speeches from across the country , starting with chair of the --ecommunications company she is followed by republican senator richard burr from north carolina, new york gubernatorial candidates cynthia next and, washington post publisher fred walt.and robert some that begins at nine eastern here on c-span. talking about the political news of the day. and former u.s. ambassador to the u.n. discusses tensions with north korea and iran over their nuclear programs. be sure to watch washington journal live at seven eastern sunday morning.

join the discussion. "washington journal" continues. host: joining us is eric kelderman a senior reporter at the chronicle of higher education here to discuss the top issues facing higher education and u.s. policy changes under u.s. education secretary betsy devos. what major issues are facing colleges and universities in 2018? lott: i think it depends a on the kind of college you are talking about. if you're talking about elite or private selective colleges with big endowments and diverse revenue, those colleges are doing pretty well overall. even some of the better flagship different revenue streams coming in, tuition, interests onts, investments, things like that. if it is small, small private

areas, theyrural are struggling with enrollment students.t enough public colleges in the upper midwest and northeast are struggling with enrollment issues. those are some of the bigger issues. there are issues about public perception of the value of higher education. questions about the price and student debt. there are things like debates about free speech and some of ultural war issues happening on campuses. year ofu write about a rolling back rules under education secretary betsy devos. the u.s. department of education has taken steps to roll back several of the most controversial rules enacted

during the obama administration. at the same time republicans in the house of representatives are considering a reauthorization of the higher education act, the major federal law governing higher education that would constrain the government's oversight of colleges. talk about changes in the current administration in terms of education regulation and how that is being felt at colleges across the country. guest: a couple of big regulations that the education department is reconsidering under secretary devos is something called gainful employment rule. -- they cancolleges be penalized if they're , particularly from career colleges and vocational programs, if they're graduates don't make enough money in their jobs to pay back student loans. that rule has been put on hold and renegotiated. we are waiting for a proposed rule to come out.

in theory that would be in place, the final role in november and in place by next july. the other thing is the borrower defense to repayment. this rule allows students who have been defrauded by their government ask the to be excused from those loans. this comes into play with larger for-profit schools, corinthian and itt, tens of thousands of student asked for their loans to be excused because they felt they had been taken advantage of by the institutions. that process is in the courts. a lot of those applications, some are being processed, some are being held up. that rule is being renegotiated. those are changes that would happen. in theory, we are seeing the device administration -- the

devos administration is trying to make it easier for institutions to avoid penalties. penalties under the gainful employment rule in theory that would come out. you would have to provide disclosure that your graduates are not making enough money to pay back their loans. defense, we're not sure where that is going as he would have to show proof of fraud. other things, title ix, sexual assault on college campuses, a big topic right now. the devos administration has ledcinded what our cal dear colleague letters. asking colleges to take a harder line on the issue. evidence to prove sexual misconduct on campuses lowered. the number of

activities that would be considered sexual misconduct. the devos administration has rolled that back and said they will issue new regulations through the formal formaltration -- regulation process. the obama administration was not formal regulation. host: issues facing colleges today. we have special minds. if you are college student or parent, you can call (202) 748-8000. if you are a college educator, you can call (202) 748-8001. all others can reach us at (202) 748-8002. fromt to play clip for you about theis week department of education's priorities. i want to to respond to this

exchange between bobby scott and betsy devos. [video clip] >> a $15 billion cut in student aid, is that right? opined.e heard that i'm not sure i agree. >> do you have another number? approach to giving students more flexibility pursuing their higher education. >> a $15 billion cut? do you have another number? opined.e heard that i said i don't necessarily hear that perspective. -- share that respective. >> the debacle going on with teachers in the process of fulfilling their loan forgiveness requirements. has your department known about that? >> are you speaking of the teacher grant program?

of the issues within that program and have taken steps to address the issues therein. >> do you need legislation to fix it? >> i don't believe so. the same expect debacle when students are completing their 10 years of loan forgiveness? >> we are committed to fulfilling the requirements and arrangements of loans under the public service loan forgiveness agreement. host: talk more specifically about the prosper act. the changes it implements and how it affects things like loan forgiveness. guest: sure. as we mentioned, the republicans in control of congress and the running the department of education are keen on rolling back regulations. this bill would not only roll back some of the regulations, but it would prevent the

department from enacting similar legislations in the future without legislation. that is significant. want to get into if it was a cut or increase. it would increase the loan limits available to students, though it will bow colleges to place limits on loans for individual programs if they feel those students might not make enough money in the future. it would give more discretion to colleges to limit loans. it would also put colleges on the hook for students that dropout. if you dropout midway through the semester, if your college has received a federal pell grant or loan money that money would have to be repaid to the government. so colleges are not benefiting from students who drop out. host: independence, oregon. you are a parent. good morning. caller: i'm thinking my kids are

going to come out of college because it is not worth it because of all of the places college.that have free they come over here and take our jobs and they do not have to pay back loans. what you think about that? thank you. guest: there are countries that are recruiting students from the u.s. to go to programs overseas, england and germany are a couple. there are a number of international students. the number of international students in the u.s. has been increasing. that has declined significantly over the past couple of years. colleges and universities that are able to attract those students, most colleges cannot bring international students. placesublic flagships or with namebrand recognition in china and india to bring

international students. they come here and typically pay fees.uition and in some cases that is an important revenue source for those institutions. host: indiana, you are a college educator. caller: my comment is one of the public's biggest misperceptions about higher ed in the united states is it is like an employment service. that is not what a college education is supposed to do, find people jobs. it is supposed to give graduates skill sets that are multifaceted and dynamic and can change with changing economic circumstances of the country. right now, we are experiencing rapid economic change. and a lot of people's skill sets long were developed a time ago need to be refitted for a new economy.

education is generally designed so the graduate can reinvent themselves down the road to deal with that change. --t: do you see the change is college reflecting the change kevin is talking about? this is one of the big picture debates happening on college campuses. whether colleges provide specific skills for jobs or if they provide broad pallets of skills, sometimes referred to a soft skills. communication, writing, working in teams, things like that. sometimes from businesses you hear we want graduates that are more prepared for specific skills. sometimes you hear we want independent thinkers that can think critically. this debate is playing out in different ways. over the long run, we are to have to find out whether --

which side wins. see liberal arts majors that get soft skills in the long run tend to earn more down the road. host: from bedford, texas. caller: good morning. are you familiar with the national laboratories, oakridge, loss ou -- los alamos. i am a senior citizen. 2 areas, math and science. our country right now was about ready to fall below zimbabwe. anyway, you talk about money for these programs. the problems we are having with kids that start in junior high and high school with math and science is killing our kids. there is huge amounts of money for kids in math and science. oak ridge national laboratory

million. hit $30 they could not spend it because they were not any kids that came in to apply for the programs. i wanted to see if you were aware of this. host: talk about these specific skills. guest: again, there is a large pushe happening and a big in college and by the public to increase the number of students going into the so-called stem fields, science technology engineering and mathematics. there are a lot of well-paying jobs out there for those folks. whether they are prepared coming out of junior high and high school, there is a concern whether the elementary and secondary schools are adequately andaring kids for college

if the goals we are seeing in middle and high school are aligned with college, being ready to go to college. in the chronicle of higher education that while higher education generally isn't popular, people really like the own schools.r democrats and republicans see a need for improvements in higher education, but they like their local colleges and universities based on responses from 1600 random selected adults. there are similar findings to last year's polls that showed deep support for community college believing that degrees lead to more employment than a high school diploma does. guest: the new america findings have shown in general people still believe in the value of higher education. education leads to better opportunities in terms of

your job and career. they are concerned about the rising cost. they are concerned if colleges are doing an adequate job preparing students for the workforce. those are big things that have come out of those polls. community colleges get high marks from the public on these issues, they're the most affordable option for a lot of students. i think they connect well with demands thatration the public and employers like. host: dave is a parent calling from illinois. caller: i just had a couple of questions. health care to increase access you have to lower the cost. the affordable care act did not want to do that. so we have the access problems. the second thing is talking about preparing kids for school. in illinois, we pay high

property taxes. are burning so many funds and kids are not getting ready in elementary school, middle school, and high school. that money is not available for parents to save for college. said, the price of college is one of the major concerns for most people in the public. how they will afford to send their kids for college. you had stats in the previous segment talking about the average price. most to students, if you go to a regional college, western illinois university, for instance, you will pay less than $10,000 year for tuition. like are other costs books and room and board, so it adds up. it is a big concern. talked about have

for-profit institutions. when they are saddled with debt even without a degree. how do you see this administration reacting to these for-profit schools? the obama administration took a hard line on for-profit schools. we saw major closures during the obama administration, i mentioned corinthian and itt. devos has tried to lower the regulatory bar with it the many spots need as for college students as we can create. we need to allow those institutions. in the long run there will always be a place for for-profit colleges to do there a specific vocational -- to do very areas andocational online education is popular.

iny are permanent players the market. whether they survive in the state they are for a very long time has a lot to do with how they are perceived in the public. their public perception has gone down. they tend to be more expensive than public colleges because they do not get state appropriations. they are eligible for pell grants or federal loans, if you are talking about the accredited institutions, but they have to charge a lot of money because they do not have endowments or other sources of income to offset the cost of education. host: is the process of being accredited different for these schools? guest: the process is the same, actually. it is a complex issue. there are regional accreditors, seven in the u.s., that a credit mostly public colleges and some private nonprofits. then there are national

accreditors that do mostly career colleges. they have slightly different standards. it has become a controversial issue about how colleges he come accredited. are the standards high enough for these institutions? looking closely enough at business and recruitment practices to make sure they are on the up and up? host: i want to quickly read this headline from the new york times. administration is cracking down on students who overstay visas. plansump administration to crack down on international students and visitors who , stoking fear in the higher education community that president trump's aggressive immigration policies will hinder university efforts to attract the brightest minds from overseas. can you talk about the impact of immigration policies like this

or the daca program on higher ed? you're saying concern about the crackdown on immigration policies and the impact of repealing daca. as i mentioned, and a lot of the international students come from china and india and pay a significant amount of money. they in essence subsidize other students that go to college there. that is one issue. different.sue is these are students that grew up in america. they are not typically wealthy. colleges have taken steps to try to help those students out, protect them to the extent they can, provide free legal advice on how to manage their situation. end to it,ee a quick an but it is a big concern in higher education. host: hi, beverly. caller: i taught school for 32

years, pre-k through high school, and dedication on the college level. i am concerned about how easy it is for the government to take away from the funds they could provide to this school's to help us get into the kinds of programs that produce the kinds of children they want. i find it really disgusting that game is charter end game-- devos' an is charter schools. they're not working as well as the public thinks. planets nothing on the that should stop these children from attending a trade school versus a traditional college or university. my grandfather used to tell my brother, a real man learns how to make a living by using his

hands. ast: i want to give eric chance to talk about trade school education and how charter school graduates are faring in higher education. guest: i do not have an answer one.e second i don't know if there is research on how charter school graduates perform in college versus students who go to a more traditional public school. there is a renewed interest in vocational training. communityoned, colleges are very popular with the public. i think there is a big push to get students to consider, do you need a four-year education for your career goal, or can you go to the community college or technical college and get that six-month certificate, one-year

program, or two-year degree to put you on the career path you want? host: elizabeth from pennsylvania. a parent. i, my name is elizabeth martinez. i am the parent of a college student who graduated four years ago from a private university. when he was attending, because of our income, my husband and myself, he was not available for student grants. that being said, we used the parent plus route for his college education. a couple of years later he was only able to get a part-time job out of college. that finally turned into a full-time job, but we were forced to retire because of health reasons. our income is lower and we have debt. i refinanced our home to help

pay for that. i paid $35,000. the loan is still growing will stop it has grown to over $160,000. i have no clue how i'm going to pay for this. host: talk about the debt burden that not only students face, but their parents. guest: the parent plus program allows parents to borrow the amount of money required for their student to get through the degree program. it has become a big issue. lawmakers in the federal department of education tried to tighten the credit requirements. of a was something backlash, because that made a bunch of minority students at historically black colleges in particular, their parents in eligible to take out loans. that put a crimp in their enrollment. sword. double-edged

you hear parents like the one that just called and saddled with a lot of debt, and their child thankfully got through college and is earning a living, but they are carrying that weight. that is a big problem for a lot of parents. seniorric kelderman >> it is a privilege to welcome you here for a conversation on venezuela. i