Letters from Kay Kohl

Leaning Towards the Middle

(UCEA InFocus, October 2006)
Kay Kohl, UCEA Executive Director and CEO

Now that control of both the Senate and the House will shift to the Democrats in the upcoming 110th Congress, just how might this impact higher education?

Making college more affordable to middle class families ranks high on the Democrats' agenda. Even before the November elections, Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif)-the presumptive House speaker-promised that the Democrats would seek to halve the interest rate on college student loans if elected.

Rapidly rising college fees were also a prime concern of the recent Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education, though it did not recommend lowering interest rates. The Commission's recommendations focused instead upon achieving savings through more efficient management of educational resources and distance education. Prior to the recent election, many Republican candidates received contributions from the student loan industry, which saw its interests best represented by the GOP.

Making a Bipartisan Effort

The incoming Democratic chairs of the Senate and House education committees have both had productive working relationships with Republican chairs in the 109th Congress. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is slated to assume the Chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Education, Labor and Pensions from Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), has worked closely with Senator Enzi on Headstart, the Workforce Investment Act, and issues of concern to higher education. The likely next chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce-George Miller (D-Calif)-one of Representative Pelosi's closest allies, helped John Boehner, currently the No. 2 House Republican, transform that committee from an extremely partisan to a productive body.

Having chairmen who can work across party lines will be extremely important because the 2006 midterm election eliminated a number of GOP moderates, a circumstance that could push the House Republicans farther to the right. Most new Democrats entering the Congress are self-described as centrists who want to try to find legislative consensus. Given that the Democrats hold but a razorthin, one-seat majority in the Senate and a 26-seat advantage in the House, bipartisan cooperation will be required to resolve issues.

Earlier this year Senators Enzi and Kennedy co-sponsored the Senate bill reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act. The legislation (S. 1021) gives states and localities considerable flexibility in providing training for jobs in high-skill, high wage, and highdemand occupations. With job growth over the next decade projected to center on occupations requiring some postsecondary education, and fewer than half of the current workforce with a postsecondary degree or credentials, America's long-term competitiveness depends upon closing the skills gap, according to the bill's co-sponsors.

Creating a Skilled Workforce

Helping working adults whose skills suddenly have become obsolete must be a priority. The United States is continuing to hemorrhage manufacturing jobs. The construction industry is also slowing. Meanwhile good jobs are being created in sectors such as biotech manufacturing, energy, education, and allied health. But most of these jobs require a fouryear degree. In response, a number of university continuing education units and employers are joining forces. Together, they are designing programs that are job relevant and that enable adults to simultaneously pursue a college degree and work in a paid internship in a new industry. Yet given the huge demand for qualified workers, government support is also required if many current workers are to be helped to adapt to the new economy.