Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance; Meeting

AGENCY:

Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Education.

ACTION:

Notice of upcoming teleconference meeting.

SUMMARY:

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming teleconference 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 202-219-2099 or via e-mail at hope.gray@ed.gov no later than 2 p.m. on Monday, September 23, 2002. 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.

DATE AND TIME:

Friday, September 27, 2002, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at approximately 11:30 a.m.

ADDRESS:

Capitol Place, 80 F Street, NW., Room 413, Washington, DC 20001

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Brian K. Fitzgerald, Staff Director, Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Capitol Place, 80 F Street, NW., Room 413, Washington, DC 20202-7582 (202) 219-2099.

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 several areas, such as, Performance-Based Organization (PBO); Title IV Modernization; 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. The most important charge of the Advisory Committee is to make recommendations to maintain and improve access to postsecondary education. Each of these responsibilities flows logically from and effectively implements one or more of the Committee's original statutory functions and purposes.

The agenda will focus exclusively on conducting the election of officers for the Advisory Committee. Space is limited and you are encouraged to contact the Advisory Committee staff through the Internet at ADV.COMSEA@ed.gov no later than Tuesday, September 24, 2002, if you wish to participate. Also, you may contact the Advisory Committee staff at (202) 219-2099.

The Advisory Committee will meet in Washington, DC via teleconference on Friday, September 27, 2002, from 11 a.m. until approximately 11:30 a.m.

Records are kept of all Committee proceedings, and are available for public inspection at the Office of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Capitol Place, 80 F Street, NW., Room 413, Washington, DC from the hours of 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekdays, except Federal holidays.