Rio
Salado College President Chris Bustamante was recently invited to serve as a member
of Forward50, a newly formed committee convened by the National
Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and funded by
a grant from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation.
The committee is comprised of 50 higher education leaders from across the
nation.
The Forward50
are tasked with developing useful solutions to remove barriers that prevent
students attending and graduating from college. Members of the committee will identify
evolving policy issues and seek input from other higher education institutions.
As part of this work, the group will create four white papers that address access,
affordability, accountability and transparency and include recommendations for
members of Congress. These papers will also be available to the broader policy
community for review and comment prior to finalization.
“This
initiative aligns with Rio Salado’s long-standing commitment to college
affordability and access,” said Bustamante. “I look forward to reaching out to
experts at here at Rio Salado, the Maricopa Community College District and
other institutions to seek input and practical solutions related to this work. It
is exciting being a part of this initiative and the work that will take place
to ensure that students have what they need to go to college and be
successful.”
