December 10, 2004

• Brian Fitzgerald Named Executive Director of the Business-Higher Education Forum
• Legislative Update
• Congressional Update

---

Brian Fitzgerald Named Executive Director of the Business-Higher Education Forum

Brian K. Fitzgerald has been appointed as the executive director of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), effective January 17, 2005, according to Mark S. Wrighton, chair of BHEF and chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis. Fitzgerald currently serves as staff director of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, a position he has held since 1988.

In his new role, Fitzgerald will succeed Jeremiah L. Murphy, BHEF retiring director. BHEF is a not-for-profit membership organization of leaders from American businesses, colleges, universities, museums, and foundations. BHEF's purpose is to harness the talent and energy of its members to examine issues of national importance, take positions and make recommendations with regard to its findings, and then to address such issues with public officials, representatives from both corporate and academic communities, and the general public.

In September 2004, BHEF became an independent organization, having been hosted by the American Council on Education since it's founding in 1978.

"The Business-Higher Education Forum is fortunate to attract someone of Brian Fitzgerald's capabilities and experience. As staff director of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance for sixteen years, he has worked with a wide array of federal, state, and institutional policy makers, as well as leaders in the business and philanthropic communities to shape a higher education policy agenda for the United States Congress. He brings extraordinary insight and familiarity with such issues as strengthening higher education, achieving diversity on campus and in the workforce, enhancing research, and the many other mutual concerns confronting higher education and industry," said Wrighton.

Working closely with Wrighton in the executive search process was Herbert M. Allison, Jr., chairman, president, and chief executive officer, TIAA-CREF, Edward B. Rust, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, State Farm Insurance Companies, and BHEF's executive committee. Rust is the immediate past chair of BHEF, and Allison is the vice chair of the organization.

Fitzgerald will be directing an organization founded on the premise that higher education and business are increasingly interdependent. Educational institutions develop the human resources that businesses rely upon to compete and succeed in a global economy. Among the areas of BHEF's recent focus are a new approach to public accountability for higher education; the development of a strategy to address the math and science deficit throughout the educational system; and the need for business and academia to assess, manage and take responsibility for the ethical values of their organizations.

Membership dues as well as grants from philanthropic organizations provide most of BHEF's support in developing reports, issues papers, policy positions, and roundtable discussions with elected public officials. Membership of the organization totals approximately 80 leaders from American business, colleges and universities, museums, and foundations.

Brian K. Fitzgerald was named staff director in 1988 of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance — an entity created by Congress to advise on higher education and student aid policy. He directed an 11-member group of academic and business leaders who advise the US Secretary of Education and Congress on higher education and student aid policy and finance. Congress has repeatedly reaffirmed and expanded the committee's legislative charter because of the strength of the research and policy work it has produced in such areas as assessing the degree of college access afforded low- and moderate-income students, modernizing the student aid system and enhancing program management by the Department of Education. In 2003, the committee developed a partnership proposal to combine the efforts of federal and state governments, institutions of higher education, corporations and philanthropic organizations to create and support academic development and college awareness and to provide financial access to college. The committee's proposal was introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators as S. 2477 in May of 2003.

In addition, Fitzgerald managed the committee's legislative agenda, built productive working relationships with the majority and minority members of Congress, and established and maintained a long-term working relationship with a broad network of governors, state legislators, university officials, corporate executives and foundations.

During 1981-88, prior to his role with the committee, he worked in business as a senior research analyst at Pelavin Associates, Inc, as senior analyst and project manager for Advanced Technology, Inc, and as vice president for marketing of Preview, Inc.

From 1976 to 1981 he worked in higher education as a research assistant at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and as assistant dean of the college at Bates College . He also served as a lecturer in education for Bates.

Fitzgerald holds a doctorate in education from Harvard University (1990), a master of education from Harvard (1976) and a bachelor of arts in literature from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (1975).

Fitzgerald is the author of numerous articles and publications regarding access and affordability of higher education and is a frequent public speaker. He is a member of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Council and an active member of Harvard's Washington Alumni Organization. In 2000, he was named a distinguished alumnus of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

For more information on the Business-Higher Education Forum, please go to www.bhef.com.

Back to Top

Legislative Update

Legislation pre-filed so far for consideration by the 79th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, which convenes on January 11, 2005, signals the major topics that will take up the bulk of the 140 day Session.

Bills include legislation to establish a business activity tax, propose constitutional ban on gay marriage, restore funding to the state's Children's Health Insurance Program for children of the working poor, revamp the state's child and adult protective services agencies, propose constitutional amendments to require all votes taken in the House and Senate to be recorded and to reduce the definition of "majority" in each chamber in order for each to convene each day to conduct business from the current two-thirds to a simple majority, establish a state pilot school voucher program, restore funding to the health care program for public school teachers.

The following higher education/student financial aid related bills have been prefiled for consideration during the Session.

Full background and details of each bill can be accessed at Texas Legislature Online www.capitol.state.tx.us.

HB 19 — Relating to tuition and fee rebates for timely completion of degree programs offered by general academic teaching institutions.

HB 20 — Relating to a pilot program to provide reduced undergraduate tuition during a summer term or session at Texas A&M University.

HB 37 — Relating to automatic admission of undergraduate students to a general academic teaching institution that is a component institution of a university system.

This bill proposes to allow students admitted under the state's "Top 10 percent" law to an institution that is a part of the University of Texas System, Texas A&M University System, Texas State University System, Texas Tech University System, University of Houston System, and University of North Texas System to be enrolled by the system at any component institution within that system.

HB 4 — Relating to tuition assistance granted to certain members of state military forces attending public or private institutions of higher education.

HB 64 — Relating to the automatic admission to public institutions of higher education of certain undergraduate transfer students.

This bill proposes to require public general academic institutions to automatically admit graduates of the state's public community colleges who receive a degree with a 3.0 GPA.

HB 133 — Relating to the award of academic credit to a student at an institution of higher education for the completion of certain military training.

This bill proposes to allow certain public institutions of higher education to award credit toward completion of a degree program for certain military training that satisfies the institution's requirements for a course.

SB 30 — Relating to tuition and fee exemptions for students contracting to graduate in a timely manner from public institutions of higher education.

This bill proposes to allow a student to enter into a contract with the institution to receive an exemption for payment of tuition and fees in return for the student graduating within the prescribed time for the degree and maintaining a 15 credit hour per semester course load.

SB 31 — Relating to requiring students receiving certain financial aid at institutions of higher education to meet timely graduation and academic progress requirements.

This bills proposes to substitute "30 hours" for the "75 percent completion" satisfactory academic progress requirement in the TEXAS Grant and Tuition Equalization Grant programs after the freshman year, and apply the same requirements as those for the Texas B-On Time loan program.

SB 32 — Relating to certain special tuition rates at institutions of higher education.

This bill proposes to allow institutions to charge lower tuition rates for summer sessions.

SB 33 — Relating to graduate stipends awarded as part of the Texas B-On Time loan program.

This bill proposes to allow graduate students who received B-On Time loans as undergraduates to qualify for $2,5000 graduate stipends.

SB 34 — Relating to the tuition rebate program for certain undergraduates at certain public institutions of higher education.

This bill proposes to allow a tuition rebate for undergraduates who graduate within the prescribed time for their degree as required for a Texas B-On Time loan.

SB 71 — Relating to the prohibition of certain disclosures of a consumer's financial information.

This bill is the same as SB 76, except it does not include the consumer "opt-in" provisions.

SB 76 — Relating to a consumer's option to prevent the disclosure of the consumer's financial information by a financial institution and providing a civil penalty.

This bill proposes to prohibit financial institutions from sharing consumers non public financial information for marketing purposes with another party unless the consumer is first provided a written privacy notice stating that the financial institution may not disclose the information unless the consumer opts-in (agrees). Under the bill, financial institutions may share the information with affiliates, but the affiliates may not, in turn, share the information without going through the "opt-in" process.

SB 79 — Relating to tuition exemptions granted by public institutions of higher education to children of certain classroom teachers.

This bill proposes to provide tuition exemptions to children of school teachers who are certified by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and have taught in a critical teaching shortage field shortage area for ten years.

SB 80 — Relating to the percentage of certain tuition set aside to fund financial assistance for resident undergraduate and graduate students at public institutions of higher education.

This bill proposes to increase the percentage of the set aside from public university tuition charged above $46 per credit hour from 20 percent to 40 percent for resident undergraduate student aid, and from 15 percent to 20 percent for resident graduate student aid.

Back to Top

Congressional Update

The 108th Congress convened for one last, mini lame duck session to complete its work on the FY2005 appropriations bills and the national intelligence reform bill (S.2845/HR 10). This session convened on December 6th, completed its work, and adjourned sine die on December 9th.

The new 109th Congress will convene on January 5, 2005 for its two year session.

Back to Top

For more information, contact:

TG Congressional and Legislative Relations
(512) 219-4503
P.O. Box 83100
Round Rock, TX 78683-3100