Public colleges and universities have an obligation to be responsible and trusted guardians of the public's resources and to communicate clearly and effectively about their stewardship of the public's investment in them. AASCU is committed to greater public accountability and has been a leader in promoting improved data systems, greater transparency and increased focus on student learning outcomes. AASCU calls on its members to participate in the AASCU/APLU Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), designed to improve transparency of institutional and student data, core educational outcomes and student engagement. To date, 60 percent of AASCU members have signed on to this initiative.
The recent amendments to the Higher Education Act required colleges and universities to be more accountable, particularly in relation to transparency in college costs. Specifically, the Department of Education now publicizes data on its College Affordability and Transparency Center, listing institutions with the highest and lowest tuition and fees and net price. AASCU worked with Congress to ensure these new lists took into account the unique nature of costs in public higher education and tuition-setting authority of public colleges. For example, AASCU helped to secure several provisions, including recognition of the measure of tuition in dollars and not just percentages; the impact of state appropriations on tuition levels; and the role of tuition-setting authority on the price of tuition. As a result, the College Affordability and Transparency Center also publicizes changes in state appropriations and state aid to students. AASCU believes that the federal effort to engage states in the higher education debate through maintenance of effort and supplement, not supplant, requirements is an important piece in the college cost equation and will continue to advocate for strengthening these provisions.
President Obama has called for the United States to be first in the world in the number of people with a postsecondary degree by the year 2020. AASCU applauds this focus on producing more graduates, as well as shifting the accountability focus to increasing the number of graduates produced by institutions, rather than just on graduation rates. AASCU will support efforts to strengthen government oversight and institutional accountability to eliminate fraud and abuse in federal student aid programs.