President Bush signed legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education
Act (HEA) on Aug. 14, concluding an effort which has been in process for
six years and through three different Congresses.
The new law (PL 110-315) will be complex to implement and
contains many undesirable provisions, including a number of new
reporting and regulatory requirements. It also creates an unprecedented
number of new programs—approximately 70—which will encounter
intense competition for scarce resources in order to become
operational.
The American Council on Education (ACE) has compiled an analysis (PDF)
to help campuses begin understanding the new law. The summary focuses on
programs and provisions with broad application to all aspects of higher
education and intentionally excludes programs and provisions that,
however meritorious they may be, have a narrower or more targeted
reach.
HEA now moves to the Department of Education (ED), which faces the
daunting challenge of executing it. ED officials have announced that
they are planning four regional meetings to discuss HEA
implementation:
