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During the past 55 years, the Pennsylvania High Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has been awarding public taxpayer funds to students with financial need, based on family income, to attend a community college, public four-year university, or a private high education institution of their choice.
In addition to awarding grants of public money, PHEAA now makes loans to Pennsylvania students.
Question: When was the last time a private college award a grant or made a loan to a need student attending a community college or a public college from its scholarship endowment funds?
This just doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, we have been told repeatedly that the private sector does things better than the public sector. However, too many times private organizations look to the government trough for a handout whenever a financial need arises.
In my view, PHEAA should be abolished and all state funding (public money) for higher education go directly to the community colleges and public four-year universities, and let them determine financial need (grants and/or loans) for their students.
This should actually increase the amount of public funds available to needy students and lower the cost of attending those public institutions.
Should PHEAA be abolished? Yes!
David L. Faust
Selinsgrove