Senate Votes to Move Ahead on Health Care
From USA Today | Nov. 22, 2009

Senate Democrats, without a vote to spare, pushed forward a bill to overhaul the U.S. health care system, but a divisive debate lies ahead, and there is no assurance the measure -- as written -- will win approval in the upper chamber of the Congress. In a rare weekend session, the Senate voted 60-39 to move the health care legislation to the floor for a full debate, likely to begin after lawmakers return from the Thanksgiving holiday recess. The 60 votes -- a three-fifths majority -- were the minimum needed under Senate rules to overcome Republican legislative maneuvers to prevent the bill from even being debated by the full Senate. All 58 Senate Democrats and two independents voted to advance the bill. The legislation would extend coverage to roughly 31 million Americans without health insurance, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally. MORE (log-in may be required)

Time-Sensitive Work Further Strains Senate
By Kathleen Hunter | Congressional Quarterly | Nov. 22, 2009

The Senate is barreling into a legislative pileup, with limited time left to address such issues as the fate of the estate tax, cuts in Medicare physician payments and final action on spending bills. The backlog of bills that would renew and extend provisions of current laws set to expire at year’s end coincides with a health care overhaul debate that will effectively book the chamber for much of December. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., succeeded Nov. 21 in opening the health care debate after the weeklong Thanksgiving break. But with only three full legislative weeks remaining on the calendar, many senators see more procedural hurdles ahead. As a result, there are fears that action on measures requiring Congress’ attention this year could be threatened.

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Mammogram Guidelines Spark Debate Over Health Bill
From the New York Times | Nov. 22, 2009

Lawmakers broke along party lines on a new aspect of the health care debate Sunday as a former National Institutes of Health chief urged women to ignore guidelines that delay the start of breast cancer screenings. Republicans pointed to the guidelines as evidence the Democrats' proposals for a health care overhaul would yield limits on mammograms and a rationing of care. Democrats dismissed those worries and said Republicans were stoking fears without facts. A government-appointed panel said last week that women generally should begin routine mammograms in their 50s, rather than their 40s -- sparking cries of outrage and claims a taxpayer-funded health care option wouldn't pay for the screenings. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said the recommendations will force Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to exclude the preventive measures from any plan that receives government funds. MORE (log-in may be required)

Student Loans: Surviving the Game of Chicken
By Doug Lederman | Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 23, 2009

Financial aid officers and their bosses, college presidents, can be forgiven if they feel a little bit like the rope in a game of political tug of war over federal student loans. On the one hand, they're hearing regularly from the Obama administration and its allies in Congress that they're putting their students' academic futures at risk if they don't prepare to switch to the federal Direct Loan Program now . . . On the other, lenders are whispering in their ears that the legislation's fate is uncertain and that if they prefer the bank-based Federal Family Education Loan Program . . . they should stick to their guns. The problem is that both sets of messengers have political motives in sending those signals, and while many financial aid officers have long held their own opinions about which of the two loan programs they prefer, most of them are setting those aside at the moment. MORE

ED Funding Opportunities
From the Council of Graduate Schools | Nov. 20, 2009

The Department of Education (ED) is accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2010 Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) awards. Approximately 52 new awards will be made, at an estimated average amount of $175,020. GAANN fellowships are available to institutions whose graduate students are pursuing the highest degree available in their field, are financially in need of assistance, and are excelling academically. Applications must be for the following fields of study: biology, general chemistry, computer and information sciences, general engineering, general mathematics, nursing, physics, or educational assessment and evaluation/research. Student stipend amounts will be equal to those awarded through National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. Applications are due by Dec. 18. 

ED is also seeking applications for the International Research and Studies (IRS) Program, which “provides grants to conduct research and studies to improve and strengthen instruction in modern foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields.”  Competitive preference will be given to projects designed to:

• Develop instructional or assessment materials in one of the 78 “Less Commonly Taught” foreign languages (LCTL) (which include Chinese, Korean, and Arabic);

• Study and suggest improvements in internationalization opportunities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and other institutions serving minority populations.

An estimated $1.64 million will be available for awards; approximately 10 awards will be made at up to $200,000 per year.  Applications are due by Jan. 12, 2010.

Finally, the Department is also seeking applications for the Business and International Education program for FY 10. The awards are intended to “enhance international business education programs” and are granted to partnerships between institutions of higher education and industry. Priority will be given to projects that focus on innovating international education curricula at undergraduate and graduate schools and those that feature LCTLs. Approximately $2.1 million is expected to be available for 25 awards of up to $95,000 each. The deadline is Jan. 8, 2010.   

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Sallie Mae Fights for Student-Loan Role in a Campaign That's All About Jobs
By Libby Nelson | Chronicle of Higher Education | Nov. 22, 2009

On a crisp November morning, hundreds of Sallie Mae employees gathered [in Fishers, Ind.] in a scene reminiscent of a high-school pep rally. They filed into rows of folding chairs, wearing matching blue-and-white "Protect Indiana Jobs" T-shirts, as John Mellencamp's rock 'n' roll played over the speakers. They cheered as an official of the student-loan company praised their dedication and told them how important they were to the local economy. The U.S. House of Representatives has already voted to end bank-based student lending, approving a bill in September that would move all federal loans to the Education Department's direct-loan program. The legislation, which largely mirrors President Obama's plan, would use the estimated $87 billion in savings to increase student aid, provide grants to community colleges, and finance other college programs. But the Senate has yet to introduce its version of the legislation, and lenders are seizing on the delay. MORE

NEH Chairman Plans 50-State 'Civility Tour'
From Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 20, 2009

The chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Jim Leach, said in a speech at Washington's Press Club Friday that he would undertake a 50-state "civility tour" aimed at overcoming the divisiveness that marks so much political and other social discourse in the United States today. The tour, about which NEH aides said they could offer little in the way of details, is part of a larger "Bridging Cultures" effort that Leach has proposed with the goal of "enlarging our understanding of America’s diverse cultural heritage and the history, language, and art of other societies." Leach's speech Friday underscored many of the points he made in a September interview with Inside Higher Ed.

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White House Pushes Science and Math Education
By Kenneth Chang | New York Times | Nov. 23, 2009

President Obama will announce a campaign Monday to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to spend money, time and volunteer effort to encourage students, especially in middle and high school, to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, officials say. The campaign, called Educate to Innovate, will focus mainly on activities outside the classroom. For example, Discovery Communications has promised to use two hours of the afternoon schedule on its Science Channel cable network for commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students. Science and engineering societies are promising to provide volunteers to work with students in the classroom, culminating in a National Lab Day in May. The MacArthur Foundation and technology industry organizations are giving out prizes in a contest to develop video games that teach science and math. MORE (log-in may be required)