Is financial aid something that institutions of higher education should offer? Or is it something smart institutions should use to compete for desirable students? Has it become a growing burden that can't be sustained in these economic times?  

Insight into these questions will be offered at "Financial Aid: Moral Imperative, Competitive Tool, or Unsustainable Burden?" a talk by Sandy Baum, Skidmore College professor emerita and senior associate at the Institute for Higher Education on Tuesday, March 5 at 4 p.m. in the Jones Room, Woodruff Library. 


This is the fifth and final talk in the series "Shaping Emory's Future: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century." The series, sponsored by the University Senate, addresses critical issues affecting private research universities.   

Baum has written and spoken extensively on issues relating to college access, college pricing, student aid policy, student debt, affordability and other aspects of higher education finance. 

She has also has managed and co-authored the annual publications, "Trends in Student Aid and Trends in College Pricing" for the College Board since 2002. Her other recent work includes studies of concepts of college affordability, the non-financial barriers to college access, and tuition discounting in public and private colleges and universities.

The talk is free and open to the public.