Campaign for the Future of Higher Education Conference

Event Date: 

Thursday, January 15, 2015 - 12:00am to Friday, January 16, 2015 - 12:00am

Event Location: 

  • Manhattan Beach
  • Conference

More than 100 faculty, students and community leaders met in Los Angeles Jan. 16-18 to discuss ways privatization schemes in higher  education are hurting universities nationwide.

During the eighth national gathering, members of the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education called for 10 states, including California, to  institute a student loan refinancing program mirroring one proposed by United University Professions in New York.

“By 2016, we’re hopeful that 10 states can adopt the UUP student loan refinancing program and loan forgiveness proposal for adjunct faculty,”  said Jeffrey Kolnick, a Southern Minnesota University professor and CFHE participant. “This is an idea we can take action on and work to    achieve in the next couple of years,” Kolnick said.

UUP’s plan proposes that State University of New York graduates with state or federal student loans as of Jan. 1, 2008 could refinance their    debt, so long as they earn an associate or bachelor’s degree from a state-operated SUNY school.

 

The Campaign for the Future of Higher Education is a NEW GRASSROOTS NATIONAL CAMPAIGN to support quality higher education. It was initiated in Los Angeles, California, on May 17, 2011, by leaders of faculty organizations from 21 states.

The mission of this campaign is to ENSURE THAT AFFORDABLE QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION is accessible to all sectors of our society in the coming decades. This is a time of great change in higher education.

To make sure that these changes are good for students and our country, we need toREFRAME THE CURRENT DEBATE to focus on quality higher education as an essential right for our democracy. Faculty, students and our communities, not just administrators, politicians, foundations and think tanks, need to have a voice to ensure that changes – in emphasis, curriculum, pricing, and structure – are good for our students and the quality of education they receive.

What is at stake is NOTHING LESS THAN OUR DEMOCRACY and our economic standing in the global economy.

The Campaign for the Future of Higher Education is organized around SEVEN CORE PRINCIPLES that must define quality higher education for the 21st century. We believe these principles provide a helpful framework for developing and assessing proposals for innovation or restructuring in the future.