For nearly six decades, the Federal Perkins Loan Program provided needy students with financial aid that helped make going to college more accessible and affordable. On Sept. 30, that loan program expired. It expired primarily because Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee who chairs the Senate education committee, objected to extending the program, preferring instead to focus on reforming the student financial aid system as a whole. I am not writing to critique the rules of the U.S. Senate or the merits of the broader goal of reforming the complex system of federal financial aid. I do, however, want to raise awareness about the ramifications of this action -- or inaction -- for students in Wisconsin and around the country. Given growing student need and the clear individual and societal returns on investment from this program, I urge support for ongoing efforts to revive the Perkins Loan program.

October 29, 2015 ・ From Inside Higher Ed