In many ways, higher education has changed for the better since I made my way up Bascom Hill for classes more than 30 years ago. At UW-Madison there is more world-renowned research being done than ever before, not to mention the dramatic increase we have seen in Badger football's winning percentage.
But one aspect of attending college - in Wisconsin, and across the country - has changed for the worse: the burden on students to scrap together enough funds for an education.
When I received my undergrad diploma from UW-Madison in 1975, the maximum Pell Grant award covered approximately 80 percent of the cost of attending a four-year public college. Now, the maximum Pell Grant award only covers approximately 33 percent of those costs.
Pell Grants provide need-based aid to over five million undergraduate students, opening the doors of higher education to those who otherwise might not have been able to attend college because of financial constraints.
As the support that Pell Grants provide diminishes, large numbers of students have been forced to forgo attending college all together or obtain costly student loans to pay for college. These barriers preventing access to higher education must be removed to give every
American access to higher education.
Every time a young American is turned away from higher education by soaring costs our nation is worse off.
Because Pell Grants are one of the most important tools to help more Americans attend college, I am again leading an effort to urge the Senate Budget Committee, of which I am a member, to boost funding for the Pell Grant program.
Last week, a number of senators from both parties signed onto a letter I sent to the Budget Committee calling for the highest fiscally responsible increase in the maximum Pell Grant award for 2009.
Strengthening the Pell Grant program has strong support from both political parties and many of us agree that increasing access to a college education is important for the future of our nation.
I joined U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., in leading this particular effort to increase funding for the Pell Grant program. I have worked closely with these senators for years to strengthen the Pell Grant program and I look forward to continuing to work with them as the 2009 budget process unfolds.
Because students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid in order to receive Pell Grants and other need-based federal aid, I want to take this opportunity to encourage students to fill out the FAFSA form at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
I understand applying for financial aid can be a confusing and time-consuming process, but I am hopeful that we in Congress can soon make that process easier for you.
Congress is currently working on re-authorizing the Higher Education Act which will simplify the FAFSA process as well help to add transparency to the student loan industry and re-authorize many important higher education programs including Pell Grants and the TRIO programs. The Senate and House have both passed HEA re-authorization bills by overwhelming margins and I hope that we can get a bill to the president for his signature soon.
Wisconsin has a rich tradition of higher education. Graduates of Wisconsin universities and colleges are given the tools and resources to start successful businesses, become respected community leaders, pursue groundbreaking research and innovation in their fields and much more.
We can continue and strengthen this tradition by boosting Pell Grant funding, and starting to make access to higher education a higher priority in Congress.
Russ Feingold is the junior senator from Wisconsin and is affiliated with the Democratic Party.
