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NTID President Attends National Education Summit

NTID News - July 21, 2008

NTID President Alan Hurwitz was one of 150 college leaders, state officials, policy experts and others who were invited to attend U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings's final higher education summit, held Thursday and Friday in Chicago.

The conference was an opportunity for people from various constituencies to gather to discuss common needs and goals for enhancing post-secondary opportunities for students who come from all walks of life, including adults needing to return to school for better employment.

Discussions included simplifying the financial aid process, improving accreditation systems and partnering with faculty, parents, employers, unions, other educational institutions, associations and agencies to identify measures for student success.

Hurwitz discussed NTID's measure of student success with Spellings. For years, NTID, with Cornell University and the Social Security Administration, has studied the benefit of education for its students. The study concluded that deaf and hard-of-hearing graduates from NTID have significantly higher employment rates and higher earnings than non-graduates and reduced dependency on social welfare programs. A bachelor degree means, on average, $12,000 in increased earnings annually.

Hurwitz also participated in a discussion to help ensure greater accessibility for students with disabilities.

"Everyone has the goal of improving and enhancing the quality of education of all students," Hurwitz said. "We still have a lot of work to do, but if we keep the focus and momentum, I am optimistic that with time, patience and effort, we will get there."