Ten years ago, on August 14, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), the last comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). This took place during the buildup to a financial crisis that ultimately cost 8.7 million American jobs.
Now, with mounting college costs and loan defaults raising questions about financial security and employability in a fast-moving economy, the students of 2018 expect a return on their investment in exchange for the cost of going to college. In 2008, we worried about losing savings, and major banks and automakers going out of business. Today, we worry about the effects of automation and disruption, and whether workers will have adequate skills for the jobs of tomorrow.
