An open letter to Maine Sens. Collins and Snowe

16 years ago

Dear Sens. Collins and Snowe:
    Personally and on behalf of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) I would like to commend and thank you for the courageous role you played in the passage of H.R. 1, the historic legislation to stimulate America’s struggling economy and provide a meaningful investment in college student aid program.     This bill increases the nation’s flagship financial assistance program, the Pell Grant, by $500, bringing it to a maximum of $5,350 in 2009 and $5,550 in 2010. This increase represents a monumental step forward for the nation’s students and families. In addition, the measure adds $200 million to the Federal Work Study program and increases the higher education tax credit to a maximum of $2,500 for college students and families with children in college. On behalf of the millions of college students served by more than 16,000 financial aid administrators working at the 3,500 colleges, universities and professional schools represented by NASFAA, I extend our heartfelt appreciation for this significant boost to students and families.
    I’d also like to share with you my personal thanks, as a native Mainer, a 26-year college CEO/president, and as the current head of the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators.
    When I graduated from Portland High School in 1963, only about 5 percent of students in the U.S. had completed four years of college (1962 Census). By 2007, more than 1 in 4 students (27 percent) reported a bachelor’s degree or higher — a more than five-fold increase in college attainment since the Census Bureau first collected educational attainment data in 1940.
    Back when I was in high school, I can tell you it was a particular challenge for kids from low-income backgrounds like me and my wife Val, a Fort Kent native. Later, as an administrator at the University of Maine at Augusta — at that time the only community college in the state of Maine — we had to deal with the reality that while Maine ranked among the top states in the nation in terms of high school graduation, we ranked among the very lowest in the nation when it came to college participation.
    Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of educators and policymakers, today Maine’s college-going rates are on par with the national average: 35 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in Maine are enrolled in college, along with 4.4 percent of 25- to 49-year olds in the state. (Measuring Up 2008, National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education).
    It was a struggle to get to where we stand today, but it has been made easier for students from later generations, thanks in large part to the historic passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and its subsequent reauthorizations-and through the tireless efforts of lawmakers such as yourselves. You are truly leaders with vision, who understand and support the core principles of access and equity associated with that watershed measure.
    Beyond providing immediate financial relief to students and families in Maine and throughout the U.S. who are struggling to pay for college, the passage of H.R. 1 is a statement by Congress and the Obama administration that making higher education accessible will continue to be a priority. The future success of our economy at the national and state level is heavily reliant on our ability to produce a highly-educated and skilled workforce. Removing financial barriers to higher education is a crucial step to ensuring that our current and future workers get the training they need to help us remain competitive and to give every citizen an opportunity to enjoy and contribute to an improved quality of life. Again, we thank you for your support.

Dr. Philip R. Day, Jr.
NASFAA president and CEO