Kennedy Calls on Higher Education Commission to Increase Student Aid

Kennedy Calls on Higher Education Commission to Increase Student Aid

Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy sent a letter to Charles Miller, Chairman of the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education. In the letter, Senator Kennedy discusses the obstacles faced by American students seeking to attend college due to increasing student loan debt and inadequate student aid. Kennedy, author of numerous proposals addressing college affordability, called on the Commission to embrace proposals that will reform the student loan program and ensure that no student is blocked from the opportunity to attend college because of financial barriers. His proposals also ensure that no college graduate is confronted with unmanageable debt. Kennedy released the letter and his report on college affordability in the United States, entitled "The College Cost Crunch" at the Center for American Progress' 2006 Campus Progress National Student Conference.

Senator Kennedy said, "Families across the country are pinching pennies so they can afford to send their children to college. They are willing to sacrifice a lot for a college education, but we know it's getting harder and harder as costs go up, and student debt goes up too. The federal government needs to do more to help families. The American Dream is at risk if we fail to make college more affordable. Graduates should not have to choose between paying off their college loans and buying a home or having a family."

http://www.tedkennedy.com/journal/1006/kennedy-calls-on-higher-education-commission-to-increase-student-aid