Improving College Outcomes: A Modern Approach to Financing Higher Education

On October 21st The Hamilton Project will host a forum and release three new policy proposals by outside experts focusing on the evolving role of higher education, and how changes in student lending and financial-aid policies can help improve college outcomes. Thought leaders in higher education from around the country will join the discussion, including Vassar College President Catharine Bond Hill; University of Texas Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa; LaGuardia Community College President Gail Mellow; University of North Carolina President Thomas Ross; Wesleyan University President Michael Roth; and Brookings’ Brown Center on Education Policy Director Grover “Russ” Whitehurst. 

Two roundtable discussions will focus on the new policy proposals addressing ways to strengthen the Pell Grant program to meet the needs of a modern economy, reform the federal student loan repayment system, and expand the availability of information on the “net” vs. “sticker” price of attending college. The final panel, moderated by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, will address key questions currently facing policymakers: How should education policymakers and administrators weigh economic considerations, like the employment opportunities and incomes of graduates, relative to other goals of a liberal arts education? Given the growing diversity of higher-education students and the institutions they attend—ranging from select liberal arts colleges to state university systems to vocationally-oriented community colleges—how can federal policy accommodate the varying goals of these institutions and their students?
Following each panel, the participants will take audience questions.