Student Debt & The Future of Higher Education:
Aaron LeMay, an accountant for Baylor and a graduate student in the Student Services Administration (M.S.Ed.) program gave a presentation that was a derivative of his joint research with Dr. Robert Cloud (Educational Administration). Their article was recently accepted for publication in the Journal of College and University Law at Notre Dame Law School. Their research and his presentation were very relevant for all students, whether undergraduate or graduate, for they demonstrated the growing burden of student debt on individual students and upon the federal government. The ramifications of the exponentially growing number and dollar amount of student loans are serious and recent decisions by the Supreme Court and administrations have made it nearly impossible for anyone to default on the loans, no matter how poor their financial situation. The research of Dr. Cloud and Mr. LeMay presented a shocking picture of how student debt might well over-power the financial benefits of obtaining a college education. They also provided possible solutions/improvements to the present situation. Aaron's presentation at the Forum and his research with Dr. Cloud were featured in a subsequent Lariat article, "Professor-student Team Addresses College Loan Debt" on April 20, 2007.