[caption id=”attachment_124576″ align=”aligncenter” width=”3150″]Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas poses for a photograph with members of the audience after announcing his campaign for president, Monday, March 23, 2015, at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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The Washington Post recently published an article aimed at Liberty University and the school’s explosive growth over the past few years, suggesting the increase in enrollment is mainly due to federal loans and the current administration’s loan relief programs for students.
“The exponential growth of Liberty University has been fueled by billions in federal student aid made possible by President Obama and congressional Democrats,” according to the Washington Post.
It is true that loans have played a role in the expansion of Liberty University, however some current students and alumni shared some insight into other reasons why the university has expanded over the years.
“President Barack Obama’s ballooning of government through expanding financial aid in 2009 has only played a minor role in that it has redistributed more money from taxpayers to students that then have the power to choose where to spend this money,” said Amy Bonebright, a Liberty University alumna and current professor.
The Washington Post article noted that Liberty’s enrollment tripled from 2004 to 2009. Federal student aid did not significantly expand until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly know as “the stimulus,” was passed in 2009.
“Five years before the Democrats reformed the federal student loan program Liberty’s popularity and enrollment were already rising dramatically,” said Liberty student Branden Grosvalet,
The reforms President Obama has put into place tying student loan payments to income will forgive the debt for some borrowers. However, taxpayers, including recent graduates, will end up paying into the loan forgiveness program that is estimated to cost $39 billion over the next decade.
“Liberty’s recent growth can be attributed to several things, like the recent nationwide backlash against liberal-only academia in higher education,” Bonebright added.
Bonebright also mentioned Liberty’s campus capital improvements that have helped recruitment to the university, as well as “an ever-expanding offering of career field studies,” that include both secular and religious studies, and the flexibility to study remotely or on campus.
This article is from Red Alert Politics’ Campus Correspondent Program. Would you like to contribute a story from your school? Apply here to be a Campus Correspondent for RAP!
