criteria:</p> Public financial contributions to political candidate or causes Public statements revealing ideology Public statements in support of 2012 presidential candidates History of running for office or holding political appointments Self-identified as partisan <p>The YAF found nine Obama administration appointees will deliver 2015 addresses, compared to 14 George W. Bush administration officials during the two terms of his presidency. Coincidentally, Bush was the only conservative politician scheduled to speak. He will be giving a commencement speech May 16 at Southern Methodist University in his home state of Texas.</p> <p>Some of the current liberal officials speaking this spring include Vice President Joe Biden at Yale, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe at the University of Virginia, Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., at the University of Denver, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Georgetown University, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who will address graduates at Columbia University.</p> <p>Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, Pa., does not factor in political ideology in extending invitations to speak, said a spokesman.</p> <p></p>Related Image<img alt="YAF chart.jpg" itemprop="image" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/880/558/YAF chart.jpg?ve=1&tl=1">Expand / ContractA chart illustrating Young America's Foundation's recent survey of commencement speakers for 2015. (YAF)</p><p></p> <p>“Lehigh University prides itself on the variety of our commencement speakers and the way we choose them through an open, public page that staff, faculty, students and alumni are welcome to visit and provide their nominations and feedback” Lehigh spokesman Jordan Reese told FoxNews.com.</p> <p>Reese points out that the school never has asked speakers about their political affiliation and has had several conservative speakers in years past, including Republican governors of New Jersey Thomas Kean and Christine Todd Whitman, as well as Steve Forbes and former Vice President Dan Quayle.</p> <p>This year, Walter Issacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute—whom the YAF has identified as liberal in the study—will be speaking at Lehigh.</p> <p>“I couldn’t be more delighted to be able to have Walter Isaacson deliver this year’s commencement address,” Lehigh Interim President Kevin Clayton said in a statement to FoxNew.com. “With his unique perspectives on some of history’s most accomplished and fascinating figures, I’m sure he will have interesting insights to share with our graduating students and their families.”</p><p><p>Perry Chiaramonte is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @perrych</p></p> Site IndexSectionsHomeVideoPoliticsU.S.OpinionEntertainmentTechScienceHealthTravelLifestyleWorldSportsWeatherOn AirToolsLive VideoTrendingNewslettersAlertsMobilePodcastsRadioFox News StoreApps & DownloadsAboutCareersCollege StudentsFox Around the WorldAdvertise With UsTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyAd ChoicesContact UsEmail NewsroomFAQMedia RelationsClosed Captioning PolicyFollowFacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInRSSNewslettersFox NewsBack to TopThis material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2015 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. All market data delayed 20 minutes. 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Liberal speakers dominate college commencements, conservative group says

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Improving College Access and Degree Attainment Through an Early Guarantee of Federal Financial Aid

Issues » Higher Education</p>College for All: Improving College Access and Degree Attainment Through an Early Guarantee of Federal Financial AidSOURCE: AP/Gerry Broome</p>Students on campus at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, April 2015.</p>By David A. Bergeron & Antoinette Flores | Wednesday, May 6, 2015</p>PRINT: <img alt="print icon" height="24" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/print24.png" width="24">SHARE: <img alt="Facebook icon" height="24" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/facebook24.png" width="24"><img alt="Twitter icon" height="24" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/twitter24.png" width="24"><img alt="Share on Google+" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/googleplus24.png"/><img alt="Email icon" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/email24.png">Endnotes and citations are available in the PDF and Scribd versions.<img alt="Improving College Access and Degree Attainment Through an Early Guarantee of Federal Financial Aid" class="cover" src="https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/FederalAidApplication-COVERPHOTO.jpg" width="150">Download the report: <br/>PDFDownload introduction & summary: <br/>PDFRead it in your browser: <br/>Scribd<p>In 2015, approximately 3.3 million students are expected to graduate from high schools throughout the United States. Many of them will pursue postsecondary education immediately after receiving their diploma but not nearly enough will complete their degree. Furthermore, high school graduates who do not enroll in a college or a postsecondary education program are more likely to come from lower-income families.</p><p>While previous generations of Americans were considered to be among the world’s most educated, gains in postsecondary attainment in competitor countries have outpaced attainment among young people in the United States. U.S. adults between the ages of 55 and 64 are the third-most educated among the 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, countries—nations that are in competition with the United States. In contrast, U.S. young adults currently rank 10th on OECD’s most-educated list. As the Baby Boomer generation retires from the workforce, these lower levels of postsecondary attainment among the current generation of Americans will become increasingly apparent in global economic performance.</p><p>Among the current generation of students, family income plays a significant role in determining who will receive a college degree, which is a key component of the growing inequality in the United States. In 2013, students in the top income quartile were eight times more likely to receive a bachelor’s degree than students in the bottom quartile—up from 1970, when students from high-income families were five times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree. While income level determines who enrolls in college after high school, it even more significantly determines who completes college and earns a degree. In the context of rising inequality in postsecondary education, it is no wonder that the United States has fallen behind its competitors. If the United States is to make gains in degree attainment and improve its ranking among its competitors, the solution needs to focus on degree attainment in families from the bottom half of the income scale.</p><p>Each year, the federal government spends billions of dollars on federal student aid programs to help make college more affordable. In 2015, for example, the federal government spent approximately $28 billion on the Federal Pell Grant Program, which provides grants to low-income students so that they can attend college. But, as currently designed, the process of securing federal financial aid support is a series of mountains instead of open doors. In order to receive federal financial aid, students and families must complete the complex Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance—a working group created by Congress to be an independent source of advice on financial aid policy—has frequently criticized the complexity of student aid and pointed out the barriers the process creates, particularly for the poorest students. The committee called for many simplifications that have since been implemented, including eliminating redundant questions; phasing out the paper FAFSA form; simplifying and streamlining the online application; and instituting a data retrieval tool for easy access to an aid applicant’s tax information from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. Despite all of these changes, the FAFSA still serves as a barrier to college access.</p><p>Another barrier yet to be addressed is the inability of students and families to determine their eligibility for federal financial aid and the amount of aid available until after they have already applied to colleges and universities. For prospective first-generation college students and students from families struggling to make ends meet, a public college education with an average annual price tag—after federal, state, and institutional grants—of $12,000 for a four-year college or $7,500 for two-year college is not affordable or accessible and can discourage students from applying at all. For those who do choose to attend college, the lack of financial aid information—as well as the high costs—can lead to poor financial, academic, and college choice decisions.</p><p><img alt="FederalAidApplication_webfig1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-112588" height="512" src="https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/FederalAidApplication_webfig1.png" width="310" /></p><p>In 2015, the Center for American Progress announced College for All, a radically student-centric plan that would significantly boost college attainment rates among students from low- and moderate-income families by ensuring that students would be able to attend two- and four-year public institutions without having to incur any tuition or fees while enrolled. In order to remedy financial aid timeline inefficiencies, incentivize more students to earn postsecondary education credentials, and promote future economic success, CAP proposes improving the federal financial aid system by providing an early guarantee of financial aid eligibility through the federal tax system and eliminating the need for students to fill out additional forms in order to receive federal aid. The early guarantee of federal financial aid would increase transparency of both college costs and available aid, as well as incentivize students to enroll in and complete postsecondary education, encourage robust college academic preparation, and spur families to begin saving if possible.</p><p>While early aid notification is proposed as a component of College for All, the recommendations in this report can and should be applied to the current financial aid system in order to effectively streamline the aid process and eliminate barriers such as the need for additional forms. This report also details how Congress, under the amended Higher Education Act of 1965, could pilot an early guarantee of aid through the previously authorized demonstration program. The pilot would allow for an early guarantee to be tested for impacts and outcomes on college access and completion rates, as well as troubleshoot delivering aid through the tax system. Through College for All, aid would be guaranteed, delivered, and repaid through the federal tax system in a more rational and organized manner. However, even without the additional reforms proposed under College for All, an early guarantee of aid would increase transparency and incentivize more students to aspire to and achieve postsecondary education.</p><p>CAP proposes the following recommendations:</p>Provide an early guarantee of federal financial aid: Students and families should receive an early guarantee of available aid when the student is in the eighth grade based on information from their federal income tax return. Receiving federal financial aid should not require students to fill out forms providing income data when this information is already collected and reported through the tax system. The IRS would notify families about their eligibility for federal financial aid before the student starts high school, and the U.S. Department of Education would develop and provide detailed information on the cost of college, net price, types of aid available, and repayment options.Build a financial aid calculator that works within the IRS income tax system to determine aid: Currently, financial aid eligibility is determined based on FAFSA information and the formula that determines expected family contribution, or EFC. Under College for All, students would not need to contribute anything upfront for tuition and fees. Instead, students would be guaranteed a mix of grants and loans depending on the family’s income history. Grant aid would target students with the greatest need in order to eliminate the psychological barriers of preparing for college, such as worrying about costs. A new calculator should be created that can work with IRS data points to determine the amount of available grant aid based on multiple years of income data. The balance of the aid would be provided in the form of loans.Permit states and institutions to use income data for families to make a more accurate assessment of financial need: Under the new aid system, students and families could elect to share income information with colleges and universities to help institutions make better and more informed decisions regarding what types and amounts of aid to provide students.Target and communicate tuition support and grant aid: In order for an early guarantee of federal financial aid to be most effective, tuition support and grant aid needs to be increased. Families need to know that the immediate cost of college is covered. For low- and moderate-income families, it is important to explicitly communicate how much federal aid they will receive in the form of grants that do not have to be repaid. Grant funding should be targeted in a way that incentivizes the most students to attend and complete a postsecondary degree or certificate. The program could be piloted by first targeting the neediest students who are eligible for the maximum Pell Grant award.Pilot an early guarantee of aid already granted under current law: The Higher Education Act of 1965, which authorized the federal student aid system, includes an authority for a demonstration program that would allow several states to award Pell Grants in conjunction with an information campaign targeting low-income students in the eighth grade. The Department of Education would then track these students through college and monitor their progress. The Obama administration should work with Congress to have funds appropriated in order to implement a pilot program as quickly as possible to take advantage of state tax and benefit information systems.<p>The amount of financial aid available to students should be an incentive and make the decision to attend college easier, but the complicated process of applying for aid and a lack of information stand in the way. Together, these recommendations would simplify and streamline the federal aid system and ensure that it fulfills the goal of getting the students most in need to and through college.</p><p>David A. Bergeron is the Vice President for Postsecondary Education at the Center for American Progress. Antoinette Flores is a Policy Analyst on the Postsecondary Education team at the Center.</p>

Improving College Access and Degree Attainment Through an Early Guarantee of Federal Financial Aid

Issues » Higher Education College for All: Improving College Access and Degree Attainment Through an Early Guarantee of Federal Financial A...

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RELEASE: Early Guarantee of Financial Aid Would Improve College Cost Transparency, Incentivize College Enrollment, Says New CAP Report

Press Room »May 2015</p>RELEASE: Early Guarantee of Financial Aid Would Improve College Cost Transparency, Incentivize College Enrollment, Says New CAP ReportMay 6, 2015</p>PRINT: SHARE: <img alt="Facebook icon" height="24" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/facebook24.png" width="24"><img alt="Twitter icon" height="24" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/twitter24.png" width="24"><img alt="Share on Google+" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/googleplus24.png"/><img alt="Email icon" src="https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/themes/c3/images/email24.png"><p>Contact: Allison Preiss<br>Phone: 202.478.6331 <br>Email: apreiss@americanprogress.org</p><p>Despite changes, the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance, or FAFSA, serves as a barrier to college access. An early guarantee of financial aid is a key part of CAP’s College for All proposal, which builds on ideas proposed in the CAP-convened Inclusive Prosperity Commission report.</p><p>Washington, D.C. — Providing a guarantee of college financial aid to families when their children are in the eighth grade would help incentivize college enrollment and improve transparency of college costs, says a new report from the Center for American Progress. CAP proposes improving the federal financial aid system by providing an early guarantee of financial aid eligibility through the federal tax system and eliminating the need for students to fill out additional forms in order to receive federal aid.</p><p>“Despite recent changes made to the FAFSA, ​the document itself and the application process remain complex—and serve as a barrier to college access,” said David A. Bergeron, CAP’s Vice President of Postsecondary Education. “Families should be aware of financial aid availability long before a student’s senior year of high school.”</p><p>“Due to high costs and a lack of transparency on financial aid eligibility, a quality college education isn’t in the picture for many families. Providing an early guarantee of federal financial aid would help families make more informed decisions about college,” said Antoinette Flores, a Policy Analyst at CAP.</p><p>Today’s report is CAP’s third regarding its overarching College for All proposal, under which the federal government would provide every high school graduate financial support at a level equivalent to the tuition and fees of a public four-year college or university, ensuring that all high school graduates and their families know that they can afford college.</p><p>CAP’s proposal for an early guarantee of financial aid includes the following provisions:</p>Providing a guarantee of federal financial aid to families when their children are in the eighth grade because federal financial aid should not require students to fill out forms providing income data when this information is already collected and reported through the tax systemBuilding a financial aid calculator that works within the IRS income tax system to determine aidPermitting states and institutions to use income data for families to make a more accurate assessment of financial need, allowing students and families to share income information with colleges and universities in order to help institutions make better and more informed decisions regarding what types and amounts of aid to provide studentsTargeting and communicating tuition support and grant aidPiloting an early guarantee of aid already granted under the current iteration of the Higher Education Act<p>College for All expands on a provision included in a recent report from the Commission on Inclusive Prosperity, or IPC, a transatlantic board convened by CAP, composed of high-level American and international policymakers, economists, business leaders, and labor representatives, and focused on finding ways to expand the middle class through inclusive economic growth. The IPC’s report calls for aggressive action to expand postsecondary education opportunities for all Americans.</p><p>An overly complex system of financial aid, among other barriers, bars many low- and middle-income students from two- or four-year postsecondary education programs. Under College for All, students would repay a portion of the aid provided by the federal government, but the plan would use the IRS wage-withholding system to automatically repay student loans; provide simple, affordable repayment terms for all borrowers; share savings earned by the U.S. Department of Education with borrowers; and build a smarter system that proactively helps borrowers manage their debt. The overall goal of CAP’s College for All plan is to ensure that the United States has the skilled workforce and educated citizenry needed to achieve inclusive prosperity and to create a postsecondary education system that encourages economic growth.</p><p>Click here to read “Improving College Access and Degree Attainment Through an Early Guarantee of Federal Financial Aid” by David A. Bergeron and Antoinette Flores.</p><p>For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Allison Preiss at apreiss@americanprogress.org or 202.478.6331.</p>###</p>

RELEASE: Early Guarantee of Financial Aid Would Improve College Cost Transparency, Incentivize College Enrollment, Says New CAP Report

Press Room »May 2015 RELEASE: Early Guarantee of Financial Aid Would Improve College Cost Transparency, Incentivize College Enrollment, Say...

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