TICUA Policy Update

April 15, 2005

Lottery Oversight Committee Moves More Bills

The Joint Lottery Oversight Committee met on Wednesday evening April 13, 2005 to consider more bills related to the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program.  The committee moved quickly through the bills which will allow them to be heard in both houses’ standing committees.

SB244/HB945 would allow non-SACS accredited post-secondary institutions that are headquartered in Tennessee and have continuously operated for 30 years or more to be eligible to receive lottery funds.  This measure is designed to include O’Moore College of Design in Franklin but would also make four other institutions eligible.  The measure received a positive recommendation from the House and a negative recommendation from the Senate.

Many of the changes to the scholarship programs will be worked out in the standing committee work during the weeks to come.

TASFAA Requests Administrative Allowance

During the Tennessee Association for Financial Aid Administrator’s (TASFAA) Spring Conference a sub group of financial aid administrators from across the state met concerning the possibility of approaching the General Assembly to request an administrative allowance for the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship TELS programs.  The group is proposing that the allowance work similar to the Federal allowance for the Pell Grant and campus based aid programs.

The group is currently polling financial aid administrative offices to determine an average campus cost to administer the TELS.  The cost estimate seeks to comprehensive examine every campus office involved.  TICUA has agreed to assist the Association by drafting legislative language and seeking sponsors to amend the program.

Providing a modest allowance to offset the campus costs will go a long way in improving the State’s relations with both public and private campuses in Tennessee.

www.tasfaa-tn.org

ACSFA to Hold Hearings in Washington DC

The Advisory Committee for Student Financial Assistance will host hearings on Monday, April 25, 2005 in Washington DC.  The hearings will explore ways to begin implementation of the recently delivered report to the US Congress on simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

TICUA President Claude Pressnell currently serves as US Senate Appointee to the Committee and presented on the Committee’s final report during the TASFAA Spring Conference. 

www.ed.gov/ACSFA

THEC Approves Statement on Pharmacy School

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission met this week and approved a statement that supports the creation of a free-standing pharmacy school at East Tennessee State University.  The school’s creation is conditioned upon the ability of “ETSU and the northeast Tennessee community to raise the money required to establish and operate the school with 100% private funds.”

Target fundraising dates include $5 million by summer of 2005 and an additional $2.5 prior to its opening for the first class of students.  The campus would be a stand alone enterprise and may be paving the way for future expansion of higher education programs in Tennessee’s public sector.

TICUA Members Win State Grants/Awards

Congratulations to Freed-Hardeman University and Milligan College in winning THEC Grants to advance their programs in minority teacher education.  Both grants combined exceeded $50,000.  The Minority Teacher Education Grant Program is a matching grant that supports pilot projects designed to expand the recruitment pool of minority teachers throughout the state.

Two students attending TICUA member institutions received the prestigious Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award.  Lauren Bell of Rhodes College received the award for her creation of the Holy Community Shalom Project designed to stem violence among youth.  Tonya Berry of Lincoln Memorial University was honored for volunteerism at the Open Arms Care Corporation an organization that seeks to serve mentally retarded adults.  Both students were honored on April 14, 2005, during a reception in Nashville.

TICUA Director for Research and Public Affairs, Heather Jack, served on the selection committees for both the Minority Teachers Grant Program and the Love Community Service Awards.