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The 100 Best Community Colleges in America
By Elizabeth Jackson, Stacker News
On 5/16/21 at 8:00 AM EDT
With college costs mounting and student debt remaining a hot topic of conversation, public opinion on four-year colleges has begun to shift, as people contemplate whether they are in fact the only or best option for all students. An estimated 8.7 million undergraduates enrolled in public, two-year colleges during the 2016–17 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. A 2019 study from TD Ameritrade found 36 percent of Gen Z students considered attending a community college before a four-year college, while 21 percent considered attending a community college instead of a four-year college.
Pa. aims to collect nearly $18 million in unpaid student fees, without using collection agencies
Updated May 06, 2021;
Posted May 06, 2021
Attorney General Josh Shapiro is recalling $17.9 million in unpaid student fees owed to the 14 state universities that had been turned over to for-profit collection firms for collection and instead, will have his office s financial enforcement employees pursue clearing those debts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)AP
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Nearly 4,800 people have accumulated $17.9 million in unpaid student fees owed to one of the 14 state-owned universities and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
For decades, efforts to get them to pay up the fees that universities charge alongside tuition, such as an activity fee or technology fee, resulted in for-profit collection agents coming after them. But no more.
When: Lampeter-Strasburg school board meeting, May 3, in person for members, Zoom for staff and YouTube for others.
What happened: The board approved, without discussion, its proposed final budget for 2021-22 with a 1.9% tax rate increase. The vote was unanimous with board member Scott Kimmel absent.
Background: At a finance committee meeting held April 26, the board reviewed the budget which projects revenues of $55.4 million and expenditures of $56.9 million. The $1.5 million deficit will be covered by the fund balance. The vote to approve the final budget takes place at the June 14 board meeting.
Tax: The increase follows no tax increase in 2020-21. The 1.9% falls below the state index of 3.5%. Millage increases to 17.25, up 0.32 mills. Homeowners of a $217,200 property, the median for the district, will pay about $70 more. In a separate action, the board approved engaging the Lancaster County Collection Bureau to collect tax payments.
The Lancaster County economic growth fund started by BB&T has bestowed another seven grants totaling $835,000, it was announced Thursday.Â
All are going to local higher-education institutions. The latest recipients of support from the six-year-old fund are:Â
-Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, $110,000 to create âPathways to Success,â a program to connect local students with careers in high-demand fields such as construction.Â
-Elizabethtown College, $125,000 to promote campus-wide justice and diversity initiatives and career training for first-generation college students.Â
-Franklin & Marshall College, $125,000 to support first-generation college students from Lancaster County.Â
-HACC, $100,000 to support diversity initiatives and an inclusive excellence mentoring program at the Lancaster campus.Â