News Releases

KU Professor to Moderate U.S. Senate Economic Mobility Caucus Event

Panel Discussion on Student Loans and Financial Security

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), cofounder of the Senate Economic Mobility Caucus, issued the following statement regarding today’s panel discussion on Capitol Hill about the relationship between student debt and financial security moderated by University of Kansas (KU) Professor Melinda Lewis:

“Our country has historically been a place where, regardless of one’s background, anyone can achieve success through hard work. The ability to move up the economic ladder helps create a dynamic society where individuals are free to reach their full potential. The Economic Mobility Caucus was created to provide Members of Congress with a forum to discuss the policies Washington needs to pursue to make certain all Americans, today and in the future, have the opportunity to dream big and pursue those dreams. This event will serve as a valuable opportunity to exchange and assess ideas about financing the costs higher education, student loans and financial security.”

The panel is hosted by The Pew Charitable Trusts in partnership with the Senate Economic Mobility Caucus. Panelists include Brookings Institution’s Beth Akers, Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Meta Brown, Urban Institute’s Sandy Baum, and American Enterprise Institute’s Andrew Kelly. They will provide an overview of the current state of student loan-related research and policy, discuss available data, and analyze the impact of student loans on family balance sheets. Panelists will also consider different paths forward for researchers, policymakers, and the media.

The event takes place in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014 from 9:30-11 a.m. ET in Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G11.

The Senate Economic Mobility Caucus was created in 2012 and exists to provide a fact-based framework and serve as a clearinghouse for ideas and information with which to assess government policies and identify areas of agreement among the Members of Congress. Sen. Moran serves as co-chairman of the caucus along with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The Assets and Education Initiative (AEDI) is an office at the University of Kansas’s School of Social Welfare. AEDI’s mission is to create and study innovations related to assets and economic well-being, with a focus on the relationship between children’s savings and the educational outcomes of low-income and minority children as a way to achieve the American dream. 

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