8:13 a.m., Dec. 17, 2008----University of Delaware President Patrick Harker is among university leaders who have signed an open letter to president-elect Barack Obama urging him to invest in higher education in general, and public higher education in specific, to rebuild America's economy.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Delicious

Digg this

Facebook

The signers of the open letter were convened by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, an organization dedicated to the advancement of education and knowledge.

“I firmly believe that investments in public higher education will benefit the nation for years to come and that we must be a part of any stimulus package,” Harker said.

The letter, which appeared in the Dec. 16 issues of The New York Times, Washington Post and Boston Globe, says America's institutions of higher education are uniquely capable of producing “the people, ideas, tools, solutions and knowledge infrastructure our economy needs to regain its momentum and to set a new trajectory.”

It notes that this goal can be achieved by investing in the states and their educational systems, adding that public institutions of higher education have been among the nation's most dedicated and reliable partners in strengthening our society and our democracy.

The higher education leaders who signed the open letter applauded Obama's commitment to make college more affordable and accessible and to sustain equal opportunity for students to obtain a college education by increasing Pell grants, increasing access to student loans and extending the grace period for their repayment.

In addition, they urged the next administration to make a direct investment in the range of $40 to $50 billion that would support both higher education teaching and research facilities, in partnership with the states.

To see the press release or the full text of the open letter, see the Carnegie Corporation web site.