The House Ways and Means Oversight subcommittee hearing Tuesday was nominally about the tax-exempt status of college endowments. But much of the discussion focused on college affordability -- a broader issue clearly on the minds of both Republicans and Democrats on the panel. It’s was unclear what that might mean in terms of a legislative response from the Ways and Means Committee, which deals with taxation issues. But the subcommittee’s Republican members said they were interested in greater transparency from higher ed institutions -- on endowment spending as well as on what they consider wasteful spending on campus amenities, athletic salaries, administrative costs and other noneducation uses. Endowments in particular have come under scrutiny because lawmakers want to know whether colleges are using enough of those funds to defray the cost of students' education.

September 14, 2016 ・ From Inside Higher Ed