Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance; Meeting

AGENCY:

Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Education.

ACTION:

Notice of upcoming meeting.

SUMMARY:

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming partially closed meeting of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. Individuals who will need accommodations for a disability in order to attend the meeting (i.e., interpreting services, assistive listening devices, and/or materials in alternative format) should notify Ms. Hope M. Gray at 202-708-7439 or via e-mail at hope_gray@ed.gov no later than Monday, September 11, 2000. We will attempt to meet requests after this date, but cannot guarantee availability of the requested accommodation. The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities. This notice also describes the functions of the Committee. Notice of this meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This document is intended to notify the general public.

DATES AND TIMES:

Monday, September 25, 2000, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending at approximately 5:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, September 26, 2000, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at approximately 2:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES:

The University of Vermont, Waterman Building, Memorial Lounge, 85 South Prospect Street, Burlington, Vermont 05405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brian K. Fitzgerald, Staff Director, Advisory Committee on Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Portals Building, 1280 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Suite 601, Washington, D.C. 20202-7852 (202) 708-7439.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance is established under Section 491 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended by Public Law 100-50 (20 U.S.C. 1098). The Advisory Committee serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to the Congress and the Secretary of Education on student financial aid policy. Since its inception, the Committee has been charged with providing technical expertise with regard to systems of need analysis and application forms, making recommendations that result in the maintenance of access to postsecondary education for low- and middle-income students; conducting a study of institutional lending in the Stafford Student Loan Program; assisting with activities related to the 1992 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965; conducting a third-year evaluation of the Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP) and the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1993; and assisting Congress with the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

The congressional mandate requires the Advisory Committee to conduct objective, nonpartisan, and independent analyses on important aspects of the student assistance programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The Committee traditionally approaches its work from a set of fundamental goals: promoting program integrity, eliminating or avoiding program complexity, integrating delivery across the Title IV programs, and minimizing burden on students and institutions.

Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act has provided the Advisory Committee with a significantly expanded agenda in six major areas, such as, Performance-based Organization (PBO); Modernization; Technology; Simplification of Law and Regulation; Distance Education; and Early Information and Needs Assessment. In each of these areas, Congress has asked the Committee to: monitor progress toward implementing the Amendments of 1998; conduct independent, objective assessments; and make recommendations for improvement to the Congress and the Secretary. Each of these responsibilities flow logically from and effectively implements one or more of the Committee's original statutory functions and purposes.

The proposed agenda includes: (a) Discussion sessions on implementing the provisions of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 and their impact on all Title IV programs, in particular, examining the condition of access for low- and middle-income students in the areas of federal, state and institutional early intervention programs, remediation and academic support services, and (b) the Committee's plans for fiscal year 2001. In addition, other Committee business will be addressed. Space is limited and you are encouraged to register early if you plan to attend. You may register through Internet at ADV_COMSFA@ED.gov or Tracy_Deanna_Jones@ED.gov. Please include your name, title, affiliation, complete address (including Internet and e-mail—if available), and telephone and fax numbers. If you are unable to register electronically, you may mail or fax your registration information to the Advisory Committee staff office at (202) 401-3467. Also you may contact the Advisory Committee staff at (202) 708-7439. The registration deadline is Friday, September 15, 2000.

The Advisory Committee will meet in Burlington, Vermont on Monday, September 25, 2000, from 9:00 a.m. until approximately 6:00 p.m., and on Tuesday, September 26, from 8:30 a.m. until approximately 2:00 p.m. The meeting will be closed to the public on September 25, from approximately 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. The ensuing discussions will relate to internal personnel rules and practices of an agency and will disclose information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy if conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemptions (2) and (6) of Section 552(b)(c) of Title 5 U.S.C. A summary of the activities at the closed session and related matters which are informative to the public consistent with the policy of Title 5 U.S.C. 552(b) will be available to the public within fourteen days after the meeting.

Records are kept of all Committee proceedings, and are available for public inspection at the Office of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Portals Building, 1280 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Suite 601, Washington, D.C. from the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekdays, except Federal holidays.