The Higher Education Finance Policy Center

Mining the research of UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies scholars, The Higher Education Finance Policy Center serves as a resource for state and federal legislators developing public policies related to higher education. Established in 2008 by Assistant Professor of Education and 2007 – 08 Sudikoff Fellow, José Luis Santos, The Higher Education Finance Policy Center supports the needs of low-income students from traditionally underserved groups, including Latinas/os, African Americans, Asian Americans, and others.  The Sudikoff Family Institute for Education & New Media provides communications support and expertise essential to public engagement. 

Recognizing that government and institutional policies may not adequately boost educational and economic outcomes for underrepresented students but, in fact, may perpetuate existing social patterns and class stratification, the Higher Education Research Policy Center bridges the gap between scholarly research and policy legislation.  By making research available in an easy-to-understand and readily usable form, Higher Education Research Policy Center briefs serve as a tool for policy makers in legislative hearings, and enable the development of effective policy legislation.  Such policy briefs demystify deep-seeded beliefs about higher education, how it works, and whom it serves.  

By publishing a series of policy briefs, The Higher Education Finance Policy Center will address a number of critical issues facing low-income, underrepresented students each year.   Scholars at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies will contribute to the development of the policy briefs, and will examine issues such as how finances influence equity and access, the burden of student debt, and the importance of linking tuition-setting policies with need-based aid policies. 

The first policy brief issued by The Higher Education Finance Policy Center, “Public University Funding Trends:  Public Policy Implications for Low-Income Students,” is available here for downloading.

Other briefs expected to follow in 2008 - 09 include: 

• “Mapping the Public Discourse Against the Ledger:  Balancing Enrollment, Diversity, Quality, and Revenues”

• “Debt Burden and Labor Market Outcomes:  Economic and Social Considerations”

• “The Paradox of Immigration Policy and Higher Education Access:  State Responses to Federal Immigration Policy” 

For more information, please contact:  wyer@gseis.ucla.edu