The Oregon Idea

101.9 Kink Interview with Ryan Robinson and Jim Francesconi from The Oregon Idea

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:50:58 +0000

If you are a parent who has dreams of your kids going to college, you should know this: Oregon is 46th in the nation for spending on higher ed. That means the bulk of funding for community colleges and universities has fallen back on families, families who are already struggling to pay the bills. How will we end the spiral? The Oregon Idea has some ideas worth listening to.

The Oregonian – Student loans create debt trap that must be fixed

admin — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:52:52 +0000

As the Legislature mulls a misguided proposal to issue bonds to help expand the Oregon Opportunity Grant program, this much is beyond debate: Students are incurring too much debt.

Americans owe about $1 trillion on student loans, accounting for 8.5 percent of all consumer debt. Josh Lehner, an economist with the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, recently posted a thorough analysis of that debt through an Oregon lens. It should be required reading for policymakers considering how to ease the student debt burden — and for those who plan to borrow money to pay for school.

The rationale for incurring student debt generally is a solid one: College graduates earn significantly more money than those without degrees. In theory, the investment should pay off. But sound theory sometimes collides with economic reality — and the carnage from those collisions piled up during the recent recession. Read more at OregonLive.com

Oregon public colleges face some of the nation’s most staggering financial straits

admin — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:34:29 +0000

Nearly all states contributed less per-student to higher education in 2012 than in 2007, it noted. But Oregon saw the 10th largest plunge in per-student public support when inflation is taken into account: a 32 percent decrease to about $3,650 per student, the report says.

Only four states — Colorado, New Hampshire, Vermont and Ohio — provided less taxpayer support per student, according to the report. Neighboring Washington, by contrast, chipped in $1,000 more for every student, and the national average was $6,500 per student.
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“We are dooming future Oregonians to a high school education because they can’t afford college”… something that will hurt not just them but the Oregon economy, said Jim Francesconi, a member of the State Board of Higher Education and chairman of a new higher education advocacy group, The Oregon Idea. Read more at Oregonlive.com

Luman Foundation Study – America’s Call for Higher Education Redesign

admin — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 01:19:06 +0000

New Poll shows that Americans value higher education and want to see increased funding from state governments to support students and institutions

Read the study here.

The Oregonian – Opinion: Investing in Higher Education

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:29:01 +0000

“As board members of The Oregon Idea — a coalition of small-business owners, CEOs and alumni of Oregon’s community colleges and universities — we’re concerned that for the first time in our history the current generation of Oregonians is less educated than the generations that preceded it.”

Read the full story here.

The Oregonian – David Sarasohn column: For Oregon Higher Ed, Signs of Higher Interest

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:25:55 +0000

“Of course, nobody has ever been against improving the higher education system, or thought that any session would be a bad time to do it. The problem has been that in a typical legislative session, the universities end up as the kid at the back of the classroom that nobody notices.”

Read the full article here.

The Oregonian – David Sarasohn column: Higher Education’s Bowl Game in Salem

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:17:08 +0000

“It’s becoming clear that after two decades of state disinvestment in higher education — yes, other states have done it too, but Oregon has done it faster and from a lower starting point — we’ve created both tuition barriers to entering the system and crunching student debt loads for many of those who graduate.”

Read the full article here.

Huffington Post – Who’s Responsible for Public Higher Education?

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:06:33 +0000

“Educating our citizens is vital for our country. Informed, thoughtful, creative people must be willing to construct a new model for public higher education, a model that works in the uncertain and complex environment of the 21st century.”

Read the full story here.