President, National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs
President of the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs, a lobbying group for private lenders involved in the college loan business
PROFILE
Brett Lief
Guest
FROM Brett Lief
To the Point
Is College Really Worth the Price of Admission? As senior year begins, high school students already are trying to decide what college they want to get into. Both they and their parents are wondering if higher education will mean a lifetime of debt. College tuition is going up faster than medical costs and outstanding student loans have surpassed total credit-card debt. But regardless of what parents have been led to believe, they may be borrowing more than they need to, especially to get to the "right" college. Do big-name schools provide the biggest bang for the buck in teaching or in getting that first job? Once they're in, do students use the available resources? Do colleges have to be so expensive? Will too much debt spoil the benefits of higher education?
Which Way, L.A.?
Student Loans: Does Public Money Need Private Administration? The big news on Sunday was House passage of healthcare reform and the so-called " reconciliation " bill that now goes to the Senate. Hardly noticed was that "reconciliation" also included the biggest change in the student loan program since 1965.
To the Point
Student Loans: Does Public Money Need Private Administration? The scenario is all too familiar: increased demand and rising costs; diminishing revenues during a major recession. It's not healthcare, it's higher education. Yet -- almost without notice -- the two were packaged together in the reconciliation bill passed by the House on Sunday. The biggest student-loan change in 45 years would eliminate private middlemen in favor of government lending directly to struggling students. Some, but not all, of $61 billion in savings would go to Pell Grants for the neediest. Not one Republican voted for it. We hear the pros and cons.
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