Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, president of Amarillo College, was one of five higher education officials to testify Thursday before a Senate committee.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions convened Thursday's hearing to discuss reauthorizing the U.S. Higher Education Act. Among the act's provisions would be methods to make the federal student aid process less cumbersome to students.
“There is a bipartisan consensus that students looking for federal financial aid to go to college need a much simpler system so that it is not a barrier to college for the very students the aid is intended to help," committee chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said in a statement.
According to Alexander, the committee has had 18 hearings during the past four years that have yielded several workable, bipartisan plans. “The consensus that I see emerging is student focused: Simpler, more effective regulations to make it easier for students to pay for college and to pay back their loans; reducing red tape so administrators can spend more time and money on students; making sure a degree is worth the time and money students spend to earn it; and helping colleges keep students safe on campus,” Alexander's statement continued.
Video of Lowery-Hart's remarks can be viewed on the committee's website. They begin about 45 minutes into the hearing.
A text of Lowery-Hart's comments also has been made available.
Mike Smith is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. Contact him at mike.smith@actx.edu, on Twitter at @newsmithm and on Facebook.
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