Progress:
Phase I: 2005-07 Oregon Opportunity Grant Increases
The first phase of the AAWG work helped in significant ways to secure an unprecedented increase in state funding for the Oregon Opportunity Grant (OOG), administered by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (http://www.osac.state.or.us/).
In the 2005 legislative session, the AAWG recommended to Governor Kulongoski and Oregon Legislature increases in need-based financial aid through the OOG, coupled with a restructuring of the grant. The group's multi-sector constituents came to consensus on a series of long term and short term recommendations. For details on AAWG 2004-05 actions and recommendations, see the May 2005 AAWG Progress Report, "Restoring Opportunity: Making College Affordable All Oregonians."
As a result of the Governor's and the Legislature's actions in the 2005-2007 budget, the Oregon Opportunity Grant funding was increased to $78 million, a 77% increase over 2003-2005 appropriations of about $44 million. This increase would allow all eligible resident undergraduate students at public institutions, an estimated additional 11,000+ students, to qualify for the OOG, with maximum awards at 11% of total cost-of-education. For the first time, this level of funding would also enable about 4,000 part-time students to receive the Grant in the second year of the biennium.
Phase II: Next Steps
AAWG reconvened in December 2005 to develop recommendations for the 2007 legislative session. The group acknowledged that while the 2005-2007 budget OOG increases represented significant progress, the state must continue efforts toward long term goals in order to ensure that every Oregonian can afford and has access to post-secondary education. AAWG is now in the process of developing a new affordability model based on students earning the opportunity to attend college.
The Earned Opportunity Model is based on three fundamental beliefs. First, students are the primary beneficiary of a college education. Second, students should be able to work their way through college, just as generations have before them. Third, postsecondary education or training beyond high school graduation is the most important investment individuals make.
As the primary beneficiary of a college education, students would be accountable for contributing a substantial amount to his or her education. The substantial portion will be based on what a student could be expected to reasonably earn by working full time over the summer and part-time work during the school year preferably on a campus and at a the number of hours that does not impede student academic progress.
The student's family would be expected to pick up the remainder. When families demonstrate financial need, the federal Pell grants for lower-income students and federal tax credits for middle-income students are used to lower the expected contribution by the family. The state of Oregon would fill in the remaining gap.
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- Access
and Affordability Working Group Briefing,(PDF) - 2.21.05
- Access
and Affordability Presentation,(PDF) Kate Peterson, - 3.4.04
- ASET
Briefing with Governor Comments,(PDF)
- Demographics
Presentation,(PDF) Mark Elsworth, - 3.17.04
- Financial
Aid Director Meeting Presentation,(PDF) - 4.15.04
- Earned Opportunity to Affordable Higher Education, presentation on draft model by David Longanecker, Brian Prescott, WICHE. Note: numbers hypothetical - 4.4.06
- Glossary
of Financial Aid Terms,(PDF) - 4.2.04
- Expanding
Higher Education Access & Affordability Requirements for a Sound
Oregon Economy,(PDF) - 7.23.04
- Focus
Groups Executive Summary, Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall, Inc. - 11.12.04
- Increasing College Access Presentation
- JBL Comparative
Charts (XLS) - 10.4.04
- JBL
Presentation (PPT) - 10.4.04
- JBL
Comparative Data (XLS) - 10.4.04
- Need
Based Grant Chart,(PDF) - 4.2.04
- Oregon
Opportunity Grant Policies & Procedures,(PDF) - 3.17.04
- OSBHE AAWG
Report,(PDF)
- OSBHE Executive
Summary AAWG Report,(PDF)
- Pell Grants
Presentation,(PDF) Nancy Goldschmidt - 4.2.04
- Policy
Decisions/Touchstones,(PDF) - 4.2.04
- Policy Decisions
Update,(DOC) - 4.15.04
- Policy Goals,(PDF)
- 4.2.04
- Policy
Options,(PDF) - 4.30.04
- Restoring Opportunity: Making College Affordable for All Oregonians - 5.2005
- Shared Responsibility Presentation
- When Saving Means Losing - 7.2004
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- American Council on Education
- College Board
- Educational Policy Institute
- Harvard Institute of Economic
Research
- Jobs for the Future
- Lumina Foundation:
- Minnesota Shared Responsibility Program
- National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs
(NASSGAP):
- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators:
- National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education:
- National College Access Network
- Oregon Student Assistance Commission:
- The Rockefeller Institute State Fiscal News:
- Workforce Contingent Financial Aid:
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- Public-College Graduates Accrue Almost as Much Student-Loan Debt as Private-College Peers, Report Says, The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 30, 2006
- Special Report, Meritocracy in America, Ever higher society, ever harder to ascend, Economist, January 1, 2005
- Students
to Bear More of the Cost of College, The New York Times, by
Greg Winter, December 12, 2004
- Press
Release, State Budget Update: The National Conference
of State Legislatures (NCSL), November 2004.
- Editorial,
Undermining the Pell Grants, The New York Times, November
25, 2004.
- Thousands
of Students Could Lose Pell Grants Under Spending Bill Approved on Saturday, The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 22, 2004, by Stephen Burd.
- College
Board's Annual Reports Show Tuition Increases are Smaller than Last
Year, but Still High by Historical Standards/Companion Report Documents
Substantial Returns for Individuals and for Society from Investment
in Higher Education, College Board, October
19, 2004.
- Universities
Introduce New Financial-Aid Programs, American Association of Collegiate
Registrars and Admissions Officers, August 24, 2004
- If
higher education is so important to the economy, why is its financing
being cut more than that of other large programs? The New York Times,
August 5, 2004
- Community groups
earn dollars for college scholarships, Washington Higher Education
Coordinating Board press release, June 18, 2004
- Higher
Education Commission begins work in increasing college graduates,
Detroit Free Press, June 14, 2004
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- Educational Attainment (PDF)
- Geographic Distribution by Oregon County (PDF)
- Clackamas, Multnomah,
and Washington Counties
- Marion, Yamhill,
and Polk Counties
- Lane County
- Umatilla, Union,
Wallowa, Baker, and Malheur Counties
- Linn, Lincoln, and
Benton Counties
- Crook, Deschutes,
and Jefferson Counties
- Jackson and Josephine
Counties
- Jackson, Klamath,
and Lake Counties
- Coos and Douglas
Counties
- Washington County
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