ASHE presentation

Just a quick post to attach a copy of the presentation I will be giving at the upcoming Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) conference in Vancouver this November. Here is a copy of the paper and below is an abstract of the piece.

“Meeting need and buying prestige: an analysis of institutional aid among public colleges and universities”

Abstract:
Institutionally-funded financial aid has been the fastest-growing item in most public colleges and university budgets during the past decade, yet little is known about what factors contribute to these expenditures or how aid is being distributed between need and no-need criteria. This study utilizes panel data analysis to conclude that increases in SAT scores and state merit-based aid significantly reduce the amount of institutional need-based aid, while greater shares of non-resident students result in greater expenditures on non-need-based aid. The share of low-income students and state/federal need-based grant programs do not appear to influence the provision of institutional aid among public institutions.

I am still teaching myself panel data analysis and how to implement two-stage least squares models. If you happen to read this paper, please forgive me in advance if my description of methods is less than par. To me, econometrics is attrition warfare; a never-ending battle with myself provides a humbling reminder that I don’t know as much as I think I know. Ah, the story of my life.

Podcasts on enrollment management

Check out these podcasts by the USC Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice if you’re interested in enrollment management, college finance, or college access. They’re interviewing some of the nation’s experts on these topics, so hopefully these podcasts will have some nuggets of wisdom for folks to think about. Just passing it along.