[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 57 (Thursday, April 29, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4694-S4696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mrs. CLINTON (for herself, Mr. Graham of Florida, and Mr.
Dayton):
S. 2360. A bill to provide higher education assistance for
nontraditional students, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Finance.
Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation
that will address a growing trend in higher education--the changing
face of today's college student.
Over the last decade, there has been a steady increase in the number
of non-traditional students entering or returning to college.
Nationwide, non-traditional students on college campuses are slowly
becoming the norm--the percentage of non-traditional students on
college campuses has increased to 47 percent in 2001 from 34 percent in
1991.
Non-traditional students come in many different forms. Some waited to
go to college until their mid to late twenties or later--or were put in
the position of having to go back to college late in life because they
lost their job. Others are attending college part-time while they work
full-time and/or are financially independent. Others have children, and
may or may not have the support of a spouse. And still others never
obtained a high school diploma.
As you can imagine, these students face unique challenges that make
it more difficult for them to graduate than their traditional peers.
These challenges include affording their education, balancing work,
school, and family responsibilities, and sometimes overcoming
inadequate preparation.
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Unfortunately, many of our current higher education policies make it
harder, not easier, for non-traditional students to complete their
degrees. That is why today I am pleased to be introducing, along with
my colleague from the state of Florida, Senator Graham, The Non-
Traditional Students Success Act.
This legislation is a comprehensive solution to the barriers non-
traditional students face as they try to earn a college degree. It is
timely, and our system is long overdue for improvement.
When I travel throughout New York, I hear about the challenges faced
by many of our citizens, particularly those who have found themselves
unemployed after years of working in companies like Kodak, Xerox,
Corning, and IBM. Many of these citizens are in need of retraining--
some are returning to school, while others are attending college for
the first time.
The goal of this legislation is to increase graduation rates for non-
traditional students by addressing the range of barriers they face--
financial, academic, and social.
First, I will begin with the financial; this legislation includes
several provisions to make it more affordable for non-traditional
students to complete their postsecondary education.
It increases the maximum Pell Grant to $11,600 by 2010. Pell Grants
work and there is no reason why we should not continue to invest in
this worthwhile solution.
This bill also increases the income protection allowance so that
working students can keep more of their income. Our bill sets the level
at $18,000 per year as opposed to only $5,000 per year--which is
current law for single independent students.
It increases the amount of education expenses that students can claim
under the Lifetime Learning credit from 20 percent to 50 percent. Under
current law, students receive a credit of only $300 for education
expenses towards the Lifetime Learning credit. Under this proposal,
they could claim $750--money that would go a long way towards
offsetting the cost of higher education today.
I am also proposing an information campaign so that students will
know more about the financial aid available to them. Research shows
that one of the most significant challenges to making ``lifelong
learning'' a reality is to overcome the perception held by many non-
traditional students, especially first-generation and adults with few
work skills, that they are not ``student material.''
A direct mailing campaign combined with outreach to employers about
the financial resources available to non-traditional students could
significantly boost attendance and retention of non-traditional
students.
Secondly, The Non-Traditional Students Success Act addresses the
daily challenges of balancing work, family and school by creating a
pilot program to provide financial aid to students who are attending
school less than half-time while maintaining a full-time work schedule.
This provision will provide resources to schools that create class
schedules that accommodate the realities of non-traditional students'
lives--classes that are taught in short, compressed modules, on
weekends, in the evenings, and over the Internet.
This bill also creates a pilot program that will make Pell Grants
available year round so students are not forced to discontinue their
studies for the three-month summer period. These students want to
complete their studies as soon as possible, and the three-month delay
only impedes their progress.
We are also putting forward ideas to put reliable childcare within
the reach of students who have children. During my husband's
administration we created CCAMPIS--a program to provide quality
childcare on college campuses. This is an excellent program that
deserves to be expanded. It has never received more than $25 million in
funding, even though the need for reliable childcare on campuses is
overwhelming.
The Non-Traditional Student Support Act will expand the CCAMPIS
program and provide a supplemental grant to low-income parents
attending school.
This legislation also increases funding to TRIO and Gear-Up. These
programs have been successful in helping many non-traditional students
achieve the goal of a college degree, and we must continue to support
and expand these programs.
We have also included language that requires these programs to give
special attention to first-year students, as research shows completion
of the first year is a key indicator of retention through graduation.
I am very pleased with this legislation; it shows that we are moving
in the right direction, tweaking our higher education policies to
better serve our changing student population. I look forward to working
with my colleagues to incorporate these provisions into the
reauthorization of the higher education act.
Mr. GRAHAM of Florida. Mr. President, the face of the American
undergraduate is changing, and there is a growing need to reflect this
transformation in our Federal education policy. In 2001, 47 percent of
all undergraduates were considered non-traditional students. Despite
this evolving landscape of higher education, many of our Nation's
financial aid policies and student support services only address the
financial needs and lifestyle demands of traditional students.
Fewer and fewer of today's undergraduates come straight from high
school, depend on parental financial support, and enroll as full-time
students. Today's colleges and universities are filled with an
unprecedented amount of non-traditional students. These students have a
variety of responsibilities beyond their education that demand their
time, attention, and income.
Older scholars are in the unenviable position of having to balance
school, work, family responsibilities, and the obligation of meeting
the cost of higher education. Recent studies suggest that 39 percent of
all undergraduates are 25 years or older and 27 percent have children.
Further, 40 percent of undergraduates work full-time and 48 percent
attend college part-time.
Unfortunately, the needs of many devoted parents and hard working
employees who attend college are not adequately supported by federal
policy. For this reason, it is no surprise that non-traditional
students are less likely than traditional students to complete a
bachelors or associates degree.
The consequences of our higher education policy failing to address
the challenges faced by non-traditional students are great. In the
global economy of the 21st century, a quality, accessible education
remains the gatekeeper to achieving the American dream of economic
self-sufficiency and meaningful employment.
Indeed, never before has a college degree been so vital to so many.
Today's marketplace demands a well-educated work force. According to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, postsecondary education will be
essential for 42 percent of the new jobs created in this decade. Higher
education is not only the ticket to a good paying job, it is also an
avenue to improved health care, child-care, housing, and nutrition.
I am pleased to join Senator Clinton in introducing the Non-
Traditional Student Success Act, legislation designed to address the
barriers that non-traditional students encounter while pursuing a
college education.
Escalating college costs are a central obstacle to all students, but
can be especially devastating to non-traditional students who often
have families to care for. Responding to the rising cost of obtaining a
college degree and the declining purchasing power of federal financial
assistance, this legislation will help ensure that college is
affordable and accessible to non-traditional students.
With this goal in mind, our bill will increase the maximum Pell Grant
to $11,600 over the next five years and pilot a program that would make
this aid available year-round. This provision will ease the financial
burden non-traditional students endure and help them complete their
degree programs more quickly.
Our legislation also addresses a problem many non-traditional
students experience, not being able to qualify for a sufficient amount
of financial aid due to their less-than-full-time enrollment status. We
propose establishing a pilot program to provide more financial aid to
students enrolled in a degree program less-than-half-time, students
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with compressed or alternative schedules, and/or students in distance
learning. It is imperative that our financial aid system no longer
exists at odds with the needs and course loads of non-traditional
students. This measure takes a critical first step towards correcting
this situation.
Our bill also expands the list of education expenses for the Lifetime
Learning tax credit to include not just the costs of tuition and fees
but also books, supplies and equipment, childcare and living expenses.
Non-traditional students often have more expenses than tuition and fees
that must be considered if a college degree is going to be financially
possible.
A common sense way of making higher education more accessible is to
increase the public's awareness of available financial aid, including
education tax credits. In 2001, only 21 percent of respondents in a
national survey had heard of the education tax credits. Our bill will
promote what financial aid programs are available.
It is not enough that we improve the affordability of college for
non-traditional students without improving student support services
that promote retention and academic success among these students. This
legislation increases funding for on-campus child-care to help
nontraditional students with children. Additionally, we propose an
increase in funding for Student Support Service programs, GEAR UP and
College Assistance Migrant Programs. These programs provide counseling,
mentoring, tutoring and other services to help non-traditional students
succeed.
I encourage my colleagues to support the Non-Traditional Student
Success Act. This legislation contains a variety of common sense
provisions that make college more affordable and success more probable
for non-traditional students. By supporting the Non-Traditional Student
Success Act, you help bring the American dream within reach for a large
segment of our Nation's undergraduate population.
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