Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities
| Published date | 26 March 2019 |
| Citation | 84 FR 11401 |
| Record Number | 2019-05934 |
| Section | Presidential Documents |
| Court | Executive Office Of The President |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 11401-11404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05934]
[[Page 11399]]
Vol. 84
Tuesday,
No. 58
March 26, 2019
Part IIThe President-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Order 13864--Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and
Accountability at Colleges and Universities
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 58 / Tuesday, March 26, 2019 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 11401]]
Executive Order 13864 of March 21, 2019
Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and
Accountability at Colleges and Universities
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Purpose. The purpose of this order is to
enhance the quality of postsecondary education by
making it more affordable, more transparent, and more
accountable. Institutions of higher education
(institutions) should be accountable both for student
outcomes and for student life on campus.
In particular, my Administration seeks to promote free
and open debate on college and university campuses.
Free inquiry is an essential feature of our Nation's
democracy, and it promotes learning, scientific
discovery, and economic prosperity. We must encourage
institutions to appropriately account for this bedrock
principle in their administration of student life and
to avoid creating environments that stifle competing
perspectives, thereby potentially impeding beneficial
research and undermining learning.
The financial burden of higher education on students
and their families is also a national problem that
needs immediate attention. Over the past 30 years,
college tuition and fees have grown at more than twice
the rate of the Consumer Price Index. Rising student
loan debt, coupled with low repayment rates, threatens
the financial health of both individuals and families
as well as of Federal student loan programs. In
addition, too many programs of study fail to prepare
students for success in today's job market.
The Federal Government can take meaningful steps to
address these problems. Selecting an institution and
course of study are important decisions for prospective
students and significantly affect long-term earnings.
Institutions should be transparent about the average
earnings and loan repayment rates of former students
who received Federal student aid. Additionally, the
Federal Government should make this information readily
accessible to the public and to prospective students
and their families, in particular.
This order will promote greater access to critical
information regarding the prices and outcomes of
postsecondary education, thereby furthering the goals
of the National Council for the American Worker
established by Executive Order 13845 of July 19, 2018
(Establishing the President's National Council for the
American Worker). Increased information disclosure will
help ensure that individuals make educational choices
suited to their needs, interests, and circumstances.
Access to this information will also increase
institutional accountability and encourage institutions
to take into account likely future earnings when
establishing the cost of their educational programs.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the Federal
Government to:
(a) encourage institutions to foster environments
that promote open, intellectually engaging, and diverse
debate, including through compliance with the First
Amendment for public institutions and compliance with
stated institutional policies regarding freedom of
speech for private institutions;
(b) help students (including workers seeking
additional training) and their families understand,
through better data and career counseling, that not all
institutions, degrees, or fields of study provide
similar returns on their investment, and consider that
their educational decisions should account for the
opportunity cost of enrolling in a program;
[[Page 11402]]
(c) align the incentives of institutions with those
of students and taxpayers to ensure that institutions
share the financial risk associated with Federal
student loan programs;
(d) help borrowers avoid defaulting on their
Federal student loans by educating them about risks,
repayment obligations, and repayment options; and
(e) supplement efforts by States and institutions
by disseminating information to assist students in
completing their degrees faster and at lower cost.
Sec. 3. Improving Free Inquiry on Campus. (a) To
advance the policy described in subsection 2(a) of this
order, the heads of covered agencies shall, in
coordination with the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget, take appropriate steps, in a
manner consistent with applicable law, including the
First Amendment, to ensure institutions that receive
Federal research or education grants promote free
inquiry, including through compliance with all
applicable Federal laws, regulations, and policies.
(b) ``Covered agencies'' for purposes of this
section are the Departments of Defense, the Interior,
Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human
Services, Transportation, Energy, and Education; the
Environmental Protection Agency; the National Science
Foundation; and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
(c) ``Federal research or education grants'' for
purposes of this section include all funding provided
by a covered agency directly to an institution but do
not include funding associated with Federal student aid
programs that cover tuition, fees, or stipends.
Sec. 4. Improving Transparency and Accountability on
Campus. (a) To advance the policy described in
subsections 2(b)-(e) of this order, the Secretary of
Education (Secretary) shall, to the extent consistent
with applicable law:
(i) make available, by January 1, 2020, through the Office of Federal
Student Aid, a secure and confidential website and mobile application that
informs Federal student loan borrowers of how much they owe, how much their
monthly payment will be when they enter repayment, available repayment
options, how long each repayment option will take, and how to enroll in the
repayment option that best serves their needs;
(ii) expand and update annually the College Scorecard, or any successor,
with the following program-level data for each certificate, degree,
graduate, and professional program, for former students who received
Federal student aid:
(A) estimated median earnings;
(B) median Stafford loan debt;
(C) median Graduate PLUS loan debt (if applicable);
(D) median Parent PLUS loan debt; and
(E) student loan default rate and repayment rate; and
(iii) expand and update annually the College Scorecard, or any successor,
with the following institution-level data, providing the aggregate for all
certificate, degree, graduate, and professional programs, for former
students who received Federal student aid:
(A) student loan default rate and repayment rate;
(B) Graduate PLUS default rate and repayment rate; and
(C) Parent PLUS default rate and repayment rate.
(b) For the purpose of implementing subsection
(a)(ii) of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury
shall, upon the request of the Secretary, provide in a
timely manner appropriate statistical studies and
compilations regarding program-level earnings,
consistent with section 6108(b) of title 26, United
States Code, other applicable laws, and available data
regarding programs attended by former students who
received Federal student aid.
[[Page 11403]]
Sec. 5. Reporting Requirements. (a) By January 1, 2020,
the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
the Treasury, the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget, and the Chairman of the Council of Economic
Advisers, shall submit to the President, through the
Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, a
report identifying and analyzing policy options for
sharing the risk associated with Federal student loan
debt among the Federal Government, institutions, and
other entities.
(b) By January 1, 2020, the Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall
submit to the President, through the Assistant to the
President for Domestic Policy and the Assistant to the
President for Economic Policy, policy recommendations
for reforming the collections process for Federal
student loans in default.
(c) Beginning July 1, 2019, the Secretary shall
provide an annual update on the Secretary's progress in
implementing the policies set forth in subsections
2(b)-(e) of this order to the National Council for the
American Worker at meetings of the Council.
(d) Within 1 year of the date of this order, the
Secretary shall compile information about successful
State and institutional efforts to promote students'
timely and affordable completion of a postsecondary
program of study. Based on that information, the
Secretary shall publish a compilation of research
results that addresses:
(i) how some States and institutions have better facilitated successful
transfer of credits and degree completion by transfer students;
(ii) how States and institutions can increase access to dual enrollment
programs; and
(iii) other strategies for increasing student success, especially among
students at high risk of not completing a postsecondary program of study.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
[[Page 11404]]
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 21, 2019.
[FR Doc. 2019-05934
Filed 3-25-19; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F9-P
