[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 231 (Friday, December 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69556-69557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9478]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Advisory Committee Student Financial Assistance: Hearing

AGENCY: Advisory Commission on Student Financial Assistance, Education.

ACTION: Notice of upcoming hearing.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a 
forthcoming hearing of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial 
Assistance (The Advisory Committee). Individuals who will need 
accommodations for a disability in order to attend the hearing (i.e., 
interpreting services, assistive listening devices, and/or materials in 
alternative format) should notify the Advisory Committee no later than 
Monday, December 11, 2006, by contacting Ms. Hope Gray at (202) 219-
2099 or via e-mail at [email protected]. We will attempt to meet 
requests after this date, but cannot guarantee availability of the 
requested accommodation. The hearing site is accessible to individuals 
with disabilities. This notice also describes the functions of the 
Advisory Committee. Notice of this hearing is required under Section 
10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This document is 
intended to notify the general public.

DATES: Monday, December 18, 2006, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 
approximately 3:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The University of Illinois at Chicago, Student Service 
Building, Conference Room B/C, 1200 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 
60611.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Erin B. Renner, Director of 
Government Relations or Ms. Julie J. Johnson, Assistant Director, 
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Capitol Place, 80 F 
Street, NW., Suite 413, Washington, DC 20202-7582, (202) 219-2099.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committee on Student Financial 
Assistance is established under Section 491 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 as amended by Public Law 100-50 (20 U.S.C. 1098). The Advisory 
Committee serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to the 
Congress and the Secretary of Education on student financial aid 
policy. Since its inception, the congressional mandate requires the 
Advisory Committee to conduct objectives, nonpartisan, and independent 
analyses on important aspects of the student assistance programs under 
Title IV of the Higher Education Act, and to make recommendations that 
will result in the maintenance of access to postsecondary education for 
low- and middle-income students. In addition, Congress expanded the 
Advisory Committee's mission in the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 
to include several important areas: access, Title IV modernization, 
distance education, and early information and needs assessment. 
Specifically, the Advisory Committee is to review, monitor and evaluate 
the Department of Education's progress in these areas and report 
recommended improvements to Congress and the Secretary.
    The Advisory Committee has scheduled the hearing on Monday, 
December 18 in Chicago, IL, to conduct activities related to its 
congressionally requested study to make textbooks more affordable 
(Textbook Study). This one-year study, which was requested by members 
of the Education and the Workforce Committee of the U.S. House of 
Representatives, will investigate further the problem of rising 
textbook prices; determine the impact of rising textbook prices on 
students' ability to afford a postsecondary education; and make 
recommendations to Congress, the Secretary, and other stakeholders on 
what can be done to make textbooks more affordable for students. Over 
the course of the study, the Committee will conduct three field 
hearings that will include testimony from stakeholders around the 
country who are currently working to make textbooks more affordable for 
students.
    The proposed agenda includes expert testimony and discussions by 
prominent higher education community leaders, state representatives, 
and institutions who will share what they are doing to make textbooks 
more affordable for students. The Advisory Committee will also conduct 
a roundtable discussion among Advisory Committee members and panelists 
on its recently released report on the impact of financial barriers on 
bachelor's degree attainment, titled Mortgaging Our Future: How 
Financial Barriers to College Undercut America's Global 
Competitiveness. This report can be accessed at the following Web 
address: http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/acsfa/mof.pdf.
    The Advisory Committee invites the public to submit written 
comments on the Textbook Study to the following e-mail address: 
[email protected]. Information regarding the Textbook Study will also be 
available on the Advisory Committee's Web site, http://www.ed.gov/ACSFA. To be included in the hearing materials, we must receive your 
comments on or before Monday, December 11, 2006; additional comments 
should be provided to the Committee no later than January 29, 2007.
    Space for the hearing is limited and you are encouraged to register 
early if you plan to attend. You may register by sending an e-mail to 
the following address: [email protected] or [email protected]. 
Please include your name, title, affiliation, complete address 
(including internet and e-mail address, if available), and telephone 
and fax numbers. If you are unable to register electronically, you may 
fax your registration information to the Advisory Committee staff 
office at

[[Page 69557]]

(202) 219-3032. You may also contact the Advisory Committee staff 
directly at (202) 219-2099. The registration deadline is Monday, 
December 11, 2006.
    Records are kept for Advisory Committee proceedings, and are 
available for inspection at the Office of the Advisory Committee on 
Student Financial Assistance, Capitol Place, 80 F Street, NW.--Suite 
413, Washington, DC from the hours of 9 am to 5:30 pm Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. Information regarding the Advisory 
Committee is available on the Committee's Web site, http://www.ed.gov/ACSFA.

Dr. William J. Goggin,
Executive Director, Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance.
[FR Doc. 06-9478 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M