Higher Education

America's renown for attracting, to its institutions of higher education, the world's best and brightest students is at risk. Today, we have some significant rivals that include Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and China. In the knowledge-based world economy of the 21st century, few dispute that premier status in higher education will surely be linked with economic might. In July 2002, a group of higher-education leaders from seven Western states gathered in San Diego to talk about this and related concerns.

A University of Pennsylvania official yesterday termed "patently unfair" the proposed new federal tax revision legislation that could cost colleges and universities a bundle in lost revenue. "The question is one of fairness," said David Morse, Penn's director of federal relations. "The bill has been sold as one of fairness and equity. But in this case it is patently unfair. " One provision of the tax-overhaul bill would bar private universities - such as Penn - from issuing more than $150 million in tax-exempt bonds.

Thousands of New Jersey college students started classes recently. Even though tuition is soaring, college is a top priority for many families and students because the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term costs. A college graduate earns more and has better job security and healthier families. Furthermore, higher education for New Jersey's sons and daughters improves the state's economy and public well-being. You would imagine that all these benefits would make funding higher education a top priority for state legislators.

Marvin B. Pittman had just come home from his overnight job as a security guard when he turned on the TV to watch a replay of the third and final presidential debate last week. He was hoping, among other things, to get some insight into the candidates' stands on higher education. In the second debate, Pittman heard Vice President Gore mention something about a $10,000 deduction for college tuition and, as the father of two sons in college, he wanted to know more. "I watched the debate and there was nothing there.

The most important decision affecting the future of 95,000 Pennsylvania students will not be made in the classroom this fall. At the end of this month, the union representing the 5,500 professors at the State System of Higher Education will conduct a strike vote, threatening the education of students at our 14 universities. If the union decides not to continue good-faith bargaining, our students face delayed graduation. For 16 years, the State System has provided quality education at an affordable cost to more than 350,000 alumni.

Some students at Burlington County College this year will be a bit younger than average. In fact, 57 of the new enrollees are so young that a few of them may have trouble reaching the water fountains on campus. The new college students, regularly fifth graders at Willingboro's Stuart Elementary School, will spend part of the school year at the community college exploring classes and higher-education opportunities as part of a pilot program sponsored by the college. "This is a way for students to discover just what a college education can mean," said Clarence Whittaker, associate dean of student assistance.

TRENTON — Labor unions representing faculty, staff, and others who would be affected by a bill to overhaul higher education in New Jersey have asked lawmakers to tweak the measure so that thousands of current employees are protected. The unions are seeking amendments that ensure collective bargaining rights and contracts, limit the authority of a new Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden governing board, and guarantee no layoffs at University Hospital in Newark by providing financial stability to the money-losing teaching hospital.

Set at a small college with low academic standards, Hammerstone takes a satirical look at higher education while reinforcing a simple lesson: Learn from one another. The play is scheduled to open tomorrow evening at the Spring Garden Mill Playhouse in Newtown. "It's a cynical comedy," said director Mark Cofta. "I'm a college teacher, and it's very truthful about some of the horror stories I've lived, in terms of students not knowing why they're getting an education and teachers not knowing why the students are there.

Gov. Corbett toured a Malvern factory powered by state-of-the-art robotics Tuesday, then hit the automatic-reset button on a replay of the state university tuition wars that dominated the battle over his first budget proposal last year. Corbett insisted to reporters during his tour of the high-tech Siemens Medical Solutions plant that his 2012-13 plan for a steep new cuts in state aid to higher education - including 30 percent less money to state-backed schools such as Pennsylvania State and Temple Universities - could be dealt with by reducing campus operating costs, not by raising tuition.

America's higher education superiority - once taken for granted worldwide - is in danger of slipping away. Two bipartisan reports, one this week from the National Conference of State Legislatures and another in September from a commission appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, lament growing gaps in colleges' accessibility, affordability and accountability. They see a crisis brewing, especially for poor and minority students. But more than individual students would lose out. Without diverse, affordable universities, America will be unable to develop a workforce prepared to meet future needs.

When David Hespe took the reins of Burlington County College in September, his predecessor had just departed after 25 years. The newcomer expected a challenging year of transition. What he did not expect was Hurricane Sandy, the storm that walloped New Jersey in October and forced the campus to become one of two authorized shelters in the county. "We were more than happy to help out," Hespe said last week in a wide-ranging interview looking back on his first year, "but it was a tough two weeks.

By Steven Cruz Thousands of Pennsylvania high school seniors are graduating and heading off to college this fall, but for many hardworking students, college isn't an option. Pennsylvania's policy of denying in-state tuition rates to undocumented high school graduates denies many longtime state residents the opportunity to obtain a higher-paying job and contribute to the state's economy. The income gap between those with a high school diploma and those with a college degree is at an all-time high.

If Congress doesn't act by July 1, college loan interest rates will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. But Washington is still dawdling even as students worry about whether they will be able to stay in school. The proposed remedies range from a bill offering low interest rates that could become prohibitively high to a measure that would reduce the rate to 0.75 percent. The divide suggests that Congress isn't ready to make a deal. But students, like businesses, need predictability to make five- and six-figure educational investments.

Swarthmore College is in rare company nationally as a school that collects nearly as much or more revenue from investments as it does from students. Its $1.5 billion endowment - about $1 million per student - allows the highly ranked college to spend more on each student, but it does not fully shield Swarthmore from the economic forces threatening higher education. "When we think about the future, we're worried about . . . economic growth in this country," said Suzanne Welsh, vice president for finance and treasurer at Swarthmore.

Rowan University learned Monday that it would receive more than $117 million in state funds to expand and improve academic buildings, and Rutgers University will receive more than $55 million for enhancements in Camden. The money will flow from a $750 million capital improvement fund for higher education created by a bond referendum question approved by voters in November, and an additional $550 million in bond reauthorizations recently approved by the Legislature. "This is wonderful news, a wonderful day," said Rowan president Ali Houshmand.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has approved a Lincoln University plan to open a campus in Coatesville. Classes will start in the fall at a new branch of the historically black college, at 351 Kersey St. Courses initially will be offered in the evening and on weekends. Other classes will be added as enrollment increases. For information on undergraduate admissions, contact 484-365-7207; for the graduate school, call 215-590-8233. - Kristin E. Holmes

The recession has had a two-pronged effect on public colleges and universities: States have slashed higher education funding to balance their budgets, while enrollment has boomed. Squeezed from both sides, schools nationwide have scrambled to lower costs, cutting faculty and programs. To counter the reduction in state funding, they have raised tuition, their only other major revenue source. The resulting numbers, adjusted for inflation, are striking: Schools received 28 percent less funding per student nationwide from the 2007-08 to the 2012-13 school year and raised tuition 27 percent in response, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington.

By Michael J. McGinniss During the Civil War, the Diocese of Philadelphia asked the Christian Brothers to establish a school to provide the sons of immigrant populations with a high-quality education - including a higher education - that would help them assimilate into American society. On March 20, 1863 - 150 years ago today - an act of incorporation by the state legislature was taken out for a "college within the limits of city of Philadelphia. " It was the beginning of La Salle College.

Gloucester County College will increase tuition next year, but the two-year school in Sewell still provides a higher education at the lowest per-credit cost in New Jersey, its administrators say. At the same time, the school of about 6,800 full- and part-time students will increase spending on what it sees as essential programs, said president Frederick Keating. "Initiatives such as our Dual Advantage program, which provides guaranteed admission to several four-year institutions," are one of the reasons for increased costs, Keating said in a statement.

The union representing faculty at 14 state-owned universities ratified a tentative contract agreement Friday with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. "This is a balanced contract that preserves and maintains quality public higher education in the commonwealth," said Steve Hicks, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, which represents about 5,500 faculty members. The state system board of governors is expected to approve the contract.