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Pier Goodmann
PARTY SECRETERY
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Higher Education Access & Affordability

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Opening the gates of knowledge, innovation, and opportunity... for all.

- The New America Project

Why Higher Education Reform Matters

Higher education should be a launchpad for civic leadership, scientific discovery, economic mobility, and personal growth. Instead, for many Americans today, it has become a debt trap, a barrier to opportunity, or a privilege of the few.

If the United States is to flourish across generations, it must ensure that college and post-secondary learning are accessible, affordable, and adaptive not only to serve our economy, but to foster democratic wisdom, critical thinking, and lifelong contribution.

Current Problems & Challenges

  • Student debt exceeds $1.7 trillion, burdening millions for decades
  • Tuition and fees have skyrocketed while public investment has declined
  • Access to higher education remains unequal by race, income, and geography
  • Degrees often fail to match real-world job needs or civic readiness
  • Adjunct faculty face exploitation, and tenured diversity remains low
  • Public institutions suffer from budget cuts, political pressure, and bureaucracy

Guiding Principles

Policy Proposals & Initiatives

Tuition-Free or Low-Cost Public Higher Education

  • Guarantee tuition-free access to community colleges and in-state public universities
  • Cap tuition and fees at public institutions for all students
  • Replace merit-only aid with needs-based, inclusive support structures
  • Encourage state-federal funding compacts to share the investment

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Student Loan Forgiveness & Debt Reform

  • Cancel existing federal student loan debt up to a universal threshold (e.g. $50,000)
  • Eliminate interest accumulation on federal student loans
  • Streamline income-based repayment into a simple, automatic system
  • Abolish punitive collection methods (garnishment, credit score penalties)

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Alternative Credentialing & Flexible Pathways

  • Expand apprenticeships, certification programs, and skills-based pathways
  • Promote modular degrees that adapt to workforce trends and lifelong learning
  • Create public credential registries to ensure transferability and recognition
  • Partner with employers to co-design programs that blend ethics, creativity, and job-readiness

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Higher Education for Civic Development

  • Mandate civics, ethics, and global awareness coursework in all degree programs
  • Support student-led research, community engagement, and public policy labs
  • Restore funding for humanities, interdisciplinary learning, and open inquiry
  • Build university-community partnerships to address local and national challenges

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Institutional Support & Equity

  • Increase federal support for HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, and Minority-Serving Institutions
  • Incentivize faculty diversity and inclusive pedagogy
  • Regulate predatory for-profit institutions and strengthen accreditation standards
  • Elevate adjunct pay and teaching quality across campuses

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Implementation Strategy

  • Pass a Higher Education Opportunity Guarantee Act to enshrine tuition-free public college access

  • Establish a Federal Higher Education Equity Fund to reduce disparities and invest in innovation

  • Reform the Department of Education to focus on affordability, transparency, and equity

  • Partner with employers and labor groups to align credentials with real civic and job needs

  • Launch a national Debt Relief Portal with automatic forgiveness and no bureaucracy

How You Can Help

For Students & Families

  • Advocate for free college initiatives in your state

  • Share your student debt story with local media and legislators

  • Support institutions that demonstrate inclusion and public service

For Educators & Leaders

  • Push for curriculum that blends academic excellence with civic purpose

  • Design flexible and inclusive admissions, financial aid, and teaching practices

  • Collaborate across sectors to reduce duplication and increase value

For Policy Makers

  • Expand Pell Grants and simplify FAFSA

  • Tie federal aid to tuition limits and inclusion standards

  • Promote debt forgiveness as an economic and civic stimulus

Resources & References

A society that prizes knowledge must ensure it is never rationed. By making higher education a universal right and public investment, we prepare generations not only to compete... but to lead, serve, and thrive.

- The New American Project