Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) introduced financial reform legislation on Monday that did not include a provision to require institutions to certify their students’ private student loans. The legislation also lacked disclosure exemptions for low-costing nonfederal loans provided by states and institutions and other low-cost student loans provided by other federal agencies as advocated by NASFAA. Last week, NASFAA and representatives met with members of Sen. Dodd’s staff who were receptive to exemptions for federal Title VII and Title VIII loans. This legislation is a long way from becoming law and NASFAA and others are working with Senators to ensure these important consumer protections are included in the final bill.

Democratic leaders in the House are working furiously to gather enough support to pass a budget reconciliation bill that would include healthcare reform and student loan reform. House Web sites and phone lines were jammed yesterday afternoon as constituents from around the country dialed in to voice opinions on the bill, according to Roll Call. As of yesterday evening, the reconciliation bill language had yet to be released publicly. Meanwhile, Republicans held a press conference yesterday saying that student loan reform would cost jobs and force students into a student loan experience that would be akin to dealing with the DMV.

The National Society of High School Scholars offers a variety of scholarships and academic competitions annually to members.

The Desk and Derrick Education Trust was created in 1982 by the Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs for the purpose of awarding annual scholarships to students attending accredited colleges and universities offering degrees in geology, chemical and petroleum engineering.

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Academic Scholarship Program is an annual program administered by the BEF Scholarship Committee, under the direction and guidance of the BEF Board of Trustees. The objective is to grant scholarships to high school seniors who have benefited from the sport of billiards and are entering their first year of college.

Awards are offered in two categories: a single BEF “Excellence in Education” scholarship ($5,000 awarded over a two-year term) and multiple BEF “Aiming for Higher Education” scholarships (7x $1,000 awarded over one term). Each single applicant will be considered in both categories; only one completed application is required. The BEF reserves the right to make changes to these published policies and criteria at any time.

Walter Rasmussen founded Rasmussen College with the desire to provide education to students that would help them build successful futures through career-focused teaching and learning. Today, 110 years later, Rasmussen College is proud to celebrate its outstanding history. Just as Walter Rasmussen was a pioneer in education in 1900, Rasmussen College is also a pioneer. For more than a decade Rasmussen has delivered innovative online learning options, currently educating more than 8,000 students completely online.

“Seventy-two percent (72%) of respondents to the survey are currently in Direct Lending (24% of respondents) OR have committed to move to DL for the 2010-11 school year (48%),” Student Lending Analytics reports. “These figures are up from the November 2009 survey when 47% of respondents were either in Direct Lending (24%) OR committed to move to DL for 2010-11 school year (23%). Seventeen percent (17%) of respondents indicated that they were preparing for DL but had not fully committed to implementing it. Only 2% indicated that they would ‘only begin preparations for a transition to Direct Lending when required by legislation.’”

“Today the American Graduation Initiative sits on the chopping block, thanks not only to the money-grubbing hands of banks but also to the Democrats’ fears of their powerful colleagues who throw their primary support to the nation’s historically black colleges and universities,” writes Sara Goldrick-Rab, assistant professor of educational-policy studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin, in the Chronicle of Higher Education. “Community colleges will soon learn that their place in this society hasn’t changed a bit — they are expected to accommodate our national desires for widespread college-going while getting next to no support in return.”

“Shortfalls in California, which faced the largest budget gap in the nation this year, have grabbed much of the attention as tens of thousands of students were turned away from public colleges and tuition rose by more than 30 percent. But other states’ public higher-education systems are getting hit just as hard or harder,” the Chronicle of Higher Education reports. “Utah saw the biggest percentage drop in state general-fund spending over the past two years, while also facing one of the fastest projected growth rates in high-school graduates. Arizona’s budget gap was nearly as large as California’s, by percentage of its general-fund budget, and it is facing much faster growth in its traditional college-age population.”

“Student lenders are mounting a final push to keep an overhaul of the industry embraced by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats out of the larger healthcare reform package,” The Hill reports. “They are doing so in part by using the same type of rhetoric critics of the healthcare bill have used, warning of a government takeover and nationalization of the lending business if Democrats win the day.”