The North Texas Student Campaign Presents

The

tudent Agenda:
A Series of Concrete Steps toward an Educated Texas
As Texans, we assert the following to be true: that if our State is to remain a land of opportunity we must dedicate ourselves to complementing our deep-rooted values of hard work, self-reliance, and responsibility with a firm and faithful commitment to affording Texan students the opportunity to attain a college education.

In this competitive, knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, any of the paths any Texan may take toward the prospects of a good job, economic independence, and financial security will run through the increasingly indispensable waystation of a university, a community college, or a technical school. Regrettably, the reductions to the funding of our student financial aid programs and universities as well as the rising cost of attendance at our institutions of higher learning have made it incredibly difficult for tens of thousands of Texan students to continue their journey toward a successful future. Considering what Texas needs in order to remain a land of opportunity, these impediments are unacceptable. We must make college affordable for Texan students. Over the next decade, two-thirds of all jobs created will require our students to have at least two years of college education. Failure to act will leave a generation of Texans utterly unprepared for the future. In the final analysis, the student interest is the Texas
interest.

Therefore, the North Texas Student Campaign submits these urgent proposals to the approval and support of the people and lawmakers of our communities, our cities, and our State.


Our first set of proposals aims to remind Texas of the value and necessity of investing in its students. For far too long, our State has viewed investing in its students to be a luxury rather than an imperative. For far too long, our lawmakers have chosen steep reduction in funding for our universities, community colleges, technical schools, and health-professions colleges over prudent reforms and investments to reduce the cost of a college education for the average Texan student. These reductions have contributed directly to the skyrocketing cost of Texan higher education over the last twenty years. Therefore, we can no longer avoid the fact that we must engineer a redirection of state resources to meet student needs and promote student success.

We must engineer a redirection of state resources

student needs and promote student success.

to meet
I. Restore funding for student financial aid grant programs especially the TEXAS Grant and the Tuition Equalization Grant programs.

Student financial aid reductions have led to more than 49,000 students not receiving the financial aid for which they were qualified. At times like these such reductions are unsustainable.

II.

Restore funding for our valuable community colleges.

The majority of Texas students attend community college yet our community colleges lack the resources to cope with such great demand. We must make our community colleges full and successful partners in the success of Texan students.

III.

Establish an incentive-based program that rewards highachieving college students with increased financial aid.

Many students in financial need are forced to work off-campus and enroll in college only part-time decisions that reduce their likelihood of graduation. Incentivizing good student performance may help many students enroll full-time and raise their graduation rates.

IV.

Establish an incentive-based program that encourages students to pursue fields of study that are highly needed in the Texas economy.

Texas has shortages in many high-demand fields and industries from engineering, to healthcare, to education, to the skilled trades. These fields offer great opportunities to students and Texas can rectify its labor shortages and strengthen its economy by investing in making it easier for students to enroll in these fields of study.

V.

Establish new funding initiatives that reward universities for raising student graduation rates.

Retaining and graduating skilled and knowledgeable students should be the inevitable goal of our universities and many of our universities have been making great strides in that direction. Our State should support the efforts of those universities, and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.


Our second set of proposals acknowledges that neither the State of Texas nor the Texan student have unlimited resources and that the skyrocketing cost of Texan higher education must be reduced. Although we reject the false choice that forces our State to decide between giving a bright future to its students and putting its finances back in order, we also reject the notion that increased spending is always the answer. Creative legislative and administrative reforms must be a part of any effort to afford Texan students the opportunity to attain a college education. For although the State is obligated to respect every taxpayer dollar we are also compelled to make college affordable for Texan students. Therefore, this second set of proposals advocates a balanced course.

Creative legislative and administrative reforms

must be a part of any effort to afford Texan students the opportunity to attain a college education.

I.

Simplify and publicize the financial aid application process so that students both know of and are not deterred from the opportunity to receive state financial aid.

Applying to financial aid is cumbersome and confusing. Texas should make its financial aid programs more accessible by making them simpler, and providing more support for students in the application process.

II.

Encourage and support electronic textbook production and the use of textbook rental programs to secure student access to the least expensive textbooks and course materials.

The average cost of textbooks and supplies in Texas is $1268 per year. This is an undue burden upon students that we can lift easily by providing students choices in the way they wish to receive their course materials.

III.

Incorporate 3-year degree plans into public universities statewide to give motivated students the opportunity to minimize the cost of earning a degree.

In many ways, the curriculum required of Texas students in order to graduate from college can be reduced and fitted into a 3-year time frame. Given the skyrocketing average cost of college per year such an initiative could save students more than $26,000.

IV.

Establish partnerships between our institutions of higher education and the private sector in order to open additional avenues for scholarships and financial aid grants for students.

The State should institute a more efficient framework through which all stakeholders in the education of our students Texas businesses, parents, school districts, and nonprofits can join in supporting our colleges and providing financial aid for our students.

VI.

Collaborate with local school districts to improve the quality and availability of Advanced Placement and Dual Credit programs for Texas students.

AP and DC classes are the most inexpensive ways for Texas students to take college coursework and can easily save Texas students thousands of dollars.

V.

Implement new tax incentives to encourage private sector investment in higher education initiatives.

Texas businesses need an educated, productive workforce in order to be successful. Our tax system should encourage our businesses to make investments in the education of that workforce.

Taking Action Today

With the Student Agenda and the North Texas Student Campaign
The North Texas Student Campaign was established with one simple tenet at heart: Students should have a seat at the table where decisions vitally affecting their future are going to be made. The Student Agenda is the political embodiment of that tenet it is an attempt to inject a student voice into the public debate surrounding the issues of financial aid and higher education funding. Our proposals are neither Republican nor Democratic, neither liberal nor conservative securing a bright future for our students and children cannot become a partisan or ideological issue. We have sought to produce bipartisan, common-sense proposals for advancing the Texan students interest proposals that, we believe, can attract the support of all responsible lawmakers and citizens across the partisan divide. After all, it is clear that the student interest is the Texas interest. It is our hope that, by the end of this election season, we will be able to gather around the Student Agenda a coalition of responsible and thoughtful Texan educators, university and college administrators, business leaders and community organizations in order to show our lawmakers the necessity of implementing these simple, yet urgent, legislative proposals. Realizing that hope begins with you. We sincerely hope that you will join with us in urging our lawmakers to make the student interest a priority during the next legislative session, and implementing this Student Agenda as soon as possible.

Thank You In Advance.

[Please read below the dotted line]

As the accountable representative of the _____________________________, an organization which seeks to participate in advancing the public interest of our communities, our cities, and our State I hereby affirm our support for this Student Agenda without reservation, and ardently urge our lawmakers and leaders to implement its proposals efficiently, effectively, and without delay during the upcoming legislative session. Full Name:

Signature:

Date:

Presented to you by

The North Texas Student Campaign

Because

Students
Have Something to

Say