Federal Updates

President Bush releases proposed budget for FY 2006
On February 7, 2005, President Bush submitted his proposed budget for FY 2006 to Congress. Throughout the FY 2006 budget process, the expressed goal of the Bush Administration has been to focus on federal fiscal responsibility by reducing or eliminating funding for some programs.

Closed school corner
The Department of Education announces two new closures.

TG Updates

TG financial aid awareness events reach thousands of students and families
TG hosted two special events in February to provide students and families with important information about applying for and receiving federal student financial aid.

TG Conference update and TUG meeting
Mark your calendars now for the TG Users Group (TUG) Meeting, to be held in Austin, Texas on Monday, April 11, 2005, at the Hilton Austin. The TUG Meeting is being held on the first day of the 2005 TG Conference, "Breakthrough! Higher expectations in higher education," which will take place April 11-13, 2005.

This, That, and the Other...

A report issued last week by the Institute for Higher Education Policy shows that states' investment in higher education dramatically impacts both the collective well-being of each state as well as individual citizens. The report shows that states benefit from spending on higher education with a richer populace that is more likely to be employed, less dependent on welfare, healthier, and more likely to vote and volunteer than people without a higher education.

The report, titled "The Investment Payoff: A 50-State Analysis of the Public and Private Benefits of Higher Education," can be read in its entirety by visiting the organization's website at www.ihep.org.