AAU and ACE joined over forty other higher education organizations in a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) to submit principles for the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The broad community letter calls for the following principles in reauthorization:
- Do no harm. Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) should be used to
clearly and unambiguously improve student aid for students. - The Higher Education Act should continue to promote access to postsecondary
education and encourage completion. - Terms, conditions, and loan limits for federal student loans matter for
undergraduate, graduate, and parent borrowers. - Institutions should be responsible for defining their mission and the nature of their
academic programs. - The bill should make efforts to reduce fraud and abuse where it exists, and should
not take steps that will increase the likelihood of fraud or abuse. - The federal government should encourage experimentation and expansion of new
learning opportunities to promote quality and efficiency. - Streamline regulations and reduce regulatory burden in a manner that allows
institutions to meet their obligations to students and taxpayers without imposing
unnecessary cost or the diversion of resources.