Bishop visits Ogden college campus

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Stevens-Henager tour part of research for bill in Congress

OGDEN -- Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, visited the Ogden campus of Stevens-Henager College on Wednesday morning as part of his involvement with the Career College Association and Higher Education Act, which affects funding, credit transfer and Pell grants for private colleges.

More than 30 students, faculty, administration and major employers of Stevens-Henager College came to discuss concerns and ask questions about education issues with Bishop.

Bishop discussed the role of private colleges such as Stevens-Henager in serving a niche market in the education system.

"What you do for students is very important," Bishop said. "It's important to give students a chance to get in a career, change a career and have a place where that can happen."

Vicky Dewsnup, president of the Ogden campus of Stevens-Henager, said she hopes Bishop can help change laws to make it easier for young people to come to college right after high school.

Dewsnup said most of the school's students are in night programs and are five years older than the average college student. Dewsnup said she wants to get students into school earlier to give them more opportunities.

Many people are self-supporting and pay for everything themselves but do not qualify for the financial aid they need to go to school because they are under 24 years old and must declare their parent's income on financial aid forms, said Lana Moon, corporate director of financial aid.

This is one thing Stevens-Henager would like changed, said Moon, because it would allow students to enter higher education younger, and many of their 380 students could use more help to pay for tuition at the private school. She said it should be easier for students at a private college to get financial help.

After grants and loans, Moon said the average Stevens-Henager student still needs to come up with $10,000 for school. That money can stop some people from getting the opportunities they want, she said.

The Higher Education Act proposes that Congress amend the requirements for Pell grants to allow students who complete more than one academic year in a calendar year to receive an additional Pell grant, according to a letter written to the House of Representatives by the CEO of the Career College Association, Harris Miller.

This would primarily affect students at year-round colleges such as Stevens-Henager.

An increase in the maximum Pell grant amount and more open information about credit transfer requirements are also among the eight changes proposed by the Higher Education Act.

Bishop will report his findings on proprietary schools to a subcommittee on education when he returns to Washington.

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