DC Digest - August 27, 2010

In Today's Issue:

  • University and Hospital Associations Respond to Injunction on Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  • Education Department Offers Answers on 'Gainful Employment'
  • Education Stocks Fall as Government Supports Loan Payback Data
  • Delayed Start for U.S. Panel on Accreditation


UNIVERSITY AND HOSPITAL ASSOCIATIONS RESPOND TO INJUNCTION ON FUNDING OF EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH
Earlier this week, a federal district court imposed an in junction on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. In response, the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Council on Government Relations (COGR), and other hospital and university associations released a joint statement opposing the injunction: "The judicial injunction blocking federally-funded human embryonic stem cell research not only blocks potential life-saving research but also threatens to undermine the system of peer-reviewed science that has helped make America the unquestioned world leader in scientific discovery."

Read More:
University and Hospital Association Response to Injunction on Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding (AAU)
Federal Judge Overturns Obama Policy on Stem Cells (Chronicle of Higher Ed)



EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OFFERS ANSWERS ON 'GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT'
Responding to criticism following the release of institution-by-institution student loan repayment data, the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday published answers to some "frequently asked questions" it has gotten since publishing the data on Aug. 13. Most of the document reiterates what the department has already said about the data and its approach to defining gainful employment, but there are some new tidbits

Read More:
Education Department Offers Answers on 'Gainful Employment' (InsideHigherEd)
US Department of Education Frequently Asked Questions (Full FAQ on Ed.gov)


EDUCATION STOCKS FALL AS GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS LOAN PAYBACK DATA
Higher-education stocks fell after the U.S. Department of Education said it stood by student loan repayment data released August 13, which showed low payback rates at for-profit college providers.

Read More:
Education Stocks Fall as Government Supports Loan Payback Data (Bloomberg Businessweek)


DELAYED START FOR U.S. PANEL ON ACCREDITATION
The Education Department has pushed back the first meeting of its reconstituted advisory committee on accreditation. The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which Congress scuttled in 2008 amid concerns that its work had been overly politicized by the Bush administration, was scheduled to hold its first meeting in its new form, and with a new roster of members, in September. But in a notice in Monday's Federal Register, the department announced that the first meeting would instead be held in December. - From InsideHigherEd

Read More:
Federal Register Notice on National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity