cIcu | Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities

The back-to-school season is an ideal time for many students and families to begin learning about the college search, application, and financial aid process. "Your College Search," a 48-page publication printed annually by the Albany, New York-based Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU), is now available as a free roadmap to finding the right college and ideas for how to pay for it.

Note: To request your copy or bulk quantities, call (518) 436-4781 ext. 32; e-mail colleges@nycolleges.org; or write to CICU/Outreach Programs, 17 Elk Street, Albany, NY 12207. Your College Search is also available online - http://capwiz.com/cicu/go/2010_YCS - for easy viewing or downloading.

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With the election season upon us, cIcu is participating in a national non-partisan effort to engage the higher education community in voter education, registration, and participation. Learn how you can get registered to vote or assist others in the process.

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August 4, 2010 — The New York State Legislature last night finalized the State Budget for the fiscal year that began on April 1. The budget process unfolded in piecemeal fashion, with the State Legislature passing a budget that restored student aid funding, only to have these restorations later vetoed by the Governor. It appears unlikely that the Governor will agree to any spending restorations in the future, and the Legislature is unlikely to be able to override the vetoes.

In the end, here’s what the final agreement means for student aid:

• Every TAP award is cut by $75.

• Graduate TAP is eliminated.

• The maximum TAP award for two-year degree seekers at two-year institutions that do not offer four-year degrees is cut to $3,925 from $5,000.

This was an especially hard-fought budget cycle, and we greatly appreciate your engaged advocacy on behalf of student aid programs. Next year’s budget process is literally upon us, and so you can expect to hear from the New York Student Aid Alliance in the early fall so you can add your voice in support of student aid.

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"2010 Outreach and Enrichment Programs" for junior or high school age students is now available from the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU). Complete with a program description, dates, age range for participants, and college contacts, the booklet catalogues hundreds of summer learning opportunities.

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As part of its Race to the Top competition, the US Department of Education awarded $330 million today to two coalitions of states to help them develop new ways of measuring whether students are on track to be ready for college and 21st -century careers. The testing systems will align with the new Common Core Standards in math and English language arts that nearly 40 states have already agreed to adopt. When the new tests are rolled out in 2014-15, the states in each coalition will be able to compare results with, and learn from, one another.

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The $26 billion education jobs and state Medicaid funding bill passed by Congress in early August included a"maintenance of effort" (MOE) requirement for states to keep up their funding for public K-12 and public higher education - but fails to similarly protect state funding for student aid programs or funds for private colleges. It is critically important for NAICU, the state executives, and member presidents to continue to work with congressional and state representatives on the issue - educating them about the MOE's unintended consequences for students.

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