This fall, the presidential campaign's platforms on American higher education center on college affordability, but their impact after the election is uncertain.
Although voters may have trouble seeing past the frequent attacks and electoral strategy that has marked the campaign to date, both President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry have compiled platforms on higher education addressing several issues, notably the cost of college for low-income and middle-class students.
Most of the proposed measures, however, would enhance current programs or have limited impact, and obstacles such as budget deficits make any significant changes in federal higher education policy unlikely no matter who wins the November election.
According to Jonathan Beeton, Kerry's spokesperson in Virginia, Kerry's higher education plan centers on improving student's financial access to colleges and universities.
"The overall goal is to increase not only the number of students that see college as a possibility for them, but also the number of students that can afford to go to college and understand that they can afford to go to college," Beeton said.
To that end, the centerpiece of Kerry's higher education plan is a college opportunity tax credit designed to pay for up to $4,000 of tuition each year. The tax credit is fully refundable, so families who pay less than $4,000 in income taxes would still receive the lower tuition.
Shawn Smith, director of communications for the Republican Party of Virginia, said Bush would continue to use a variety of programs to increase college affordability for students.
"The president is committed to keeping college affordable for America's low- and middle-income families by increasing funding for grants, low-interest student loans and tax breaks for working families," Smith said.
The programs include an increase in Pell Grant funding, an increase in AmeriCorps members, who already receive an award, and permanently eliminating taxes on tuition savings accounts. Smith noted Pell Grant funding has already increased by nearly 50 percent during Bush's first term in office.
But David Breneman, dean of the Curry School of Education, said mounting budget deficits made major spending on higher education unlikely.
"The priority isn't high enough, and the deficit is a real drag to further spending, regardless of which candidate gets in," Breneman said.
Additionally, the federal role in higher education has been limited to scientific research grants and student financial aid, according to University President John T. Casteen, III.
As a result, neither of the candidates seems to be particularly focused on higher education, according to Breneman.
"I don't sense that there's a lot of passion emanating from either candidate on these issues," Breneman said.
Breneman mentioned, however, several debates concerning higher education that could depend on who wins the election. One was a legislative drive by for-profit universities to have their credits accepted by other universities when a student transfers, which Breneman said many congressional Republicans were beginning to support.
Another debate concerns the student loan industry, where, according to critics, legal loopholes allow banks to earn billions in federal subsidies.
"It's like laundering money," Breneman said.
Beeton said Kerry would end the loophole and use the savings to pay for his education proposals. According to Breneman, the U.S. Department of Education has no plans to close the loophole.
Elementary and secondary education and debate over the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act have dominated education during the 2004 campaign. Both candidates' representatives said Bush's and Kerry's positions on K-12 education would tie into higher education.
Smith said reforms in K-12 education at the state level, especially in Virginia, were better preparing students for higher education.
"Virginia continues to be ahead of the curve when it comes to solid academic standards and accountability," Smith said.
Beeton also said K-12 education and higher education were linked.
"If you're not educating students at K-12, they won't be ready for college," Beeton said.
The University's AccessUVa financial aid plan essentially renders any federal changes to financial aid programs meaningless, according to Casteen.
"In any event, our AccessUVa program is considerably more favorable to students than anything either candidate is discussing," Casteen wrote in an e-mail. "There is nothing equal out there."
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