Student-loan overhaul key to Obama's goals

Seattle Times, Washington Post by Shailagh Murray | May. 5, 2009 (News Report)

President Obama's health-care goals may be garnering attention, but his higher-education proposals are no less ambitious.

At stake is a plan to expand the Pell Grant Program, making it an entitlement akin to Medicare and Social Security. Key to the effort is a consolidation of student lending that would give the U.S. Department of Education a near monopoly over the practice — a proposal that has mobilized the private loan industry, which lent $55.3 billion to 6.4 million students in the 2007-08 school year. Full Story »

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by Wendy Garofoli - May. 7, 2009

As a grad student soon to be faced with student loan bills, this story was particularly poignant. I commend the Seattle Times for its coverage of a less-talked-about Obama initiative. There was a nice balance of quotes from supporters and detractors. I was curious to read exactly how the plan and new law would work, however, this story was a bit sparse on the details.